OOC Class - Character Traits! - Taught by Cedar - 09/08/15
Sept 8, 2015 9:22:33 GMT -8
Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland) likes this
Post by Merialeth (CaireannLiadan) on Sept 8, 2015 9:22:33 GMT -8
[2015/09/08 09:15:57] Cailean (Alistair Greymyst): Same boat, I gotta' jet in an hour, but we'll try to slam through this. If you have a question type a ! in chat.
[2015/09/08 09:16:14] Cailean (Alistair Greymyst): Then when we come to points where questions can be asked, we'll hit you up in order of !s.
[2015/09/08 09:16:14] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): ^
[2015/09/08 09:16:20] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Hello and welcome to this class on the basic definitions and uses of traits! Today we’ll be going over each trait individually, listing a few important ways in which each may be used on-sim, and defining them accurately so as to hopefully answer any lingering questions you lovely doe-eyed people might have about them! I’ll make sure to leave a small pause after each little book I hurl at you here so you can bandage any head wounds and ask any questions you may have regarding the material I just went over.
For reference, I’m going to include this link here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/character-traits.html. That page will have your flavor and functionality descriptions if you need the additional reference once this class is complete, and of course your mentor team is always open to answer any questions you may have. To business!
[2015/09/08 09:16:46] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): reposting since Cynric just arrived.
[2015/09/08 09:16:46] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): [09:16] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Hello and welcome to this class on the basic definitions and uses of traits! Today we’ll be going over each trait individually, listing a few important ways in which each may be used on-sim, and defining them accurately so as to hopefully answer any lingering questions you lovely doe-eyed people might have about them! I’ll make sure to leave a small pause after each little book I hurl at you here so you can bandage any head wounds and ask any questions you may have regarding the material I just went over.
For reference, I’m going to include this link here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/character-traits.html. That page will have your flavor and functionality descriptions if you need the additional reference once this class is complete, and of course your mentor team is always open to answer any questions you may have. To business!
[2015/09/08 09:17:08] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Fighting: This is going to be your character’s general physical violence stat, reflecting everything from martial prowess in deadly combat to swatting your obnoxious younger brother across the back of the head. Want to throw the first punch in a bar brawl? Roll your Fighting. Want to throw the first mug at someone’s head in a bar brawl? That’s not Fighting, and I’ll cover that in a later section. Fighting is exclusively a melee trait, and does not apply to any attacks made at range, even those made with a half empty mug.
In addition to being the trait you’ll roll with when attempting melee-based attacks, Fighting also has another very important purpose definition-wise you’ll want to take into account when creating your character, or seeking to progress your character further. Alongside Strength, Fighting is going to be one of two stats used to determine which size armor your character is capable of using effectively in combat. The sizes being Light (+1 Hit Points, no Fighting requirement),
[2015/09/08 09:17:08] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Medium (+3 Hit Points, requires Fighting 2), Heavy (+4 Hit Points, requires Fighting 4 and Strength 3), and Full Plate (+6 Hit Points, requires Fighting 6 and Strength 5).
This reflects that while your character might very well be physically strong enough to wear Full Plate armor with ease, they may have next to no actual training or experience with fighting in it. When creating your character, you’ll want to take a look at their background and then ensure that your traits match up to which size armor you think fits them best for their backstory and capabilities.
[2015/09/08 09:17:34] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Any questions so far?
[2015/09/08 09:18:13] Eala Du (CottonSwan): uh...not here
[2015/09/08 09:19:12] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Alright then that brings us to Magic.
[2015/09/08 09:19:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Magic: Magic as a whole is going to represent a pretty broad variety of things, though as you might be able to guess, they’re going to be related in some way to your character’s magical ability. But! Starting with basics. Magic first and foremost is your ‘attack’ trait when casting a spell on another player. Whether that spell is a fireball to blast them to all hell, a curse to haunt them with ghosts for the next week, or a magically enhanced command to ‘convince’ them to see things your way, you’ll use your Magic trait to roll for its success.
Moving on! Your Magic trait will also determine the amount of spells your character is capable of starting with at character creation. As a rule, your character may begin play with twice their Magic rank in spells. For instance, a character with 7 Magic will start play with 14 total spells. Certain Schools of Magic will change that number a bit, whether it be through giving a character some free spells, or limiting the amount of spells they can begin
[2015/09/08 09:19:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): with at character creation. More information on that can be found on the site here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/schools-of-magic.html.
In addition to representing your likelihood to succeed when casting a spell against another player, Magic also represents your Mana pool. Your Magic trait is the number you’ll use to determine your Mana pool - for instance, a character with 7 Magic will also have 7 Mana. That being said, Magic and Mana are two very different values. Your total Mana value may come from your current Magic trait, but after that number is determined, Mana becomes its own separate value - similar to your Hit Points.
For example, let’s say Wiggles the Mage has a Magic trait of 7, and is wearing no armor (I’ll elaborate on this in a moment). As we just learned, this means Wiggles’ Mana pool is 7 as well - but wait! Wiggles has already cast two spells costing one Mana each today. So Wiggles is now down to a total of 5 Mana, but let’s say he wants to cast a spell again. Thud the Orc has been
[2015/09/08 09:19:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): poking around in Wiggles’ daisies, and that’s unforgivable - so of course, Wiggles wants to cast Flame Bolt to hopefully send Thud running for the hills! When Wiggles casts the spell, he will still roll his Magic trait of 7 vs. Thud’s Reflexes to determine his success. Bottom line of this little story here - Mana is never a value used to roll with. Your current Magic trait rank will be used for that.
