Circles and Concepts
A large portion of the Conceptualist's power comes from the Concepts to which they devote so much of their time. They ponder and deliberate over the nature of these fundamental aspects of the world until the understanding they attain grants them powers far beyond that of mortals.
The Circles
There are 12 Circles of Thought: War, Self, Mind, Nature, Sight, Travel, Create, Destroy, Morality, Magic, Light and Aid. Each of these circles encompasses at least five Concepts, specific examples of the ideas exemplified by the Circle. All Conceptualists gain access to a single Circle as their First Circle, being able to put Focus into its Concepts quite simply. Each morning they spend an hour meditating and allocate their Focus among the invididual Concepts to which they have access to, due to their First Circle. Focus is put in individual Concepts, not the Circle as a whole. Later they gain access to a Second Circle, whose concepts act as if they had 2 fewer Focus in them than they do, causing them to be more expensive and have a lower maximum power. Third and Fourth Circles work similarly. All Concepts are Supernatural in nature.
Any references to "Focus" as a value refer to the amount of Focus allocated to that Concept, unless stated otherwise.
War
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Blade: Meditation over the pure essence of a Blade and how its strike affects the world has granted the Conceptualist improved skill with weapons of war. They add an amount to all Attack Rolls with melee weapons equal to one half the Focus in this Concept, rounded up. Additionally, they are treated as having Weapon Proficiency with one Martial Melee Weapon per Focus in this Concept. At Focus 5+, they are simply treated as having proficiency with all Martial Melee Weapons.
Bow: The draw of the string, the arc of the arrow... These are all ideas which the Conceptualist can grasp quite readily. This Concept functions just as Blade, save that it applies to ranged weapons instead of melee ones.
Dagger: Stealth and death in the night are the way of the assassin. By pondering these techniques, the Conceptualist begins to grasp how combat from the shadows functions. They gain 1d6 Sneak Attack damage per three Focus in this Concept, rounded down.
Shield: The Warrior's shield keeps them safe from the relentless attacks of their foes. Concentrating on this protection allows the Conceptualist a measure of similar defense. For every four points in this Concept the Conceptualist gains a +1 Armor Bonus to AC. Additionally, they gain the benefits of Light Armor Proficiency and Shield Proficiency as long as they have at least one Focus in this Concept, Medium Armor Proficiency with 6, and Heavy with 11.
Endurance: If you can't take a hit, there is no use even walking into the fray. The best of combatants can take numerous hits and not only stay standing, but return in kind. The Conceptualist's maximum HP increases by 2 for every Focus in this Concept.
Victory: The way to win a war is a much pondered subjects by the greatest of strategists. Conceptualists can instill in their comrades the purest form of what "Victory" truly means. Allies within 50ft gain a +1 to attack rolls for every 4 focus in this Concept.
Defeat: The opposite of victory. Make the other side lose and that means you win. Enemies within 50ft gain a -1 to attack rolls for every 4 focus in this Concept.
Aid
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Heal: When one thinks of what it means to aid someone, they usually think of mending injuries. And Conceptualists do a lot of thinking. They have a total of Focus*2 Hit Points worth of healing to distribute over the course of the day, working almost identically to the Paladin's Lay on Hands.
Sacrifice: The nature of "Sacrifice" is a complex one. It involves both the help and the hurt of individuals. It can save and it can end lives. Often both at once. The Conceptualist may absorb up to Focus damage dealt,up to half, to any ally within 50ft, taking it on themselves instead.
Bolster: Make your allies stronger so they may better protect themselves and fulfill their goals. Target ally within 30ft gets +4 to a single ability score for Focus minutes. This Concept is usable again 10 minutes after the prior use expires. Using it takes a Full Round Action and may be ended prematurely as a Free Action.
Resist: There is more to this world than slashing blades and piercing arrows, as the Conceptualist knows quite well. Allies within 50ft gain a +1 bonus on all saves for every 4 Focus in this Concept.
Sanctuary: It is much more efficient to prevent your friends and compatriots from getting injured than to try to repair the damage afterwards. The Conceptualist gains the ability to cast Sanctuary, as per the Cleric spell, with a Caster Level equal to the Focus in this Concept. It is usable again ten minutes after the prior use ends.
