RPGClinic

About two years ago, during summer, I took a little trip to a little valley just south of my home. I had been stuck in a dry spell, the canvas simply wouldn't talk to me. I thought that maybe by going to an idyllic location I might be inspired to do better.

I got there early in the morning and as I had hoped, I was enthralled by the natural beauty of my surroundings. I quickly got to work and by midday I had been able to paint to satisfaction. I had not completed the work, of course, but I had a good start and was encouraged. I sat down under the shade of a large tree near a pond and ate the food I had brought.

I stayed there a while, not thinking about anything in particular, just listening and breathing, and eventually I fell asleep.

That's where it happened. HE happened.

I opened my eyes and there he was, standing over me: a little boy, yellow and orange and red, radiant and glorious, eyes wide with interest, a smile that both indicated an immense satisfaction and the simple cunning of a child stealing candy and not getting caught. A living light, a breathing fire. But I was not scared. I remember feeling at first somewhat amused, then thinking that this was the most natural meeting in Creation. It made sense.

Gods know I'd like thing to make sense like that once again.

I don't remember what we discussed, but we talked for what seemed like ages, walking around that pond. I understood what he was… but to this day I don't think I fully understood WHO he was. I sure do now, however.

When again I opened my eyes, it seemed as if I had only closed them for a brief moment. I realized later on that I had slept there for an entire day.

My paintings were never the same afterwards. My technique was as reliable, my mastery of the art the same… but my work had a purpose that I never quite had before. Where I created out of inspiration ever since I chose the brush over the sword, I was now animated with single-minded, urgently motivated devotion to specific moments, specific people, events at which I was not present, individuals that I had never met.

I know the when, I know the where… but still, it's still a mystery as to why. If there even is a why.

*thunderous, yet dainty, applause*

Well done, Fenris. This is a masterful combat primer for a character specifically designed to be terrible at combat. I seriously applaud the effort you put in. I know it wasn't easy.

With your high Charisma and Empathy, there's a good chance you can defuse any situation before it escalates to violence. My teacher always said that was the best way to deal with things.

Boom. Hit the nail on the head. She's always been incredible at defusing situations & conflict, so she has never ever had to fight and no one around her felt it was necessary training. Her athletics stat comes from dance training and her 1 dot in melee I figure is because her brother went "Huh, you should probably know how to handle a dagger".

Having said that, increasing Primal is high on my list and I do intend to increase Dex at some point. Probably not soon enough for everyone's peace of mind, though :P. Magickz is definitely gonna be her thing. Eventually.

Get a retinue.

Now THIS is a verrrrry interesting option that I honestly hadn't considered before. But with Pennons coming up, that would make a perfect opportunity to find likely candidates…

Solid run down Fenris but I would like to add another option to the list of things Sophia can do:

Get a retinue.

It's a background option so she can't necessarily just buy it with experience but I'm sure, if Liz/Sophia so desire, there could be an opportunity to get one or two commoners/enchanted mortals with martial skills to 'supplement' Sophia's contribution when violence is a possibility or the threat of violence is needed.

It also gives us more NPCs to ship so I would go so far as to recommend this option over others.

*cough*

KungFuFenris-sensei have been drinking heavily. Things here in the dojo have been uphill. Thanks to Crusher-of-Cities to fill in with a old fashioned CQB Primer.

But… at least I managed to making training schedules for our…. motley.
…
……
Oh, holy crap, that surly film noir-boggan is going to break my kneecaps for forgetting this one.

ANYWAYS!

Let's get down to this.

Lady Sophia ap Liam is a proud member of the Shining Host, a luminary creature in this world of grime and dirt.
Surely, nothing can withstand her might upon the…
*looks at character sheet*

Huh.

Well. I've done more with worse… I guess…
Seriously Sparkles, you gotta be thankful that you're too pretty to slug, otherwise I'd suggest booking a funeral plot instead of taking self-defense lesson here.
So what do you got the following going for you in the Combat department…
Athlethics 2 and a single dot of Melee?!
Sparkles, who taught you to wield a sword? Was it your grandma telling you how to crochet or something and you messed up the whole damn process? Basic Squire Training?

So, now we gotta talk about The fine art of Dodging like a crazy person.
Just… every round, dance away from the troubles like your life depended on it.
WHICH IT DOES.
At this point, declare all the Full Defenses when in Combat, unless you're lucky on Initiative and can see a opening for a well placed action or Art. Otherwise refer to Crusher's guide?

Your Dex is even at 2. Which kinda calls for you to never actually go into Combat, a fact only backed up by that non-existent soak. If you feel like you need an extra edge, then the fact you got 5 Glamour might give allow you to really enjoy the benefits of Invoking the Wyrd. Then again, it might just paint a bigger target on your forehead.