[2015/09/08 09:19:33] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Something additional to note about Mana - a character who has used their entire Mana pool for the day will no longer be able to cast spells of any kind, even if there is no actual Mana cost to them. Your Mana pool will replenish itself at 6 am SLT each day.
As found on the Magic page on the website, your Magic trait will also determine the amount of Hit Points given by your Shielding spell. The amounts are as follows: Magic 1-3, 2 Hit Points. Magic 4-6, 4 Hit Points. Magic 7-9, 6 Hit Points. Magic 10, 8 Hit Points.
Conversely, the size Armor worn by your character will reduce your Magic trait incrementally based on the class of Armor worn. Firstly, this will reduce your Magic trait for the purpose of making any rolls which would normally use the trait. This reduced total is then what you’d look at to determine your character’s current mana, and the amount of Hit Points your Shielding spell would provide. The amounts are as follows: Light Armor, -1 Magic. Medium Armor, -2 Magic. Heavy Armor, -4 Magic.
[2015/09/08 09:19:33] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Full Plate, -6 Magic. Certain Schools of Magic reduce this penalty to your Magic score. Information on which can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/combat-in-valesk.html. Information on each separate School of Magic in more detail can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/schools-of-magic.html.
Last but not least, Magic has a direct correlation to a character’s possible level of skill in both Alchemy and Enchanting. Apprentice Alchemy has no Magic trait requirement, but ranks above it require the forfeiting of spells and certain trait qualifications to meet. Each rank of Enchanting skill has a Magic trait and spell forfeiting requirement. When creating a character or seeking to learn these skills IC, be sure to take those numbers into account! More information on Magic Skills such as Enchanting and Alchemy can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/magic-skills.html.
[2015/09/08 09:19:51] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): I will stop here till everyone has caught up. Just let me know please once you're through all that! Magic is a large topic.
[2015/09/08 09:22:45] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): (sorry guys. classes - am - just woke up ... I won't drop something that large again 8D )
[2015/09/08 09:24:35] Lori (Loriennie): I'm through the post, although my tiny brain is already boiling :D
[2015/09/08 09:24:45] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): lol
[2015/09/08 09:25:42] Cailean (Alistair Greymyst): If you made yourself bigger, your brain would be bigger too. ;o
[2015/09/08 09:26:17] Lori (Loriennie): No, it would only bounce around in the big skull
[2015/09/08 09:26:32] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): you guys ready to move on or need more time?
[2015/09/08 09:26:35] Eala Du (CottonSwan): lol Lori
[2015/09/08 09:26:40] Gweyr (dejaslut Vyper): ready!
[2015/09/08 09:26:49] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): :)
[2015/09/08 09:26:59] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Shadows: Shadows here in Valesk is essentially the trait we use to determine character skill and experience regarding cloak and dagger type activities. Things such as attempts to pickpocket, lockpicking, and general stealthy abilities will be covered by the shadow trait - and if one needs to determine success, Shadows is the trait which will be used for the roll! Shadows can also represent a limited amount of knowledge regarding the creation of non-magical potions, and has a few very cool Trait-Based skills to quantify your actual level of stealth and attacks made from the shadows.
[2015/09/08 09:27:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): So! Stealth rolls, I’ll give an example. Say you’d like to sneak up on Robert Manstrong the justice-loving Numinous Blade, to see what justice-loving coin he may have hidden on his person. If you do not possess the trait-based skill ‘The Mouse’ (more information on which can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/trait-based-skills.html), you’ll need to detail in your post that you’re attempting to sneak up on him and if he wants to try and notice, he’ll have to make a roll against your Shadows! Now, Sir Manstrong the Just probably hasn’t picked a lock or snuck around in his entire life, which is fortunate for you - the general trait which is used to discover someone sneaking is Shadows as well. Thus, he has the options to roll his piddly Shadows vs. yours to determine whether or not he notices you. Fortunately for the side of justice, there is another option which can be used to notice your fantastically sneaky self. Sir Manstrong can choose to use his Huntsman trait to try and discern your
[2015/09/08 09:27:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): whereabouts by means of a roll against your Shadows as well.
[2015/09/08 09:28:19] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): sorry that link needs updating - it should be here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/universal-skills.html
[2015/09/08 09:29:06] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): As I mentioned earlier - Shadows can be used along with Knowledge to determine a character’s alchemical knowledge, if in a slightly more limited fashion than that of a magical alchemist. Shadows combined with Knowledge can bring a character up to the rank of Master Alchemist with the stipulation that they are not allowed to create magical toxins or potions without meeting the Magic requirements as well. More information on the exact traits required to meet each rank of Alchemical knowledge can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/alchemy.html.
[2015/09/08 09:29:48] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Any questions about Shadows?
[2015/09/08 09:31:00] Eala Du (CottonSwan): none here...but - we can post questions on the forums if we have any later?
[2015/09/08 09:31:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Sure. We have an entire forum section for questions. isleofvalesk.boards.net/board/14/help
[2015/09/08 09:32:20] Eala Du (CottonSwan): Good thank you :)
[2015/09/08 09:32:44] Lori (Loriennie): Is a 5 enough to be rather good at pickpocketing?
[2015/09/08 09:33:04] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): The average person would have a 3 in any given trait. :) So 5 would be good, yes.
