Dragon's Den

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
kenmadragon
Posts: 743
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:37 pm

Re: Dragon's Den

Post by kenmadragon »

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E-LASS
Real Name: Emma Charlotte Lasher
Origin: Gimmick

Prowess 4
Coordination 5
Strength 3
Intellect 4
Awareness 5
Willpower 4

Powers:
Stretching Device 6 [extras: Alternate Form (Fluid) 4 (extras: Instant), Bouncing 3]

Specialties:
Performance (Model/Actress)
Wrestling Expert

Stamina 7
Determination 2

Qualities:
Rich Young Fashion Model/Actress
Meta-molecular Flexibility!
Ariel's my BFF (Sidekick)

Original Character by Batgirl III

Notes: E-Lass doesn't have much going for her, fighting-wise. She's a decent pugilist, but doesn't have much in the way of strength. However, she's got high levels of Stretching, and is a Wrestling Master to boot (due to her Device - she loses those levels without the suit). The Alternate Form (Fluid) on the other hand, gives her Damage Resistance level 4 (her Alt Form level) in addition to letting her make her body fluid and capable of flowing around obstacles, which is always a plus, and does wonders for her durability.

She's definitely no front-line brawler, but she has ample opportunity to use maneuvers using her Stretching power to make a bad-guy's life miserable. Maneuvers and Determination are her friends, and she's also the only character who actually merits a Sidekick (Ariel Dukes). This means E-Lass not only has a super-smart chemist on her side to help her out, but must also share her determination points with Ariel when they're both on the scene. The ICONS rules for sidekicks are found in the Team Up book (basically, you get a second character worth a fraction of your points that you share Determination with, and the sidekick takes up a Quality).

Her Rich Young Fashion Actress quality lets her exploit her wealth and prestige to get places and stuff she needs, as well as providing the issue of having to deal with the problems of the rich. Like her mother and the media and the occasional photo shoot. Her Meta-Molecular Flexibility quality is representative of her suit, which is pretty self explanatory. It also represents her personality to a degree - Emma works around her problems, and bounces back from setbacks pretty quickly, and doesn't really mope around.

It's really too bad Batgirl dropped out of the game, because if she'd stuck around and interacted with Shadowwalker, then we'd have a lot (more) of drama: a super-love-triangle between Marie, Emma, and Dexter would be really interesting to see unfold. And funny, because I'm a fan of rom-coms like that. I get the feeling they'd be rivals in that regard - really good friends, but competing for the affections of a guy who's rather oblivious and shy. It's a common trope in anime, but you don't really see it in superhero comics. But with E-Lass currently on the sidelines of the story, only her sidekick Ariel appears to be hanging around in the plot as a supporting character.

Points: 45
kenmadragon
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Re: Dragon's Den

Post by kenmadragon »

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THE SHRIKE
Real Name: Thomas Burge
Origin: Transformed

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 5
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 4
.
Powers:
Blast Device 7 [extras: Burst, Stunning 7]
Damage Resistance 3
Super-Senses 3 (Tracking, Infravision, Darkvision)
Swinging 5
Equipment 6 (Dazzle 3, Stunning 3)

Specialties:
Investigation
Stealth
Weapon (Guns)

Stamina 9
Determination 1

Qualities:
Cybernetic Bounty Hunter
Connections, Connections
My Tech Ain't Found Everywhere

Original Character by IronEden

Notes: The Shrike's a hard one - He's got a lot of minor gadgets and capabilities that are difficult to simulate well in ICONS. The Coordination was one of them (a problem that's clear in many of the other conversions), where Shrike's dodge is rather high, but he's not incredibly agile. So I tried to strike a balance. It's not hard to imagine how dangerous Shrike is against normal people - his Arc Cannon can take down swaths of foes at once on a spray. His Qualities also cover much of the minor details of his character - the various gear and equipment, as well as the connections and skills at hunting down criminals for their bounties. His Equipment power is something from the Field Guide to Superheroes books which is essentially one power for a bunch of tiny tools and gear that isn't as wide-spread as having Gadgets.

Surprisingly for a cyborg, Shrike isn't one for melee, and is only a slight cut above the rest when it comes to martial prowess. His augmented strength is also of a more mundane variety, rather than superhuman. He can lift a lot, but he's not going to be bench pressing cars.

What really gets Shrike into trouble is the fact that he's an active bounty hunter in a city which isn't really frontier-sy enough to support a bounty system that well. So Shrike can get in over his head trying to deal with the criminal element where he can actually make a buck and pay to keep himself operational.

To be honest, Shrike's character was indeed interesting. If his player hadn't dropped out/disappeared, it was likely that Shrike's plot-threads would have involved a good deal of "obvious" super-crime in Neotropolis like classic comic book stories often do. But because of Shrike's early departure from the roster of heroes, that aspect of Neotropolis has yet to have it's spotlight in the game.

Points: 61
kenmadragon
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Re: Dragon's Den

Post by kenmadragon »

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HARDLIGHT
Real Name: Grant Summers
Origin: Transformed

Prowess 3
Coordination 5
Strength 3
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Powers:
Flight 4
Force Field 7 [extras: Force Constructs 7, Images 5, Strike 5]

Specialties:
Power (Force Control)
Sleight of Hand
Technology

Stamina 7
Determination 1

Qualities:
Stolen Hard-light Hologram Technology
Just Another Thief From The Block
Charming Rogue

Original Character by Weyrd

Notes: Hardlight's actually a really interesting one. His Abilities leave much to be desired, but he's got quite a few Specialties that make him quite a sneaky guy. His powers, on the other hand, are quite obvious and flashy, but very versatile. Able to scope out the area while sitting behind holograms, Hardlight can fly, create hard-light constructs, and even energy weapons (though not direct blasts... yet).

