Angel Gladiator | Anvar Paladin | Beasts Minotaur | Conflaris Berzerker | Demon Daemon | DragonLord Sevalle | Elven Ranger | Human Warrior | Ilarn GhostHunter | Lar'K'Leth Wis'arn | Merman Shark | Mortis BoneMaker | Pravaii Nocaii | Soulless Behemoth | Torma PackLeader | Venai BladeGoddess
Many of the Races follow the devout path of the warrior, honing their skills in combat at the cost of all else. Indeed many of these warriors are those without the inherent gifts needed to become mages, unable to cast magic. Instead their skills with their chosen weapons become immense. Nearly all of the Elder Races have some kind of warrior class and even the humans recognise the strength of the Warrior, giving the Lord Warrior a seat upon the Magus Council. What follows is a description of each of these warrior types. All are fully playable except where noted. All Warriors are unable to cast magic (again, except where noted).
To create a Warrior Character, simply state that his 'Sect' is one of the following classes and then proceed as normal. Instead of spells, you can give your warrior up to two physical abilities (these are upgraded as normal for spells). These can be anything, from being able to knock away arrows with your sword, to being adept in knocking your foes from their feet with a well placed shield barge.
HOWEVER! If you make a Warrior, you MUST abide by the Drawbacks of doing so. You will, naturally, also get the benefits, but they are not always balanced. Thus is the challenge of playing a Warrior.
ANGEL GLADIATOR
Elis is home to the Warrior Breed, the Black Winged. As such it is there that the Games are held every few weeks. An event of great excitement and considerable social power, the Games give young Angels the chance to showcase their abilities and skills in front of the four million strong crowd.
It shows races on foot, on wing, by chariot, by horse, fights against between beasts and monsters, fights of warriors against beasts or monsters, and Angels against other Angels. All of this without a single spell being cast, not even the healing magic of the Fairies being permitted within the Games. If you are injured, then you must heal by yourself, and many Angels proudly bear the scars of their younger impetuousness in the Games.
In the end it is these consists of might, strength and blood-strewn death that bring the most appreciation fro m the crowd. The Gladiators, as these Angels are known, are ferocious close range fighters, using every dirty trick, every skill Aeros has granted them and every move they know to ensure victory. They use nets, spiked chains and weighted ropes to snare their opponents limbs and short stabbing weapons to finish off a trapped opponent. This up close style of combat is quick, bloody, brutal and lethal. And the crowds love it.
Gladiators are traditionally prisoners of war, and the Warrior Angels still use it as a punishment for crimes that members of the their Breed commits, instead of outright Exile. However, in recent years several young Angels have actually volunteered to be Gladiators, as training before joining the College of War.
Should a Gladiator win, or simply survive, a score of fights, the Lord Air and the Angel King will grant the Gladiator freedom. They are then inducted into the Angels Warrior Guild, where they will serve for another decade before being truly free.
Benefits:
Gladiatorial Combat - The ability to use nets, spiked chains and weighted ropes in combat in addition to any other combat abilities.
Swift - Gladiators learn to be quick, and many of them take part in the Races as well as the fights. As such they are faster then others of their Race, both in combat and normally.
Drawbacks:
Criminal - Most Gladiators are criminals and even when they are volunteers, there is still a stigmata to such things. Socially, Gladiators will always be outcasts.
Mental Scarring - Fighting in the Games is mentally damaging and even the most stable of individuals cannot hope to come out of it without some kind of personality change.
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The Anvar are highly pious, to the point of nigh fanaticism. Yet some of this Race take their devotion even further, dedicating their every life to the worship of Solar. These are the Paladins of the Anvar, their priests, leaders, commanders and greatest warriors. Though not always stronger then their fellow Anvar, the Sun God, Solar, takes a vested interest in these loyal subjects of His. They are gifted with spells and abilities granted by their God.
