Fire Emblem Sign-Up: The Crushing Light

[DanteFalcon]

Alright, first post is just talking about mechanics and how I expect things to play out. If you have concerns/objections/suggestions feel free to throw them out. If you have an idea for a custom class I'll hear it but without a sprite or something to represent them with it may be difficult to implement. I don't have many unused or spare sprites to give for a single purpose.

Primer

Character CreationCharacter Creation:

Characters are built on 28 points and 300% for growth rates from one of the base classes listed in the primer. Lords are built on 33 points and 320%. There should only be one Lord (hopefully) for the entire campaign.

Generally speaking that Lord can have most any background with the exception that they -cannot- be from Kinehdin, nor can they have met Princess Mirianna (see next post for Lore, countries and our murderous Princess).

Given our current expected player count I will allow each player to make up to 2 characters. Should a character die the player will be allowed to make a replacement, and in the mean time may take control of an NPC engaged in the combat if they so wish. There will consistently be a small contingent of NPCs with the party (2-3) who will be created based on what the party needs and the occasional plot critical NPC.

Should a character be made halfway through a game, it's level will be equal to the party average level.

GameplayGameplay

Given the nature of Fire Emblem's turn based combat my goal would be to advance each turn every 2-3 days (faster in some cases for obvious end results or if turns only involve movement). I understand that sometimes turns can become very dependent on actions that take place early on so if unexpected results happen such as crits that render later moves impossible, downright suicidal, or entirely pointless, I will pause the turn and inform the party of the results that they might reconfigure the turn order. As such I would appreciate even partial movement orders in some form of "Do this first, 2nd, 3rd, etc". An edupad or something similar would be useful for this very purpose.


Primer ChangesPrimer Changes

We are not using a chance based system for durability as that will end in tears. Every character has an unbreakable basic weapon for their weapon classes (after promotion your characters will need to visit a town or some kind of haven to collect their new iron weapon but it shouldn't take long). Durability I'll inform you of when weapons are being bought or are found, generally they'll be straight lifted from other titles.

Balance changes can and probably will happen. I intend to worry more about buffing weak ones (Swordmaster and Assassin) before nerfing overly strong ones (Berserker). Additionally Rogue will be fundamentally changed from how it is in the doc. As I'm not requiring thieves to have lockpicks -- because honestly they're just a pain to work around -- rogues will be getting buffed in the direction of being able to unlock doors/chests without having to stop or expend an action. They'll likely also have a respectable set of stats to give them some combat ability.

Bard and Dancer I will entertain the idea of but if you'd like them please tell me where you want to go with them as an unpromotable class that only does their role seems...really unfulfilling.

Finally on the subject of experience balance, I'm considering the concept of a soft level cap where if the highest level PC gets more than 4 levels above the lowest level PC then any xp gained by the high level character is split with the lowest xp character. (To compensate, xp's gained from kills and combat will be treated as if the lower level character actually participated. So the overall xp gained will be higher but it should help thieves, healers and performers keep up if they are struggling to do so.) This last point is debatable but I'd like to have a safeguard system in place in case a character goes out of control on the power scale.

For number crunching I intend to make a publicly accessible Excel doc that will incorporate all the combat formulas and all the character's stats so it should be easily usable in theory.

Lore to come next post.

---------- Post added 02-11-2016 at 12:38 AM ---------- Previous post was 02-10-2016 at 10:51 PM ----------

Lore will be split into four pieces, General setting knowledge, Ancient History, Recent History and Very Recent Events that lead directly into where the game starts.

General Setting:

Before the nations can be considered, Spirits play an even more integral role in the lives of the population Fibralia. Unique to their continent, spirits inhabit almost every inch of it and are the core of the magical prowess of its citizenry. Warriors have the iron spirits to thank for keeping their weapons in good repair with little maintenance needed on their part. Each spirit has their own set of rules which they adhere to when dealing with mortals of the world though how they communicate them is a bit unique. Rarely are words exchanged, more often it is conveyed through imagery and sharing emotion with their partners. While the spirits can live most anywhere there are areas that have higher concentrations and within those nations the general rules of each type are better understood. Most every person can see them to some extent and while not everywhere, it is rare to go a day without seeing one. There are some rare disorders that can prevent ones ability to see or interact with spirits, and while this can impair mages, some have been known to emerge through such issues.