His major weakness is definitely the fact that his powers require Concentration to focus and utilize - if Grant's Stunned, he's gotta make a Willpower (+Power Specialty) test to keep his powers activated. If he blows that, Hardlight is royally screwed. Of course, with Force Field, getting that Stun is difficult and requires serious super-powers

But, beyond that, Grant's's got charm and specialties suited to his sneaky style. He gets a lot of trouble from his "From The Block" Quality where it trips him up with the orphans he looks out for, as well as his prior history as a small time crook.

Converting Hardlight proved a bit of a challenge, actually. I've actually over-estimated the durability of his force-fields, but the way the whole Extras thing works, it fits best that he's got Force Field at 7, which is roughly where I placed Dexter's own resistance to damage (and the Samaritan is invulnerable with Impervious Defenses, while Hardlight did not in M&M). Ironically though, this actually makes Hardlight's his resistance to physical damage in ICONS exceeds even the Samaritan's. It's a foible of ICONS where Force-fields don't increase durability like they do in M&M, but instead increase one's resistance to damage. This is something that actually carries over into a lot of the other conversions I've been doing.

Points: 53
Spectrum
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Re: Dragon's Den

Post by Spectrum »

A toast to the fallen.

Why is Hardcase transformed rather than gimmick?
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
kenmadragon
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:37 pm

Re: Dragon's Den

Post by kenmadragon »

Hear hear!

Hardlight's powers are derived from nano-machine technology, yeah. But just because his powers are derived from tech doesn't mean he's actually a Gimmick user - when Grant Summers broke into that lab and stole the nano-machines, they bonded themselves to his body and utilized Grant's own biology as a fuel for self-replication and repair. In that regard, Grant's origin is more in line with "Transformed" than Gimmick - he can't just get rid of the nano-bots without some manner of plot device. It's not like he can just take off a suit like Iron Man, or remove his Power Ring, or be disarmed of his Blue Beetle Gun.

Plus, Gimmick's tend to have a high level in one of the mental attributes, and Grant wasn't really, well, exceptional in his mental faculties. His ability as a superhero came about from having a flexible set of powers, and a good deal of guile fueled by exeperience with the criminal element.
kenmadragon
Posts: 743
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:37 pm

Re: Dragon's Den

Post by kenmadragon »

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DRAGON'S BREATH
Real Name: Jiao-long Han
Origin: Trained

Prowess 7
Coordination 6
Strength 4
Intellect 3
Awareness 6
Willpower 6

Powers:
Strike 8 [extras: Affects Insubstantial (limits: Degrades)]
Leaping 3

Specialties:
Athletics
Languages (Chinese)
Martial Arts
Medicine

Stamina 10
Determination 3

Qualities:
Honorable Young Dragon
Final Secrets of Master Shi Xing Shien
The Rebellious Son Of A Villain

Original Character by Praetorian Guard

Notes: I'm not gonna lie, I loved Dragon Breath when Praetorian Guard was still playing. Nevertheless, Dragon Breath is actually quite dangerous in this system. With superhuman level Prowess and Strike 8, DB can punch holes through steel if he wanted to. He is possibly one of the few ICONS builds we've got that could actually knock the Samaritan out in one-blow, not to mention man-handle the paragon in a CQC brawl. Seriously. I've actually done test-runs, and the outcome could go either way, which just goes to show how scary a martial artist like Dragon's Breath can be in ICONS.

His Qualities make Jiao-long's life rather tricky though - while they're excellent fuel for his ability to channel chi and do all sorts of crazy things with maneuvers and stunts, they're also able to screw with his options. Jiao-long has to deal with the mobsters and the Triads, as well as mystical threats of various natures. It's a very good thing he can actually punch ghosts!

Note though, his Martial Arts specialty doesn't apply to his Strike attack, and that the Strike loses 1 level per page of use. So, only about four uses before it becomes about as effective as his own fists. Which isn't bad, all things considering - he doesn't rely upon the Dragon Punch too much, so it doesn't usually wear out that quickly. Plus, he can always spend Determination to "recharge" if he really has to by buying off the limit for a little while. Nevertheless, DB is quite fast, and likely has the highest Willpower of the PCs we've encountered. He is also a good healer and has medicinal knowledge, though not of the MD kind, but more of the herbalistic homeopathy and ayurvedic treatment sort of healer, which is a rare surprise.

Also, Leaping level 3. Jiao-long jump good. Like, half-a-football-field-in-one-leap good. Makes him a very mobile and acrobatic sort that's hard to pin down. Especially with Expert level Athletics.

Plus, he's got a lot of Determination (3! Almost every other hero has 1!) to use and exploit the Chi descriptor as much as possible. Unfortunately, he didn't have a long run, as his player sorta disappeared on us. Which messed up the plot a bit, given that a lot of the initial conflict revolved around his background supporting characters, and with PG gone, it sorta led to that part of the story falling into the background of the setting. It's too bad because I really liked Dragon's Breath, but at least his supporting characters are still kicking around in the game's plot, even if the "pajama-man" isn't.

