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Acolyte Havlan Tome

Started by Acolyte Havlan Tome, August 16, 2010, 10:46:47 AM

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Acolyte Havlan Tome

Hi I'm new to The Conclave and relatively new to inquisitor and this is my first ever inquisitor character, feedback welcomed, hope you like it!!

Acolyte Havlan Cnaeus Cassianus Silvius Tome (EXPLICATOR)

Background-The seventh and thus far lowest ranked member of the newly founded tome of the eternal spirit, Havlan Tome was trained in the art of combat from a very early age, Tome prefers to use intelligence over bullets and his sagacity matches that of his peers. He is slightly built so his combat prowess is down to skill not brawn or toughness. His initiative, nerve and leadership are all strong points but he lacks in any ballistic skill and his willpower is questionable.
   His lack of skill with a ranged weapon has forced him into acquiring a hand flamer, he has also acquired a hunting rifle but has yet to come across a gun sight for it. Tome maintains his ballistic skill is not a major setback but is modest enough to wear a set of flak armour. He works miracles with his grenades and his sword is wielded to great effect despite its basic form. His willpower has always been a problem but it's more the fact that he questions his peers motives and sometimes his own. His intelligence is because of the implants into his brain that every new acolyte gets when he enters the tome of the eternal spirit, although he is also well read. The grenades is just something he is a natural at although, again, practice helps and he has been in many situations where he has needed them despite his relatively young age. His nerve and leadership has come from the rough "entrance exam" before his inclusion in the tome of eternal spirit.

          WS   BS   S   T    I   WP   SG   NV   LD
Stats-  79   59  52  54 72  69    84   74   78

Weapons-Hand Flamer, Hunting Rifle, Knife, Sword, 2xFrag and 2x Krak Grenades
Armour-Carapace on chest, Flak armour on all locations but head
Skills-None
Bionics-Tome of the Eternal Spirit  brain implant ((increases included)+10 SG and +1 speed)

I'm going to base the model on the inquisitor covenant if that helps!

Feedback welcome. Thanks!!!

p.s He was made to play a long campiagn and so is starting off relatively low powered and with no skills
If you catch sight of me twice your either lucky or not worth exterminating

MarcoSkoll

Well, while I complement you on the average S & T values, I can't exactly describe a character who starts with over half their stats in the 80s as "relatively low powered".  I have entire warbands who don't have that number of 80+ stats between them.
To describe him as such, by the typical standards of the Conclave, I'd probably have to cut about 10 to 15 points off pretty much everything except S & T.

On the note of "his sagacity matches that of his peers", he is only an Acolyte. Assuming his peers in this "cabal" are mostly Inquisitors (quite possibly over a hundred years old and with the experience to go with it), he really shouldn't be a match for them.
Saying "he's very very smart" shouldn't count for anything here. All Inquisitors are very very smart, AND they have more experience and knowledge.

Acolytes are very bright individuals with a lot of potential, but they have still quite a long way to go to actually reach that potential.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

Shannow

i will echo Marco's comments about many high stats being very powerful even if lacking skills. Another important point to consider when statting your characters is the time in their daily life that is consuming maintaining these levels. For example, though he has been trained in sword play from an early age, he will still constantly practise and train to maintain this level of skill as Ws 81 represents a man of exceptional skill and given that he has no inherent skills in this area we must assume that this comes from practise.

However at the same time he has a very high Sg which though is representative of natural intelligence as well, at a 80+ level it would require extensive reading to be this well learned. So in short how does this man have enough time in his day (amongst actual acolyte duties and tasks) to maintain both a supreme talent with the blade and also a staggering intellect?

As far as equipment goes, I think that he has got decent gear, though I would say flamers are very dangerous and can easily kill an opponent or disable him in one shot.

I think another important point to make is that you lack any real explanation for a lot of his stats. If his willpower is questionable, why is this so? Did he have an overpowering father who brow beat him and broke his self confidence? The same goes for I, Nv and Ld. I'd also like to know in what way he works miracles with grenades as that sounds very interesting and destructive :P

Not a bad beginning by any means (I apologise if I have sounded harsh or attacking!), and I would like to know more of the Tome of the Eternal Spirit as well as his grenade mastery, and also just his personality in general. I would personally tone down his I, Nv, Ld, and Sg into the high 60's and low 70's. But if you are going to play against high powered characters then by all means this may be a more appropriate stat line.

Do hope that has helped :) and again I apologise for being a bit rough!

Rob
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.

Acolyte Havlan Tome

Don't worry about being rough it helps a lot!! With regards to his willpower it's more the fact that he questions his peers motives and sometimes his own. His intelligence is because of the implants into his brain that every new acolyte gets when he enters the tome of the eternal spirit, although he is also well read. The grenades is just something he is a natural at although, again, practice helps and he has been in many situations where he has needed them despite his relatively young age. His nerve and leadership has come from the rough "entrance exam" before his inclusion in the tome of eternal spirit. I will detail this and more when i write the background for the tome of eternal spirit in a new post probably in the "in character" section so check it out.