Their armour, usually a silvery metallic in colour, deepens to a ruddy gold to show the Sun God's favour. In this they are given into his worship for all to see, marked, as it were, by the hand of a God. They are preachers of skill and believe utterly in everything they say. They can incite a group of Anvar into a religious frenzy with their words and it is partially this skill that makes them so dangerous. It is these Paladins, though not all of them, that march at the head of the Anvar forces, currently pressing into the Vorn Wastes towards the Walled City.
Should they get there, then they will spark off an immense conflict; the Mist Devils, the Demons, the Beasts, the Pravaii, the Torma and even many DragonLord tribes won't hesitate to attack a Magus Council that shows any signs of weakness.
Benefits:
Defensive Magic - Anvar Paladins can make use of defensive magic, much like a kind of cross between Guardian and Healer Magics, able to heal their warriors, or cast protective Armour or Shield spells. Though they will never be as powerful as a full fledged Healer or Guardian, when combined with their combat abilities, they are formidable fighters.
Incite - Paladins can whip other Anvar into a frenzy and always seem to have a religious following. As such, any Paladin is always accompanied by at least one other Anvar if he wishes it. This additional Anvar does not count towards your character limit, and does not require an additional sheet. He counts as a basic Anvar character and cannot be upgraded.
Drawbacks:
Golden Light - Anvar Paladin's have golden armour, a mark of Solar's favour.
Religious Oath - Anvar Paladin's are unable to use sharp weapons, and must use blunt instruments instead.
Preacher - Anvar Paladin's are preachers and devout believers of Solar. As such they should be RPed like that.
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Called the Kkrassh in the Beast Tongue, though Humanity calls them Minotaurs after the resemblance that the immense, horned creatures bear to the monster of legend, these creatures normally guard the Waystones of the Beasts deep in Lathrandar forest. The Minotaur's are both immensely strong and almost twice the size of a normal Beast, their intelligence less then other Beasts and they become frenzied at the sight of anything that is not a Beast. Muscles upon muscles crowd their frames, their bovine heads complete with tiny bloody red eyes
Indeed a frenzied Minotaur is a terrifying prospect, a monster that can heft and throw small trees across clearings, or tear a man in two with it's bear hands. Immense horns can kill even a DragonLord with a well-placed goring, heavy hooves ready to stamp and break the bones of any foe.
Though untrained and brutal fighters, the Minotaurs are capable with the weapons they use, normally heavy axes or blunt weapons, provided for them by the smaller Beasts. In battle they are pushed to the front where they can fight as devastating shock troops, laying waste to whole groups of people. They love hot, raw meat and will eagerly devour the still warm corpses of those they kill, still fighting as they do so, even more ferocious when they have a meal to protect.
Benefits:
Immense Strength - Minotaur's can match even Black DragonLords for pure strength, well capable of lifting many times their own body weight.
Bull Horns - The Minotaur's horns are lethal weapons in their own right, razor sharp, long and curving, often tipped with metal to make them more dangerous. A gore can kill almost any other humanoid.
Drawbacks:
Stupid - Minotaur's are stupid. They cannot use anything more complex then armour that is strapped onto their body by others, and cannot use complex weapons. They also favour blunt or heavy two-handed weapons.
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Conflaris hold oaths and promises above all things, even gold. They keep them until death if they can, and will do almost anything to keep their word. Like DragonLords, Conflaris hold honour in high regard, believing that to break ones sworn oath is to lost all hour and thus all face in front of your clan.
However sometimes a Conflaris is unable to keep their word, unable to protect his family or unable to pay a debt. This can happen for many reasons, but when it does, many Conflaris exile themselves. Unable to face their people, they wander the land, seeking out death. They enter combat with absolutely no regard for their own safety, refusing to flee until they or what they are fighting, is dead.