Magic still flows through bloodlines but more in potential than out of a restriction from others. Stronger bloodlines find spirits more appealing than people in some respects and can interact with them more easily.

Mages that specialize in Anima can still cast all elements within their discipline regardless of which spirit they have pacted with. The tomes they use serve as a focus to allow the spirit to manifest itself in the needed ways.

The nations of Fibralia are as follows.

AravinAravin:

Aravin is a country of great lakes, where the sun is strong, and shines strongly on the crystal clear rivers of the west. During the day the Aravinian peasantry go to the surface to farm their golden fields of grain, but at night they go back to large, massive caves which have been hollowed out to massive castles on the sides of cliffs. Light, pale skin is a sign of wealth and nobility, and there is a strong cultural schism between the peasantry and the nobility, bridged by the knightly class. There are legends of horrific beasts that dwell in the dark recesses of the mountain fortresses. There is a knightly heroic legend that tells tales of men of all walks of life going down into the dark, slaying a source of evil and returning to the light, victorious. Aravinian has a large caste of knights that in recent years has grown lax in its duties due to the death of the last dragon decades ago. The lack of threat to the knight caste has allowed it to grow and thus become somewhat top heavy, putting more labor upon the working class and is becoming an increasing source of friction within the society. Social mobility has also frozen, as the lack of combat has remove any chance of a peasant proving themselves in acts of valor. As a result, robber bands of sell swords prowl the wilderness, seeking their fortunes away from home.

Common Classes to emerge from Aravin are Knights, Cavaliers. Magic is not overly common among the ranks, but there is some penchant for Light magic within its borders.

SaladinSaladin

The desert cities of southwestern Saladin are full of glass work and pottery, their opulent wealth built around huge natural springs which are heated by the earth bubble with sulfurous gas. The population in each settlement is small in number, but they are all blessed with the blood with the power of fire. The strength of their nobility has resulted in dozens of schisms in their distant past, but a single unifying figure – whose name is lost to history – united them all and she ordered them to be peaceable, by the sword. They all are ruled by in the present by a linage of enigmatic women, who all claim to descend from her. It is truly an uneasy peace, for in this bloodline it is rumored, is the power to annihilate entire cities with a fire that makes the land forever inhospitable to human life. The surrounding desert seems to provide all the proof the citizens need. After an example or two, the resulting bloody peace resulted in a cultural renaissance. A scholarly tradition has emerged, preserving the literature of the forgotten past. Radical ideals, such as the equality and the rights of man, religious freedom, and the like are quietly discussed in cafes. Each settlement has their own hereditary leader, each of whom has their own interpretation as to how to govern. It's loud and passionate, which leads to a culture that is open to debate and questioning authority.

Saladin is the usual birthplace of Fire Mages. Fire spirits are known for their great passion and great jealousy. It is not uncommon for them to demand a relationship not unlike a marriage with their respective mages. These arrangements cause great celebrations within the desert cities. While it does not prevent the mage from finding a human mate, there are several stories of said human mates not lasting long if the spirit feels its position is threatened.

Common Classes to emerge from Saladin are Myrmidons and Fire Mages.

TierceTierce

Tierce is a nation of nautical explorers. Their eastern lands near the sea are heavily forested, with the tallest trees that defy the imagination. The trees are as thick as grass and grow seemingly just as quickly. Tierce uses these forests to build great fleets to explore the seas. They build great telescopes and maps, to survey the oceans that encircle the entire continent Their great goal is to make a colony on a distant island and expand further west. This goal has – to this date – been met with nothing but failure, due to a lack of islands large enough for a colony, the freak storms and waves, and the ever-present threat of Narrajan pirates. Competing houses of sea captains make a general council, headed by their wives, traditionally, because the men were always away and never certain to return. On occasion, a woman takes a ship for herself, leaving her husband to the clutches of the nearly all-female civilian government. Nothing is more fearful or more defiant, the men say, then a Tiercian lady. The women are extremely skilled archers, who defend the city walls with their heirloom bows.The general consensus is that if they gave women any more power, they'd run the country in all but name because they have incredible political power. In the male bloodline, however, is the only place where the wind magic of the nation manifests, much to the curiosity of genealogists and the nobility alike.