[2015/09/08 09:33:13] Lori (Loriennie): Thanks :)
[2015/09/08 09:33:32] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): 5 is definitely better than the rank 3 average pickpocket ;)
[2015/09/08 09:33:46] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Knowledge: Knowledge as a trait will cover your character’s understanding of a broad variety of subjects here. The big thing to consider with knowledge is that it does not necessarily determine ‘book smarts’ if you will, nor does having the skill at a very high point force your character to be the bookworm intellectual sort. Much of what your knowledge trait represents should be determined by your character’s background and personality. A character with a high Knowledge trait may have a whole lot of Knowledge in a very specific subject, or your character may have a decent bit of information regarding a wide variety of subjects. Even things as simple as literacy and how to cook could be represented by this trait.
[2015/09/08 09:34:18] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Practically, a character’s Knowledge trait may be used by a Storyweaver during a sim-wide event when said character examines some archaic runes on a mysterious ring, or it may be rolled when inspecting someone’s symptoms to determine whether their ailment is a sickness, poison, or magical infliction. The applications are many!
Knowledge has some pretty big ramifications within the current profession system as well. Whether you wish to be an Infirmary worker, a Blacksmith, or an Alchemist Knowledge is going to be one of the traits required to advance your rank in the trade!
[2015/09/08 09:35:57] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Moving on!
[2015/09/08 09:36:01] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Strength: Strength is one of our most misunderstood traits here at Valesk, but it’s also one of the coolest in terms of interpretation, in my opinion! Strength in part certainly represents the physical force your character can bring to bear, but only in part. What it primarily represents is how well your character can use the physical strength they possess to accomplish a variety of tasks. Racial physiology differences still apply, but while an Orc with 5 Strength may always be stronger than a Human with 5 Strength, that doesn’t mean they can’t accomplish the same tasks in very different ways. Just as a Human might wield a broadsword very differently than an Orc. Be creative!
[2015/09/08 09:36:40] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Strength rolls could be any application of your character’s precision when applying their physical strength outside of combat (with one exception I’ll cover in a moment). As an example, let’s say a person-sized log has fallen on our friend Sir Robert Manstrong the justice-loving Numinous blade, and severely broken three of his justice-loving ribs. Standard Human Model no. 001 with 5 Strength must save his friend, but there’s no way he could lift that log! Or is there? Standard Human Model no. 001 knows how to apply his strength well by using the concept of leverage, and quickly has his good friend Sir Manstrong free from beneath the log because he applied the Strength he has well. Thud the Orc however, knows nothing of this silly leverage! Thud the Orc grab log, Thud the orc lift and move log. Sir Robert Peeweakling free! A silly example, but hopefully it clears a few things up.
[2015/09/08 09:37:38] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Strength is also going to be key in determining the size weapon and armor your character is capable of using in combat, as well as how much damage your weapon deals when used by your character. As an example, a character with 1 or 2 Strength wielding a Light weapon will do 1 Hit Point of damage per normal attack. A character with 6 Strength wielding a Light weapon would have the strength to up that Light weapon’s damage up to Medium, and would do 2 Hit Points of damage upon each successful attack. More information on how much Strength is required for each size weapon or armor can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/combat-in-valesk.html.
[2015/09/08 09:40:10] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Another big thing with Strength to cover is grappling, which is of course the exception I mentioned earlier! The moment has come. During the course of combat, when your character lands a melee attack on someone, you can choose to Grapple them instead of dealing the damage of your attack. This should be detailed in your post, of course - and should you successfully hit with your attack, you’d roll your Strength vs. their Strength. If you win, you’ve successfully grappled them! Now...what next? Well if you want further information, you can read about Grappling here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/combat-in-valesk.html
[2015/09/08 09:40:56] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Any questions about Strength? Or Knowledge for that matter?
[2015/09/08 09:42:29] Eala Du (CottonSwan): not for now ty :)
[2015/09/08 09:43:37] Lori (Loriennie): If I like to be strong for my size, like able to lift jars of honey for example :) What number would you recommend?
[2015/09/08 09:44:48] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Strength is mostly about how you use your strength, in terms of the need for it for requirements and dice rolls. So a pixie COULD have strength to wear heavy armor, etc. -- it'd just obviously be armor that is their size. So the answer is there is no real answer tbh. An average pixie would probably have 3 strength ;) Are you stronger than most? Then more! Weaker? Then less!
[2015/09/08 09:45:25] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Just understand a pixie with 5 strength will not at all have the same strength as a human with 5 strength.
[2015/09/08 09:45:43] Lori (Loriennie): Aha! I think I got it :) Thank you
[2015/09/08 09:45:48] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): welcome :)
[2015/09/08 09:45:51] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Reflexes: Reflexes here will represent the primary trait you’ll use for most of your defensive rolls, among other things. Your Reflex trait may contribute to your character’s ability to turn just so to make an attack skim harmlessly off their armor, or it may be as direct as your character’s ability to gracefully sidestep great sweeping strikes from broadswords rather than parrying. Heck, it can even represent parrying. Reflexes will be rolled when direct damage spells are cast against you, melee attacks are made against you, or you’re attacked by a range weapon. How you RP your successful Reflex rolls is up to you!
[2015/09/08 09:46:35] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Outside of combat, your Reflexes may be used to determine a great number of different things, mostly representing your character’s agility and athletic ability. Keep in mind that you don’t always need to make a Reflex roll if say, your annoyingly graceful elf is leaping from one place to another - that much is reflected well by how high your Reflex stat is. Just don’t be surprised if you’re asked to make a roll for that same athletic trick in a Storyweaver scene!
[2015/09/08 09:47:04] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Any questions about Reflexes?
[2015/09/08 09:48:04] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Alright then moving on.
