Paradigm Concepts

[CJ]

I've been lurking around the boards for the last few weeks and after some debate I decided to ask everyone for some help. This is my first time playing Arcanis, I never played the older game. Heck I'd never even heard of it, but after playing at Gen Con I'm hooked.

But I need help. I want to, I don't want to say play right, but I'd love some insight from other players. Some funny stories, or tips, or anything they feel like sharing.

I'm forever blabbing about the game to my friends who don't play but I can't tell them much more then "It's an awesome game." and explain the bit I played (which to be honest was a lot of me trying to rapidly absorb the game).

I've read the Codex and that was insightful but I'd love to here more, and players love to tell stories. And from what I've heard from my friends who do play there are some amazing ones.

Also any tips on playing an Elorii would be great.

Thanks to everyone and anyone who replies.
CJ

[Nierite]

Elorii Motivations: Most Elorii are old and very insular. They are distrustful of other races, especially Val and Ssethrics. However, I've played with many Elorii who often play the "We're all fun loving on the outside, but underneath it all, there is a dark side. . . " One of these players was an Elonbéan Elorii who acted all happy and joyous, but it turned out that her characte hated us all and was actively seeking to sabotage almost anything we were doing, not because of some secret orders, but because she didn't want to see Humans succeed at anything.
_________________
Cody Bergman

aka = Haakon Marcus val'Virdan, Priest of Nier (Divine 1.
aka = Dyabe val'Abebi, Templar of Althares (Divine 1.4)
aka = Jorma Ostoman, Battlemage of the Coryani Empire (Arcane 1.2)

[mighty28]

The typical mold for an Elorii is "you killed our gods, we want revenge". Personally, I have experienced very few players who did not constantly whine about this in some form or another. I think the best Elorii character I got to play with was played by Phil Gunther. He was definitely all fire and bitterness (he actually killed a few PCs with a fireball one time), but eventually suppressed it to embraced the whole "find the chosen humans" side of things. One of his best quotes, when asked what kind of payment he wanted for a job, he responded "i want my gods back"...the judge looked at him and said "i can't do that". Phil's response was to say "ok, then kill yours"

Whichever way you go (radical, loyalist, heretic...whatever) just try to be unique.

My advice....in regards to in-character Elorii knowledge...keep your mouth shut. Some Elorii players by year 2 had openly bragged about planning a war against mankind. (With 1-2 exceptions, I never wanted to play with any Elorii characters for this reason) Of course, given the recent wars between the 2 campaigns, that may not be as much of a big deal/revelation.
_________________
Matthew Flinn
Indiana Harvester

tpb Marcus Decius Val'Assante
and (formerly) Mikalosh Val'Assante (no relation)

[hustonj]

When I started playing Living Arcanis, I set out with one goal in mind: To find something I could enjoy.

A group of us read through the region descriptions in the Codex, and picked a region that we thought few would select for their character background.

Then we went through what was common for the area, found a specific hook to build the characters around, and then learned everything we could about that culture, that hook, and that region.

I ignored the rest of the world, the rest of the setting, and learned what I could about where my character was going to be from, about how he should think, and WHY he would think that way.

Then, I hammed it up. I interacted with other people based on what learning about my region had told me to expect from them. I interacted with them based on the reasons they gave me to care about them more than anybody else on the street.

I didn't play the character other people thought I should play. I didn't play the character other people told me to play. I TRIED to play a fairly typical member of his culture.

I always recommend other people new to the setting do the same. Play a character that doesn't know much about the rest of the world, and learn with him. It is not only easier on you, but it makes things more fun.

Despite what everybody has been saying about Elorii, the typical Elorii out and about in human lands has been sent to learn more about humanity and to report back on them. There is an Elorii nation that wants to simply eradicate the Human infestation, but they aren't legal to play. People want to play up the anger and hatred, so they do. Most of the same fail to play up the entire documented justification for their presence in Human territory to begin with.