Points: 47
Spectrum
Posts: 3128
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:08 pm

Re: Dragon's Den

Post by Spectrum »

*another lift of the tankard, a little more weaker, a lot more wobbly*

Ar.. are you *hic* gonna build Jiao-long's sister? She's a real hot..

*headslams into the table*
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
kenmadragon
Posts: 743
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:37 pm

Re: Dragon's Den

Post by kenmadragon »

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GIZMO GIRL
Real Name: Cindy Cormick
Origin: Gimmick

Prowess 3
Coordination 3
Strength 3
Intellect 7
Awareness 3
Willpower 4

Powers:
Blast Device 7 [extras: Stunning 7, Telekinesis 7]
Force Field Device 4 [extras: Flight 2]
Gadgets 6
Interface 5

Specialties:
Science
Technology
Weapon (Blaster)

Stamina 7
Determination 1

Qualities:
Beautiful, Smart, Blonde And Metro
Technopathic Genius And I Know It
Weirdness Magnet

Original Character by Psistrike

Notes: Ah, Gizmo Girl. A Gimmick type character, Gizmo Girl didn't have a long run in the game. She's quite a genki-girl, what with her rapid-fire speech and her tendency to do things very, very quickly in a very short time. A very in-your-face type, Gizmo makes quite an impression on people she meets. But, she can be pretty abrasive at times, and while she bucks the stereotype of the blonde-bimbo she appears to be, she tends to inadvertently insult those who aren't as smart as her - which is most people.

Mechanically, I could have given her Intellect 8, but her smarts are more technical than general, and thus I gave her several Specialties instead. In combat, she relies upon her gear: a power belt and multi-blaster foremost among them. But combat is most definitely not her forte: dealing with technology is. She needs to plan ahead to be truly effective with her gadgets, and excels at using her Specialties and Intellect to deal with obstacles. The Gadgets power is what she mainly uses to build one-off devices to use in various situations a-la the utility belt.

Expect her to catch a lot of flak for her 'bimbo' appearance, her fast pace in everything, and her "I'm surrounded by idiots" view of people who aren't geniuses. Oh, and her Weirdness Magnet Quality gives free range for randomness, but she mostly uses it as an explanation for being completely blase in the face of the weird.

Personally, I found her to be a decent concept, that wasn't executed the way everyone thought it would. But that just might be my bias - I honestly liked Shadowwalker, who replaced Gizmo Girl as Psistrike's character in the Neotropolis game, much, much better. Mostly because Gizmo Girl felt a little annoying for me, and Shadowwalker was a character I actually related to. But again - that's personal opinion. In any case, Gizmo didn't have too much shelf-life, and was replaced when her player decided to switch to playing Marie.

Points: 65
kenmadragon
Posts: 743
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:37 pm

LotW Jaune Arc

Post by kenmadragon »

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LEGENDS OF THE WULIN - JAUNE ARC
Name: Shi Huang (Jaune Arc)
Concept: Wandering Swordsman of Justice
Rank: 4th
Archetype: Warrior

Destiny: 20 (Free: 0)
Entanglement: 16
Cultivation: 29 total (8/12 completion) {4/13, 37 total, if you include knowledge of Sword-Heart Skill and Storm of Swords from Sword Spirit Loresheet)

Chi: 12 Normal {13 if Sword Spirit Loresheet applies to Cultivation}
Joss: Chivalrous 2, Malicious 1

Chi Threshold: 12
Unarmored - 12/24/36
Armored - 17/34/51 (Light)

Skills:
Confidence +5, Hardiness +10, Might +5, Perform +10, Survival +5, Tactics +10, Wu Wei +5 (Sense Chi)

Virtues:
Benevolence 3, Force 4, Honor 3, Loyalty 2, Righteousness 3
Ferocity 1, Individualism 3, Obsession 1, Revenge 3, Ruthlessness 1

External Style: Eight Legends (Golden Flash [5], Legendary Force [5])
Internal Style: Jade Spirit Sword (Sword-Heaven [1], Soaring Phoenix [2], Blade of Infinity Strokes [3], Scything Moonlight Cut [4])
Formless Techniques: None

Combat:
Speed +10, Footwork +10, Strike +15, Block +15, Damage +10, Toughness +5

Weapons:
Crocea Mors, the "Yellow Death" - Sword (jian)
Sword-Heart Skill - Sword/Unarmed {Main, using Yellow Death}
-- +5 Speed
-- +5 Footwork
-- +5 Strike
-- +5 Block
--You may Flood one die from the River while you make the attack. If you do and cause a Rippling roll, any Chi Aura used to protect against this damage costs 2 Chi points per die to purchase.
-- You can Focus on Breath using only a single die from your initiative roll, instead of needing a set

Loresheets:
Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons [1]
- Gain Wu Wei Specialty: Sense Chi at no cost
Heaven Sword Alliance [5]
- Heaven Sword Kung Fu
-- You get a one-time -2 Destiny discount when purchasing one of the following as a secondary External Style: Eight Legends, Graceful Crane and Ultimate Dragon.
-- Technique: If you are a member of the Heaven Sword Alliance, you probably have Jade Spirit Sword as your primary Internal Style. You can learn all of its techniques rather than one of each level.
- Sword Spirit's Lineage [10] Your martial or blood lineage ties you directly to the line of succession of Sword Spirits. Maybe you are the current Spirit’s stellar pupil, or the last living descendant of a previous one
-- You have Status 5 (“Successor of the Sword Spirit!”) within the Heaven Sword Alliance. This counts as Status 3 in
the rest of the Wulin.
-- You learn the Storm of Swords technique at no cost.
-- You learn the Sword-Heart Skill technique at no cost.
-- You gain a Minor Hyperactivity (Action Bonus) to be applied as a “Laughs at” modifier to any style that has swords as its preferred weapon. You gain this bonus as long as you behave as if your main reason for fighting is the pure joy of the fight itself and regard your opponent as a kindred spirit instead of an enemy.

