Writerly Stuff (sort of)
On someones LJ, the question was asked, what do you do at work when you're bored. Mostly I mess around on LJ. I'd really like to take the oportunity to write (hey, I'm at a computer with nothing to do), but since my department moved my office to a more public area and I'm now required to interact with co-workers, that's a little hard for me to do.
When I write, I don't stay grounded here. Writing's a little hard when I have to also pretend I'm doing something else, like, I don't know, um... working. In my other office, one floor up, at the end of the hall of a department I didn't work for, I could do pretty much anything I wanted. Like, um...write.
I've been rewriting my WIP. As a new writer, rewriting my first really big endevor, the experience has been interesting:
- I didn't expect it to change so much as I rewrote it
- I didn't expect to go, "Oh, crap. Now how do I connect those dots"
- Or, "Gee, I hate to loose that much writing, how can I possibly make it work?" Only to find out I can't make it work and it really has to go
- Or, "Oh, crap. I have to compeletly rewrite the beginning and the MC is not the MC I started the book with, but a different character all together." Um...how did the story get to be about him and not her :::scratches head:::
- I didn't expect to have to put so much background down on paper. I thought I could let it float around in my head. And as I put it down on paper, it's changing too because I'm finding logic that doesn't work or ideas that weren't well thought out. "Just because" will only get you so far
- I actually had to go back to my source material. Which I had to find and d/l off the internet because my lap-top is on the edge of death
I created my world using BESM (Big Eyes Small Mouth) as the backbone for my character races and their power packages. BESM is a nice, easy, flexible tri-stat format that is nice to work with. (I was very sad to see Guardians of Order close down.)
I have three character races: Nef, Faren, and Human, plus the hybrids of all three. Each has a power package that changes according to where they are in the world - magic is not free flowing. In some places, like the human lands, it is almost non-existent. Therefore, there are diss-adds for location and race.
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FAREN TEMPLATE (35 point character)
Cost 15 points
Body 1, Mind 1, Soul 2 = 4
Attributes:
Animal Friendship +1
Appearance +1
Highly Skilled +2
Mind Shield +1
Organizational Ties +1
Dynamic Sorcery (specialized, 2pts/level) +2
Cost 12 pts.
Harmony with Nature +5/level +5
Total Cost 17 pts.
Disadvantages:
Unique Character Defect (low tolerance for alcohol) 1bp
Unique Character Defect (truthful) 1bp
Cost 2 bp
Skills:
Wilderness Survival +3
Unarmed Attack +4
Unarmed Defense +4
Tracking (wilderness) +3
Navigation +2
Cultural Arts (meditation) +1
Linguistics (The Land) +3
Cost 20 pts
Harmony with Nature
Faren Racial Power Package 5pts/level
The Faren so loved Nature that she loved them back. She supports them, easing their passing across her ways. She nurtures them keeping them healthy and strong; they are sustained and enhanced, blending into her unseen.
Level 1 = Faren average
Level 2 = above average
Level 3 = significantly above average
Level 4 = extremely in harmony with Nature
Level 5 = One with Nature
Harmony with Nature
Special Movement +2 (light footed, untraceable)
They can walk on top of shallow water up to 1’ deep.
Heightened Senses +2 (hearing, eyesight)
Regeneration 4 pts/level (1 level) +4 (renewed by the land)
Super Strength 2pts/level (1 level) +2 (strength of the land)
Cost 10 pts
Disadvantages - Disconnected from the Land
Not so Tough vs. Regeneration 1bp
Not so Strong vs. Super Strength 2bp
Not so Fast vs. Special Movement 2bp
Cost 5bp
When a Faren is in the Wild all is well and good, they are in harmony with nature. When they go out of their environment and into the human lands, they are disconnected because of the lessening in magical energy. This disconnection has varying ranges depending on the condition of the land. .
Effects of Disconnection
Human unoccupied or lightly settled territories - no effect if the land is healthy
Human farm land - slight disconnection
Human cities -Temporary sense of dislocation and confusion
- Harmony with Nature is lessened one level
- Dynamic Sorcery is lessened one level
Places of traumatic occurrence (land is gravely corrupted or polluted)
- Adversely affected
- Harmony with Nature is lessened two levels
- Dynamic Sorcery is lessened one level
When Faren go into the Land of Light, there are ill effects due to the over abundance of Wild Magic they are not accustomed to using.
Effects of Disconnection
Dynamic sorcery is unstable
Harmony with Nature - lessened three levels
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NEF'ARI (‘ari = Noble), 35 point character
Cost 15pts
Body 1, Mind 2, Soul 1 = +4
Attributes:
Damn Health! +1
Energy Bonus +1
Heightened Awareness +1
Highly Skilled +2
Mesmerism (mind control) +4 (level 1) = +9pts
13pts.
Adaptation to Wild Magic (5pts/level) +5
Cost 18pts
Disadvantages
Unique Racial Defect (hated) 2bp
Special Defect (highly affected by the moons) 1bp
Cost 3bp
Skills
20 points of skills
Acrobatics level 1 (3pts)
Linguistics level 1 (3pts)
Navigation level 1 (in Land of Light) (2pts)
Poisons level 1 (3pts)
Social Sciences 1 (Nef’ari politics) (1 pt )
Ranged Defense level 1 (4 pts)
Thrown Weapons level 1 (4 pts)
Adaptation to Wild Magic
Nef Racial Power Package 5pt/level
Due to the unstable environment created by the wild magic in the Land of Light only the most adaptable have survived and learned to control and exist in their environment.
Level 1 = Nef average
Level 2 = above average
Level 3 = significantly above average
Level 4 = extreme Adaptation to Wild Magic
Level 5 = Master Adapt
Adaptation to Wild Magic
Energy Bonus +1
Dynamic Sorcery (4pts/level) +4
Metamorphosis (5pts/level, see write-up) +5
Cost 10pts
Disadvantage (due to a lessening of wild magic)
The Wild
Magical restriction in The Wild vs. Dynamic Sorcery 1bp
Human Lands
Magical restriction in the human lands vs. Dynamic Sorcery 2bp
Minus 2 levels in Dynamic Sorcery
Involuntary Physical Change vs. metamorphosis 1bp
Cost 5bp
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Human Template, 25 point character
Cost 9pts
16 Character Points + 20 Skill Points
Body 2, Mind 2, Soul 2 = +6
Attributes
Highly Skilled +2
Personal Gear +1
Cost 9pts
Stability (Strength of Man) +5 (Optional racial feature)
This is pretty much what it sounds like, but what good is it you ask. If you are a human mage, a human-hybrid, or have taken any special woogies, this guarantees that they work EVERYWHERE. If none of that applies to you, Stability guarantees that you can function in The Wild or in the Land of Light with out suffering any magical penalties.