When these Conflaris exile themselves, when they become Conflaris Berzerkers, and give all their personal belongings to either their nearest family, or if their family is dead, to their King. They only they keep are boots, trousers and a single weapon, usually an axe of Conflarian craftsmanship. Thus armed and clad, they seek out the largest, most vicious creature they can find and bring it down, or die trying. Berzerkers become incredibly competent warriors, presuming they keep surviving, learning where best to strike to do the most damage. For this is because, though the Conflaris wishes to die, they are still a Conflaris and seek out honour in death.
They are loners, shunning the company of other Conflaris, their shame too much for them to face their people. Yet they are on occasion found in the company of Humans, Elves or DragonLords, though all Conflaris Berzerkers avoid Fae and Mermen as a matter of course, finding those Races to be distastefully irreverent.
Benefits:
Monster Slayer - Berzerkers are experts at killing monsters, and as such deal substantial damage to all none-humanoid creatures.
Drawbacks:
No Honour - Berzerkers view themselves as having no honour and deserving of death. As such they do not flee from battle, wear no armour and view the biggest, nastiest monsters as just a path to death.
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Amongst the endless ranks of Demon kind, there are a few who show Killar's full favour. Bigger, stronger, more horrific and blood-thirsty, these are the Daemons, the Kings of Killar's tormented creations and most powerful of the Mad God's children.
Each is the absolute personification of their aspect of Killar, without variance or alteration, be they Slaughter, Rage, Hate, Anger, Fury, Lust, Fear, Terror, Cruelty, Greed, Hunger, Insanity or Dementia. Though the ranks of Demons are without end or number, Daemons are far more limited. Some say that there are only 1313, the number 13 being the holy number of Killar, whilst others place the number far higher. Regardless, no matter how many, they are all just aspects of the same thirteen faces of Killar.
Demons often rise to become generals in the armies of the Demon kind. When Demons gather together in force, there will always be at least on Daemon to lead them. Yet, though they personify the Bloody Handed Slayer, their demise does not diminish him in any way. The Research Sect is at a loss to explain this and if any of the Elder Races know, then they are not sharing the information with humans.
Of course they do not normally support each other. Daemons of the same Aspect, be they Rage or Lust or Greed, could fight together and aid each other and sometimes do. Yet they have scant regard for the lesser Demons or Daemons of other Aspects. Indeed the Eighth Tier of Hell, where they all reside, often devolves into a war zone of blood and death as the Aspects gang together or with Aspects similar to their own, to slaughter the other Aspects. This pleases Killar and thus He encourages this mass murder.
Benefits:
Daemonic Might - You are stronger, bigger and faster then other Demons of your type.
Daemonic Command - You can command other Demons of your Aspect.
Daemonic Casting - You can cast Magic in spite of being of a Warrior sub-type.
Drawbacks:
Huge - Rage, Hatred, Fear and Despair Daemons, though more powerful, are also at least ten feet tall.
Ugly - With the exception of Lust Daemons, all Daemons are even more exceptionally grotesque then normal Demons.
Hated and Feared - All Daemons are hated by Demons and feared in equal measure. Demons will, whilst not under direct command, work according to the strengths of their Aspect to destroy, kill or lay low the Daemon.
Sadist - Lust Daemons find pleasure in giving out pain to others to the extent that they are physically addicted to the rush this provides. Failure to deliberately and sadistically damage another sentient being per day causes damage. This starts at Very Low and increases one level per day that goes by without harming another. The damage is self-inflicted and thus unavoidable.
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During the Great War, a small clan of DragonLords were captured and imprisoned. Heavily chained and held in cells, they were experimented upon by the human scientists, even as war raged outside their walls. Given a free leash, the scientists dissected the DragonLords in an attempt to discover what actually made them so resilient to damage.
Almost a dozen DragonLords and Lady's died before the last one snapped. With her hands bound, she used her feet and her speed to kill her guards and escape. Killing dozens of humans as she ran through the streets, she fled over the wall and made it to the Elder battle lines. She is un-named, and she chose to go straight back into combat, the DragonLady never giving the DragonKing, Vralic, her name. She died in her first assault, torn apart by the explosive shells from a human PTAU. After the war, Vralic declared her a hero, posthumously, and her story, if not her name, are told to young DragonLords and Ladies in every clan.
