Character Creation advice.

Well combat and non-combat are split in this system so you can build anything and still be awesome in combat.

Something to remember with the system is that you always have both the non-combat and combat aspects of your character so even if not as skilled as veteran players you'd still be useful. An actual build could incorporate a number of concepts to make a scholar work though it depends on your goals. What all does he or she study?

Welcome to the forums!

Out of combat other than just being exposition guy (usually this kind of stuff would be done with history) because knowledge has two other stats you could be the party wizard with Magic Tricks and It's Witchcraft (Spellcraft now I think) and a good arcarna stat or the team doctor with well basically a decent heal stat and maybe Medical Trainign (might not be the right name) . For a scholarly type there is not much Horse-Sense can really do for you except for perception.

As it has been said there is no connection between Combat and Noncombat so you can do whatever you like and flavor it whatever way you like.

Just one thing less good thing there are to my knowledge no skype games that are really open at the moment... There are several Play By Post games that are either recruiting or starting up if you want a list just ask me.

Welcome to the forums. It's great to have you here.

As others have said, you're in the right system. Here you can build any roleplay concept you like, whether unicorn scholar or dazzling diplomat, and still be just as strong as everyone else in combat. You get to be knowledgable without having to be weak. So really, it comes down to just figuring out what kind of combat you want to play and choosing abilities that support that. You'll still get to be a braniac when it comes to the roleplaying side of things.

Yep, Sweet and Elite is a lot of fun too.

So after much deliberation, this is what I've got so far. Still working out the backstory, as it may be subject to change depending on the campaign setting, hence why it's not currently there. Quite frankly for combat I have no idea what to do, but in terms of utility and RP he's basically a moderately well-known historian, having published several accounts on various lesser-known events in Equestrian history. He's well-connected, and is quite skilled at gathering information (not necessarily in a strictly legal way, hence the Inkbound Item talent) and, if necessary, other items of interest. His element of Honesty is relating to the fact that he wants to reveal the hidden truths of the world and the past, e.g. the history of the Changelings, the pre-Celestian era, the origins of ponykind (bit of a lofty goal there but what the hell), even though he may use dishonest means to uncover such truths. Really he needs a lot of work, but I think I might be doing okay so far.

Eon looks great thus far. All the utility talents work really well together and the pic is great too. Clearly a solid expression of your concept for him. Nice work.

As for combat, why not just go to one particular section of the combat talents that seems appropriate (like 'Wizard') and just choose a nice mix of + and - moves that look like they'll be fun to use. It's really hard to go wrong with your combat build at level 1, just make sure you have a nice mix of + and - abilities (meaning if you have several -5 or higher combat talents, make sure you have a +3 or +4 to go along with them - otherwise you can stick to +1 and +2).

Eon Script.
Love the name that's cool.
First thing I can think of to mention(Aside from I really like the pic) is you still have 3 racial points to spend on Genetic Engineering and what not, seeing as you seem to have 5 when you should have 8(Yay for more chances to get free Freaky Knowledge and more utilities and fire breathing!)

Also Sweet and Elite isn't something I've seen in like ever, so well done on that. For combat, yeah I guess it depends what you're trying to go for? It's hard to give suggestions cause he doesn't have a backstory, but yeah I recommend anything under Wizard or Bard heads(with some single damage dealer stuff to make sure). All of this stuff works well for reflavouring, especially for unicorns!

Also, happy game hunting and well done on the character.

I... don't know what you mean by extra racial points, given I'm a unicorn and thus all my racial points are taken. Or am I missing something again? I've got a cutie mark, obviously, I have Finishing School, which should, again, be obvious, give I have three trained skills, I have Ponykinesis, as I wrote down, and I have Spellchild (which may or may not be useless to me - does Element use qualify for that? Can I use it on combat talents?) so that seems to add up to 8.

Anyway, I've selected my combat talents and special ability - would this be decent-ish, or do I need to rework it?

Even though you got your extra training and cutie mark in the Attributes and Skills place... But you don't got their details down in the Racial Abiltiies area. so at a glance people might make that mistake of having some extra racials to spend. Yes, even those "no-brainer" racials should be on there as well. Just so people can at a glance just add up everything to 8 points. Cause when somebody glances at Eon right now we only count up 5 points spent.

I think he meant that he only saw 5 points worth of stuff on the racial list on your sheet - not realizing you'd already included the Cutie mark and Finishing School without listing them. Your racial stuff is perfect.

As for your combat build, definitely looks solid. I don't see any problems, it's totally playable. Of course, if you want optimization advice - people can definitely give it (optimizers tend to focus on one specific role in combat, though that isn't necessary) but I wouldn't stress about it unless you really like optimization. The system is designed so that low level characters can take just about whatever they want without the risk of being useless in a fight.

