[MLP] Roleplaying is Magic: The Broken Road.

[Ravian]

finished the stats for Soot (btw thank you SiuiS, I didn't want to take anyone's place but I was keen on participating)

Stats:

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Soot
Unicorn Filly
Body- 2, Heart-2, Mind 5 (+1 mind from egghead)
Fortitude- 4, Energy- 7, Courage 7, Willpower 9
Cutie Mark: Black Cat
Special Talent: Going unseen and unnoticied
Job: Thief (level 2)
Skills: Stealth 1, Sleight of horn 1(telekinetic pickpocketing), Lockpicking 1, Cooking 1(Somepony needs to keep the others fed and fits the maternal aspect of her backstory)
Talents: Agile, Wary

Magic:
Aspects known: Telekinesis, Animate, Light, Body, Deceive, Diminish, Forge, Reveal (+1 from new magic trick)

Spells known:
Sneak in the Shadows
Level 3
Deceive, Light
Range- Contact, Duration- Temporary
Difficulty- 3
Soot shrouds the target (usually herself) to make light bend around them, making them invisible to normal sight

Follow the Shiny Light
Level 2
Animate, Forge, Light
Range- Anmiomorphic, Duration- Concentration
Difficulty- 3
Soot conjours a mote of light and direct where it goes

Hush now, Quiet now
Level 2
Diminish, Body
Range- Anmiomorphic, Duration- Temporary
Difficulty- 4
Soot saps the energy from a target, making them very sleepy

Lights Out
Level 1
Diminish, Light
Range- Spectacle, Duration- Temporary
Difficulty- 5
Soot coats an area in a blanket of darkness, obscuring everything within

Detect Life
Level 1
Reveal, Body
Range- Spectacle, Duration- Temporary
Difficulty- 5
Soot is able to sense the locations of sentient creatures in an area, useful to avoid guards, not so much for their dogs

Flaws: Low Society

Element: Kindness

Advancements:
Egghead (+1 Mind) 10 pts,
New Magic Trick 5 pts,
Uplifting Attitude 5 pts,
On-the- Job training (+1 level to thief) 4 pts,

Devices: set of lockpicks, saddlebag

Background:

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Soot never knew her parents, nopony but an old stallion named Rusty ever took care of her on the mean streets of Manehatten, Rusty named her and taught her a few tricks for a unicorn to go unnoticied. He was there when she got her Cutie Mark by hiding from an angry shop keeper she took a few pastries from. But nopony can live forever and Rusty was an old pony to begin with. Soot never forgot how he treated her like his own and soon found a herself with a gaggle of her own orphans and ponies down on their luck, assuming a sort of matriarchal position among them. She usually gets her family by through odd jobs and a bit of thievery, though she wished there was a way that everypony could live so none had to have less than they needed

Likes:

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Taking Care of others, Foals, Shiny things and the thrill of a job well done

Dislikes:

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Suffering, Rich snooty ponies who've never felt what it's like to go hungry, cleanliness

Personality:

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Often sarcastic but always kind when somepony needs her. Suspicious of those she doesn't know, past experience having taught her that trust must be earned. Quick to protect or stand up for her friends, often in a maternal fashion.

Appearance:

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Soot looks like she considers a chimney to be a suitable substitute for a shower, which is unfair (she doesn't use anything for a shower). She's not actually that filthy, since her coat is a patchwork of greys, but it is hard to tell what's coat and what's just dirt. Her mane and tail are similarly messy, a light grey with a black streak running through them. Her bright yellow eyes are the only colorful thing about her. She's leaner than most ponies, and generally has an underfed look about her.

[Diego Havoc]

Okay, I read Off the Edge of the Map. Brilliant fic, and gives me a good idea of what this is all about.

Character-wise, I think I'll avoid Elixir. I'd like to get a chance to play him, but in my mind he's a seasoned adventurer (perhaps not a great one, but he knows how to fight) and so I'm not sure if he'll fit the tone.

