L4W Discussion Thread III

[Ecce]

Since it hasn't been done I figured I'd go here to see if it'd be cool for me to write in a description for Vulkar in the Twelve Gods section. Originally this started off as brainstorming the role and portfolio of Tezcatlipoca (his Valley of Bone alter ego), but with some slight modifications I have set of attributes that works well for both.

Vulkar (and his regional variations) is physically concerned with the elements of stone and fire. These mechanical domains are secondary however to his representation of creation through trauma. To the smiths, this is the independently destructive furnace and hammer that bring about an orderly work of craftsmanship. In the Valley of Bone he is worshipped for his smoldering volcanoes producing the obsidian that the inhabitants of the valley use for almost all of their tools. Vulkar is the embodiment of tough love in a fashion, giving out pain and abuse but leaving order and progress in the aftermath. The devotees of Vulkar stress the importance of discipline in dealing with the potentially useful forces of destruction, the reckless smith can as easily ruin his work in the forge as he can perfect it. Likewise mortals can be destroyed or reborn in the metaphorical fire of conflict.

Edit: More random snippets. Probably too long for the actual entry, but I was on a roll.
Vulkar is often called upon when great profit is preceded by great pain. Although Hera is the patron of mothers, it is Vulkar that is called upon during childbirth. It is said that the greater the pain a mother experiences during birth, the stronger and more gifted the child will be. Children whose mothers die during childbirth are commonly devotees to Vulkar, seeking a sense of purpose from the tragic loss.

Several legends tell of Vulkar raining fire and destruction with seemingly no reason upon a helpless nation in its youth. Suddenly one year a foreign invader descended upon the people of that country. Using the tools they had developed to survive Vulkar's wrath, they defeated their savage foes, and were never bothered by the god of the forge again. For the most part, all nations that tell this myth are prosperous and possess advanced technology compared to the more savage peoples.

 

[ryryguy]

In Ingot's back story I wrote this:

During its readings Ingot chanced upon that the origin and meaning of the rune enscribed on its forehead. It turned out to be an obscure symbol of Eefeystos once used in the Imperium, centuries ago. Intrigued, Ingot began hanging around with local priests and followers of Vulkar, trying to learn more about the god and his ways. These Vulkar devotees, mostly dwarves and smiths, tolerated the warforged. But some were skeptical, regarding the warforged and their manufacture as slightly alien and strange. There were whispers that Ingot was trying to steal secret sacred techniques to advance its race. Others simply thought the warforged to be deluded. The resemblance between the crippled deity and Ingot's knee was noted, but most assumed the warforge had intentially damaged its own knee to curry favor.
So, when it announced its intention to become a cleric of Vulkar, the reaction among the other faithful was equal parts laughter and contempt

The idea I had, which I didn't fully spell out here, is that the Vulkar worshipers in Daunton don't view warforged and their Forges as properly part of Vulkar's domain. They view the making of warforged as a matter of arcane magic, not divine, and somewhat suspicious. In contrast, Imperial believers in Eefeystos have no such prejudice and view warforged as "fine examples of the divine craftmanship of Hefaystos" (as Mal Malenkirk's PC Hadrak put it).

Why? I didn't really have a reason in mind, it just seemed like an interesting conflict. Maybe it has to do with the fall of Allaria. The warforged were created to defend it, and they pretty much failed. Vulkar followers in Daunton wanted to disassociate their god from that failure.

(How could this could tie in with your last idea about Vulkar "destroying a nation in order to save it"? Did Allaria fail the test, its technology inadequate?)

 

[Ecce]

In Ingot's back story I wrote this:

The idea I had, which I didn't fully spell out here, is that the Vulkar worshipers in Daunton don't view warforged and their Forges as properly part of Vulkar's domain. They view the making of warforged as a matter of arcane magic, not divine, and somewhat suspicious. In contrast, Imperial believers in Eefeystos have no such prejudice and view warforged as "fine examples of the divine craftmanship of Hefaystos" (as Mal Malenkirk's PC Hadrak put it).

Why? I didn't really have a reason in mind, it just seemed like an interesting conflict. Maybe it has to do with the fall of Allaria. The warforged were created to defend it, and they pretty much failed. Vulkar followers in Daunton wanted to disassociate their god from that failure.

(How could this could tie in with your last idea about Vulkar "destroying a nation in order to save it"? Did Allaria fail the test, its technology inadequate?)

Perhaps the Dauntonian warforged were seen as a sign of decadence that made Old Daunton weak and allowed for it to be destroyed, they were being used as a crutch rather than a tool. Too much time away from Vulkar's "progress through conflict" philosophy made them conquerable. It's worth noting I've had trouble finding info on the fall of Allaria.

Edit: Also, perhaps the Forge had entered an undue amount of automation that Vulkar could no longer endorse, the newer warforged were being pulled into the world with reckless arcane assistance and were not as reliable. Maybe Vulkar turned off the fires of the forge as a warning, but they were relit with arcane fires.

Of course, that may line up Ingot as some sort of Warforged messiah to redeem them in the eyes of Vulkar, hahaha.

 

[Velmont]

I was thinking. My character, Trevor, is a figther multiclass Wizard. Looking at it now, I don't like his mechanic much, even less still the Swordmage made his apparition since he was first approved.

I was looking at the possibility of an overhaul on him, but there is little to do to change the mechanic a way I would like, and switching to another kind of warrior, his high intelligence almost become an handicap.

I might retire him, but I don't see any rule for retirement, and I find it a bit sad to waste the level he gained to start anew.

The best scenario for me, it would be an overhaul, but a bit more drastic, to go into Swordmage and maybe a slight change in his stats depending on the Aegis I would choose.

So, my question is, what are my possibilities? Could a "greater" overhaul possible? What are the retirement rules?

Thanks.

 

[TwoHeadsBarking]

Retirement. You are allowed to retire a second level character and replace him or her with another second level character. Check the charter.

Edit: Forgot to mention, the new character can be a re-imagining of the first.

 

[Velmont]

I've look again at Official L4W Character Creation Guide, but I can't find any note about it. Is it elsewhere?

 

[stonegod]

I've look again at Official L4W Character Creation Guide, but I can't find any note about it. Is it elsewhere?

Its in the charter thread, not the character creation thread:

Retirement
Not every adventurer stays one until his death. Some may want to retire before meeting an untimely end, or because they feel they achieved their goals and have no reason to further embark on quests. As such, a player may decide to retire one of his characters, possibly to make room for a new one, since the number of PCs a player may have is limited.

Etc.

 

[Velmont]

Miss that. Thanks.

 

[ryryguy]

My questions about the Isle of Opposition earlier in this thread went unanswered... I assume it's pretty much a clean slate, then.

But I'd still like to know which island is which in the map of the Proximate Isles. Surely that was decided at some point?

 

[stonegod]

FYI: I'm soliciting feedback for another time/wealth system we're considering for LEB (and could be adopted for L4W).