Secret Arts:
Secret Arts of the Warrior
The Warrior's Art
Extraordinary Warrior Techniques
Curses and Influences
Extraordinary Daoist Techniques

Disadvantages:
Liar, Cheat and Fraud - Gain 1 Destiny at the end of a session in which your lack of real experience hinders you or are thusly hindered by the falsities of your charade.

Conditions:
The Sword Spirit's Principle (Minor Fire Hyperactivity - Passion) The thirst for the Sword Spirit's limitless skill and technique drives Shi Huang forward! The Sword Spirit was a wanderer who found his Dao on the path of life, so too must Shi Huang, in order to meet his ancestor's standard. There is joy in the blade, joy in battle, joy in self-improvement! Any attempt to further himself must be taken, and all enemies are just means to further mastery and prove your worth! Whenever Shi Huang relies upon the Sword-Heart and bears in heart the Dao of the Blade, he benefits from a Minor Action Bonus, perhaps even a Breath bonus. All hail the successor of Sword Spirit!

Notes:
This isn't a perfect conversion, but a decent idea that takes the basic idea of Jaune Arc of RWBY and translates him into a xia of Legends of the Wulin: the errant inheritor of the Sword Spirit's lineage - something which affords him great status, but just adds to his naievete about the outside world. So he hides as just another blade from the Heaven Sword Alliance, in an attempt to gain a name for himself other than the Sword Spirit's successor. Funnily enough, his "Seven Sisters" aren't all blood related, but are successors to the styles of the Seven Heavenly Blades, and thus "sisters" of Jaune's in the Alliance.

This is an attempt at a playable conversion straight out of char-gen - to get a more accurate to canon!RWBY conversion, make Crocea Mors a Special Weapon (Saber/Sword fits Jaune's cruciform sword well), give Jaune Medium Armor, and state that he hasn't "mastered" his External Techniques, while adding Iron Body as a secondary Internal Style with techniques up to Leading Ox Through River (or Eternal Temple's God-Armor if you feel like it), and some Formless Techniques relating to Toughness and other defensive ends. Maybe swap-out Scything Moonlight Cut for Tenfold Steel Guard, or drop the level 4's entirely. Adding in a couple of the other Jade Spirit Sword techniques wouldn't be inappropriate. The more the Internal Kung Fu, the better Jaune's Cultivation and Chi reserves and Chi Threshold, so that fits canon pretty well. Add in a few of the Secret Arts like Spring Follows Winter Technique, Quality Evaluation Technique, and Unassailable Battle Saint Technique. Sadly, there really isn't much that could cover Jaune's use of the Shield as LotW doesn't really do shields, and armor is ridiculously uncommon as well... No idea what any Cho Deviations Jaune might pick up would be, either.

In canon!RWBY, Jaune makes plenty use out of the Earth Combat Approach and Earth/Fire Combat Conditions, though he was using Wood (poorly) early on, but LotW!Jaune also benefits from the approach of Fire which synergizes excellently with the Jade Spirit Sword abilities ~ Especially if one can get him a Passion or Inspiration Hyperactivity with which to work with.

Jaune should also build up plenty of Entanglement with Beacon Academy (a Loresheet obtained for free, if one follows canon), and tangentially with Vale (again, probably free), as well as the members of Teams JNPR (Juniper), RWBY (Ruby), and CRDL (Cardinal). His Entanglement with JNPR is at the highest as their leader and to represent his close relationship with his partner Pyrrha Nikos, as well as with brother-and-sister-in-arms Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. He also has Entanglement with the members of his sister team RWBY (Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, mostly), as well as a rivalry with team CRDL (Cardin Winchester in particular). He has some entanglement with Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch, the latter of which he has more with on account of her personal desire for him to not-die-in-combat.
Last edited by kenmadragon on Mon Jul 10, 2017 12:20 am, edited 5 times in total.
kenmadragon
Posts: 743
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LotW - Ruby Rose

Post by kenmadragon »

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Legends of the Wulin - Ruby Rose
Name: Ruby Rose
Concept: Little Red Do-Gooder With A Scythe
Rank: 4th
Archetype: Warrior

Destiny: 23 (Free: 0)
Entanglement: 15
Cultivation: 30 total (9/12 completion)

Chi: 12 Normal
Joss: Chivalrous 3, Malicious 0

Chi Threshold:
Unarmored - 12/24/36
Armored - 17/34/51 (Light)

Skills:
Awareness +5, Crafting +10 (Weapons), Finesse +10, Hardiness -- (Focus on Breath), Inspire +5, Politics +5, Ride +5, Tactics +5

Virtues:
Benevolence 4, Force 3, Honor 3, Loyalty 2, Righteousness 4
Ferocity 1, Individualism 2, Obsession 1, Revenge 2, Ruthlessness 1

External Style: Storm God's Fury (Storm Burst [5], Tempest Step [4])
Internal Style: Nine Sun Birds (Cry of the Golden Crow [1], Dipping Crow [2], Hou Yi's Arrows [2], Flight of the Golden Crow [3], Supreme Burst of Speed [4])
Formless Techniques: None

Combat:
Speed +15, Footwork +5, Strike +10, Damage +10, Block +0, Toughness +5

Weapons:
Crescent Rose - Massive/Spear
-- +5 Damage
-- If an attack with a Massive weapon is described in such a
way that it is best Dodged instead of Blocked, the penalty
to Block is -10 instead of -5.
-- You may Flood one die from the River while you make the
attack to ignore the target’s armor on any resulting Rippling roll.
-- You may Flood one die from the River to extend an attack into an adjacent zone.
-- You may Flood one die from the River while you make a Block. If you do, you may exploit your weapon’s superior reach. For this defense you Laugh at your opponent and do not Fear him, unless he can claim a similar long reach (such as from using a spear or a ranged weapon).