I do have a vague sort of idea for a character, though. City Slicker, a tour guide for Canterlot or maybe Manehatten. Probably an earth pony. He knows the city like the back off his hoof, knows everypony, street smart, always very sure of himself. Away from the big city, he'll be out of his depth, but might make a good fast-talker for when the group reaches some form of civilization. Will probably have a cockney accent.

He might know the group because he took them on a tour once, or maybe he just met them at some event. Cutie mark would be something like a hoofprint on a cobblestone path, or possibly a city skyline.

[One Tin Soldier]

finished the stats for Soot (btw thank you SiuiS, I didn't want to take anyone's place but I was keen on participating)

Stats:

Spoiler

Show

Soot
Unicorn Filly
Body- 2, Heart-2, Mind 5 (+1 mind from egghead)
Fortitude- 4, Energy- 7, Courage 7, Willpower 9
Cutie Mark: Black Cat
Special Talent: Going unseen and unnoticied
Job: Thief (level 2)
Skills: Stealth 1, Sleight of horn 1(telekinetic pickpocketing), Lockpicking 1, Cooking 1(Somepony needs to keep the others fed and fits the maternal aspect of her backstory)
Talents: Agile, Wary

Magic:
Aspects known: Telekinesis, Animate, Light, Body, Deceive, Diminish, Forge, Reveal (+1 from new magic trick)

Spells known:
Sneak in the Shadows
Level 3
Deceive, Light
Range- Contact, Duration- Temporary
Difficulty- 3
Soot shrouds the target (usually herself) to make light bend around them, making them invisible to normal sight

Follow the Shiny Light
Level 2
Animate, Forge, Light
Range- Anmiomorphic, Duration- Concentration
Difficulty- 3
Soot conjours a mote of light and direct where it goes

Hush now, Quiet now
Level 2
Diminish, Body
Range- Anmiomorphic, Duration- Temporary
Difficulty- 4
Soot saps the energy from a target, making them very sleepy

Lights Out
Level 1
Diminish, Light
Range- Spectacle, Duration- Temporary
Difficulty- 5
Soot coats an area in a blanket of darkness, obscuring everything within

Detect Life
Level 1
Reveal, Body
Range- Spectacle, Duration- Temporary
Difficulty- 5
Soot is able to sense the locations of sentient creatures in an area, useful to avoid guards, not so much for their dogs

Flaws: Low Society

Element: Kindness

Advancements:
Egghead (+1 Mind) 10 pts,
New Magic Trick 5 pts,
Uplifting Attitude 5 pts,
On-the- Job training (+1 level to thief) 4 pts,

Devices: set of lockpicks, saddlebag

Background:

Spoiler

Show

Soot never knew her parents, nopony but an old stallion named Rusty ever took care of her on the mean streets of Manehatten, Rusty named her and taught her a few tricks for a unicorn to go unnoticied. He was there when she got her Cutie Mark by hiding from an angry shop keeper she took a few pastries from. But nopony can live forever and Rusty was an old pony to begin with. Soot never forgot how he treated her like his own and soon found a herself with a gaggle of her own orphans and ponies down on their luck, assuming a sort of matriarchal position among them. She usually gets her family by through odd jobs and a bit of thievery, though she wished there was a way that everypony could live so none had to have less than they needed

Likes:

Spoiler

Show

Taking Care of others, Foals, Shiny things and the thrill of a job well done

Dislikes:

Spoiler

Show

Suffering, Rich snooty ponies who've never felt what it's like to go hungry, cleanliness

Personality:

Spoiler

Show

Often sarcastic but always kind when somepony needs her. Suspicious of those she doesn't know, past experience having taught her that trust must be earned. Quick to protect or stand up for her friends, often in a maternal fashion.

Appearance:

Spoiler

Show

Soot looks like she considers a chimney to be a suitable substitute for a shower, which is unfair (she doesn't use anything for a shower). She's not actually that filthy, since her coat is a patchwork of greys, but it is hard to tell what's coat and what's just dirt. Her mane and tail are similarly messy, a light grey with a black streak running through them. Her bright yellow eyes are the only colorful thing about her. She's leaner than most ponies, and generally has an underfed look about her.