[2015/09/08 09:48:23] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Resolve: Resolve in Valesk represents your character’s resistance and tenacity in the face of things such as magics which do not deal direct damage, poisons, and their ability to shake off wounds so as to stay in a fight just a bit longer. Your character’s Resolve is also a good measure of their endurance and will to keep going when others might flop over and give up like little pansies.
[2015/09/08 09:48:49] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Some examples of spells you would roll your Resolve to resist: Call the Wound, Implant Memory, Blood Control, Eyes of Thoth, and Banishment. As you might notice, these spells are not direct attacks - reading the descriptions, you may very well note that potentially resisting those wouldn’t be a matter of dodging, per se. It’d be a matter of your character’s willpower, or their ability to grit their teeth and ignore the effects (in the case of Call the Wound).
As I mentioned, your Resolve also represents your ability to resist the effects of poisons both magical and mundane. More information on the values you’ll have to roll if you want your character to resist a poison can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/poisons.html.
[2015/09/08 09:49:33] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): sorry that link is outdated: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/poisons-venoms--toxins.html
[2015/09/08 09:49:39] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): ok!
[2015/09/08 09:50:17] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Last but not least, Resolve is the trait you’ll look to should a fight be going poorly for your character. Should your Hit Points ever reach 0, that does not necessarily mean your character is dead or incapacitated. What it does mean is that you have a choice.
Option 1: Your character is incapacitated, likely rendered unconscious. Work out with the other player in IMs what happens from there, and be sure to respect the limits of others!
Option 2: You may spend 2 Resolve and escape capture with a grievous wound that you RP. This isn’t a bad cut, a grievous wound should be loss of a limb, loss of an eye, or a permanent reduction in either your Fighting, Strength, Reflexes, or Resolve.
Option 3: You may keep fighting. You have the choice to spend 1 Resolve so as to have your character grit their teeth and bear the pain. Each round you wish to continue fighting, you must spend 1 Resolve. The danger here is that if the opposing player scores a critical hit at this point, your character dies. No
[2015/09/08 09:50:17] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): exceptions.
Option 4: You spend 4 Resolve and barely manage to escape. You must have 4 Resolve to spend to make use of this option, and using this option does not mean your character is healed. It simply means that your character was able to drag themselves out of harms way. You will still need to be healed, or heal at a normal rate.
For reference, more information on these options can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/combat-in-valesk.html.
[2015/09/08 09:52:54] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Any questions about Resolve?
[2015/09/08 09:53:49] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Alright moving on to Social Standing. ^^
[2015/09/08 09:54:00] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Social Standing: Now this is a fun trait. Social Standing can represent your character’s personal wealth, power, influence, or connections - but not necessarily all of the aforementioned. Having a high Social Standing does not in any way determine how characters will react to you, but there are some very cool Trait-Based skills that may help those reactions along! It also doesn’t necessarily mean your connections and power are positive ones! You may have one hell of a reputation, but a reputation built on fear can often generate just as many opportunities as one built on personal wealth or kindness.
[2015/09/08 09:54:29] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): A player might roll their character’s Social Standing when attempting to convince a guardsman to arrest another character for offenses real or imagined, when assuring a barmaid that there’s no need for your character to pay for their drinks, or even when attempting to haggle a shopkeeper down on the price of sweetrolls.
[2015/09/08 09:55:03] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): One of the cool practical uses of Social Standing is the ability to ‘import’ or otherwise acquire rare metals that others may never be able to even see due to not quite having the necessary connections. While others may have to go on epic quests to retrieve a single bar towards the fancy new blade they’re interested in acquiring, someone with the necessary Social Standing may very well be able to simply import it through the Harbor Master. More information on Metals in Valesk and the Social Standing ranks required to get your grubby little hands on them can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/metals.html.
[2015/09/08 09:55:53] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): sorry another outdated link: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/metals-alloys--minerals.html
[2015/09/08 09:56:29] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Questions about Social Standing?
[2015/09/08 09:57:38] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): In conclusion, I’d like to offer a very important point that I think many people overlook when entering into a setting that has quantified Traits such as this laid out to choose from at character creation. Your Traits are here to reflect your character’s backstory and personality, and to enhance RP - not to replace it. Keep your creative edge!
Thank you very much for attending this (admittedly long) class on Traits, and keep in mind, the Staff is always happy to answer any further questions, or provide any extra clarification you may need regarding the system set up here!
[2015/09/08 09:58:09] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Also for those of you wondering about traits and ranks specifically for combat - we have classes about that coming up next week. :) Check out our calendar on the forums or watch for notices to come!
[2015/09/08 09:58:33] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): In the meantime, we have an ever handy page to assist: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/what-do-i-roll.html
[2015/09/08 09:59:09] The Den Mother (ValerieVixxen): /me golf claps for Cedar
[2015/09/08 09:59:19] Lori (Loriennie): Thank you, this was very helpful! :)
[2015/09/08 09:59:25] ŁЄϮĬ ӺΘЅ (Roisin Molko): Thank you gurl
[2015/09/08 09:59:26] Gweyr (dejaslut Vyper): yes! Thank you!
[2015/09/08 09:59:37] Eala Du (CottonSwan): Thank you Little Tree for taking the class...I'm going to have to go over it a few times, take it in :) Thank you.
[2015/09/08 10:00:08] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): No worries. There will be another tomorrow eve at 5pm SLT.
[2015/09/08 10:00:17] Merialeth Windstar (CaireannLiadan): /me cheers!