Loresheets:
Eagle Talons [5]
- Status 3 (Member of the Eagle Talons) [3]
- Eagle Talon Kung Fu
-- You get a one-time -2 Destiny discount when purchasing one of the following as a secondary External Style: Ravenous Wings, Bone-Fed Wolf Fang or Shadow Catching.
-- Technique: If you are a member of the Eagle Talons, you probably have Nine Sun Birds as your primary Internal Style. You can learn all of its techniques rather than one of each level.
Mohism [3]
The Jiang Hu
- Fortune 2: Once per session, upon arriving in a new location, you may declare to have basic knowledge
of the local Jiang Hu underground, including important organizations and who’s in charge. This includes Wulin factions
Wulin
- Involvement 2: Ruby's fate is tied with her half-sister, Yang Xiao Long (this doubles as a Familiar relationship Entanglement)

Secret Arts:
Secret Arts of the Warrior
The Art of Battle
Extraordinary Warrior Techniques
Passions and Inspirations
Extraordinary Courtier Techniques

Disadvantages:
Very Young Girl - Gain 1 extra Destiny in a session where your youth and naivete make trouble for you.

Conditions:
Rose Blossoms Brilliantly on the Battlefield (Minor Fire Combat Condition, Interval 1 Chapter) A brilliant flower of the the battlefield, Ruby blossoms when in the midst of combat, petals scattering like embers. Finding joy in the racing speed and thrill of battle, Ruby's prodigal skill is on display for all to witness. So long as Ruby acts with explosive action and rapid movements with stylish flourishes, she has a +5 Action Bonus as her skill blossoms brilliantly.

Notes:
This is Ruby Rose, Xia of the Jianghu. Her desire is to one day become a great hero like her mother, and strives to be the best person she can - and somehow ended up signing with the Eagle Talons escort service because she figured caravan guards and body-guards were somehow a really good way to help people. But she'll soon learn that the Eagle Talons are rather... mercenary for her Mohist sensibilities, and will likely have a crisis of duty: does she follow her heart and help everyone she can, or obey the rules of the Eagle Talons?

In essence, all you really need to do to make this Ruby Rose more canon, would be to change up her Lore-Sheets (and add something that'd give her complete access to Nine Sun Birds), while at the same time figuring out how to make Cresent Rose a sniper-rifle as well. Also, Ruby would quickly pick up Secret Arts (Spring Follows Winter, Unassailable Battle Saint, and Instant Inspiration Technique)and further master Storm God's Fury and Nine Sun Birds because they fit her combat style to a Tee - really bloody fast, and hits really bloody hard. Similarly, add all the relevant Entanglement for her Family, Beacon Academy, Teams RWBY and JNPR, as well as purchasing the Silver Eyes Transcendent Technique, but don't tell Ruby about how the Silver Eyes stuff works till she gets more Entanglement relating to it.

Though, even now out of char-gen, Ruby's a bloody combat monster: Nine Sun Birds coupled with a High Speed External Kung Fu like Storm God's Fury means Ruby is almost always assured to go first in a round, allowing her to make Waves and Marvels that are almost impossible to Break before they complete since no one can beat her Initiative. With a plethora of buffs and debuffs and movement available from these Waves, she can hammer into her enemies with the fury of her war-scythe to incredible effect. Her only main weakness is that she's got terrible breath and anyone who can weather her assaults or negate her speed can take control of the fight's momentum and turn the tables on her.
Last edited by kenmadragon on Mon Jul 10, 2017 12:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
kenmadragon
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LotW - Weiss Schnee

Post by kenmadragon »

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Legends of the Wulin - Weiss Schnee
Name: Yun Baixue (Weiss Schnee)
Concept: Princess of the Yun Clan
Rank: 4th
Archetype: Courtier

Destiny: 21
Entanglement: 13 (2 Free)
Cultivation: 13 Normal (3/11 completion), 18 Water (3/5 completion), 31 Total

Chi: 11 Normal, 3 Water (Cold, like ice, Yun Baixue does not quickly make friends nor allow positive emotions to show easily)
Joss: Chivalrous 1, Malicious 2

Chi Threshold: 14
Unarmored - 14/28/42
Armored - 19/38/57 (Light)

Skills:
Confidence +10, Finesse +5, Inspire +10, Learning +5, Perform +5 (Singing), Politics +5, Wu Wei +5 (Social Perception)

Virtues:
Benevolence 2, Force 3, Honor 3, Loyalty 3, Righteousness 3
Ferocity 1, Individualism 3, Obsession 2, Revenge 2, Ruthlessness 1

External Style: Graceful Crane (Educating Wings [5])
Internal Style: Ice Sutra (Moment of Cold [1], Ice Cracking the Willow [2], Frozen Shadow [3], Mantra of Winter [3])
Formless Techniques: Water Splitting Stone [2]

Combat:
Speed +5, Footwork +15, Strike +10, Damage +0, Block +10, Toughness +5
Weapons:
Myrtenaster - Sword
-- +5 Strike
-- +5 Block
-- You may Flood one die from the River while you make the attack. If you do and cause a Rippling roll, any Chi Aura used to protect against this damage costs 2 Chi points per die to purchase.