And some even go as far as to emulate her example, favouring their speed, agility and kicks over punches and throws, refusing to use any weapons or armour and sometimes even binding their hands. Though this practice seems strange, to a warrior Race like the DragonLords, it holds great honour. These Sevalles, the Draconic word for 'bound', have actually elevated this skill into an art form called Sevallehai; 'bound until death'.
They strive to be honourable in all things, to fight whenever they must, or to die trying. And they hunt down anyone who holds others wrongly or cruelly.
Benefits:
Self-Hypnosis - On their third upgrade, a Sevalle can start learning Self-Hypnosis. Ultimately this can put the user in a state of deep self awareness, increasing their speed, strength and agility exponentially.
Agility - A Sevalle's skills are honed beyond the normal measure of a DragonLord, making them incredibly agile, able to run along walls and balance on narrow ledges with ease.
Unarmed Combat - Sevalle are masters of unarmed, foot based combat, able to break bones with a well placed kick.
Drawbacks:
Oath - Sevalle can never flee from combat, even if they know they are going to lose.
Honour - Sevalle cannot use weapons or armour, as to do so is against their code.
Self-Trust - Sevalle do not use magical items, trusting in their own physical capabilities.
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Elves desire nothing more then to be one with the trees and to be left alone. In this their ideals are similar to those of the Lar'K'Leth, but the forests reaction could not be more different. Though the woodlands do not resent the presence of the Elven in the same way as it does that of the Beasts, it still does not lend the Elves the whole hearted support that some would say they deserve. The Treemen and the Dryads do not heed the call of the Elves and the trees are deaf to the singing of the Elder.
As such the ever-changing paths within Lathrandar Forest are as capable of confusing the Elves as anyone else. With the inability to set up defensive outposts or set areas of patrol, the Elves have been forced to utilise Rangers instead. Highly adaptable warriors, the Rangers are experts in ambush warfare, as well as hit-and-run assaults. Normally operating either on their own or in pairs they have long since learned to be self-sufficient.
Utilising a variety of different weaponry, though expert with the bow and dirk, the Rangers represent a more militant side of the Elven Race. Indeed the Rangers make up the bulk of the Elf standing army, as they have no use for conventional soldiers. After all, where would you set up a line of battle within an eternally changing forest land?
Benefits:
Ambushers - Rangers are experts at hiding and striking from seclusion, as well as attacking and then vanishing again. What's more, they can do this in any kind of terrain as the basic principles of stealth are the same everywhere.
Self-Reliant - Rangers do not feel the need for the company of others and are more then capable of living off the land for years at a time.
Drawbacks:
Hidden Warfare - Due to the nature of their lives, Rangers cannot wear metal armour or utilise two handed weaponry.
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Ilarn GhostHunters are the warrior breed of this elusive Race, capable of using their ethereal nature and innate skills in combat to give a different twist to a Warrior. Unable to be touched unless touching another, or wishing to be touched, Ilarn are difficult to wound, let alone kill, as they will simply phase away under an attack. This is especially difficult for Warriors, but that is not the purpose of the GhostHunter.
These Ilarn are specially trained to destroy the bane of Ilarn. Spell casters. Whilst Ilarn are effected normally by spells, GhostHunters are not, able to use their phasing to dodge spells in the same way as they would normally dodge physical attacks. Normally used together with an Ilarn spell caster, the GhostHunters prefer short, stabbing or slashing weapons as it allows them to close quickly, attack and escape again without exposing themselves to dangerous and draining plonged close combat.
Naturally, GhostHunters are expert ambushers, and also don't wear armour as it is somewhat pointless. Their weapons are normally of ShadowMetal, allowing them to be untouchable as well. Ultimately in a extended fight with a Warrior, the GhostHunter would come out badly, but against Mages they are highly dangerous.