[2015/09/08 10:00:17] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): And sorry about the shaky start - was just opening my eyes and having breakfast xD
[2015/09/08 10:00:41] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Thanks for being troopers guys! And remember if you have any questions outside of a class you can ask staff or post to our help section of the forum. ^^
[2015/09/08 09:16:14] Cailean (Alistair Greymyst): Then when we come to points where questions can be asked, we'll hit you up in order of !s.
[2015/09/08 09:16:14] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): ^
[2015/09/08 09:16:20] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Hello and welcome to this class on the basic definitions and uses of traits! Today we’ll be going over each trait individually, listing a few important ways in which each may be used on-sim, and defining them accurately so as to hopefully answer any lingering questions you lovely doe-eyed people might have about them! I’ll make sure to leave a small pause after each little book I hurl at you here so you can bandage any head wounds and ask any questions you may have regarding the material I just went over.
For reference, I’m going to include this link here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/character-traits.html. That page will have your flavor and functionality descriptions if you need the additional reference once this class is complete, and of course your mentor team is always open to answer any questions you may have. To business!
[2015/09/08 09:16:46] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): reposting since Cynric just arrived.
[2015/09/08 09:16:46] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): [09:16] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Hello and welcome to this class on the basic definitions and uses of traits! Today we’ll be going over each trait individually, listing a few important ways in which each may be used on-sim, and defining them accurately so as to hopefully answer any lingering questions you lovely doe-eyed people might have about them! I’ll make sure to leave a small pause after each little book I hurl at you here so you can bandage any head wounds and ask any questions you may have regarding the material I just went over.
For reference, I’m going to include this link here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/character-traits.html. That page will have your flavor and functionality descriptions if you need the additional reference once this class is complete, and of course your mentor team is always open to answer any questions you may have. To business!
[2015/09/08 09:17:08] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Fighting: This is going to be your character’s general physical violence stat, reflecting everything from martial prowess in deadly combat to swatting your obnoxious younger brother across the back of the head. Want to throw the first punch in a bar brawl? Roll your Fighting. Want to throw the first mug at someone’s head in a bar brawl? That’s not Fighting, and I’ll cover that in a later section. Fighting is exclusively a melee trait, and does not apply to any attacks made at range, even those made with a half empty mug.
In addition to being the trait you’ll roll with when attempting melee-based attacks, Fighting also has another very important purpose definition-wise you’ll want to take into account when creating your character, or seeking to progress your character further. Alongside Strength, Fighting is going to be one of two stats used to determine which size armor your character is capable of using effectively in combat. The sizes being Light (+1 Hit Points, no Fighting requirement),
[2015/09/08 09:17:08] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Medium (+3 Hit Points, requires Fighting 2), Heavy (+4 Hit Points, requires Fighting 4 and Strength 3), and Full Plate (+6 Hit Points, requires Fighting 6 and Strength 5).
This reflects that while your character might very well be physically strong enough to wear Full Plate armor with ease, they may have next to no actual training or experience with fighting in it. When creating your character, you’ll want to take a look at their background and then ensure that your traits match up to which size armor you think fits them best for their backstory and capabilities.
[2015/09/08 09:17:34] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Any questions so far?
[2015/09/08 09:18:13] Eala Du (CottonSwan): uh...not here
[2015/09/08 09:19:12] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Alright then that brings us to Magic.
[2015/09/08 09:19:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Magic: Magic as a whole is going to represent a pretty broad variety of things, though as you might be able to guess, they’re going to be related in some way to your character’s magical ability. But! Starting with basics. Magic first and foremost is your ‘attack’ trait when casting a spell on another player. Whether that spell is a fireball to blast them to all hell, a curse to haunt them with ghosts for the next week, or a magically enhanced command to ‘convince’ them to see things your way, you’ll use your Magic trait to roll for its success.
Moving on! Your Magic trait will also determine the amount of spells your character is capable of starting with at character creation. As a rule, your character may begin play with twice their Magic rank in spells. For instance, a character with 7 Magic will start play with 14 total spells. Certain Schools of Magic will change that number a bit, whether it be through giving a character some free spells, or limiting the amount of spells they can begin
[2015/09/08 09:19:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): with at character creation. More information on that can be found on the site here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/schools-of-magic.html.
In addition to representing your likelihood to succeed when casting a spell against another player, Magic also represents your Mana pool. Your Magic trait is the number you’ll use to determine your Mana pool - for instance, a character with 7 Magic will also have 7 Mana. That being said, Magic and Mana are two very different values. Your total Mana value may come from your current Magic trait, but after that number is determined, Mana becomes its own separate value - similar to your Hit Points.
For example, let’s say Wiggles the Mage has a Magic trait of 7, and is wearing no armor (I’ll elaborate on this in a moment). As we just learned, this means Wiggles’ Mana pool is 7 as well - but wait! Wiggles has already cast two spells costing one Mana each today. So Wiggles is now down to a total of 5 Mana, but let’s say he wants to cast a spell again. Thud the Orc has been
[2015/09/08 09:19:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): poking around in Wiggles’ daisies, and that’s unforgivable - so of course, Wiggles wants to cast Flame Bolt to hopefully send Thud running for the hills! When Wiggles casts the spell, he will still roll his Magic trait of 7 vs. Thud’s Reflexes to determine his success. Bottom line of this little story here - Mana is never a value used to roll with. Your current Magic trait rank will be used for that.
[2015/09/08 09:19:33] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Something additional to note about Mana - a character who has used their entire Mana pool for the day will no longer be able to cast spells of any kind, even if there is no actual Mana cost to them. Your Mana pool will replenish itself at 6 am SLT each day.