Loresheets:
The Yun Clan [5]
- Yun Clan Kung Fu
-- You get a one-time -2 Destiny discount when purchasing one of the following as a secondary External Style: Storm God´s Fury, Divine Pattern Long-Strokes, or Blossom Harvest.
-- Technique: If you are a member of the Yun Clan, you probably have Ice Sutra as your primary Internal Style. You can learn all of its techniques, rather than one of each level.
- Snow Leopard [5]
-- Status 4 ("Snow Leopard's Ward") within the Yun Clan, Status 2 among the rest of the Wulin
-- Being regarded as important by the master of the Yun Clan grants you +5 as a modifier to social rolls when acting to increase the influence of the Yun in the outside world, or to defend their independence. You must be uncompromising and even ruthless in your dealings in order to apply this modifier (which counts as a Minor Hyperactivity).
-- At least one other person holds the same Destiny, and they do not take kindly to having to share Snow Leopard’s attentions. They strive to oppose you and make your life more difficult, either as rivals or bloody-handed enemies. [-3]
The Jin Dynasty [3]
-- Status 3: Yun Baixue is tied to the Jin Empire by blood and marriage - her mother is an Imperial princess who was married to Snow Leopard. [3]

Secret Arts:
Story of the Self
The Secret Arts of Intrigue
Passions and Inspirations
Controlling Passions
- Inflaming and Soothing Passions
- Quick Work [3]
Extraordinary Courtier Techniques
- Auspicious Navigation of Courts Technique [3]
Curses and Influences
Extraordinary Daoist Techniques

Disadvantages:
Ice Princess - Gain 1 Destiny whenever your elitism or stand-offish attitude causes you trouble.

Conditions:
Honoring the Yun Family Name (Water Inspiration, Minor Elemental Cultivation Hyperactivity) The Yun Family's honor has been called into question, as of late, in regards to the cruel decisions of Snow Leopard. This is unacceptable, the Yun Family is more than just Snow Leopard, and Yun Baixue will be sure to correct anyone who thinks otherwise! She gains Water Chi whenever she fulfills the Yun Family's duties and does so honorably.

Notes:
Yun Baixue, the Weiss Schnee of the Legends of the Wulin, is a Princess of the Yun Clan. The younger of the two sisters, Yun Baixue is half-sister to Snow Leopard's canon sons, Xiaolan and Xifeng, given Baixue's mother was an imperial princess married to Snow Leopard to preserve diplomatic ties with the Yun Clan to the North of Shen Zhou. Currently, Yun Baixue has traveled South beyond the lands of her clan, in order to distance herself from her father's increasing instability (due to the corrupt of the Glacier Heart Style that Snow Leopard practices).

Also, bloody hell, Elemental Styles are really useful for Cultivation early on. Compared to my first builds with Jaune and Ruby, Weiss already clocked in with loads of Cultivation, and the highest Threshold of the three. Just goes to show how much Secret Artists benefit from all their stuff, as well as how quick it is to gain Elemental Cultivation.

To preserve the more canon!Weiss, add on the Entanglements to Atlas, the SDC, Beacon, Teams RWBY and JNPR (with more leaning towards an exasperation with Jaune), and increased relationships with her sister, Winter. Add on a bunch of Ice Sutra and Formless techniques, while also pulling on Courtier and Daoist Techniques - getting the ability to inflict Curses and Influences, then buying Quick Work is essential to making Weiss a spell-caster, as well as ensuring she cultivates as a result of that study.
kenmadragon
Posts: 743
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:37 pm

LotW - Blake Belladonna

Post by kenmadragon »

Image
Name: Hei Meiren (Blake Belladonna)
Concept: Disillusioned Imperial Agent Turned Feminist
Rank: 4th
Archetype: Warrior

Destiny: 20
Entanglement: 18
Cultivation: 31 (10/12 completion)

Chi: 12 Normal
Joss: Chivalrous 1, Malicious 2

Chi Threshold: 12
Unarmored - 12/24/36
Armored - 17/34/51 (Light)

Skills:
Awareness +5 (Hearing), Finesse +10 (Acrobatics), Hardiness +5, Learning +5, Politics +5, Stealth +10 (Hide Killer Intent), Survival +5

Virtues:
Benevolence 2, Force 1, Honor 3, Loyalty 3, Righteousness 3
Ferocity 1, Individualism 3, Obsession 3, Revenge 3, Ruthlessness 1

External Style: Shadow Catching (Exceeding the Shadow [5], World-Arranging Sweep [2])
Internal Style: Fox Spirit Song (Fox Leaves No Tracks [1], Mirthful Fox Plays With Her Shadow [2], Parting the Grass [2], Laughing Face under Smiling Mask [3], Leading Astray the Innocent [4])
Formless Techniques: None

Combat:
Speed +10, Footwork +15, Strike +10, Damage +10, Block +0, Toughness +5

Weapons:
Gambol Shroud - Flexible/Saber [1]
-- +5 Strike
-- +5 Damage
-- If an attack with a Flexible weapon is described in such a way that it is best Blocked instead of Dodged, the penalty to Dodge is -10 instead of -5.
-- You may Flood one die from the River to extend an attack into an adjacent zone.
-- You may Flood one die from the River to force an immediate Rippling check if the Strike exceeds the defense by 5 or more, instead of 10. You may do this after the defender rolls.