Minds
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Lead: Leadership is not an easy thing. Among other things, there is the discrepancy between what the Leader says and the Followers hear. But what if you could get around this problem? What if you could emanate pure Leadership? This Concept takes two minutes to activate, but takes no actions to maintain once it has been. All willing individuals within 10ft*Focus are included in the effect and gain a +1 bonus to all attack rolls, but can only follow the orders you issue telepathically. They may willing disobey at any point, but doing so breaks them out of the Lead and lose the +1 bonus and the ability to hear the Leader's mental commands.
Persuade: Persuasion is just a matter of getting the other person to understand your point of view. Given the Conceptualist's focus on understanding, this is little challenge. Target within 30ft must make a will save against DC 10+Int Mod+1/2 Focus or they agree to a relatively reasonable request (DM approval. Suicide is usually not reasonable.). If they make their save, they may not be targeted by this ability again for the next 24 hours. Regardless of success, this ability cannot be used more than once every 10 minutes. Activating this ability takes a Standard Action. This is an Enchantment (Compulsion) effect.
Control: If two thoughts occupy the same mind, the stronger thought wins out. And the Conceptualist's is always the stronger. As a Standard action, the Conceptualist may force a target within 30ft must make a Will Save at DC 10+Int Mod+Focus/2 or they are Dominated as per the spell for Focus minutes. If they make their save, they may not be targeted by this ability again for the next 24 hours. Regardless of success, this ability cannot be used more than once every 10 minutes. The target remembers everything they do while Controlled. This is an Enchantment (Compulsion) effect. This Concept does not function with fewer than 8 Focus in it.
Amnesia: The minds of lesser intellects are weak and fragile. Target within 30ft must make a Will Save against DC 10+Int Mod+1/2 Focus or forget the last two minutes, replacing it with a blank spot. Remove Curse, Wish, Miracle, and Lesser Wish may reverse this. If they make their save, they may not be the target of this abilities for 24 hours. Regardless of success, this ability may not be used more than once every 10 minutes. Activating this ability is a Standard Action. This is an Enchantment effect.
Memory: Control and Amnesia proved that minds can be overridden and memories brushed aside. So why not do both at once? Willing, unconscious or restrained target must make a Will Save against DC 10+Int Mod+1/2 Focus or have up to Focus minutes of their memory that the Conceptualist is aware of modified or replaced. This save is rerolled after a day at +1, then after a week at +2, then a month at +3, and then finally a year at +4. Every year after that they make the roll again at at a cumulative +1 until they make their save. Using this ability is a Full Round Action. This is an Enchantment effect. This Concept does not function with fewer than 12 Focus in it.
Read: Ideas and thoughts are everywhere around us, it's just that most don't have the ear to hear them. The Conceptualist is so in tune with the way that thoughts work that they can pick up on those around them. Target within 30ft must make a will save at DC 10+Int Mod+1/2 Focus or the Conceptualist can read their surface thoughts for the next Focus minutes. If they make their save, they may not be the target of this ability again for the next 24 hours. This ability may be used again 10 minutes after its last use has expired.
Sight
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Vision: See the world, know the world, understand the world, control the world. The mantra of the Observationalist focuses on total perception of the world around you. If you see everything, you cannot be surprised. For every Focus in this Concept, the Conceptualist gains a +1 bonus to Spot and Search checks. At 5+ Focus, they gain Low Light Vision if they did not already have it. At 10+ they gain Darkvision out to 60ft if they did not already have it. At 15+ They can see through (And thus ignore the usual miss chance caused by) any concealment besides Total Concealment.
Piercing Gaze: Illusions are crude, artificial immitations of the real. A practiced eye channeling the very concept of what is "Real" can pierce through such weak attempts to fool the mind. For every 4 Focus in this Concept, you get a +1 bonus on Will Saves to disbelieve an Illusion. At 10+ this roll is made automatically, not required the usual action specifically inspecting the illusion, and they make this roll against Invisibility as well. At 15+ it is made against True Invisibility too.