Looks pretty good to me. Though the question is, what is she doing in Canterlot? She doesn't sound like the type to go travelling a lot.
And why would she stick around with a bunch of middle-class ponies?

Okay, I read Off the Edge of the Map. Brilliant fic, and gives me a good idea of what this is all about.

Character-wise, I think I'll avoid Elixir. I'd like to get a chance to play him, but in my mind he's a seasoned adventurer (perhaps not a great one, but he knows how to fight) and so I'm not sure if he'll fit the tone.

I do have a vague sort of idea for a character, though. City Slicker, a tour guide for Canterlot or maybe Manehatten. Probably an earth pony. He knows the city like the back off his hoof, knows everypony, street smart, always very sure of himself. Away from the big city, he'll be out of his depth, but might make a good fast-talker for when the group reaches some form of civilization. Will probably have a cockney accent.

He might know the group because he took them on a tour once, or maybe he just met them at some event. Cutie mark would be something like a hoofprint on a cobblestone path, or possibly a city skyline.

I like it.

[BlasTech]

I haven't had a chance to read those fanfics. I'll try and have a look at the during my lunch break at work and tonight. I'd rather do that and get a feel for the campaign before I give I definite yes or no. I'm leaning towards yes, though.

And thus my cunning plan is discovered. This whole PbP is just a ruse to force more people to read those.

[Balmas]

Okay, I read Off the Edge of the Map. Brilliant fic, and gives me a good idea of what this is all about.

Character-wise, I think I'll avoid Elixir. I'd like to get a chance to play him, but in my mind he's a seasoned adventurer (perhaps not a great one, but he knows how to fight) and so I'm not sure if he'll fit the tone.

I do have a vague sort of idea for a character, though. City Slicker, a tour guide for Canterlot or maybe Manehatten. Probably an earth pony. He knows the city like the back off his hoof, knows everypony, street smart, always very sure of himself. Away from the big city, he'll be out of his depth, but might make a good fast-talker for when the group reaches some form of civilization. Will probably have a cockney accent.

He might know the group because he took them on a tour once, or maybe he just met them at some event. Cutie mark would be something like a hoofprint on a cobblestone path, or possibly a city skyline.

Agreed. I could see DB taking a tour once, though he'd have been too quiet to merit much notice.

[Ravian]

Looks pretty good to me. Though the question is, what is she doing in Canterlot? She doesn't sound like the type to go travelling a lot.
And why would she stick around with a bunch of middle-class ponies?

I was thinking she was doing a quick job for somepony, sort of "I'm busy mind if you bring this package to Canterlot? I'll pay for your train fare" type of thing. While she would originally stick around because of safety in numbers, she warms up to others quickly when they prove they deserve it, and after that friends are more valuable a commodity than food on the streets or anywhere else, and she's protective of them.

[One Tin Soldier]

I was thinking she was doing a quick job for somepony, sort of "I'm busy mind if you bring this package to Canterlot? I'll pay for your train fare" type of thing. While she would originally stick around because of safety in numbers, she warms up to others quickly when they prove they deserve it, and after that friends are more valuable a commodity than food on the streets or anywhere else, and she's protective of them.

That sounds fair.

As for knowing Diego, Grease wouldn't be the type to go on tours... Except on a family vacation or something of the sort. Though unless he really stood out I doubt she would remember him any more than vague recognition.

[TheAmishPirate]

Alright, taking that little story and getting it more into an actual character idea, here we go:

Crown Cork, Earth Pony, son to the Cork bottled drink "empire" (as far as pony businesses can be called empires), whose main talent is painting the pictures that go on the bottlecaps. As the story says, he was previously groomed to be the successor to the family business, before he discovered his talent. Ever since then, the topic of who would succeed his father never really came up, though he always meant to talk to him about it. Right before the campaign start, he and his father are on a business trip to Canterlot where his dad was planning on making a "big announcement". Figuring it was about who would take over the business in his stead, Crown promised himself to talk about it. Naturally, he never gets the chance before the adventure starts. In addition to his family and his business, he'd also have a special somepony of several months; the daughter of one of the farmers they get strawberries from for their sodas.