Loresheets:
Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons [1]
- Gain Stealth Specialty: Hide Killer Intent at no cost
Liquid Metal Delegate [5]
- Status 2: You are (were) a member of the Liquid Metal Delegates... [2]
- Treasure: If you are a member of the Liquid Metal Delegates, you may purchase one Special Weapon combining the characteristics of two weapons at a -2 discount
- Bonus: If you are a member of the Liquid Metal Delegates, you may purchase the Legalism Loresheet at a -2 Destiny discount
- Liquid Metal Delegate Kung Fu
-- Bonus: As a member of the Liquid Metal Delegates, you get a one-time 2-Destiny discount when buying one of the following as a secondary External Style: Shadow Catching or Murderous Shadows
-- Technique: Swirling Shadows. You can now also use the Shadow Catching style with flexible weapons. [2]
Resplendent Phoenix Society [5]
- Status 3: You are a member of the Resplendent Phoenix Society [3]
- Bonus: You get a -2 discount for purchasing the Daoist Sexual Techniques Lore
- Resplendent Phoenix Kung Fu
-- Bonus: You get a one-time -2 Destiny discount when purchasing one of the following as a secondary External Style: Flying Red Silk, Graceful Crane, or Eight Legends.
-- Technique: Martial members of the Resplendent Phoenix Society traditionally learn Fox-Spirit Song as their primary Internal Style. You can learn all of its techniques rather than one of each level.

Secret Arts:
The Secret Art of Battle

Disadvantages:
Clashing Loyalties - Whenever your loyalties towards the various factions of the Martial Arts World and the empire come into conflict, gain 1 Destiny.

Conditions:
Hidden Blade Knows Not Beauty (Metal Combat Approach, Minor Action Hyperactivity) The Black Beauty is incapable of honesty in battle. Her steps are illusions, and her weapon a shroud of shadows cast upon glistening steel. So long as Hei Meiren acts stealthily with plenty of feints and subterfuge in her fighting, her actions mysterious and unknowable behind veils of illusion, she benefits from a Minor Action Bonus Hyperactivity.

Notes:
Now for an interesting take on the Legends of the Wulin version of a RWBY character, we have Hei Meiren, or rather "Black Beauty" Blake Belladonna. Hei Meiren has the unfortunate history of being part of the imperial government as a covert operatives asset, ie. a government spook. Part spy, part saboteur, part assassin. And Meiren thought she was doing good as a member of the government, doing her duty and all that. But interactions with the Jianghu she had to deal with... they showed her another path to the justice and equality her heart craved to fight for. And thus Hei Meiren found herself leaving the government service to join with the Resplendent Phoenix Society. Now she's an advocate woman's rights in Shen Zhou and the Wulin in general. Of course, Hei Meiren doesn't realize the higher-ups in the Society are grooming her to eventually become a Phoenix Bride, but for the moment her use as an intelligence agent is too useful to pass up. It's too bad she doesn't know many Secret Arts, but then again, all they need to do is teach her.

Sadly, it's kind of hard to adapt this one more directly to canon RWBY on account of there not being an equivalent to the White Fang in Legends of the Wulin. If there were, Blake would have the Loresheet tying her past to such an organization, and having various secrets as well. Not that she'd also have several Entanglement with Adam Taurus and the members of Team RWBY with a Loresheet detailing her distaste with the practices of the SDC.

Mechanically, Blake is sort of over cost in terms of Entanglement, but mostly because buying multiple faction Loresheets and membership gets expensive. Switching faction's isn't really something someone does prior to the start of a game, because of the investment of Destiny/Entanglement required to even get involved with more than one organization in any significant fashion, and there just isn't enough for that in standard char-gen. Nevertheless, she's an excellent build for survival and simply messing with an enemy through Marvels. Shadow Catching's HIgh Speed and Fox Spirit's Songs illusionary tricks are a mighty combination that lets Blake set of Marvels quickly and let them complete, while protecting herself from most harm that comes her way. It's kind of scary how well her Loresheets synergize with that.
Spectrum
Posts: 3128
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:08 pm

Re: Dragon's Den

Post by Spectrum »

I really liked the predecessor game- Weapon of the Gods. Really nifty dice mechanics and incredibly deep lore.
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
kenmadragon
Posts: 743
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:37 pm

LotW - Yang Xiao Long

Post by kenmadragon »

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Legends of the Wulin - Yang Xiao Long
Name: Yang Xiao Long
Concept: Heretical Brawling Buddhist Monk
Rank: 4th
Archetype: Warrior

Destiny: 20
Entanglement: 15
Cultivation: 11 Normal (1/11 completion), 26 (1/5 completion) Metal,

Chi: 11 Normal, 5 Metal (Anyone who dares disturb her hair. Must. SUFFER.)
Joss: Chivalrous 2, Malicious 1

Chi Threshold: 16
Unarmored - 16/32/48
Armored - 21/42/63 (Light)

Skills:
Confidence +10, Hardiness +10, Inspire +5, Might +10, Ride +5, Tactics +5, Wu Wei +5

Virtues:
Benevolence 2, Force 2, Honor 1, Loyalty 2, Righteousness 3
Ferocity 4, Individualism 2, Obsession 3, Revenge 3, Ruthlessness 1
Piety 1

