Remember, it is your responsibility to find ways to bring this homework into actual play. I will help and will try to incorporate what I can, but the rest is up to you. Meta-discussion of how you would like to bring it into play (e.g., "I think it would be awesome if my demon-worshiping brother was our guild contact") is highly welcome! Also, you only gain the experience points when the homework is posted to this blog; excepting the extra xp for coolness and other such value judgments, you can just log the new experience when you post.
EXPERIENCE WHICH CAN BE EARNED BEFORE MARCH 5TH, 2013
Character Background - Up to 350 xp
Create a convincing character background. For every two words of story that are written, your character gets one experience point, to a maximum of 200 xp. There are an additional 150 xp floating around for interesting ideas, amusing incidents and the number of useable adventure hooks.
Character Appearance - Up to 100 xp
A written description of your character is worth 50 xp. A picture, either hand-drawn or photocopied from another source, is worth an additional 50 xp.
Create an NPC - 150 xp.
Create a description of somebody your character has very strong feelings about. Perhaps an enemy, a long lost love, a family member, etc. Your character gets 1xp for every two words written, to a maximum of 100. Providing a picture or written description of the NPC is worth an additional 50 xp.
Questionnaire - up to 250 xp
Complete a questionnaire on behalf of your character. Give as short or long an answer as you wish. The base experience point award will be 150 points (5 per question answered), but there will be a bonus of 100 xp for imaginative, amusing or particularly insightful answers.
1. Who is the most important person in your life?
2. Where do you want to be in 20 years time?
3. What are you most scared of?
4. What makes you happy?
5. What is your idea of a good evenings entertainment?
6. If you were not an adventurer, what would you be?
7. What item would you not live without?
8. When was the last time you cried?
9. When do you want to have children?
10. If you were an animal, what would you be?
11. What is your favorite bard song?
12. Do you prefer the town or the country? Why?
13. What was the last thing that made you laugh?
14. If made to decide, would you rather be deaf or blind? Why?
15. What is the worst thing you’ve ever done?
16. If you had to describe yourself in five adjectives, what would they be?
17. How do you want to die?
18. What is the worst thing someone has done to you?
19. Who do you admire?
20. How much is a pint of mead?
21. How old are you?
22. What was your family life like?
23. Where are you from?
24. How did you become the character class you are?
25. When did you meet your companions?
26. How has power changed you?
27. What do you think of mortals?
28. What motivates you to be a hero?
29. Who or what do you worship?
30. What would drive you to commit murder?
Recent History - 200 xp
There is only one limitation on your recent history - it ends with you being hired by Garavel to join the caravan attempting to reclaim kel-Maraneh. Write about your character's thoughts of the two months leading up to this event. You should describe their feelings of the current situation and what positive and negative things have happened to them. Maybe they would like to comment on how your character feels about being sent to a new and strange area. You get 1xp for every two words written, up to a maximum of 200 xp
Home Region - up to 300 xp.
Detail your characters homeland/village/suburb/tribe. The campaign world is still pretty open to player invntion at the moment. Go crazy and do whatever you want. Up to 100 xp will be awarded for a map of the region, while up to 200 xp will be awarded for a description of the area, its local history and government, as well as a general idea of important NPC’s of the region. There is no real favoritism displayed on the type of region you choose. Writing about a small town is worth just as much as a general country/ society overview.
TOTAL EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE: 13450 xp (!)
EXPERIENCE WHICH CAN BE GAINED BETWEEN SESSIONS AFTER MARCH 5, 2013
Party Relationship - up to 100 xp.
This task can only be completed after the first session. Write a paragraph or two on how your character feels about each of the other individuals in the group. You get awarded 1 xp for every two words written, to a maximum of 100 xp.
Journalling - up to 400 xp
Write something describing the events of the previous session or any other session previous, provided you haven't journalLed it already. Include character reactions and such. 1 xp per 2 words, maximum 400 xp.
Repeated Assignments - Varies
Between sessions, you can repeat ONE and only ONE of the assignments in the first section of this document for the same number of xp. You can repeat any of the assignments at any time (i.e., if after the first session, you create a second NPC, you can still describe your home region after third session), and you can only gain the xp if the assignment is significantly different than any of the previous versions of the assignment (meaning that the questionnaire is unlikely to be often repeated).
TOTAL EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE: 500+ xp per inter-session period
EXPERIENCE TO BE GAINED IN PLAY
Cookies - up to 150 xp
Every player is given ONE and only ONE cookie at the beginning of every session. They may not eat this cookie. It is to give to someone who did something they thought was cool. They may NOT give it to themselves. Each cookie is worth 50 xp at first level.
Food - 50 xp
If a player brings food for the group (and I mean both enough and of the right nature to be consumed by the entire group), they gain 50 xp.
Character Conflict – 25 xp
Every character has an inherent character conflict, intended to push them to blend the story I as DM prepare with a character growth arc. If a player brings this conflict into play during a session, they gain 25 xp.