Wind Spirits are almost the opposite of their fiery brethren. Their only true love is their own freedom and as such, when a wind mage is met it says more about the mage than the spirit. While they can certainly be cajoled and even be happy with a mage, most all truly gifted wind mages must constantly travel or risk upsetting the wind around them.

Additionally, many of the healing staves in the world come from Tierce. The only magic that is not based in spirits, it is regarded as a selfless discipline. The creation of such staves requires the crafter imbue some of their own lives into the wood. The wood will then contain said life and grow around it into the staves that are widely recognized. Weaker staves are only weaker due to restrictions preventing them from using up all the life within, allowing the living wood to heal that which is expended.

Tierce is known for its Archers, it's Wind Mages and is widely believed as the birthplace of healing magic.

KublakKublak

The Kublak are horse lords who live on the southeastern great plains. They hunt massive herds of bison who are also massive in size. One bison alone can feed an entire family for a year if properly preserved. The horses too are carnivorous and eat of the same bison as the Kublak. Fiercely intelligent, they were tamed long ago. Through use of a pointed maul and a steak. There are old timers who say the horses used to be even meaner but no one believes them. Life is harsh, but they are one of the only people that truly have freedom to traverse the great mountain that divide the continent. They have a friendship with the Wodanaz, and they have intermarried frequently. Scouts from the Kublak find their kin everywhere, with their legendary horses. One of them married an Aravinian noblewoman and settled down with the meek pony. Of course, the Aravinian have a legend of an untamable wild stallion ridden by him. It's a right of passage to go out into the world and find something that your clan does not have. The greater the object, the greater the prestige. The one thing that they despise are the artifacts of the Kinehdin, who are their enemies. Any that fall into their hands are destroyed.

Kublak is known for its horse riders of all varieties. Wind Mages have occasionally arisen from their ranks as well.

CaeltsCaelts

Caelts live on high steppes and mesas primarily located in the north. Higher than even the most daring Kublak would wander, living amidst the last of the lightning spirits. Dragons arose in the cataclysm and they hunted down the thunder spirits who were their natural enemies. The dragons grow stronger the closer they are to the earth. So in the highest places they are weakened. The spirits of lightning thus traveled to the earth and made their homes amidst the men and women there. These men and women primarily make their living as sheep herders, but those who have met the Caelts can barely say a word without mentioning how enormous they are. Even the shortest of Caelts stands a foot above most of the rest of the nation and is built like the mountains they surround themselves with. All of the Caelts have long braids where they store electricity. The more elaborate the braid, the more powerful the connection. They're mysterious herders who occasionally come down and kill dragons – who are still alive on this part of the continent – but they have a great desire for independence, and to be left alone to herd their sheep. They've acquired some understandings with more intelligent, peaceful dragons. They organize in big clans, who meet each other in a valley where they have great contests of strength. Largely peaceful, few of the nations truly want to test how far the herders will be pushed before they push back.

Thunder Spirits are erratic as their element suggests. At times quiet and merely content to live with their partners and other times crackling about their body, unable to stay still. Their mage partners with time come to learn how to not only predict their companions, but also what sets them off and how to calm them. Alas, there has been no discernible pattern between the spirits outside of their fear of dragons, so each mage must learn about their own partner individually.

The Caelts prefer the axe as their weapon of choice and thus primarily produce Fighters, Brigands and Thunder Mages from their ranks.