Seriously, you're like the daintiest thing in the Duchy…

Okay, I managed to hustle some notes on conflict resolution from the therapy center down the road.
However, they might be a moot point, since your motley seems to be composed of levelheaded individuals, who are not actively seeking out trouble like moths to a flame.
With your high Charisma and Empathy, there's a good chance you can defuse any situation before it escalates to violence. My teacher always said that was the best way to deal with things.

ARTS… Or, how to MAGICKZ
In the magic department, you've got a lot going for you.
The Realms you got are spread wide, and it's pretty cool to see that you have Scene.

Oneiromancy is not a combat art. Unless people are very much asleep.
Then again, if you end up making Chimeras of your dreams to defend you, a horde of dragons to defend the maiden, then we can safely assume you found a WHOLE new level of combat to deal with your enemies.
But, since this ain't a Pokegym, we're moving on.

However, Spring does have a few things that might be able to give you extra boosts as well as your teammates.
You've already considered the effects of Verdant Reclaimation (Spring 2) but haven't tested it out yet.
With Well of Life (Spring 3), you can pretty much become the Mercy of the group and make sure that no one will suffer those ghastly gunshot wounds in more than a few days. Faerie Ring and Renewal are amazing, but not all that combat oriented.
(Sidenote. I wonder if Spring 1 can be used to cure childlessness in humans….)

Primal. Oh, Primal, my old friend. How you've changed. Mostly for the better, but Holly Strike was once the end all, be all of a combat focused Changeling. Nowadays, it's a lot more focused on a less aggressive aspect.
Primal 2 could aid you in making elements, and Oakenshield (Primal 3) is pretty much your solution to being a soft target in a dangerous situation. If you ever end up in the higher end of the scale, Elder Form (Primal 4) is a good multitool and Dance of the Five Kings (Primal 5) is an expensive, if creative way to do some harm.

In any case. You're not going to be a combat machine. That much is clear. But to dodge combat and it's ill effects properly, you have to take in a few tips to survive.
My advice would be more Primal, more Realms and maybe even some more Dexterity. If you're feeling like it at a time, maybe try to get a bit of Winter or Sovereign to chill people who wants to brawl.

//And if we really want to…

Oh goddamn, she not even here, is she? She's just burnt her image into my retinas from sheer beauty? Probably saw a sale of colored scarfs and wandered off…
Wow. Hurray for KungfuFenris-Sensei… Master of Perception.

Time for another bottle of bourbon then… hoping to see some new students in here at some point…
At least the Nocker is making progress…//

Where and when did you Exalt?

Keep the drinks coming Mister B. I'm on a roll.

Keep in mind, however, that I do not know everything and that on some thing I can only speculate… but I will try to answer honestly whenever I can and provide some insight when I don't have a definitive answer.

There needs to be some Bromances in there too.

At least one of each. One long term "will they won't they" and one "they did….. And wish they hadnt"

Dungeon Crawl Classics: for if and when they have to explore the dragon cave or similar dungeon.

So many ideas.
Fortune-teller (but Jon doesn't fore shadow so maybe a poor idea on my part).
Magician.
Juggler.
Bar tender that keeps touching the bar and getting all up in Claude's face.
Someone who remembers braum that he doesn't remember.
Dancers
Singers
Musicians

Hi I was also here! Let's check out these forums.

Well there has to be a wrestling match. For sure.

For those of you on Pinterest, I've put together a board to give people an idea of what the party/celebration that Sophia has in mind will look like.

If you have any ideas for competitions, events, entertainment, feel free to put them here! We can't guarantee ideas will end up in the session itself but this is a great place to brainstorm. Also, if you have any questions about the holiday, throw them in the thread. Here's a rundown of a bunch of holidays (including Pennons) to get started.

For what it's worth, I think I've now made it so that anyone registered can post links / images. Unfortunately, I haven't found a way to remove the Karma system completely.

Hi! Thanks for signing up!

I'm a big fan of romantic entanglements, especially if they come naturally over time and it seems like it's the direction in which the wind takes the ship.

@Elizabethaneale:

It depends on the ship and what fuels it. If the shipper is saying to themselves "They would be perfect for each other! So cute!" then I think only a long-term relationship would suffice but if the ship is based solely on sexual tension and the shipper is thinking "OMG! Just f*** already!" then a hook up would probably do it.

So yeah, it depends. I think the Twircle, as a whole, prefer the long-term ship though.

@Elizabethaneale:

I'm a hopeless romantic, so I usually think of ships as long-term romances.

*tap* *tap* *tap* Is this thing turned on?

*Gasp* Why, Kol Drake! I didn't know you swung that way…