Critical Failure – 10+ xp
Whenever a player rolls a critical failure, they gain 10 xp, plus 1 xp for each subsequent “level” of critical failure (i.e., for each “1” rolled after the first)
Critical Success – 5+ xp
Whenever a player rolls a critical success, they gain 5 xp, plus 1 xp for each subsequent “level” of critical success (i.e., for each “20” rolled after the first)
TOTAL EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE: 225+ xp
INCREASED EXPERIENCE AWARD BY LEVEL
To reflect the fact that the number of experience points necessary to advance in level increases each level, certain of these awards (player relationship, journalling, cookies, food, character conflict, critical failure, and critical success) will increase in size by 25% each level.
For example, the maximum xp award for a party relationship is as follows (this just so happens to also be the percentage by which the other awards can be multiplied):
1st level: 100 xp
2nd level: 125 xp
3rd level: 156 xp
4th level: 195 xp
5th level: 244 xp
6th level: 305 xp
7th level: 381 xp
8th level: 476 xp
9th level: 596 xp
10th level: 745 xp
11th level: 931 xp
12th level: 1164 xp
13th level: 1455 xp
14th level: 1818 xp
15th level: 2276 xp
16th level: 2842 xp
17th level: 3552 xp
18th level: 4440 xp
19th level: 5551 xp
20th level: 6938 xp
Rashima's Character Background... I ramble...
ReplyDelete_This means italics_
Me: Hello, because I'm best at dialog format, that is what I'll be using here. This may change later but it should help me “see” my character. So, Rashima, say hello!
Rashima: Hello there, everyone.
Me: Now that we have that out of the way, why don't you tell us about your past?
Rashima: Of course. I am Rashima, born of the Starlit Tribe*. I was fated to be the next leader of the tribe as I had the mark of an oracle.
Me: Because I like to over explain things; the, “mark of an oracle” is basically being albino. Usually the leader is a normal kitsune, and it's whomever takes up the role and can get the others to fallow. It's rare but when albinos pops up, well, albino kitsune are pretty pampered in the Starlit Tribe.
Rashima: I was not _pampered_ per say, I was trained to use my gift to it's fullest. While it is true I was not trained as much in hunting; I was often learning how to read the stars and how to invoke what was fated**. Life... was exasperating at times. I was young but many of the tribe already looked to me for guidance. My teacher, the leader at the time, was not fated as I. He often told me to be patient; that my skills would naturally come as I grew. However, I was under the strong belief I did not have time to wait. I... what I read was not the stars that night. I read too far... I spoke too much. I am not sure what it was I had said, some... _creature_ was controlling me, only long enough to call upon those... _monsters_.
Me: ...Hey, you okay?
Rashima: ...Yes. I am fine. I had gotten what I was hunting that night. My powers had developed and I had grown a second tail. I had learned how to read the fates through the stars. But at the cost of my tribe. Those creatures slaughtered the Starlit Tribe. I believe I was the one to send them back but it was hard for me to tell at the time. They had left. I... I was lost.
Me: Yeah, after that she basically wandered around until she fainted from exhaustion. Or possibly dehydration. Still, she was half-dead when Haleen found her.
Rashima: Hm, I suppose so... I certainly did not feel well when I regained consciousness. I awoke in Haleen's care. Only she knows of my true form. Haleen helped me learn how to work as a city dweller and how to fit in (as much as one marked as I could). She encouraged me not to simply give up on my practices as an oracle. It is because of her I am here now, as fate has shown. I was... concerned when she started to act strangely. She has a very confidant, cheerful disposition; as well as strong-willed and perhaps hot-tempered at times. It was disconcerting when her attitude shifted, she became sullen and seemed rather troubled. I... did not believe she had ever kept secrets from me... I chose not to pry into the matter. Perhaps this was my second mistake.
One night she had simply vanished. She left a note but... the words were wrong. It... The words written were not constructed in a way she would honestly use. It was her handwriting but those could not have been her words. I am unsure as to what had caused her to leave, but it was not of her own freewill. I have only recently found a hint as to her whereabouts. While reading what I could in the stars I saw Haleen. She... She is in a place called Kelmarane. I may not know why but I am sure that she is there, or at least was recently.
This is why I have joined Garavel's group. It... I had to pull a few... strings to convince them. But I must find Haleen.
...Even if I must work with _monsters_.
* I just randomly pulled out a name for her tribe, hopefully it's okay. Otherwise it can change...
** Yeah... Still trying to understand how the, er “fate” thing works, sorry if that's not a good way of describing her religion/beliefs/whatever-it-is...
600+ words... is it an acceptable character background? Well, next up I'm writing the tribe, then that “recent history” bit... I have a tendency to ramble. Hopefully this is okay... Yay character Background?
Rashima's Appearance
ReplyDeleteRashima is albino, her skin is almost glows (not quite but close) in the night. Her hair has a touch of silver color to it, but not much. Her eyes are also pale, she looks blind even though she's not. She's rather small and lithe in form. She wears very simplistic, low-end clothing, she sees no use in anything more than needed anyway. In her “true” form (as an anthropomorphic fox) cloths are not needed (or wanted; she has fur, that's more than enough for her). The most noticeable detail is that she has two tails (possibly three if I can level up :3).
Er... I'm not very good at appearance-descriptions...How can I get pictures on? I have her human form on my laptop (in not-desert-cloths because I couldn't find a character creator with that selection)...