NaranjaNaranja

Naranja has never forgotten being under the control of the Lacedaemon. They labor to make sure that no one finds the forgotten continent. There are no nobility amongst the Naranja. Their mages are few and far between however, they extracted deals from the blood gorged sea gods to grant them passage through the storms and waves. They raid any Tiercian ship that gets too close to the truth of the Lacedaemons, which has caused some animosity between the two peoples. Eventually, their mission was forgotten and all that remains is hate. Naranjans do not follow titles, or blood. They follow the man or woman with the biggest axe. Pirate lords rise and fall, but the only thing that remains constant is the laws of the sea and the priesthood who forcibly negotiate powers from the corrupt spirits of the sea.

Naranjans are known for any person who enjoys their money more than most, producing pirates, fighters, mercenaries, thieves and all of that variety. Additionally they have a few rare shamans among their ranks.

KinehdinKinehdin

Kinehdin houses one of the strongest, if not the most powerful bloodline of magic of all the countries. With the aid of a magical artifact kept hidden from the other countries they lifted an entire country into the sky and held it suspended, upon which they're civilization rests, safe from most attackers. The Kine are an extremely pacifistic group as a whole, looking down on the warring nations with disdain. Parties of nobility are held within their courts, along with a strict monarchy caste system imposed upon the civilization. The current king, a legend in his own right, keeps the country aloft through a secret known by the royal family alone. The nation claims descendance from Shiva, the Light Dragon. They ride great pegasi, and wield light magic with great expertise. They're enemies to the Kublak though rarely fight and allies to Tierce.

The Light Spirits that live among the Kine are supposedly spirits that care about humanity and exist for the good of all. Said spirits however can often believe that they know better than humanity and seek to impose their will. Some Monks agree with their spirit, some others do not, and it can cause friction with their spirits. It can often be a gamble which you'll run into when first encountering a Monk on the road.

The Kine are well known for their Pegasus Riders, and their Light Mages.

WodanazWodanaz

The Wodanaz revel in violence, they believe that peace makes people weak. They're an intensely martial and tribal culture, with dueling the preferred option to settle disputes. As a nation they inhabit the mountains and vallies that were left behind by the lifting of the country of Kinehdin. However, they hold their cousins in the sky in great disdain due to the pacifistic nature of those above them. They're great crafters, and allies of the Kublaks and enemies of Tierce. Additionally, their dark magic is second to none, having determined how to make pacts with the dark spirits that live deep within their mountains. The life of a shaman is difficult and holds great respect within Wodanaz society, where even the leaders will not outright challenge one without good reason. Additionally, it is sacrosanct to challenge a shaman to a duel, as they are the only ones with the skills to calm the truly ancient spirits should one become upset. The warriors ride wyverns, and their line, supposedly, is descended from Woden, the Shadow Dragon.

Dark Spirits are old, and while not evil, can be seen as malicious and cruel. They despise being trespassed upon and will take their vengeance out upon those who do not show them proper respect. Dark Magic is difficult, requiring complex rituals and very specific intonations. The tomes of Dark Magic are heavy not because of the length or difficulty of the rituals, but because the spirits exact a demanding price on those they would work with. The older the spirit, the more powerful it is and the more appeasing it requires, with truly ancient ones being capable of swallowing villages whole should it be ignored for too long.

The Wodanaz are known for their Brigands, Shamans and Wyvern Riders.

Final Note on Countries and ClassesFinal Note: The classes listed at each section are not "final". Mercenaries, Cavaliers, Archers, Thieves and etc can come from most areas. The more difficult classes to justify are Mages and those with flying mounts though you are free to attempt to do so if you wish.

Ancient History

An estimated five thousand years ago, the continent was dominated by a race known as the Lacedaemons, or the Laconics as they referred to themselves. Any writings from the time indicate that they appeared mostly humanoid but were somehow different. The texts in question vary as to what changed, some pointing to height and extremely brutish appearances, others noting small changes like impossible eye colors. The indigenous people as well as the great spirits and even the dragons were held under their control. While incapable of using magic, their martial prowess was beyond the capacity of those who would fight back. However, the Laconics were incapable of wielding spirits as weapons, forcing them to using primarily wooden weapons that had been specially treated. There are stories of legendary black stone weapons they could also use but no physical evidence has been found to support this, nor has a spiritless stone been uncovered. Metal weapons by most accounts will break or shatter in their grip before being used, the spirits rebelling.