Scrying: Thoughts of sight, no matter how far away, can provide visions. These visions are not simply mental manifestations of the desired image, but rather true vision of the thought-of-location. The Conceptualist can cast Scrying, as per the Wizard spell of the same name, at a Caster Level equal to the Focus in this Concept. There must be at least 7 Focus in this Concept for it to function.
Foresight: Think of the future enough and it, like all things, will appear. For every 5 Focus in this Concept, the Conceptualist gains a +1 Dodge Bonus to AC. At Focus 4 and above, they are additionally treated as having Uncanny Dodge as a Rogue of a level equal to Focus.
Soul: Conceptualists of the Sight Circle see a lot of things. One thing that most don't expect to see is the very soul of those around them. Once you've seen the soul of another, you know exactly the words - the words which are incomprehensible to all others - the words that are entirely tuned to that soul. By saying these words, you cause their very soul to reverberate, harming them in ways that most cannot understand. As a Standard Action the Conceptualist may target an enemy within 30ft with this ability, forcing them to roll a Will Save against DC 10+Int Mod+1/2 Focus. On a failed save, they take 1d6 untyped damage for every 4 Focus in this Concept, as well as 1d3 Wisdom damage. This ability cannot be used more than once every 4 rounds.
Create
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Craft: Creation is something that comes very naturally to Conceptualists. Conceptualists need but to focus on a desired object, and their thoughts speed along its creation. When Focus is allocated to this Concept, a single Craft skill must be chosen, in which the Conceptualist has at least one rank. Once per day the Conceptualist may make a Craft check with that skill with a bonus equal to Focus, taking a minute but having the effect of a day's worth of work. The Conceptualist still requires the appropriate materials for this craft check, and may only allocate Focus in one Craft skill at a time.
Repair: All crafted objects begin with an intended form. With a unifying vision. A thought. The conceptualist can allow an object to remember that thought which first gave it form, allowing it to reassume that form. As a standard action the Conceptualist may cause target object or construct within Focus*5ft to regain a number of hit points equal to Focus. This ability can be used to repair inanimate objects (Non-constructs) even after they've been reduced to 0 HP, as long as the pieces are in place. Lastly, Repair may be used to attach two objects together, even if they were not originally parts of the same object. This attachment lasts for Focus minutes and can support Focus^3 pounds. If worn, wielded, or magical, the object is allowed a Will Save at DC 10+Int Mod+1/2 Focus to resist. Using repair takes a standard action and has a range of Touch. (So if you wish to stick something to a warrior's shield, you'd need to succeed on a Touch Attack, and then the warrior would need to fail their save).
Strengthen: Conceptualists can reinforce objects by reinforcing the thoughts from which they are made. As a standard action the touched object increases in Hardness by 1 per 3 Focus (Rounded up). If target object is a piece of armor, it grants DR/adamantine 1 for each 4 Focus, rounded down. If target object is a melee weapon or projectile, it overcomes 1 DR or Hardness per 2 Focus, rounded up.
Imbue: Just as spellcasters can imbue items with magic, Conceptualists can imbue them with thoughts, giving them supernatural attributes. As long as the Conceptualist has the appropriate feats, they may craft magic items, imitating any spell of up to a level of Focus/4 rounded down for the purpose of said craftings. They are not treated as being able to cast these spells for any other purpose, including activating scrolls, wands or staves.
Manifest: The Conceptualist is capable of giving their thoughts physical form, as per their Constructs. A few though, that emphasize the Circle of Creation, can create raw materials that persist. As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the Conceptualist may create an amount of material as per the table below. This ability may only be used once per hour. All creation amounts are rounded down.
{table=head] Material | Cubic Feet Created
Wood |
1 per Focus
Stone |
1 per 2 Focus past 2
Steel |
1 per 4 Focus past 4
Gold |
1 cubic foot, minimum 15 Focus
Mithral |
1 cubic foot, minimum 18 Focus
Adamantine |
1 cubic foot, minimum 20 Focus
Destroy
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Energy: Fire, Electricity, Acid and Cold. These four energy types are some of the most destructive forces in the universe. A Conceptualist wishing to wreak havoc naturally turns to thoughts of these. Focus is allocated in these four energy types separately. As a standard action the Conceptualist may make a Melee Touch Attack to try to inflict 1d6 damage of the chosen element for every 2 Focus in it, minimum 1d6. (Sonic? What is this Sonic that you speak of?)