Benefits:
Magic Phase - GhostHunters can ignore magical attacks so long as they are not in contact with the ground or anything that is not another GhostHunter or a ShadowMetal weapon.
Drawbacks:
Strain - Maintaining this heightened level of phase is straining, and cannot be maintained for long, especially in the rigors of combat.
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The Lar'K'Leth are older then the Elder and walked Tal'Vorn when the world was young. Yet the coming of the Gods has broken this once proud Race and now, slowly but surely, their numbers fall, day by day, year by year, these Protectors of the Forest becoming more and more stretched out.
For some the sorrow of their dying Race simply becomes to much to bear and they will abandon all their worldly possessions, keeping only basic clothing, their Scripture amulet and a pair of swords. Calling themselves the Wis'arn these Lar'K'Leth leave Lara with the intention of bringing the fight to their enemies, to drown their sorrow in a flood of rage and glory. However these Wis'arn are still Lar'K'Leth, are still connected to the forest and thus will not simply lie down and die. They fight with all of their considerable skill, turning their speed and agility with a longbow into furious, frenzied assaults, ducking, diving, leaping through combat almost like a dancer.
On rare occasions the individual Wis'arn survive and join up with others of their kind, forming small armies lead by the wildest fighter, the most frenzied dancer. These Wis'arn, the Wis'arn'ai, mark their leadership by the usage of a long spear instead of two swords, the wooden shaft allowing for even more exuberant dances and movements. It is said that a Wis'arn'ai can strike an opponent anywhere, even if they are separate by up to 100 metres, within a heartbeat.
Benefits:
Ungodly Skill - Wis'arn and Wis'arn'ai are obscenely skilled with their weapons, their every move an aggressive counter.
Inhuman Dance - When the Wis'arn and Wis'arn'ai fight, it is more like a dance, their agility and grace allowing them to move with strange rhythms, making it difficult to hit them.
Scripture Binding - They can use limited Scripture Magic to effect their blades and their blades alone. This can include spells to make them cut better, burn with flame or sunder enemy weaponry.
Drawbacks:
Agility is Armour - A Wis'Arn or a Wis'Arn'ai wears no armour, trusting in their agility to see them through combat.
Blades for Blood - A Wis'arn may only use swords in combat. A Wis'arn'ai may only use a spear.
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Even amidst the traditionally easy-going Mermen are those who lust for the thrill of combat. They are filled with a desire for brutal warfar and the rush of victory. Up to a point, Hydros recognizes this need, especially considering how war-torn Tal'Vorn is. However if this need is taken too far, taken to extremes, then it becoming an antipathy to the Laughing God and He, like all Gods, punishes those of His followers that fall too far from His grace. Hydros does not condemn these vagretns, but grants them the tools they need to fulfill their desire, no matter the cost.
Their bodies, already, as Mermen, having much akin to fish, become more so, their skin thickening and gaining a thin layer of flexible scales that function as a peculiar kind of armour. THeir eyes often change colour, as does their skin tone. They become even faster then a normal Merman and even stronger. Sometimes their teeth sharpen and elongate, becoming multi-layered, like those of their namesake, the shark.
Naturally the majority of Mermen do not approve of this transformation, but condemnation is not in the nature of Hydros' Children. The Sharks are not exiled or shunned, but nor are they accepted. Many Sharks feel this subconsious discomfort and leave of their own accord. Still others make up the bulk of the Mermish armed forces, choosing to vent their bloodlust for the betterment of their Race.
However, a small few fall so far and so fast that exile is the only choice. Often these Sharks turn to the worship of Killar or the Dark God in an effort to find an outlet for their rage. Their lives from this point tend to be short and exceedingly bloody.
Benefits:
Superior Combat Capability: Sharks are faster, stronger, tougher and more aggressive then normal Mermen.
Shark Bite: Sharks can choose to bite their opponent, ripping a bloody hunk of flesh from their body.
Drawbacks:
Bloodlust: All Sharks feel an urge to kill and slay.