At the end of their rule, the peoples of the land who were enslaved managed to pact with the spirits and the dragons and push out the Laconics. The people originally attempted to form a unified country but the different regions formed, based on old Laconic governments and rivalries turned into war, leading to the current state of affairs.

The Laconics retreated from the land to their own countries across the great ocean. They are mostly believed by all but the Naranjar to be just fairy tales. Occasionally from each of the countries people are born with oddities in their appearance which is identified as the Laconic Curse. It has no observed adverse effects on a person but they are treated with suspicion regardless.


Recent History

A decade ago the country of Kinehdin fell from the sky. It was a very slow descent resulting in remarkably low casualties but it marked the start of extreme tensions between the recently landed Kine and the Wodanaz. In addition, the mountain range left behind by the country when it left the ground have begun to erode as if the land itself has chosen to revert to how things were.

The reason for the fall however is a story steeped in treachery. The Kine royal family keeps its heirs hidden behind the walls of the palace and rarely seen by the outside population until their coming of age ceremony on their 16th birthday. The 15 year old Princess Mirianna on the eve of her coming of age ceremony and being chosen as the heir apparent (she was an only child) grew impatient for her time on the throne. Even that knowledge would be lost to us if a friend of hers and royal guard in training by the name of Welkin hadn't stumbled in on the moment of her coup. The scene as the boy described it was straight from nightmares. The young princess, blood dripping from her hands and arms with light streaming from her hands, lashing at the palace around her, and long hair glowing white, standing over the corpse of the king. Her face was twisted in an expression of fury as the magic was drawn from the country and the palace began to crumble. An examination of the palace after the fall found the hall in once piece, along with the remains of the king, however there was no sign of the queen or the murderous princess. There have been sightings of a young woman with white hair roaming the continent since then but no one has ever confirmed a sighting of Princess Mirianna or knows what she plans.

Kinehdin as it once existed does not anymore. The refugees are split among the countries on the ground with many in Tierce and Aravin. Where it once flew there are a few scattered islands with castles on them, held aloft by families clinging to smaller forms of the rituals once used to hold the country afloat. So far they seem capable of staying aloft but the families struggle to keep them that way without the strength of the royal bloodlines lineage. As far as Lords and Ladies go, most have lost any position they once had or are stuck in their floating castles, praying for a solution.

Recent Events

A young Kine mage with fire magic named Morgan Vian has roamed the continent with trade caravans recruiting individuals to help her with an excursion to the former capital of Kinehdin. Most interestingly has been her small degree of success in finding such a party despite being afflicted with the Laconic curse, having almost purple eyes and blue/green hair. She claims to want to find artifacts from the fallen kingdom and visit the home her family had when she was young, should it still be standing in any capacity. Accompanied by a Naranjan pirate named Vanessa and an Aravinian Paladin named Oswald, the young mage has formed a party which will be setting off in the near future deep through Wodanaz territory currently suffering a small civil war as it often is.

Your characters are the rest of this party. If you wish to run the scene in which you were recruited let me know via PM and it can be run through that or as a part of the first scene before the initial map combat. Sample characters Morgan, Vanessa and Oswald will be posted in another post later today.

[phil_]

Question: How many XP does a weapon proficiency need in order to rank up? I see that characters level up every 100XP, and I see that weapon proficiencies earn 1/10 of combat XP. But I can't find anything saying how to rank up a weapon beyond promoting.

[DanteFalcon]

Historically that has changed each game, for now we'll use the Blazing Sword/Sacred Stones rates which is 31 total uses from E -> D, 71 from D -> C, 121 from C -> B, 181 B -> A, 251 A -> S.