You also get 3000 gold to spend on items at level 1. Buy some stuff and you'll be good to go.

Alrighty, racial abilities noted down fully and items acquired. I do believe I'm about done for now. Thanks very much for the help, fellows.

Any time. =)

Also added a cutie mark story, in case anyone wants to know. It's amazing what you can do when your brain is half-asleep.

Alright, how to say this... Ahem.

Greetings all, including those I have not met yet. Another newcomer to the system and forum, and thus a player effectively adrift at sea and struggling to grab what flotsam I can before sinking into the depths of despair. And inactivity. ...Metaphor broken, moving on.

Having read what I can, I think I have a basic idea for a character now down in my head. I do think it might be an idea to pitch it here though before I try to make the full thing however. Before I go making a Marty Stu, or worse, a generic and uninteresting character no DM wants to bother with. Or worst of all, one that is disruptive.

So yeah. Idea is as such. Combat wise, I wanted to create a build that sounded like one of these It's Over builds I've heard about, but with more of a focus while building energy on supporting and defending other players Paladin style. This means running in my head the vision of a pony tanking hits left and right, being beaten down... Before finally breaking through in a tremendous burst of strength, if his team hasn't won the day already.

Out of combat, I wanted to focus on him being more of... Well, a tactician. That includes a focus on Pony-Sense, Persuasion in particular, for the sake of achieving goals. In short, an Applejack of all trades, but with the potential to excel in one thing at a time, thanks to his Element. Namely, Magic. (Using his one magic point per day to gain utilities suited to whatever he needs most that day, and if that includes temporary Freaky Knowledge or Training, so be it.) As for why a non-magically oriented pony would be aligned with the Element of Magic... That's something I've read doesn't need to be discussed since it's akin to alignment arguments, but I do have an in-character reason.

I'm less sure how acceptable my non-combat idea is. I have a bad habit of trying to be subversive. Specifically, I wanted to create an Earth Pony who used means other than Unicorn Magic while still having as great or greater impact on the world. ...Without having to be a simple farmer, as most Pony lore implies. Moreover, as a side note I keep re-interpreting "Magic," as an element of Harmony, as something closer to "Ambition," in a non-malicious sense. The desire to pursue a goal, no matter the difficulty, for the good of all, things like that. All the honesty, loyalty, kindness, generosity, and perhaps even laughter in the world cannot keep harmony together without the willpower to channel it all. Which is what I hoped to create a character to positively embody, even if his element is ultimately Magic.

Phew... That's out of my system. And the Ambition = Magic idea is likely pointless/bad for harmony anyway, so I shouldn't get hung up on it past this point. Ahem... Last but not least, characterization? I feel like creating a more driven soul. One who wants to make things better, and is perfectly capable of doing things... But tends to overreach, to set his own standards way too high. Combine with a really painful dose of justifiable paranoia and a passionate but easily swayed heart, mix with a silver tongue that fails when his emotions overpower him. Let sit for however long it takes for him to find a group that he wants to protect, and hopefully you have a semi-stable but ambitious colt who just wants to do the right thing.

What I fear with the characterization is that it's either boring, and not worth the time of other players, or impossible to fill in any niche with a party.

So yeah. That's my idea for my first character. You can likely see why I wanted to run it through here first... I fear I need help in the worst way.

First off you are putting a lot of thought into the little things which in the creation phase isn't that good slows things down alot but when you actually start using the character and or writing the back story it becomes a good thing.

Now stat wise looking at the group you are trying to sign up with at the moment the Jack of all Trades role has been taken (sorry) so you may want to go with specializing in Sense instead.

On to recommended talents most of the things under the Inquisitor heading would be decent ideas along with things like He Did It! or Cunning Disguise though as you are considering a tank like build Maddening Mockery might just be useful.

Characterization looks rather good to me.

Just one more thing you are worrying to much lighten up a bit.

If you always write like that, then we are going to have the best of times together.

On the Non-combat Side:

Some light suggestions:
-If you want your character to center around the element of Magic, then Derp is an excellent utility talent to take, for the extra magic point.
-If you want to be a generalist, then remember that having a cutie mark in a skill is not the same as having training in a skill, so you can also boost it with Applejack of All Trades.
-For the concept of "Jack of all trades, master of one," Freaky Knowledge goes a long way. I have no idea what your domains of knowledge would be, but they help mechanically reinforce that concept.
-Unless you really have a stat that you want to be higher, it's not very efficient to take extra trainings in combination with Applejack of All Trades. It can work, certainly, but the utility talent might be better spent on something else cool.