Force: Destructive forces? What could be more destructive than force itself? This Concept functions as Energy, but it is 1d4 force damage for every 2 Focus instead of 1d6.
Ray: Melee damage is so restrictive. Energy or Force may be used once every other round as a Ranged Touch Attack at a range of 10ft per Focus in Ray. Note the "Every other turn" applies to both and to all energy types. No alternating Fire and Cold damage to spam this.
Blast: Sometimes the mooks are just everywhere. The idea of your fire spreading to engulf the entire horde is one that many a Chaotic Conceptualist fantasizes about. Once every 4 rounds the Conceptualist may make a Blast attack with one of their Energies or with Force, targeting a space within 10ft per Focus in Blast. The damage is dealt to all within a radius of 5ft per 3 Focus in Blast. A reflex save at DC 10+Int Mod+Focus in Energy or Force/2 is made to halve the damage.
Nova: Pure energy or force can radiate out from the Conceptualist like fire from the sun. They may spend a Standard Action to emit a Nova of Energy or Force, dealing an amount of Energy or Force damage as per their Focus in those Concepts. All in a radius of 5ft per 2 Focus take damage and may make a Reflex Save against DC 10+Int Mod+Focus in Energy or Force/2 to halve it. This ability is usable once every 6 rounds and does not injure the Conceptualist.
Sphere: A sustained orb of Energy or destructive Force is much more difficult to create and maintain than a brief bolt of it. As a Full Round Action the Conceptualist may conjure up a sphere of an Energy or Force in which they have Focus, occupying a 10X10 space within 50ft of them. Maintaining this orb takes a Move Action each round and moving it a Standard Action. The orb moves at a rate of 5ft per 2 Focus in this Concept, dealing 1d (6 for energy, 4 for Force) damage to anything it passes through. Any creature occupying the same space as it at the end of the Conceptualist's turn takes the amount of damage indicated by their Focus in Energy or Force. They may make a Reflex Save at DC 10+Int Mod+Focus in Energy or Force/2 to attempt to halve the damage. This Concept cannot last longer than Sphere Focus rounds. This Concept is usable again 10 minutes after its last use ended.
Shatter: It is so much easier to destroy than to create. The works of millennia can be destroyed in the blink of any eye. All you need is one little crack. Target inanimate object within 5ft per Focus takes Focus*4 damage, ignoring Hardness. If worn, wielded, or magical, the object is allowed a Will Save at DC 10+Int Mod+1/2 Focus to halve the damage.
Nature
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Grow:*Thoughts of the green harvest and healthy crops aid in the upbringing of all plants. A Naturalist strolling through a farming village is often hailed as a great blessing. Any plants within a radius of 10ft per Focus perk up a little as the Conceptualist passes. If the crops were growing poorly before, due to some ill event, this Concept can mitigate the problem. As long as the Conceptualist is within range of a plant, and for Focus days after they leave, the plant grows three times as fast, and generally quite healthily. Plant creatures heal Focus HP every ten minutes they are within the radius. You can suppress or reactivate this Concept as a Move Action
Wither: If one can bestow life, they can destroy it as well. This Concept functions exactly as Grow, except that plants droop in their prescence and grow slowly and stunted while given prolonged exposure to the Conceptualist and for Focus days after. Plant creatures take Focus untyped damage every minute they are within the radius. It is much easier to kill than to grow. You can suppress or reactivate this Concept as a Move Action. You cannot have Wither and Grow both active at the same time.
Weather: If your thoughts can become reality, what happens on one of those days when you feel like a raincloud is over your head? To use this Concept, the Conceptualist selects a desired result and makes a check, rolling 1d20+Int Mod+1/2 Focus. If they meet or beat the DC, the desired effect takes place, within a radius of a 1/8 mile per Focus, for one hour. This check may only be made once every half hour. If a check is made before the currently prevailing condition has finished, it resets the hour countdown.