Ignore most of the input other players will give you. Read the Codex. Read the updated material in the Quicklaunch book. Play a character derived from that material, not other people's prejudices. I think you will have far more fun doing that.
_________________
Valeriano Innocenzo Camillo de Larissa la Galletti
San Antonio, Tx-based Harvester
Jeff Huston
huston.harvester@cox.net

[Vashti]

Keep in mind...the original Elorii PCs all had to be Laerestri, and Laerestri were all young members who hadn't been so thoroughly programmed by Eloran culture. They were sent to study and learn. (and spy) They weren't there to wage war. It was the Malfelan who Henry said had chosen the "Path of Rage."

Now, that restriction is loosened, but to balance it, the Elorii have faced some radical influences in the past 47 years. Exposure to other societies inevitably raises questions of one's own. Certain secrets learned and events witnessed must have an impact. The Elorii aren't cardboard cut-outs. They're a learned people, and no matter how deep a belief is held, inexperienced members, when exposed to radically different input, are bound to start asking, and prompting questions. It can be tough to keep fury against people who don't have the slightest idea of why you're so upset, much less why you blame them. And logic suggests that if you, too, were blamed for something done by an ancestor 500 generations ago, then you might think it was a tad unfair.

But that doesn't mean they're necessarily wrong in their assumptions. Let me share some lore from an Elorii elder who ventured into strange lands.

"Well, it got so every pisssant human punk who thought he could swing a blade would ride into camp to try out the Elonbe Kid. I must have killed more men than Calsestus val'Sheem! It got pretty gritty... I started to hear the word 'draw!' in my sleep."

"Then, one day, I was just walking down the street when I heard a voice behind me say, "Reach for it, elf!" I spun around...and there I was -- face-to-face with a six-year-old human kid."

"Well, I just threw down my swords and walked away...and the little dark-kin stabbed me in the ass! So, I limped to the nearest tavern, crawled inside bottle of Savona Red, and I've been there ever since."

(lesson: sometimes they ARE out to get you!)

[Harliquinn]

[Sutekh]

CJ: Like you Im fairly 'new' to ARcanis. I did play in the old campaign but that was for a total of 5 or so modules.

Ive decided (after someone on the boards mentioned them) to play an Ellori. While I tend to favor magic types over Martial types Ive decided to play a Martial character firstup (see how I go down the road). However it seems everyone else has decided to go Martial also!

When picking my Ellori 'type' I decided on the Marokene because A) Id never seen one played before (as a player Ive encountered only a Kerokene Player), and secondly after reading the description they seemed the most grounded. Marokene as the description stattes are the most resistant to change, I wanted to play a character who had left his comfort zone because of an outside force. For this reason I chose the FLAW( which is part of the new system) Branded. I had a faint idea that either the character or an earlier incarnation (Ellori believe in a form of Reincarnation) had done something bad. I dont know if Ellori can be penalised for something a past incarnation has done (they can be held in esteem if they are an earlier hero reborn).

It made a weird sense to me that this was possible, but I also allowed for the fact he had done something bad and left his home to ease his own feelings of the dishonorable deed (essentially running from the problem). For the Marokene this would definetly not be the right thing to do. Having been a farmer during his 'youth' he also has a soft spot for animals and people involved in such labor (A lot of Marokene are construction types or farmers).

Zaratos (the character name) became a Soldier and then found he was good at it. I have not decided why he did , but again I feel it was due to the branding. In a weird way he felt he could attone for his past through the field of battle.

Thats not to say Im discounting any of the key Marokene traits. He is reserved, he dosnt get overtly agressive or quick to anger. He kills because that is what he knows now.

So yeah you could say that Ive put perhaps a little too emphasis on the Branded part. You might be right. For me as a player though, I needed a reason why Zaratos does what he does, and it needs to be more than 'he adventures'. Keep in mind that baring beheading (sorry Highlander moment for a second), Elorii are immortal. There are still Elorii alive who remember coming off the Ssethregore (the ugly snake guys who Elorii dont invite round to the BBQ) production line.