The main concept of the character is that he's very much like a noble; used to being recognized, used to having money, not terribly used to physical hardship and trouble. While the Corks don't actually have a noble title, their sodas are at least known throughout the whole of Equestria. If your last name is Cork, it's good odds ponies have a decent idea of who you are. The Cork family is also known for being hard-working, however, the soda business isn't exactly a physically demanding job. So while he may be used to staying up all night trying to balance the books, a day of rough hiking is new to him.

I know it seems like I'm just listing traits and occupation stuff, but a lot of the character is already there in my head. I just need to get it down on paper. I haven't quite done the word association bit, so some of this might change, but I did have a few thoughts for the group so far:

Ravian: Here's a thought; how would you like Soot to be Cork's go-to errand runner? The guy keeps pretty busy, and the family isn't into keeping personal servants, so it's not too far-fetched that he'll need somepony to get him things. To further add hilarity to it, he could be completely in the dark about her thieving ways. This time, it could be that his special somepony requested something from Canterlot, and he wanted to spend all day with his father, thus he needs Soot to go get it for him.
Balmas: Best I can figure; the Cork family might contract Dive Bomb out for chemicals used in their soda-making business, and he and Crown have at least met professionally.
One Tin Pony: Same sorta deal, only Grease is contracted out to fix their soda-making equipment.
Diego: Crown would go to Canterlot often enough that it wouldn't be too far-fetched if he knew some of the tour guides by name.

(I suppose this mess means that, yes, I am formally interested in a spot in this. Five people in the party may not be such a bad thing, as that still leaves us with four should somepony find they can't keep up with this.)

[SiuiS]

So we have Ravian, Diego Havoc, One Tin Soldier, Balmas and theAmishPirate. I officially bow out of this game.

Before you feel bad, par o that is I'm being asked to run a game elsewhere, which requires TONNES more energy. I probably wouldn't e able to participate all that well anyway.

I'm ping to lurk your threads to figure out the system though.

[One Tin Soldier]

Alright, taking that little story and getting it more into an actual character idea, here we go:

Crown Cork, Earth Pony, son to the Cork bottled drink "empire" (as far as pony businesses can be called empires), whose main talent is painting the pictures that go on the bottlecaps. As the story says, he was previously groomed to be the successor to the family business, before he discovered his talent. Ever since then, the topic of who would succeed his father never really came up, though he always meant to talk to him about it. Right before the campaign start, he and his father are on a business trip to Canterlot where his dad was planning on making a "big announcement". Figuring it was about who would take over the business in his stead, Crown promised himself to talk about it. Naturally, he never gets the chance before the adventure starts. In addition to his family and his business, he'd also have a special somepony of several months; the daughter of one of the farmers they get strawberries from for their sodas.

The main concept of the character is that he's very much like a noble; used to being recognized, used to having money, not terribly used to physical hardship and trouble. While the Corks don't actually have a noble title, their sodas are at least known throughout the whole of Equestria. If your last name is Cork, it's good odds ponies have a decent idea of who you are. The Cork family is also known for being hard-working, however, the soda business isn't exactly a physically demanding job. So while he may be used to staying up all night trying to balance the books, a day of rough hiking is new to him.

I know it seems like I'm just listing traits and occupation stuff, but a lot of the character is already there in my head. I just need to get it down on paper. I haven't quite done the word association bit, so some of this might change, but I did have a few thoughts for the group so far:

Ravian: Here's a thought; how would you like Soot to be Cork's go-to errand runner? The guy keeps pretty busy, and the family isn't into keeping personal servants, so it's not too far-fetched that he'll need somepony to get him things. To further add hilarity to it, he could be completely in the dark about her thieving ways. This time, it could be that his special somepony requested something from Canterlot, and he wanted to spend all day with his father, thus he needs Soot to go get it for him.
Balmas: Best I can figure; the Cork family might contract Dive Bomb out for chemicals used in their soda-making business, and he and Crown have at least met professionally.
One Tin Pony: Same sorta deal, only Grease is contracted out to fix their soda-making equipment.
Diego: Crown would go to Canterlot often enough that it wouldn't be too far-fetched if he knew some of the tour guides by name.