Some heavier suggestions:
-If you're an earth pony, a skill generalist, and a tactician, then both thematically and mechanically you'd make a very strong assist pony. Assist ponies are basically set up with no intention of attempting most skill checks alone. Instead, they have the capacity to boost most of the rest of the skill checks in the party by +4 or +5, using their assist bonus. I have an assist pony sitting around waiting for his campaign to restart, and  I can attest that you can still function as a "Jack of All Trades" pony, though I never got to test out the assist side of things.
-Tyger writes faster than me. He's right, we do have an assist generalist, though we don't have a straight skill monkey. See the next section for tips on stronger generalists, which might be a good avenue if you still want to play a Jack of All Trades character.
-Have you considered being a Jack of Almost All Trades Who Actually Kind of Sucks at one Particular Thing? Basically, what you would do is choose one Attribute (Brawn, Precision, Knowledge, or Pony-Sense) and cut that stat down to the bare minimum. Then, instead of balancing all four attributes, you balance three of them, as best you can, at a slightly higher level. The "dump stat" is actually still shored up by Applejack of All Trades (Or possibly some spare trainings), so it's not a complete loss of those skills, and the extra points really help you to be proficient in the other 3 skills.

A slightly harsh statement:
-You'll probably notice at some point that its totally possible to just get 10 in every stat by taking I've Read A lot About it multiple times. I strongly suggest you don't do this, not because it's a bad idea, but because somebody in the campaign you're in already did, and they're a stereotypical loud, rowdy, perpetually drunk, scottish minotaur. Which is pretty hard to beat.

Note:
-The Element of Magic can be reflavored just like anything else. Zamuel (our mutual DM) doesn't seem to expect us to grow into the elements of harmony or anything, and if he did, then he's in for some trouble, because 3 or 4 of us (counting you) are all taking magic. My version of magic is that as a mechanic, I learned how to get a job done CHEAP, FAST, and WELL, but a Cheap Fast job will not be done Well. So it's a very silly flavoring of a very serious ability. It sounds like you want something slightly more noble than that, but just remember that the Element of Magic (as a utility talent) is a powerful product of some facet your character's personality. That can be pretty much anything.

The Combat side:

Note:
-I dearly want to make a build, throw it at you, and say "here, use this." Please feel free to exercise the freedom to ignore everything I say, especially if I start sounding bossy.
-Remember that our party is starting at level 3. It will almost undoubtedly be simpler for you to make a level 1 character (no traits, 3000 gold), then add everything they would have by level 3 once you have the idea of what you're going to do in combat in mind.

Some Light Suggestions:
-You've said it yourself, you want to fight paladin style. So look under the Paladin heading for plenty of good self-support and ally-support options.
-Some excellent ally support moves are the [+] moves under the Warlord heading. The [-] moves don't seem to be quite what you're looking for, but the [+] moves could be to your liking, especially Friendly Encouragement.
-Other useful headings: Psylord and Cleric. Cleric mostly isn't quite to your style, but our team lacks a healer, so just one healing move of some sort would be greatly appreciated.
-Remember that at some point you will probably have to fight alone. This shouldn't change your build too much, given what your strategy is, but when looking at moves that buff and support the party, always keep in mind whether or not they can target you, in a pinch.
-On that same note, remember that you have 8 combat talents. you could easily have a suite of 2 or 3 talents that are better for when you fight alone, that you would otherwise never use.

Some Heavier Suggestions:
-Think about using a high powered move other than It's Over as your final nuke move. Building to something as costly as It's Over takes a lot of focus, and you don't end up doing much else. If you pick a move with a cost of [-8] or [-9], about half of the cost of It's Over, then you have a much better chance of using it before the end of the battle, while still being productive in the interim turns. Red Requiem, Electrocution, Royal Command, and/or Summon Fire Giant are all good choices for nuke moves, that are much easier to use than It's Over. In particular, this would free you up to use [+2] and [+1] moves while building your energy count, giving you a bigger presence in the battle at first.

As a general note, I always provide commentary on any character that's in a game I'm playing in and am plenty willing to help with making sure the character offers something unique to the party as well as helping making combat builds that are actually effective (which is a lot harder than most people who are new to the game (or some that aren't even) realize).

Edit: It's a lot easier for me to do if the person has skype though. (The second option is having a character sheet linked and using the googledoc's chat feature.)

This sounds like a mighty fine backdrop for a character. If you're worried about him being too boring for some reason, just start adding fun character quirks to him that give him added personality. Perhaps he has scars on his throat and speaks in a raspy voice, refusing to tell anyone where he got the wound. Perhaps something happened to him once that gave him an acute fear of bridges and he refuses to cross them unless absolutely necessary (he'll wade through the water if need be or find some other way to get across without using the bridge). Perhaps he's prone to quoting morality tales in a rather long-winded but vivid fashion in order to get across his ideas (instead of saying that the group should be cautious, he says, "I am reminded of the tale of the Impetuous Wolf..." and relates the story in a condensed version to get his point across).