One of the most interesting things though is how your character interacts with others. You will tend to find Human characters (be they from different nations and Val ( the divine offspring). Now these are two groups who did a LOT to screw the Elorii ( ie destroying their Gods bar one and wiping out whole populations of Elorii). Some people might tend to find that should preclude Elorii characters from interacting with these two other races. It is up to you however to find the reasoning why you shouldnt butcher them. In the case of my character, it is because he comes from a City which has long embraced interaction with outsiders and thus the socio cultural view has changed. You are going to find Elorii at some point in a module who will express the more homicidal kill the humans viewpoint.

As Elorii are generally religous, you really have to take some view on the subject as Religon does come up a lot I found in Arcanis modules of the past. Zaratos believes that the Elorii Gods will return but he also believes that Umor (the Human god who was imprisoned by the current Human Pantheon) is worthy of respect (because he stood alone against the rest of them.. and because he protection an Elorii goddess at the same time).
Hes looking forward to praising Umor while in battle

Im not sure what else I can tell you at this point as Ive only played a single module. What I can say is , find your crux and build around it. It may seem like a weak point, but as you flesh things out you can add stuff as you go.

Matt
aka Zaratos, Marokene Ellori

[Vashti]

[Sutekh]

You are completely right Michael. I picked up on that Val thing after I had clicked send (and did not have the time to go back and change things).

The Val represent a slap in the face to the Elorii in a way as they are God infused Humans , in a similar way that the Elorii are a 'god' infused creation themselves.

[CJ]

Thanks for the insight Matt and everyone. I really enjoy hearing about how other people play, have played or will play their Elorii. Not because I want to make carbon copies of what they are doing, but in essence these will be the people she has grown up with and lived around. If that makes any kind of sense.

I do have a few general ideas that I'm refining but this is my character in a nut shell.

Her name is Aritae, she is an Ardakene Elorii. As well her main focus is around being a healer. (As a small aside this is also the first game where I thought being a healer would be awesome). She had a sickness as a child and still has it to some degree and I'm swaying towards her being slightly shorter then average due to that.

As to her interactions with none Elorii, that's where I get a bit stuck. She's a healer so she has at least some respect for living creatures, but at the same time she doesn't hold that all life is equal.

The other thing that I have an idea about is having her be fairly young and reborn, with the person she was in her past life having done some great things and she feels some pressure to live up to who she was before.

Anyways that's just my little bit of thought on what I'd like to play. It's really nice to be playing a game where how you play your character matters.

As to the history of the different races, I'll admit that so far I've only read about the Vals, the Dwarves, the Elorii and the Ssethren but I really enjoy how each of them thought they were doing the right thing. That's on thing that's always bothered me in other games, how the 'bad guys' are evil and know they are evil.

Does anyone have any neat stories from past adventures? Funny things that happened, or the like?

CJ

[Dead.Zone]

Well, if you're looking for entertaining stories, I've got one. But first a few comments on elorii, in general, just so that as you develop your character, you're aware of these things. One is about elorii and height. Young elorii are roughly the same height as humans. IIRC, they are just slightly shorter than most humans, on average. But every thousand years or so, they hit a growth spurt that increases their height by several inches. So if you ever come across an 8-foot tall elorii, don't be rude. Second is about past lives. Now, there are a lot of people in the campaign who know more about elorii than I do. But I'm pretty sure that most elorii remember very little, if anything, about their past lives. I got the impression from your post that your PC knew enough about her past life to use it as a measuring stick for her current life. And although I believe that it's possible for elorii to do so, in the old system (take it with a grain of salt) characters could take a feat that gave them glimpses, only into their past lives. So, I'm not saying that your concept is flawed or anything. I just wanted to be sure that you were aware of these things, in case they become inportant.

Now, as for my story...