(I suppose this mess means that, yes, I am formally interested in a spot in this. Five people in the party may not be such a bad thing, as that still leaves us with four should somepony find they can't keep up with this.)

So then Cork could be the mutual... not friend exactly, but point of contact that keeps the party together. That's a pretty good thought.

So we have Ravian, Diego Havoc, One Tin Soldier, Balmas and theAmishPirate. I officially bow out of this game.

Before you feel bad, par o that is I'm being asked to run a game elsewhere, which requires TONNES more energy. I probably wouldn't e able to participate all that well anyway.

I'm ping to lurk your threads to figure out the system though.

Farewell then, and best of luck!

[Balmas]

@Ravian: Well, Dive Bomb will probably be exactly what the filly hates in an adult. He's fairly well off, and if he learns of the filly's thieving ways, he'll see it as his duty to interfere. He'd have a somewhat patriarchal sense of duty to try to care for her, since her status is probably fairly obvious from her looks.

@TheAmishPirate: I remember when this guy was a prompt from Ponythread... He seems like a good party face/leader, if only because of his connections. DB has a respect for the soda mogul, although he feels that it was somewhat inherited instead of earned. He tries to maintain good relations regardless, since his jobs provide a nice bonus to his pharmacy.

So we have Ravian, Diego Havoc, One Tin Soldier, Balmas and theAmishPirate. I officially bow out of this game.

Before you feel bad, par o that is I'm being asked to run a game elsewhere, which requires TONNES more energy. I probably wouldn't e able to participate all that well anyway.

I'm ping to lurk your threads to figure out the system though.

Well, best of luck to you. Stay awesome!

[TheAmishPirate]

So we have Ravian, Diego Havoc, One Tin Soldier, Balmas and theAmishPirate. I officially bow out of this game.

Before you feel bad, par o that is I'm being asked to run a game elsewhere, which requires TONNES more energy. I probably wouldn't e able to participate all that well anyway.

I'm ping to lurk your threads to figure out the system though.

Best of luck in your game! If there are any hard feelings about this, feel free to have Chryssie give Chuck a shoulder-punch at some point.

So then Cork could be the mutual... not friend exactly, but point of contact that keeps the party together. That's a pretty good thought.

Didn't actually realize this, but yeah, that's basically how it turned out.

@TheAmishPirate: I remember when this guy was a prompt from Ponythread... He seems like a good party face/leader, if only because of his connections. DB has a respect for the soda mogul, although he feels that it was somewhat inherited instead of earned. He tries to maintain good relations regardless, since his jobs provide a nice bonus to his pharmacy.

Connections, and the fact that he was somewhat groomed to take up his father's place. It's not his talent and he finds it generally a pain to deal with, but he does know some economics and politics.

As for the party leader bit, I think he'll probably assume that role if only because of all that pressure to assume responsibility. Despite his own wishes (which I admit he's not even sure of at this point), if his Dad announced "Crown Cork is going to be the next head of the Cork family", he'd take the job without a fuss. And it's pretty much what everybody he's met thinks he's going to do too. So when plunked in with a group of semi-random ponies, I think he's going to instinctively go for a leadership-type role.

[SiuiS]

My only regret is that this party is awesome.

[One Tin Soldier]

My only regret is that this party is awesome.

Indeed! We've got the artist/businesspony, the chemist, the mechanic, the thief, and the tour guide. I'd say that's a pretty diverse group.
So now I'm wondering what notable skill sets we might lack. Since one of Grease Spot's five words is Flexibility and earth ponies get ALL OF THE XP, I was planning on using some of her remaining skill points to round it out. As long as they don't contradict her character, of course.
Yeah, it's possible to say that it's a tad too soon for such final touches, but I would like to get an idea sooner so that I can figure out how/where she learned these skills. I already have ideas brewing about how she went about learning magical theory.

[Balmas]

Well, let me see how I understand the group dynamic based on tasks we might face:

Infiltration is fairly well covered. Soot can sneak in, Dive Bomb can create a diversion, Crown Cork could probably grease his way in with his influence.

