Hero's Arms, Hero's Heart Redux

In human form, you wield your Arms, yes. Think of the Arms as phylacteries - your souls are bound to the physical objects. Your humanoid bodies can only go so far away from the items before disappearing, whereupon your consciousness would return to the Arm (where you could reform).

@Amporius: Looks good to me. Just keep in mind that that is also likely the real backstory of the woman who gave the Hero her cloak at some point, that sort of thing. Make sense?

Have all the arms been taken, or no?

Armor is still up I believe

Cool cool. Hopefully I can get my sheet up in time.

My idea was that the real version now has a fashion line or something

I'm not taking reservations. If you want to sign up for a certain Arm, feel free to.

I may use that, assuming someone else doesn't steal it out from under me.

I'm not trying to reserve a spot, just declaring my interest and hoping I can get my sheet up first. I'm on mobile at the moment, and typing long posts is nigh-impossible on a phone.

edited 6th May '15 12:56:24 PM by Tojin

Is this good?

Edited with the (constructed) backstory 2.0. Fine by you, oh almighty GM?

I'm heading out now. I'll do the first round of detailed feedback tonight.

• Arm: Armor.
• Name (Item): The Suit of Gospel.
• Appearance: A suit of armor that appears to be made of steel, though it's cream-colored instead of the standard gray. Elaborate carvings of choirs and musical notes adorn the entire suit.
• Power: The armor can generate varying sounds, ranging from demonic growls to a heavenly choir, hence the name. Said sounds grant certain effects to beings that hear them, though at the moment the effects of the sounds are limited to inspiring various feelings, like dread, courage, confidence, etc. When its powers become unlocked further, it can emit horrible, piercing screams to damage the wearer's enemies.

• Name (Alias): Adelaide Basurto.
• Age: 20.
• Sex: Female.
• Race: Human.
• Appearance: This, but with clothes more appropriate to the setting, namely a cream-colored suit of armor (the Suit of Gospel, assuming that's alright), a steel longsword, and a leather tunic underneath. She's also very short (4' 8") and slim (100 pounds).
• Personality: Adelaide is very much a no-nonsense kind of girl, and is very devoted to protecting others. She can come off as very standoffish and cold, but she does have a softer side; it just doesn't appear often, given what her childhood was like. She's very curious, for example; if she sees something new, she'll likely go and see what it is. She's the type to, when she visits somewhere new, to explore every weird little nook and cranny, skinny sidestreet, and buy food from the shady street vendor. She's also rather naive, and has an idealized vision of what "justice" looks like.
• Bio: Adelaide was born to a pair of farmers in a village near Lovak, who, when she was 12, were brutally murdered by bandits. Adelaide survived by hiding in a pile of wheat, and from then on, she swore she would never be so cowardly again, and that she would act as a defender of the people who couldn't defend themselves, a bastion of strength. She took a sword from the body of the one bandit that had died in the attack and practiced tirelessly for seven years straight, only stopping for food and other necessities, and to repel more bandit attacks. She also taught the townsfolk how to use swords as well, to better defend themselves. Confident that they would be fine on their own now, she went to Lovak to find others that needed her help.

This is kinda short, so I understand if you don't accept me.

edited 6th May '15 9:04:13 PM by Tojin

tbf mine is pretty short and shit as well

Alright, I'm back home and will be starting the review in a little while. If you have any other questions on the setting or so on you'd like me to explain in the same post, now's the time to ask 'em.

Can the sword be a very loosely interpreted one, or does it strictly have to be a sword with a hilt?

@Gladonost: We've talked about Final Testament and Lucava before, so I see no issues. PM me with your intended Final Form and let's talk about how the Hero created or obtained Final Testament.

@Nickpws: Just to be clear, what does the baseline crystal coating do? Increased damage and penetration, I'm guessing? As for Huntress, her backstory is all set. Just be sure you don't make her so withdrawn as to hinder roleplay opportunities. PM me with your intended Final Form and let's talk about her circumstances with the Hero.

@amporiusrex: Umbra Contour sounds good, but we'll have to discuss an eventual limit on shapes - I'll probably give you a list of shapes to pick from, in addition to some gained from defeating enemies. PM me and we'll talk about her backstory with the Hero.

@Jau: We'll need to talk about the power sources the Crafty Healer got its powers from, but conceptwise I don't see a problem. PM me with your intention for the Healer's capabilities at its highest power and how the Hero got it.

@DarknessAwaits: I'm having trouble seeing where the five stones in Raikiri's hilt are going; if you're ramping up to elemental powers, we're going to have to talk that out, and I'm going to be strict on it. PM me with how you envisioned the Hero powering up Raikiri and where you see it going in the future. Also, I'm guessing 雷切?

@daltar: Mirage was accepted last time and I'm glad to see you back this time. That said, I'll need some more on your biography, and like everyone else, let me know what you had in mind for her final form and her journey with the Hero.

@HazzyHaz: The Forge Maxima is a good idea in concept, but what did you have in mind specifically for control of stone and iron, especially at its base level? I'm also concerned with potential power overlap between the Forge Maxima and the Crafty Healer, as well as utility - creating arms is well and good, and certainly useful for the four gear Arms, but the weapon Arms will likely fight with themselves, for lack of a better word. Additionally, your backstory lacks the reason that brings Cora from her border village to the old Citadel town of Lovak.

@pblades: Your submission has some grammatical issues that make it a bit difficult to tell what you're saying at times, though I get the overall gist. Note that the Arm is the Amulet and not a specific gem, as well - if the Amulet is most proud of a legendary gem that was set in it, that's fine, but the soul of the Amulet has always been an Amulet.