Depending on things like pacing and player feedback I might change those (though progress in weapon ranks will never be lost).

[phil_]

Well, as long as we have a rule of some sort, I'm good. Now to figure out what to play while we all play not-Lord chicken.

[DanteFalcon]

Oh right, as people go out to work on their characters let me know if there's something completely dumb in your character creation. For instance, Shamans are getting 2 extra Con to start so they don't have to invest 3 points in Con just to break even on their lightest weight weapon. Also every character starts with weapon proficiency D so shamans don't get screwed by having literally 0 weapons and everyone starts with a vulnerary which heals for 10 (15 is a tad too high I think with infinite healing staff uses) and 3 uses.

Sample Character #1
Name: Morgan Vian
Birthplace: Kinehdin
Age: Late Teens
Class: Mage (Fire Spirit)
Affinity: Light
Other Info: Laconic Curse (Purple eyes, Blue/Green Hair)

Appearance: Fair skinned and with a spring in her step, Morgan and presumably her family has not suffered terribly from the fall of Kinehdin. It is unlikely she has actually done any physical labor or been expected to do so at any point. Her visage is bright and somewhat striking given the odd colors of her eyes and hair. Her robe as well is a leave over from nobility, a trimming of gold thread around its edges. Occasionally peeking out from the fire book, and sometimes seen coiled around her right wrist is her fire spirit, a winged serpent that seems rather cautious about outsiders.
Strangely, Morgan never seems to actually look directly at the spirit, possibly hinting to a disability preventing her from doing so. This is also supported by her style of magic casting technique. While certainly powerful, possibly a prodigy of magical strength, many of the rituals lack finesse from one who has mastered the inns and outs of communicating with their companion spirits.

Backstory: ??? (These should be filled in for PCs, NPCs will always have ??? until their stories are discovered by players.)

Stats:
HP: 20 +4 (40%)
MA: 7 +6 (55%)
SKL: 4 +3 (40%)
SPD: 7 +5 (55%)
LUK: 3 +3 (35%)
DEF: 2 +2 (35%)
RES: 5 +3 (40%)
CON: 8 +2
MOV: 5

Weapon Proficiency: Anima - D

Gear:
Name: Rank/Range/WT/MT/Hit/Crt/Durability/Effect
Fire: E/1-2/4/5/90/0/-/-
Vulnerary: -/-/-/-/-/-/3 uses/Heals for 10 hp

Combat Stats:
Fire
Damage- 12
AS- 7
Accuracy- 101
Dodge- 17
Crt- 2
CrtDodge- 3

[phil_]

I think I'm going to make two Wodanaz, a shaman and a wyvern rider, traveling together to find some great strength that will get Kinehdin off their lawn. That step on anybody's toes?

---------- Post added at 05:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:31 PM ----------

New question: Does HP for unpromoted characters cap at 20 like the other stats, or does the HP cap sit at 60 right from the beginning?

[Menarker]

Originally Posted by phil_

I think I'm going to make two Wodanaz, a shaman and a wyvern rider, traveling together to find some great strength that will get Kinehdin off their lawn. That step on anybody's toes?

---------- Post added at 05:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:31 PM ----------

New question: Does HP for unpromoted characters cap at 20 like the other stats, or does the HP cap sit at 60 right from the beginning?

I'm planning on making a Wyvern Rider too (promoting to Wyvern Lord), but don't worry about stepping on my toes. Having a bit of redundacy is not a bad thing. (In fact, having 2 or 3 peeps who can bypass a troublesome enemy or terrain is a useful thing.)

[phil_]

I was thinking more of a character overlap, but now that I think about it, we could probably all make pairs of shamans and wyvern riders looking for lost magic and we'd all play it differently. I guess we might be screwed if we all made pairs of healers with no offensive power, but then maybe we could carry the NPCs to victory like that.

[Overcast]

EVERYONE GET A WYVERN. We are the Dark Cloud.

[DanteFalcon]

HP does not cap at 20 for unpromoted. That might be the most miserable experience I can imagine.