Dive Bomb covers medicine, and he and City Slicker can probably figure out navigation.

Grease Spot can probably figure her way around a trap, unlock doors, or figure out how to trap enemies.


The only real issue that I can see is direct combat. I'd probably be limited to chucking a stick of dynamite and then trying to snipe stuff with lightning bolts.

[One Tin Soldier]

Well, let me see how I understand the group dynamic based on tasks we might face:

Infiltration is fairly well covered. Soot can sneak in, Dive Bomb can create a diversion, Crown Cork could probably grease his way in with his influence.

Dive Bomb covers medicine, and he and City Slicker can probably figure out navigation.

Grease Spot can probably figure her way around a trap, unlock doors, or figure out how to trap enemies.


The only real issue that I can see is direct combat. I'd probably be limited to chucking a stick of dynamite and then trying to snipe stuff with lightning bolts.

Yeah, and Grease would likely be limited to bucking or hitting things with a hammer. However, I think that given our backstories, none of us really should have experience with fighting (with the possible exception of Soot). It seems like the kind of thing that we would pick up with earned XP during the adventure.
How about social situations? I can imagine having to deal with unfamiliar and/or unfriendly people on the way. Crown Cork seems to be the most social, though since we'll probably be outside Equestria his influence wouldn't be much help.

[BlasTech]

As mentioned to Balmas, I'm definitely interested in having one on one chats with all players to step through some character development exercises. (Yikes, do I really have five of those now? I don't know if I can cope )

I'm a bit too busy today, but Saturday is coming up soon down here, so in about 17 hours I should be able to idle in the IRC chatroom and hopefully see some of you there.

[Ravian]

I've never actually been on the IRC. How do I go about getting on it?

[One Tin Soldier]

I've never actually been on the IRC. How do I go about getting on it?

You just need to click the link that Blas posted early in the thread, and put in a name. Very simple. (I would repost the link if I wasn't posting from my phone)

[One Tin Soldier]

Just finished Dangerous Business. That is really, really good fanfic. Manly tears were shed.

[BlasTech]

I've never actually been on the IRC. How do I go about getting on it?

Link added to the 2nd post

Just finished Dangerous Business. That is really, really good fanfic. Manly tears were shed.

MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Excellent.

[One Tin Soldier]

Ponychat IRC is located here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtLMN...eature=g-all-u

I'm pretty sure that's the wrong link.

[BlasTech]

I'm pretty sure that's the wrong link.

It's still worth clicking on!!

(Link fixed)

[SiuiS]

You can actually set up your own channel for this game and design the link to go there, specifically. Doing so would mean the game could be played on the IRC, though it's probably nr a good idea given the time zone spread.

[TheAmishPirate]

You can actually set up your own channel for this game and design the link to go there, specifically. Doing so would mean the game could be played on the IRC, though it's probably nr a good idea given the time zone spread.

To be fair, that'll only apply for another four weeks to the day.

[One Tin Soldier]

To be fair, that'll only apply for another four weeks to the day.

You're not the only one in an awkward time zone. I'm pretty sure that Blas and I are on the opposite sides of the Atlantic.

[TheAmishPirate]

You're not the only one in an awkward time zone. I'm pretty sure that Blas and I are on the opposite sides of the Atlantic.

Whoops. Well then I spoke much too soon then, sorry 'bout that.

BlasTech: I'll try and catch you in the IRC sometime.

[BlasTech]

Yep, I'm about to head off to bed, but should be in there and idling again in about 12 hours.

Had a good chat with Balmas about character creation today. Not sure we got completely to the end, but it was good progress

I still have to figure out how/if this story can accomodate a fifth player. I had the whole setup figured out for four. I just need inspiration to strike me really, but it's never there when I need it

[Diego Havoc]

I will make an effort to get on the IRC tomorrow. I'm afraid I haven't had time to think about the game lately though. Stuff came up.

[BlasTech]

Have set up in the IRC, I'll be idling there for most of today while I do some study so if I don't respond immediately just ping me (type my username) and I'll respond soon after.