@Tojin: Elize and the Suit of Gospel look good, though note that there is no Crystal Dragon Jesus-style Big Light God in this setting - or if there is, its worship was stamped out with prejudice over a century ago. PM me your envisioned final form (physical details and powers) and how you envision the Hero gaining the power of this armor.

@Daydre: What did you have in mind? I'm fairly strongly biased toward a traditional sword, but I'll hear you out.

I figured that. Elize doesn't really worship any one god, she just does what she does because she believes it's right. PM coming up.

Note: I changed my character's name from Elize to Adelaide. Just sayin'.

edited 6th May '15 9:07:59 PM by Tojin

Alright, folks, this is important, so please read carefully. It's come to my attention that I should have looked more carefully over my signup before posting it; part of it is outdated and doesn't fit my idea for the roleplay anymore.

The section that reads: "When creating your character, you will also create their weapon form, name and origin; these are legendary arms and artifacts, and they have all ties to elemental forces, powerful beasts, or even Gods" implies that the artifacts were found or won by the Hero already more or less enchanted, or even already legendary in their own right. This is not what I want from your signups.

Instead, please create your Arms with the mentality that they, like the Hero, started from nothing (that is, simple items - well-made, but nothing more) and grew in power as the adventure progressed. For instance, the Hero may have killed a Hellhound with his spear, and as the blood soaked into the haft and blade of the ordinary spear, it changed slightly in response to the creature's magic. None of the Arms were legendary before the Hero gained them, but traveling with him, they grew in power. I apologize to those of you who have already submitted your characters, and understand if you wish to withdraw.

edited 6th May '15 9:15:00 PM by RedSavant

• Arm: Sword

• Name (Item): Heavensplitter

• Appearance: Heavensplitter is a bastard sword, a blade in between the length of a standard one hander and a greatsword. The crossguard is straight, with a small decorative ring circling out from the grip side and blade side. The blade is very obviously meant for slashing rather than stabbing, and the end of the blade, where a pointed tip would normally be is a thin arc. The blade all throughout averages of a width of two and a half inches. The pommel is decorated with a diamond set in a hold. The entire blade is made of Orichalcum, and has an odd sheen to it, as if it can’t decide between shining gold like the sun or silver like the moon. However having been tainted by the citadel’s dark magics, the edge has been dulled, and the shine of the sword is nowhere near as radiant as it once was.

• Power: Once a simple steel blade, it was shattered in one of the Hero’s many battles. The fragments of steel were later melted down by a powerful alchemist, who mixed it with gold and platinum to reforge the blade from the legendary alchemical alloy Orichalcum. Perfectly made Orichalcum is a material so powerful that a sword made from it gains a supernatural sharpness. This sharpness allows it to cut through space, creating vacuums to draw in enemies at its weakest, and destructive voids not unlike controlled singularities when the weapon is at its strongest. As the weapon has been weakened, it can only cut the non-damaging vacuums to draw in enemies and objects.

• Name (Alias): Ciel Orichalos

• Age: 20

• Sex: Female

• Race: Human

• Appearance: A well built woman of a height of 5’ 5”. She has shoulder length platinum blonde hair and goldish eyes. Lean and muscular, she wears a sleeveless leather tunic and cloth leggings with black leather boots, and she wears a long white sleeveless coat over this. Finally her forearms are protected by metal bracers. The sheath for her weapon is strapped to her back.

• Personality: Ciel has taken the personality of a cheerful mercenary woman. Eager to drink, and eager to fight. She is always willing to challenge what she thinks is a worthy opponent, and will face battle honorably. While she is fighting though, she is calm and calculated, sharp and precise like her Orichalcum blade edge. Fitting her origin as a hand and a half sword, she has little consideration for defense.

• Bio: “I have been a mercenary all my life. A few years ago, I suffered a great defeat, and lost most of my comrades… The experience was mentally breaking to say the least. But I wouldn’t let myself give up. With the help of a chance encounter with a wise man, I was able to pick up the pieces of my shattered hope and confidence, and remake myself as a stronger warrior than I ever was.”

edited 7th May '15 2:38:48 PM by SolusLupus

I figured that the Crafty Healer has more variety and is flexible, but the Forge can make things that last longer and repair them as well. Or helping NP Cs out of the goodness of our hearts. I'm not sure if there's much overlap there.

Although I may change the elemental control to something else. Doesn't really feel inspired. Probably properties of making and unmaking. Starting with the ability to send out a pulse that can break glass or ceramics while a good hit can rattle/break things that are connected by nails, hinges and those sort of small things. At higher levels, the hammer can sunder walls and magical constructs as well. Maybe depending on power level, more tricky stuff like a magic contract too?

As for the revised background, could I say that when trying to negotiate aid from dwarven kingdoms, hero was instead imprisoned by a dwarf king who thought he was a spy for invading evil humans? But as a test of character, the king told him/her to refit a battalion's worth of battered armor and weaponry in a single week. The hero did as asked, and the hammer he used gained legendary properties because he forged 400 shields and swords in a week because he's the hero.

That would work; I'd prefer if you noted in the backstory that the Hero refused to use an actual crafting hammer, but instead used the one he carried with him. Sound good?

So should it be like an actual warhammer that the hero was carrying around with him? Or why not make it so that the hero was given the hammer as a reward because he didn't have one beforehand?

(Also we have so many girls)

edited 7th May '15 10:40:31 AM by HazzyHaz

Funny thing, I actually based my character of an OC I have that actually does use a bow. 's where that design joke came from in my signup

@Hazzy: I'd prefer it that the Hammer be one that the Hero started out with.

This should work. Not sure if I should change to a dude tho

Honestly thinking I should probably change mine to a guy