External Style: Blossom Harvest (Heart-Fire Temper Skill [4])
Internal Style: Iron Body (Iron Power [1], Humble Man's Stern Rebuke [2], Mountain Endures Storm [2], The Jade Tiger Techniques [2], Leading Ox Through River [3], Fierce Dragon Breaks Bones [3], Black Tigers Hunting [4])
Formless Techniques: None

Combat:
Speed +10, Footwork +5, Strike +5, Damage +15, Block +5, Toughness +10

Weapons:
Iron Palms Technique, "Ember Celica": Massive/Unarmed
-- +5 Speed
-- +5 Footwork
-- +5 Damage
-- If an attack with a Massive weapon is described in such a way that it is best Dodged instead of Blocked, the penalty to Block is -10 instead of -5.
-- You may Flood one die from the River while you make the attack to ignore the target’s armor on any resulting Rippling roll
-- You can Focus on Breath using only a single die from your initiative roll, instead of needing a set.

Loresheets:
Buddhism [1]
Secrets of Destiny: Parent and Child
- Yang's mother, Raven Branwen, plays a role in her story. [1]
- Increase the role
Little Forest Sect [3]
- Status 3: You are a member of the Little Forest Sect. (She experiences this benefit as the daughter of the hero, Taiyang Xiao Long)
- Bonus: If you are a member of the Little Forest Sect, you may purchase the Buddhism Loresheet at a -2 Destiny discount.
- Little Forest Sect Kung Fu
-- Bonus: As a member of the Little Forest Sect, you get a one-time 2-Destiny discount when buying one of the following as a secondary External Style: Blossom Harvest, Eight Legends, or Destiny Cloud Fist.
-- Technique: If you are a member of the Little Forest Sect, you probably have Iron Body as your primary Internal Style. You can learn all of its techniques rather than one of each level.
-- Secret: You have spent many hours on the temple yard practicing your stances, and you have managed to internalize the Iron Palm. Fighting Unarmed now also counts as fighting with a Massive weapon. This allows you to claim the weapon bonuses of both and to combine different types of styles. [2]
-- Technique: Long hours of body-hardening exercises have granted you mastery of the Immortal Soul of Iron technique. [5]
--- If you're in the Blossom Harvest stance and use the Jade Tiger Techniques, the bonus to hardiness and might is +10.
--- If you're in the Blossom Harvest stance and use Leading Ox through River, you ignore up to 25 points of penalties.

Secret Arts:
Combat Conditions
The Secret Art of Battle
Extraordinary Warrior Techniques
Passions and Inspirations
Extraordinary Courtier Techniques
Curses and Influences
Extraordinary Daoist Techniques

Disadvantages:
Impulsive Rage - Gain 1 Destiny whenever your impulsiveness and reckless fury get you into trouble.

Conditions:
Furious Dragon's Worldly Attachment (Minor Wood Passion, Breath Hyperactivity) Yang's tremendous strength and berserk fury speak woe for any foolish to stand against her! The dragon's mighty swings of her fists and kicks always have maximum force, always seeking to shatter any in their path. None may gainsay her strength and fury! Yang gains a Breath Bonus whenever she acts with anger and fury - no punches pulled.
Drunken Warrior Style (Minor Fire Combat Condition) Yang Xiao Long has developed extraordinary drinking techniques by finding the truth at the bottom of the bottle! She might act the drunken fool, but few want to go up against her swings and unpredictable, staggering movements! Yang must have access to wine or other appropriate liquor to be able to enjoy the effects of this Condition. As long as Yang acts properly drunk she gets a +5 Action Bonus, perhaps even a bonus to her Breath! All hail the Drunken Immortal!

Notes:
The Yang Xiao Long of the Legends of the Wulin is an interesting sort. Mostly because the best way to represent the blonde bombshell... is to make her a monk. No, really, I'm not kidding. Yang Xiao Long was the young daughter of the great hero, Taiyang. The story of his adventures after leaving the monasteries to journey the Jianghu are told in legend, as is his tale of woe and strife. His fists were legendary, and he passed on his teachings to his daughter, Yang. In this descent from the great monks of the Little Forest, little Yang took to the training of the Immortal Soul of Iron like a fish to water, hardening her body to a ludicrous level. Having learned from the master before setting off on her journey, Yang throws caution to the wind and indulges her vices with reckless abandon, despite her Buddhist upbringing, pretending to be a monk of the Little Forest, with the kung fu to back it up! She laughs in the face of the propriety of those who expect her to be a prudish bald man, long hair unbound and femininity proudly obvious.

Amituofo, almsgiver! Spare the female monk a drink?

Also, holy shit, I know I didn't have her really focus that much on External Kung Fu, but apparently spending 16 Destiny on Internal techniques for an Elemental Style nets you amazing returns in the short term - case in point, Yang's Chi Threshold is ridiculously high, and coupled with a Breath Bonus Hyperactivity and her primary usage of Unarmed means she respires most of she spends on internal techniques to make up for her weak external. And damn if Iron Body isn't brutally effective on top of Blossom Harvest's straight-forward methods.
Thorpocalypse
Posts: 3239
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:52 pm

Re: Dragon's Den

Post by Thorpocalypse »

Good stuff, Kenma. I've been meaning to check out Icons at some point, looks like a nice, streamlined system.
Me fail English? That's unpossible. - Ralph Wiggum
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