{table=head] Effect | DC
Clear | 20
Fog | 20
Rain | 20
Storm | 25
Thunderstorm | 30
Hail Storm | 30
Unnaturally Brutal Hail Storm | 35[/table]
Notes: Rain is required for a Storm, a Storm is required for a Thunder or Hail storm, and a Hail Storm is required for an Unnaturally Brutal Hail Storm. All of these should be pretty self-explanatory. The last is a WHOLE LOT of hail, and the hail is quite large. Large enough to kill lesser animals or unlucky people. These effects are still largely random.
Animal: The vast majority of the beings in the world are not Elves, Orcs, Dragons, or even Humans, but rather quite normal animals. Their diversity and ability to thrive despite the quantity of strangeness going on around them is quite amazing. By focusing on these traits, the Conceptualist can come to empathize with them. With one or more Focus in this Concept, the Conceptualist may speak with animals freely. They additionally gain access to Wild Empathy, as per the Druid class feature, subsituting Focus for Druid level. At 6+ Focus, animals start as Friendly towards the Conceptualist. At 12+, the Conceptualist may issue a Call to all animals within 100ft per Focus to come to their aid, immediately starting as Helpful towards them. The Call may be used once per day, once available, and takes a Standard Action.
Plant: Even more than animals, plants dominate the world. This Concept functions exactly as Animal, except that the Wild Empathy checks are made targeting plants instead of animals, and they have the ability to bend in compliance with the Conceptualist's wishes if they succesfully bring them up to Helpful. At 12+ the Conceptualist may use a Plant version of the Call, calling roots and branches of plants up to 100ft away per Focus, within reason based on the size of surrounding plants. This Call is separate from that of the Animal Concept and is usable once per day once available, as a Standard Action.
Morality
Travel
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Paths: Traveling around from one place to another takes much time, even if going by road. For some reason, however, when a Conceptualist really focuses on the task at hand - trudging along a chosen path - things seem to move a bit quicker. Anyone (including the Conceptualist) traveling on the same road or path as the Conceptualist, within 10ft per Focus of them, moves an extra 5ft per 4 Focus along the path in the direction of their destination. The Conceptualist may change their destination once every hour as a free action.
Flight: Soaring high above the clouds, unbound by the chains that hold most... It is no surprise that Conceptualists dream of this just as much as anyone else, if not more. But unlike most other people, those dreams can become reality. They gain a Fly Speed of 5ft per 2 Focus, with Perfect Maneuverability.
Halt: With mastery of movement comes mastery of non-movement. Or stopping, as some would say. Target within 50ft must make a Fort Save against DC 10+Int Mod+1/2 Focus or be unable to move from their space for a number of rounds equal to their Margin of Failure. Gravity, other creatures, and blasts, among other things, are still capable of moving them. They simply cannot take a step of their own accord. They may still take any action they usually would which does not involve leaving their space.
Dimensions: Just as Scrying allows thoughts of another place to become visions of another place, Dimensions allows the Conceptualist to GO to another place. As a Standard Action they may teleport up to 5ft*Focus in any direction, including through walls. If they would appear inside a solid object, usual shunting rules apply. They may not use this Concept more than once every 5 rounds. This Concept provides the added boon of access to an extradimensional storage space, much like that inside of a Bag of Holding. It has a volume of 2 Cubic Feet per Focus and may be accessed as a Move Action. Lastly, if there are 10 or more Focus in this Concept, the Conceptualist may cast Plane Shift, as per the spell, once per day at a caster level equal to Focus in this Concept.
Direction: You can go as fast as you want, but if you don't know where you're going, it won't do you much good. With 1 or more Focus in this Concept, the Conceptualist always knows what direction is North. They can also think of a destination within Focus Miles and immediately know the shortest route to it. If the destination is warded against scrying magic of any kind, the Conceptualist must make an opposed Caster Level Check, using Focus as their caster level. Failure indicates that this ability does not function. This Concept may only be used to find locations, not people, creatures or objects. Use of this Concept is subject to DM approval.
Self
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Skills: Applied Intellect shows the application of the Conceptualist's raw intelligence to skill-related problems. This Concept relates instead to the specific focus on a skill. Focus is allocated to individual skills, granting a +1 bonus on checks made with it for each Focus so allocated. This Concept may only be used with skills in which you have 4 or more ranks.
