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Message: <blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 960290" data-attributes="member: 11">DM's PerspectiveDisclaimer: These are just my opinions on the development and psychology of the members of the Fearless Manticore Killers - and have no real bearing on how the players themselves see their characters or how they play them - and no judgement as to these facets or "right" or "wrong" - they are just observations and opinions on the characters themselves - based on this point of the story.I have to say at this point in the story it is the character developments and dynamics that interest me most.  I found myself (as still find myself) intrigued with how Ratchis and Kazrack became the de facto leader by way of just being the loudest and most opinionated members of the party.  However, Kazrack's fervor and faith which often times makes him appear as if he has a deathwish - can come off as kooky.  It definitely comes off as kooky to his fellow adventurers and to the NPC dwarves - not because he is a funny character - but because of just he opposite - he is so serious about his choices and the things that come off as bizarre to others that it makes him seem even more kooky. I ike that word: kooky.Ratchis, as the story has mentioned has grown arrogant - I think it is because he is the kind of character who was used to acting and doing on his own - and thus the occasional indecisiveness on the part of his companions leads him to lead - to make decisions for everyone just to ensure something happens - he takes the weight of the world on his shoulders - the irony in my opinion is that Ratchis does not know how to treat people as equals - I think in his heart he beleives this and his conscious choices are made on this belief - but not all choices or behavior is conscious - Those familiar with Ratchis' origins will know that he spent time abused by his orc tribe, as a slave for humans and then later as a just a solitary woodsman helping people when he could, but bullying and intimidating hunters and others - Even though ostensibely he was the equal of the friars of Nephthys who took him from there to train him, he was their student and listened to them - essentially, he only know how to deal with people either as those who can tell him what to do and those that will listen to them when he tells or intimidates them into doing something - because he trusts himself and his choices and morals before anyone else's.Jeremy and Derek's growing friendship is also of great interest to me - I think since his death and before Derek's arrival, Jeremy was with the party out of sense of duty as much as for the sense of adventure and the sense of doing the right thing by people (i think in that order of importance - but remember, these are just my perspective -the players (if they ever friggin' posted here) might have different opinions - but as he and Derek "got to know each other better" (i.e. the player former playing Jana now had a character Jeremy could relate to) he was able to recapture some of the character elements from earlier in the campaign and from the original idea where he and Malcolm (remember him?) would be inseparable friends - causing mischief and leading each other into trouble - perhaps Jeremy is a bit more wizened (he did go from a 7 wisdom to an 8 at 4th level) so he would not be as wild as the early days - but that part of his personality is still there,Beorth is really the most interesting for me - because I think that his lack of memory has caused him to really grasp on to the ethos of his god even stronger than before - it is the only thing he knows he can count on and that feels 100% right all the time because he feels it in his spirit - even though he has forgotten some technical things -there are things the soul never forgets and his god has not forgotten him and that is a pretty powerful realization.  However, it makes him more of an extreme character - living up to the perception of what a follower of Anubis is supposed to be - not what he knows it is supposed to be based on his training.  This has led him to grow increasingly isolated from the rest of the party - because Jana (who is now dead) was the only one who ever really took the time to make sure he was filled in on lots of the details of what the party had been doing - and who knows what kind of spin she put on things for her own benefit.Finally, there is Martin the Green - and I have to admit he is a mystery even to me - his confidence seem to either plateau or crumble without making any headway - though I think his player plays him well (might pay better attention to his notes, but whatcha gonna do?) - though in the more recent sessions he has been using his noodle more to help figure stuff out and has been more effective in combat - characterwise all I could see him developing at this point was an increased sense of inevitable doom. . .  And maybe he is right - maybe the Fearless Manticore Killers are destined to die forgotten in some crypt somewhere - or in the threshold of Hurgun's Maze - the question is how will this "knowledge" effect how he acts. . . .?</blockquote>

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