As found on the Magic page on the website, your Magic trait will also determine the amount of Hit Points given by your Shielding spell. The amounts are as follows: Magic 1-3, 2 Hit Points. Magic 4-6, 4 Hit Points. Magic 7-9, 6 Hit Points. Magic 10, 8 Hit Points.
Conversely, the size Armor worn by your character will reduce your Magic trait incrementally based on the class of Armor worn. Firstly, this will reduce your Magic trait for the purpose of making any rolls which would normally use the trait. This reduced total is then what you’d look at to determine your character’s current mana, and the amount of Hit Points your Shielding spell would provide. The amounts are as follows: Light Armor, -1 Magic. Medium Armor, -2 Magic. Heavy Armor, -4 Magic.
[2015/09/08 09:19:33] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Full Plate, -6 Magic. Certain Schools of Magic reduce this penalty to your Magic score. Information on which can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/combat-in-valesk.html. Information on each separate School of Magic in more detail can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/schools-of-magic.html.
Last but not least, Magic has a direct correlation to a character’s possible level of skill in both Alchemy and Enchanting. Apprentice Alchemy has no Magic trait requirement, but ranks above it require the forfeiting of spells and certain trait qualifications to meet. Each rank of Enchanting skill has a Magic trait and spell forfeiting requirement. When creating a character or seeking to learn these skills IC, be sure to take those numbers into account! More information on Magic Skills such as Enchanting and Alchemy can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/magic-skills.html.
[2015/09/08 09:19:51] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): I will stop here till everyone has caught up. Just let me know please once you're through all that! Magic is a large topic.
[2015/09/08 09:22:45] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): (sorry guys. classes - am - just woke up ... I won't drop something that large again 8D )
[2015/09/08 09:24:35] Lori (Loriennie): I'm through the post, although my tiny brain is already boiling :D
[2015/09/08 09:24:45] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): lol
[2015/09/08 09:25:42] Cailean (Alistair Greymyst): If you made yourself bigger, your brain would be bigger too. ;o
[2015/09/08 09:26:17] Lori (Loriennie): No, it would only bounce around in the big skull
[2015/09/08 09:26:32] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): you guys ready to move on or need more time?
[2015/09/08 09:26:35] Eala Du (CottonSwan): lol Lori
[2015/09/08 09:26:40] Gweyr (dejaslut Vyper): ready!
[2015/09/08 09:26:49] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): :)
[2015/09/08 09:26:59] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Shadows: Shadows here in Valesk is essentially the trait we use to determine character skill and experience regarding cloak and dagger type activities. Things such as attempts to pickpocket, lockpicking, and general stealthy abilities will be covered by the shadow trait - and if one needs to determine success, Shadows is the trait which will be used for the roll! Shadows can also represent a limited amount of knowledge regarding the creation of non-magical potions, and has a few very cool Trait-Based skills to quantify your actual level of stealth and attacks made from the shadows.
[2015/09/08 09:27:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): So! Stealth rolls, I’ll give an example. Say you’d like to sneak up on Robert Manstrong the justice-loving Numinous Blade, to see what justice-loving coin he may have hidden on his person. If you do not possess the trait-based skill ‘The Mouse’ (more information on which can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/trait-based-skills.html), you’ll need to detail in your post that you’re attempting to sneak up on him and if he wants to try and notice, he’ll have to make a roll against your Shadows! Now, Sir Manstrong the Just probably hasn’t picked a lock or snuck around in his entire life, which is fortunate for you - the general trait which is used to discover someone sneaking is Shadows as well. Thus, he has the options to roll his piddly Shadows vs. yours to determine whether or not he notices you. Fortunately for the side of justice, there is another option which can be used to notice your fantastically sneaky self. Sir Manstrong can choose to use his Huntsman trait to try and discern your
[2015/09/08 09:27:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): whereabouts by means of a roll against your Shadows as well.
[2015/09/08 09:28:19] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): sorry that link needs updating - it should be here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/universal-skills.html
[2015/09/08 09:29:06] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): As I mentioned earlier - Shadows can be used along with Knowledge to determine a character’s alchemical knowledge, if in a slightly more limited fashion than that of a magical alchemist. Shadows combined with Knowledge can bring a character up to the rank of Master Alchemist with the stipulation that they are not allowed to create magical toxins or potions without meeting the Magic requirements as well. More information on the exact traits required to meet each rank of Alchemical knowledge can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/alchemy.html.
[2015/09/08 09:29:48] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Any questions about Shadows?
[2015/09/08 09:31:00] Eala Du (CottonSwan): none here...but - we can post questions on the forums if we have any later?
[2015/09/08 09:31:30] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Sure. We have an entire forum section for questions. isleofvalesk.boards.net/board/14/help
[2015/09/08 09:32:20] Eala Du (CottonSwan): Good thank you :)
[2015/09/08 09:32:44] Lori (Loriennie): Is a 5 enough to be rather good at pickpocketing?
[2015/09/08 09:33:04] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): The average person would have a 3 in any given trait. :) So 5 would be good, yes.
[2015/09/08 09:33:13] Lori (Loriennie): Thanks :)
[2015/09/08 09:33:32] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): 5 is definitely better than the rank 3 average pickpocket ;)
[2015/09/08 09:33:46] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Knowledge: Knowledge as a trait will cover your character’s understanding of a broad variety of subjects here. The big thing to consider with knowledge is that it does not necessarily determine ‘book smarts’ if you will, nor does having the skill at a very high point force your character to be the bookworm intellectual sort. Much of what your knowledge trait represents should be determined by your character’s background and personality. A character with a high Knowledge trait may have a whole lot of Knowledge in a very specific subject, or your character may have a decent bit of information regarding a wide variety of subjects. Even things as simple as literacy and how to cook could be represented by this trait.