Adding some sort of vivid detail to the character, such as an interesting detail on his appearance (Mad-Eye-Moody from Harry Potter is a great example), or a distinctive personality quirk or way he speaks is a great way to make a character more memorable and bring the character to life.

Also, unless you really want to portray someone else, try to make the character's desires and morality fall in line with your own. That way you're never torn between, "I want to do this... But my CHARACTER wants..." This, paradoxically, can also create better roleplaying experiences - as in a moral dilemma the question, "What would my character do?" is usually a lot less interesting and emotional than, "What do I think is right?"

That said, don't sweat it. Lots of great characters are developed and imagined in the midst of roleplaying rather than before the game begins. Just look for every opportunity to add depth to the character.

Personally the biggest thing I see to comment on this character is that, I'd suggest NOT trying to use "It's Over"... With the rest of your build plan, it strikes me as that using "Payday" would be a better Nuke option for that build. After all the more pips you got to put into payday the stronger it be. Sure it's downside is bieng a single target attack. But still I think it'd work. And even if Payday doesn't kill the enemies you most likely will have spent enought pips to give you power house attacks. I'd also comment that if you plan to play the tank role. You'd most likely want to take "Defender" as well.

Dear Princess Celestia... Today I learned how hugely helpful this forum's users can be, and at I don't have to fear being around them so much!

...ahem. Impulse, sorry.

Anyway, I'll sum up for myself the lessons learned from this advice, and how I intend to approach it.

First, I need to loosen up with my writing style. The fate of the world does not rest on my shoulders with putting every bit of energy I can into every detail, and I will not suffer cosmic retribution for relaxing around others. Moreover, I need to focus on getting my pony done before I get into the heavy stuff.

Second up, It's Over has gotta go. Other Nuke options are still on the table, and Royal Command is looking decent alongside Payday... But still. Combat wise, I want to mix a little Paladin with a little Warlord, and make sure to include a Healing ability or two to support the group. As well, I should think of two or three skills designed for use when fighting solo, if I intend to focus otherwise on group fights.

Third, if I'm going to fail at one thing to rock at others, I think I'll use Precision as my Dump stat, focusing more on Sense anyway. Seems like I'll be going for a more sophisticated style of non-combat, but that sorts THAT out. Otherwise, I make sure I keep the ability to support others in mind.

Last but not least... Thank you kindly, all. I still have work to do, but this is a really good start, from what I can see. (And yes, I hope to continue writing on this level or better from here on in.)

One thing to note that good general advice isn't always the right advice for a specific circumstance. For best results heat to 375 degrees you'll want to confer with the GM/other players in the game you're applying to and it's amazingly helpful to link your character sheet (make sure you've set the sharing properly so people can actually see it), even if it's not finished yet, so that people can give more specific advise.

(Edit: Though a fair number of us do just hate It's Over! on principle.)

Ramsus wrote: link your character sheet (make sure you've set the sharing properly so people can actually see it), even if it's not finished yet, so that people can give more specific advise.

*Apologetic chuckle*
He's right though, once you have 1 of everything picked out, post the sheet in the group so we can all weigh in.

Mind Gamer wrote:Dear Princess Celestia... Today I learned how hugely helpful this forum's users can be, and at I don't have to fear being around them so much!

Welcome to the herd, we only bite Diamond Dogs. I still think you should write all crazy-like, but that's just me. Seriously, enjoy your time here, and don't hesitate to ask or suggest anything. This includes ideas for talents you want for your character. The game is still in open alpha, so with some fine tuning you can totally make your own stuff.

Alright, they're incomplete. But, far be it from me to spend ANOTHER day without contributing something of value.

With that in mind, I present;

Melisma the Pegasus,

and Ritornello the Earth Pony.

Melisma is the one I'll be submitting to the first roleplay, while Ritornello is my other project for another day. Ritornello also happens to be the big brother of the pair, while Melisma has yet to gain her Cutie Mark, though I expect her to get it over the course of her first roleplay.

I do have backstory in mind for them both, but I'm leaving that on the back-burner until they're both done otherwise.

And obviously, I am one hundred and ten percent open to criticism and suggestions on them both.

If you're open to critiques... those aren't very Pony-like names. It's not (never) a big deal, really, but some DMs may go for more show adhering naming in their games. You can bet there will be nicknames.

Fair enough on that.

Honestly, I remembered the Musical Note style naming of Cadence, and picked two name-esqe musical terms from Wikipedia. Not that impressive I know, but hey. I'll get better.

Here's Ritornello and Melisma. In case you wanted to know what they meant.