Help with characters?

[Indirik]

So... since this is so totally wide open, does anyone want to share some of their character ideas? I'm totally lost for what kind of character to make, or what types of backgrounds/ideas to go with. Not having played in either of the previous SM games, I'm kinda flopping around lost here.

[Zakilevo]

Me too. I have never played this game before and it seems this game is heavily based on RPs. I play my characters somewhat seriously for BM but for SM I think I am going to make a character who fails a lot and somewhat awkward. Some grumpy middle aged man with weird spells.

[JPierreD]

I haven't played yet, but I've got an idea. Let me know what you think about it.

The character is actually schizophrenic and highly paranoid. His magic is located in a tumor in the brain, which causes his insanity, so it could be say he'd have to choose between magic and sanity. Because of his condition, a lot of very crazy things happen to him, like secret societies and governments attempting to recruit or kill him, in serious conspiracies, among other fantastic creatures and events. Which of all this is actually happening, and what is purely delusional? The players that meet him decide.

[Tom]

Part of the difficulty is that you really can do whatever you want. We have had quite a bit of different types in the first SpellMaster. The basic restriction is that he has to come from the game world somewhere. So he can't be an alien, time-traveller, etc. - but he can be a peasant, a priest, a knight, anything really. I wouldn't want him to be a king or higher noble, because he couldn't possibly keep his magic a secret if he's so exposed.

[Zakilevo]

Oh. So people cannot know you are a spellcaster? People are going burn spellcasters at the stake or something?

[Tom]

Oh. So people cannot know you are a spellcaster? People are going burn spellcasters at the stake or something?

Depends. Read this. In the south, they will burn you. In the north and colonies, it depends.

[Daycryn]

My basic idea is to import Gauihu. Not quite the BM Gauihu; he was never a king or a high lord, but is of noble background originally before he abandoned the life and his homeland, and became a crazy prophet-priest of his own cult. Unimaginative, I know, but hey why not?

[Indirik]

Part of the difficulty is that you really can do whatever you want.

Well, yes, that's part of it. But also, if people choose things too widely located, or too far apart in concept, then it will be hard to realistically get them together. And what's the point of playing  an interactive roleplay game, if your characters can't interact. I've had a few ideas, but I don't know if they'd work at all.

[Anaris]

Well, because of the issues with magic being prohibited in the south, I'm planning on making a character either in the northern part of the Colonies, or in the North itself.

Still not sure just what my character concept is...I'm considering bringing Kitrel/Phoebe over in one form or another.  She didn't really have many prospects in BM anymore, but she might be able to become something interesting in SM.

If I did bring her, she'd definitely use her body as her energy store, and be generally fire-focused.  And kinda evil.

Beyond that, I'm not sure.

[Morningstar]

Part of me wants to toy with creating a Chronomancer, but the majority of me knows that's creating hell for any GM and probably forcing more mechanics that were never intended. So I will likely go another route.

[Zane]

I'm pondering doing a Southerner who stays hidden by focusing on un-obvious mental magic (voices in heads, projecting consciousness).

[Bedwyr]

I was planning on bringing over a Malcolm-expy (I'm seeing a trend, here...) who worked mostly with magic to enhance his silver tongue.

[Morningstar]

I'm pondering doing a Southerner who stays hidden by focusing on un-obvious mental magic (voices in heads, projecting consciousness).

I'd considered this as well. Briefly played a mute telepath who could be quite convincing in other peoples' heads that it was their own idea.  I say go for it.

[Meneldur]

I'm thinking along the lines of an itinerant mendicant "holy man" in the northern Colonies (Although not too far north as I doubt he would survive wandering the harsh lands of the far north. However it would have to be a place with at least a moderate amount of superstition). He would believe that his magic is supernatural in origin with his spells containing invocations of various spirits/gods (depending on his actual beliefs which would be based on info we don't currently). Of course such things are nothing to do with the actual magic but I'm guessing that towards the north magic and superstition/religion have become so mixed they are hard to separate.

[Jinsyn]

Are we allowed to know why magic is outlawed in the south? Or is this open to our interpretation?

I'm considering an inquisitor/templar with latent magical abilities, who is bent on finding and eradicating spellcasters due to some poignant reason (maybe someone close to him was killed by a wizard?). However, something triggers his magical abilities one day, and then he's caught in a bind. Does he suppress it and act like nothing happened? Does someone witness him performing magic? Does he turn himself in? Etc.

But this largely depends on whether there is a concrete and underlying reason explaining why magic is banned in the south.