[2015/09/08 09:34:18] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Practically, a character’s Knowledge trait may be used by a Storyweaver during a sim-wide event when said character examines some archaic runes on a mysterious ring, or it may be rolled when inspecting someone’s symptoms to determine whether their ailment is a sickness, poison, or magical infliction. The applications are many!
Knowledge has some pretty big ramifications within the current profession system as well. Whether you wish to be an Infirmary worker, a Blacksmith, or an Alchemist Knowledge is going to be one of the traits required to advance your rank in the trade!
[2015/09/08 09:35:57] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Moving on!
[2015/09/08 09:36:01] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Strength: Strength is one of our most misunderstood traits here at Valesk, but it’s also one of the coolest in terms of interpretation, in my opinion! Strength in part certainly represents the physical force your character can bring to bear, but only in part. What it primarily represents is how well your character can use the physical strength they possess to accomplish a variety of tasks. Racial physiology differences still apply, but while an Orc with 5 Strength may always be stronger than a Human with 5 Strength, that doesn’t mean they can’t accomplish the same tasks in very different ways. Just as a Human might wield a broadsword very differently than an Orc. Be creative!
[2015/09/08 09:36:40] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Strength rolls could be any application of your character’s precision when applying their physical strength outside of combat (with one exception I’ll cover in a moment). As an example, let’s say a person-sized log has fallen on our friend Sir Robert Manstrong the justice-loving Numinous blade, and severely broken three of his justice-loving ribs. Standard Human Model no. 001 with 5 Strength must save his friend, but there’s no way he could lift that log! Or is there? Standard Human Model no. 001 knows how to apply his strength well by using the concept of leverage, and quickly has his good friend Sir Manstrong free from beneath the log because he applied the Strength he has well. Thud the Orc however, knows nothing of this silly leverage! Thud the Orc grab log, Thud the orc lift and move log. Sir Robert Peeweakling free! A silly example, but hopefully it clears a few things up.
[2015/09/08 09:37:38] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Strength is also going to be key in determining the size weapon and armor your character is capable of using in combat, as well as how much damage your weapon deals when used by your character. As an example, a character with 1 or 2 Strength wielding a Light weapon will do 1 Hit Point of damage per normal attack. A character with 6 Strength wielding a Light weapon would have the strength to up that Light weapon’s damage up to Medium, and would do 2 Hit Points of damage upon each successful attack. More information on how much Strength is required for each size weapon or armor can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/combat-in-valesk.html.
[2015/09/08 09:40:10] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Another big thing with Strength to cover is grappling, which is of course the exception I mentioned earlier! The moment has come. During the course of combat, when your character lands a melee attack on someone, you can choose to Grapple them instead of dealing the damage of your attack. This should be detailed in your post, of course - and should you successfully hit with your attack, you’d roll your Strength vs. their Strength. If you win, you’ve successfully grappled them! Now...what next? Well if you want further information, you can read about Grappling here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/combat-in-valesk.html
[2015/09/08 09:40:56] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Any questions about Strength? Or Knowledge for that matter?
[2015/09/08 09:42:29] Eala Du (CottonSwan): not for now ty :)
[2015/09/08 09:43:37] Lori (Loriennie): If I like to be strong for my size, like able to lift jars of honey for example :) What number would you recommend?
[2015/09/08 09:44:48] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Strength is mostly about how you use your strength, in terms of the need for it for requirements and dice rolls. So a pixie COULD have strength to wear heavy armor, etc. -- it'd just obviously be armor that is their size. So the answer is there is no real answer tbh. An average pixie would probably have 3 strength ;) Are you stronger than most? Then more! Weaker? Then less!
[2015/09/08 09:45:25] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Just understand a pixie with 5 strength will not at all have the same strength as a human with 5 strength.
[2015/09/08 09:45:43] Lori (Loriennie): Aha! I think I got it :) Thank you
[2015/09/08 09:45:48] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): welcome :)
[2015/09/08 09:45:51] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Reflexes: Reflexes here will represent the primary trait you’ll use for most of your defensive rolls, among other things. Your Reflex trait may contribute to your character’s ability to turn just so to make an attack skim harmlessly off their armor, or it may be as direct as your character’s ability to gracefully sidestep great sweeping strikes from broadswords rather than parrying. Heck, it can even represent parrying. Reflexes will be rolled when direct damage spells are cast against you, melee attacks are made against you, or you’re attacked by a range weapon. How you RP your successful Reflex rolls is up to you!
[2015/09/08 09:46:35] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Outside of combat, your Reflexes may be used to determine a great number of different things, mostly representing your character’s agility and athletic ability. Keep in mind that you don’t always need to make a Reflex roll if say, your annoyingly graceful elf is leaping from one place to another - that much is reflected well by how high your Reflex stat is. Just don’t be surprised if you’re asked to make a roll for that same athletic trick in a Storyweaver scene!
[2015/09/08 09:47:04] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Any questions about Reflexes?
[2015/09/08 09:48:04] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Alright then moving on.
[2015/09/08 09:48:23] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Resolve: Resolve in Valesk represents your character’s resistance and tenacity in the face of things such as magics which do not deal direct damage, poisons, and their ability to shake off wounds so as to stay in a fight just a bit longer. Your character’s Resolve is also a good measure of their endurance and will to keep going when others might flop over and give up like little pansies.