Body: By concentrating on the physical entity that is one's "Self", the Conceptualist can augment their natural abilities. Focus is allocated into the three Physical attributes (Strength, Dexterity and Constitution) indvididually.
{table=head] Focus | Ability Score Boost
2 | +1
4 | +2
8 | +3
14 | +4
22 | +5
32 | +6
44 | +7
58 | +8[/table]
Note: The limit on how much Focus can be in any one Concept still holds here. Which means that pre-epic you can only get up to +4 with this Concept.
Will: Focus on the concept of you and your personality and that concept becomes as unwavering as the earth itself. +1 to Will Saves against Enchantment effects for every 4 Focus in this Concept. Additionally, if there is 10 or more Focus in this Concept, a failed Will Save versus an Enchantment effect may be rerolled once per day. If it is at 15+, if the Conceptualist makes their save against an Enchantment effect on their first try, the caster must make a Will Save against the same DC or be subjected to the very effect which they were attempting to cast on the Conceptualist. The CL is that with which the effect was cast and the Conceptualist is treated as the caster.
Identity: What does it mean to be "You"? What does it mean to be someone else? The Conceptualist can so immerse themselves in thoughts of another person they know that they can fool magic into believing that they actually are that other person. Any spell attempting to discern something about the Conceptualist (Such as a Detect Alignment spell) or any spell attempting to find the Conceptualist registers the Conceptualist as the person which they are emulating (Detect Alignment spells would return with the result as if the emulated person had the spell cast on them, scrying spells would fail to find the Conceptualist, etc.) unless the caster succeeds on a Caster Level Check against DC 11+Int Mod+Focus
Form: The Conceptualist can ponder the form of another being so thoroughly that those thoughts grow to define them. To become them. The Conceptualist takes on the very form that they so ponder. Focus is allocated to individual forms, selected during Meditation. 3 points will buy you a humanoid form of your size category, 5 a creature of your size category, 8 a creature within one size category of your own. More points than these may be put into a form to increase duration, as will soon be described. Assuming a Form takes a Full Round Action as does reassuming your natural form. While transformed, the following changes take effect:
- You lose any extraordinary abilities granted by your usual race
- You gain any extraordinary abilities granted by the new form
- You gain any natural attacks granted by the new form
- You lose any natural attacks granted by your usual race.
- You assume the movement modes of the new form.
- If shifting into anything that is not a PC race, ability scores shift 2 in the direction of those of that creatures. So taking the Form of a bear would likely increase your Str and Con by 2, among other things, while lowering most of your mental scores.
- Lose speech capabilities if your new form cannot speak.
- Lose ability to use PI for the duration of the change.
Forms last for a number of minutes equal to the Focus spent in them. At the end of the time, a Full Round Action is immediately spent transforming back to normal. Once you have shifted out of one of your Forms, it cannot be reassumed for the next 10 minutes.
Light
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Bright: Let there be light. Light is pure and simple, like the thoughts of the Conceptualist. With thought and knowledge the Conceptualist makes light, and with light the Conceptualist may peer into the depths. As a Standard Action, the Conceptualist may issue Bright Light out to 10ft per Focus, and Shadowy Illumination out to 20ft per Focus. This is treated as a [Light] spell of a level equal to one half the Focus in this Concept, maximum 9th. This light emanates from the Conceptualist themself and persists for 1 minute per Focus or until dismissed. Additionally, the Conceptualist may cast any [Light] spell ----
Dark:
Bend:
Disguise:
Blind:
Magic
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Dispel:
Sense:
Cast:
Mundanity:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
The Mentalist
Can't say much about anything yet except one point...
The fluff. It. Is. Badass.
I know, right? :smallbiggrin: Got the ideas on paper now, at least. I'll be adding and modifying sporadically over the next few days, adding class features and the actual Concepts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Milo v3
Interesting. It is complex but I prefer it that way.
This will be an interesting pbp.
I am known for the complexity of many of my works - Boccob knows what Bloodlines would've looked like if I hadn't been going off of a template. And I very much look forward to playing this! Should be quite an interesting experience..