Outcast: Though not shunned by other Mermen, nor are Sharks truely one of their people any longer.
Cursed: No matter how you look at it, being a Shark is a curse, and one that marks you out amongst other Races.
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A Pravaii's position within Pravus society relies up on many things, including how well they serve their superiors and the Pravus race as a whole, how many slaves they own and can thus sacrifice at the festivals to Killar the Bloody Handed.
Within the military the Nocaii are permitted to keep one tenth of everything they pillage, four tenths going to the commander, two tenths being 'donated' to the Killar Temples and the remainder belonging to the Hierophant. In this way is the Pravus society maintained, through warfare, pillage, murder and destruction. The Pravaii fight in a very specific manner, inherent to their basic mentality and their limitations as a fighting force. Though they can take to the field of battle in force should they wish to, and once there they would make a formidable opponent, they prefer to work through terror and confusion, attacking where the enemy is weakest, undermining his morale and his support, before dealing the crushing blow.
The Nocaii work best as a group, though are still formidable alone. Unlike many other Warriors, Nocaii do not rely upon being stronger or faster then their opponent. Instead they trust in their weapons and their armour and their martial skill. One on one, ignoring their inherent abilities, the average Nocaii is a better swordsman then a DragonLord, the so called 'Perfect Warriors'.
However, Nocaii also make use of hooked and barbed weaponry, the value of a wounded slave being much higher then that of a dead one. If they can they will strike to injure rather then kill, though it is considered that the loss of one limb is an acceptable detraction from the slave's value.
Benefits:
Martial Skill - Nocaii are highly skilled in combat, more then capable with their weaponry, typically long spears, swords and shields, though other weapons have also been known to appear. They are especially expert at disarming or maiming their opponent without killing.
Superior Armour - Nocaii Armour is some of the finest in the world, only exceeded by the best Dwarvish made armour.
Superior Weaponry - Nocaii Weaponry is labourously constructed, made with numerous hooks, barbs, curves, strange cutting edges and spikes. It is brutal in combat, drawing far more blood then such injuries normally would.
Drawbacks:
Elven - Elves are not strong and Pravaii Nocaii are no exception. They do not have the strength of DragonLords and even the average human is stronger then most Nocaii.
Reliant - A Nocaii relies on his weaponry and his armour. Remove either from him and he is much weaker as a warrior
Slaves - Nocaii fight to earn slaves. As such they will nearly always try to take their opponent alive unless they are seriously outmatched.
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Hevar, God of Justice, gave birth to three creations, known collectively as the Soulless. The first of these was the Behemoth, a man-mountain of muscle and power. Utterly incapable of casting magic, these creations were, none the less, consummate hand to hand fighters.
Unlike many other muscle bound hulks, Behemoths still retain substantial intelligence, more then enough to learn how to use complex weapons, albeit on a larger scale then other Elder or humans. As such, Behemoths are quite different to other such monsters, able to strike from a distance using ballista as crossbows or even Dwarven cannon as handguns before closing in for a brutally decisive close combat.
Born with the single tone of eyes of the Soulless, Behemoths are also completely hairless and muscle-bound. At last ten feet tall and almost eight feet across at the shoulders, they have difficulty adapting to life indoors, preferring to live in the wilds, away from other Elder and humans. Of course there are notable exceptions to this, but these are rare, rather then the norm.
Benefits:
Huge - Behemoths are, as their name suggests, massive. They are able to use cannons and siege crossbows as smaller Races would use handguns and hand bows.
Drawbacks:
Monstrosity - Behemoths are Soulless, but unlike Soulless Born are not accepted by humans. A Behemoth is viewed as a monster, a pitiless creature that needs to be destroyed. Though generally untrue, this outlook still effects the Behemoth.
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© Joshua Binks (Paladin), Christopher Riley (Carnage), Brad Rumsey (Lithium), Alicia Rumsey (Escapist) and Vanessa Vaughan (Andanin) 2002 -