Posts from Taiji

Only by willpower.

Among the inhabitants of Asvaldr, one can easily find brilliant engineers and inventors, skilled archers, and capable blacksmiths, but not all residents of this cold land are equally gifted with wisdom and intellect. And when troubled times come, scientists and mechanics hastily begin to seek allies of a different kind. No matter how magnificent the technology possessed by a state, it will always need unthinking force – cannon fodder capable of applying their inventions in practice. Miners, builders, and other laborers cannot replace professional soldiers and mercenaries, and the more of the national budget is spent on technology and trade, the greater the need for qualified combat masters becomes, holding the country back in any unforeseen situation.
The Dormin clan will never be glorified in the pages of chronicles, and few will be interested in studying the fate of his family. They protected and accompanied richer, smarter, or more respected relatives, earning a living that way. His great-grandfather received an arbalest bolt in the stomach while shielding his master. His grandfather turned into an ice sculpture from the spell of a skillful mage. His uncle fell victim to assassins who attacked his employer. And Dormin's father failed to protect his patron's trading caravan during one assignment; he miraculously survived but lost his job and, more importantly, his reputation – the only thing that mattered to people like him. Then the dwarf thought that he would have been better off dying then.
Dormin's family was forced to leave Asvaldr forever and embark on a journey through Erathia. Their travels led them to Sintaan, where dwarves were allowed to stay. Soon, Dormin himself was born. Like everyone in his lineage, he grew up significantly taller and stockier than most of his kin, but still not reaching the height of the average human. Later, he fought on the side of dark paladins, most of whom stood out for their atrocities, fanaticism, and cruelty. Light paladins, distinguished by exactly the same qualities, fought against him. Nevertheless, the dwarf was generously paid, at least this money was enough for some kind of life, and nothing was required except complete obedience and participation in battles.
His youth passed in this pursuit, and possibly his entire life could have continued this way if suddenly the world had not plunged into darkness. A terrible tragedy, natural disasters, diseases, famine, and conflicts claimed the lives of many allies. Dormin's relatives were also among them. At one point, the dwarf made a decision and left the chaotic Sintaan, embarking on a journey through the ruined world. Many decades have passed since then; along the way, he encountered much hardship, despair, fear, and pain, and eventually, already far from young, learned about the Order of the Great Limit. The old mercenary had only ruins of civilization behind him and nothing but bitter memories; he had nothing to lose, so Dormin decided to try to join the organization.


Race:
Dwarf. +12 health points per unit of constitution. -0.7 to dodge chance per unit of agility.

Origin:
Sintan Resident: character receives 35% less final damage, resistance to diseases and poisons is twice as high.

Attributes:
Strength - 20
Constitution - 50
Agility - 10
Perception - 0
Speed - 15
Intelligence - 0
Willpower - 20
Wisdom - 20
Charisma - 0

Skills:
Combat Training

1. +3 health points per unit of constitution.
2. +3 health points per unit of constitution.

Armor Proficiency

1. The character can use heavy armor.

One-Handed Weapon

1. The character is trained in the use of one-handed weapons.

Shield

1. The character is trained in the use of shields.

Weapon Mastery

C. +0.4 to hit chance (melee) and dodge chance per unit of constitution.
D. Received damage is reduced by 12%.

Antimagic

1. Magic resistance is twice as high.

Inventory:
Battle Axe.
Heavy Armor.
Sturdy Helmet.
Strong Shield.
Thin Pouch.
Old Provisions.

Preparing a character with a focus on frost-based skills. Just a heads-up.

Added 10 minutes later

Resident of a prosperous land: 3 free skills.

Can any skill be chosen for free, without any exceptions?

The player characters are either prisoners sentenced to death.

Good attempt, Revan. While it won't be as inspiring as with Augustus, it sounds intriguing enough.

Wow, you’re quick, Hero!

There was nothing to do at night.

And what about sleep?

Sleep is for the weak.

I would take the taunt skill in your place, Heroist. Otherwise, you will have trouble drawing the enemies' attention to yourself. Although, that taunt skill is quite weak in its current form...

Revan said that a better ability will be available later, so there’s no point in taking two identical abilities.

If the new taunt also has a cooldown, then, generally speaking, it does exist. But in this specific case, you might be right.

Regarding the companion, I'm leaning towards a manticore or a manticore-like cadaver. Let there be at least something related to the Shannara world, lol.

I think the Shunian creatures themselves also fit the description of a "companion animal."

1. The character can use heavy armor. 100

1. The character is trained in using shields. 100
2. After blocking an enemy's melee attack, the character performs a counter-attack that paralyzes the enemy if successful. 175

1. The character is trained in using one-handed weapons.
2. The character can parry an enemy's melee attack. The check is performed before the dodge roll and is calculated based on the character's accuracy.
3. Additional attack, accuracy +35%

A. +20% chance of critical damage for the selected weapon type; such critical hits can paralyze the enemy, pierce their armor and resistances, or cause bleeding (-5% of current health at the start of the character's turn and each time they miss an attack against them). 125

Just 200 more points were needed, alas.

I hope there will be terrible mutants in the forest.