[2015/09/08 09:48:49] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Some examples of spells you would roll your Resolve to resist: Call the Wound, Implant Memory, Blood Control, Eyes of Thoth, and Banishment. As you might notice, these spells are not direct attacks - reading the descriptions, you may very well note that potentially resisting those wouldn’t be a matter of dodging, per se. It’d be a matter of your character’s willpower, or their ability to grit their teeth and ignore the effects (in the case of Call the Wound).
As I mentioned, your Resolve also represents your ability to resist the effects of poisons both magical and mundane. More information on the values you’ll have to roll if you want your character to resist a poison can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/poisons.html.
[2015/09/08 09:49:33] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): sorry that link is outdated: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/poisons-venoms--toxins.html
[2015/09/08 09:49:39] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): ok!
[2015/09/08 09:50:17] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Last but not least, Resolve is the trait you’ll look to should a fight be going poorly for your character. Should your Hit Points ever reach 0, that does not necessarily mean your character is dead or incapacitated. What it does mean is that you have a choice.
Option 1: Your character is incapacitated, likely rendered unconscious. Work out with the other player in IMs what happens from there, and be sure to respect the limits of others!
Option 2: You may spend 2 Resolve and escape capture with a grievous wound that you RP. This isn’t a bad cut, a grievous wound should be loss of a limb, loss of an eye, or a permanent reduction in either your Fighting, Strength, Reflexes, or Resolve.
Option 3: You may keep fighting. You have the choice to spend 1 Resolve so as to have your character grit their teeth and bear the pain. Each round you wish to continue fighting, you must spend 1 Resolve. The danger here is that if the opposing player scores a critical hit at this point, your character dies. No
[2015/09/08 09:50:17] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): exceptions.
Option 4: You spend 4 Resolve and barely manage to escape. You must have 4 Resolve to spend to make use of this option, and using this option does not mean your character is healed. It simply means that your character was able to drag themselves out of harms way. You will still need to be healed, or heal at a normal rate.
For reference, more information on these options can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/combat-in-valesk.html.
[2015/09/08 09:52:54] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Any questions about Resolve?
[2015/09/08 09:53:49] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Alright moving on to Social Standing. ^^
[2015/09/08 09:54:00] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Social Standing: Now this is a fun trait. Social Standing can represent your character’s personal wealth, power, influence, or connections - but not necessarily all of the aforementioned. Having a high Social Standing does not in any way determine how characters will react to you, but there are some very cool Trait-Based skills that may help those reactions along! It also doesn’t necessarily mean your connections and power are positive ones! You may have one hell of a reputation, but a reputation built on fear can often generate just as many opportunities as one built on personal wealth or kindness.
[2015/09/08 09:54:29] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): A player might roll their character’s Social Standing when attempting to convince a guardsman to arrest another character for offenses real or imagined, when assuring a barmaid that there’s no need for your character to pay for their drinks, or even when attempting to haggle a shopkeeper down on the price of sweetrolls.
[2015/09/08 09:55:03] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): One of the cool practical uses of Social Standing is the ability to ‘import’ or otherwise acquire rare metals that others may never be able to even see due to not quite having the necessary connections. While others may have to go on epic quests to retrieve a single bar towards the fancy new blade they’re interested in acquiring, someone with the necessary Social Standing may very well be able to simply import it through the Harbor Master. More information on Metals in Valesk and the Social Standing ranks required to get your grubby little hands on them can be found here: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/metals.html.
[2015/09/08 09:55:53] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): sorry another outdated link: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/metals-alloys--minerals.html
[2015/09/08 09:56:29] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Questions about Social Standing?
[2015/09/08 09:57:38] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): In conclusion, I’d like to offer a very important point that I think many people overlook when entering into a setting that has quantified Traits such as this laid out to choose from at character creation. Your Traits are here to reflect your character’s backstory and personality, and to enhance RP - not to replace it. Keep your creative edge!
Thank you very much for attending this (admittedly long) class on Traits, and keep in mind, the Staff is always happy to answer any further questions, or provide any extra clarification you may need regarding the system set up here!
[2015/09/08 09:58:09] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Also for those of you wondering about traits and ranks specifically for combat - we have classes about that coming up next week. :) Check out our calendar on the forums or watch for notices to come!
[2015/09/08 09:58:33] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): In the meantime, we have an ever handy page to assist: isleofvalesk.weebly.com/what-do-i-roll.html
[2015/09/08 09:59:09] The Den Mother (ValerieVixxen): /me golf claps for Cedar
[2015/09/08 09:59:19] Lori (Loriennie): Thank you, this was very helpful! :)
[2015/09/08 09:59:25] ŁЄϮĬ ӺΘЅ (Roisin Molko): Thank you gurl
[2015/09/08 09:59:26] Gweyr (dejaslut Vyper): yes! Thank you!
[2015/09/08 09:59:37] Eala Du (CottonSwan): Thank you Little Tree for taking the class...I'm going to have to go over it a few times, take it in :) Thank you.
[2015/09/08 10:00:08] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): No worries. There will be another tomorrow eve at 5pm SLT.
[2015/09/08 10:00:17] Merialeth Windstar (CaireannLiadan): /me cheers!
[2015/09/08 10:00:17] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): And sorry about the shaky start - was just opening my eyes and having breakfast xD
[2015/09/08 10:00:41] Lιттle Ƭree (Cedar Ashland): Thanks for being troopers guys! And remember if you have any questions outside of a class you can ask staff or post to our help section of the forum. ^^