In the old system, I created one of my non-primary characters as a holy champion of Sarish. They were known as the Order of the inner demon. Basically, in order to keep infernals from doing infernally things, they bound them inside of themselves, constantly being vigilant in locking away the infernal to keep everyone else safe from it. My character (Nirset Val'Mehan) had a succubus bound inside of him. When he began his adventuring career he was constantly at war with the infernal inside him. Often telling it to be quiet or otherwise chastising it. (This was really how I had envisioned the character playing out for his career... as a somewhat schizophrenic val, constantly talking to "himself") As the character grew and experienced many adventures, the influence of the PCs and NPCs that he encountered sort of changed things. The succubus went quiet, and Nirset thought he had finally suppressed her. Then he came across a sword, etched with some text that I can no longer quote, but went somethign like this... I am the Vengance of Sarish. I am his holy wrath. Or something to that effect. Anyway, he took it as a sign that he was meant to have it. And the succubus inside of him quietly whispered into his head at opportune times the things he wanted to hear. By the end of the campaign, he believed that he was the Vengance of Sarish. Sarish's holy avatar, sent to do his will on Onara. In fact, he even had about a half-dozen followers who were also PCs int he campaign. The moment that really sealed the deal was in one particular adventure. (I'll be vague, intentionally.) The party was in a fortress devoted to Sarish. And there was a special doorway that we need to get through. It was physically blocked by a giant statue of an infernal. Obviously, we were worried about the statue coming to life and trying to kill us if we did something wrong. As the party deliberated as to how to bypass this obstacle, Nirset walked up to the statue and said, "I am Nirset Val'Mehan, Vengance of Sarish and I wish to pass." The statue actually got up and moved out of his way! He walked through the doorway and as the rest of the party attempted to pass, the statue resumed its previous position, blocking them from entering. I gained 3 believers, that day! The other two still refused to accept my touch of divinity. (The down side was that I had to face the challenges on the other side of the door all by myself. But I managed to survive.)

I found out later why it worked. And the circumstances were actually quite interesting. But to Nirset, it was proof that Sarish had chosen him. That PC became so much fun for me to play, I'd wished he was my primary PC by the end of the campaign.

So that's one of my favorite stories. I hope you enjoyed it.


Scott

[Harliquinn]

Quick question, with the 'no replay' rules, how does anyone find time for a 'non primary' character? It seems like if you want to advance you'll want every available adventure to go towards one character?

Am I missing something?
_________________
- Harliquinn, John Bellando
Ohio Harvester

Kelb'Bakari, Dark-kin Altherian Corsair, Gentleman Archaeologist
-"Judge a wine by its label and you will miss out on the best vintages."

[CJ]

Scott, that's a cool story. I'm a nut, I love hearing stuff like that. About cool past characters, or that funny thing that happened in the tavern the one time.

Your comments on Elorii made me go dig out the books darn you. And look a few things up. On page 184 of the Codex it talks about there being divinations as to what bloodline a new born is and any past lives of major importance, as well it talks about the being divining of events that will "surround the child's life".

In the quick start, not the updated one, there is a talent called Patchwork Soul on page 103, that allows someone to be in tune with a fragment of an old life but it's only available to humans, vals and gnomes. I didn't see one for Elorii but I may have missed it.

About the Elorri height it says most exceed six feet in height and are full grown by ten years (Quick start page 23). I took this to mean that's the normal height for an Elorii.

I'm not trying to be argumentative I'm just wanting to show you where in the books I got the idea from. As always anyone who can add in would be more then welcome.

CJ

[Nierite]

Elorii cannot have patchwork souls. Their souls go intact into the Urumar where they then get reborn in a new Elorii. Those of other races (human-based) go into Beltine's cauldron where they are melted together to create brand new souls.

Elorii are all around 6' tall when they reach adulthood at around age 10, with different races of Elorii being a touch taller or shorter. Osalikenes are taller, Marokenes are shorter. Every 1000 years, they grow about a few more inches.
_________________
Cody Bergman

aka = Haakon Marcus val'Virdan, Priest of Nier (Divine 1.
aka = Dyabe val'Abebi, Templar of Althares (Divine 1.4)
aka = Jorma Ostoman, Battlemage of the Coryani Empire (Arcane 1.2)

[CJ]

Cody, I understand that Elorii can not have that talent. Scott mentioned that he thought there was a feat in the old system allowing Elorii to get glimpses of their past lives. I was just pointing out that Patchwork Soul was the only talent I saw in the quick start that had anything to do with past lives and wondering if there was another one I might have missed.

My other real question about height was if it was possible to have a short Elorii (short compared to their height) due to sickness for example.

CJ