Thanks again :)
If you catch sight of me twice your either lucky or not worth exterminating

Acolyte Havlan Tome

With regard to him being not that underpowered he is up against space marines and assasins and would be lower with his stats in a normal scenario. When saying he was underpowered i was maily referring th his lack of skills, equipment, bionics, implant, combat stimms etc
If you catch sight of me twice your either lucky or not worth exterminating

Kresten

If you want to play an Acolyte you have to take in to account the typical level of an acolyte's training and experience. Inquisitors can conscript hundreds of acolyte's at a time so it is entirely possible that he wouldn't even have been spoken to directly by an inquisitor, let alone inducted into a cabal. Obviously it can vary wildly, but just to give you an idea of how low an acolyte actually is and how, particularly his leadership, doesntt reflect that. If youre playing a high level campaign then why not create a high level character?

His equipment is fine. All the background is justification for his stats, and I suppose at it's most basic level that's what a background is for, but it doesnt really do much to flesh out your character. As a main PC especially. Look here for inspiration *damnit, I cant find that twenty questions page now... someone else will know im sure.* What I think is important is to remember that they are first and foremost humans (well, not always humans) and are plagued by the same stuff in the 41st millenium as we are now, and a hell of a lot more actually now that i think about it... but anyway even the Emperor had emotions and flaws is what im saying.

Also why is his last name the name of the cabal? Not a bad start, my first ever character was really, i mean really, unbelievable so well done for not making him a daemon sword wielding eldar farseer who farts nurglings... or something similar.... i had a long day...
"A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords at dawn"

MarcoSkoll

Quote from: Kresten on August 16, 2010, 10:06:03 PMAlso why is his last name the name of the cabal?
Perhaps it's part of the cabal that those who join discard their last name as part of their induction? You know, like Sikh men (generally) take the name Singh.

Not to put words in the OPs mouth, but that's one possible answer.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

Acolyte Havlan Tome

Quote from: MarcoSkoll on August 16, 2010, 10:36:13 PM
Quote from: Kresten on August 16, 2010, 10:06:03 PMAlso why is his last name the name of the cabal?
Perhaps it's part of the cabal that those who join discard their last name as part of their induction? You know, like Sikh men (generally) take the name Singh.

Not to put words in the OPs mouth, but that's one possible answer.
Thanks I forgot about that and was going to explain earlier
If you catch sight of me twice your either lucky or not worth exterminating

Acolyte Havlan Tome

I've posted up some background for the tome of the eternal spirit in the "in character" section if you want to check it out
If you catch sight of me twice your either lucky or not worth exterminating

Elva

After taking a look, I'd suggest lowering a lot of the 80 stats except for in his really strong points, maybe two at the most.

Equipment wise, drop one or two weapons, he seems a bit over equipped, and two grenades in any combination that fits.

I'd give him a skill too, they are invaluable for translating the character onto the table.

Otherwise, he's looking pretty good. I made some mistakes too when i posted my first character, it just takes some getting used to. If you need an idea for stats, try looking up the conclave standard, it helped me a lot. Another good idea is to have an idea for your character, write out their personality and description. I aim for three strengths and two weaknesses per a main character. Then build the game stats and model around that.

I will also take a look at the backstory. Looks promising.
"Nobody expects the Imperial Inquisition!!"

MarcoSkoll

I missed this particular point earlier:

Quote from: Acolyte Havlan Tome on August 16, 2010, 06:09:11 PMWith regard to him being not that underpowered he is up against space marines and assasins...
Then I would suggest that the solution is talking your gaming group into taking more modest character classes. Space Marines and Officio Assassins should be a special occasion, not something that players should treat as a regular occurrence.

Space Marines belong on the front lines - they're shock troops who have better things to do than follow an Inquisitor around and act as muscle occasionally. And the fact they stick out like a sore thumb will completely veto any possibility of subtlety on the part of the Inquisitor they're working with.
On a similar note, Officio Assassins can also be put to much better use than as an Inquisitor's bodyguard.

Either could be requisitioned if the situation is important enough... but including them automatically ups the ante. One important consideration is that regularly playing with "higher level" models means that when you want to "kick it up a notch", it's much harder to find somewhere to go.

It's your game, but hearing "he's got to go up against Space Marines" just reeks of the other players having chosen the most powerful character classes they can.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

Elva

I second that. I know if I played a Space Marine, my group would kill me. Its more fun when the characters are human, therefore have their strengths and weaknesses, which can be exploited and used strategically, rather than being good all round. Though death cult assassins aren't as bad as Officio ones for being over powered. The most powerful I could ever see myself playing is maybe an Eldar, though I would have a good reason, not just because someone else has a chance of beating me if I don't. Inquisitor is more of a narrative game than anything, so reflecting the character is more important than beating everyone else.
"Nobody expects the Imperial Inquisition!!"

MarcoSkoll

Quote from: Elva on August 18, 2010, 01:40:20 AMI second that. I know if I played a Space Marine, my group would kill me.
Well, that sounds excessive. My group prescribes flogging for such an offence. We only ever killed someone when they forgot to bring the gaming snacks. ;D

More seriously, I would make it clear that Space Marines are not automatically bad - but they should be used appropriately. And appropriately means "When there is a high likelihood of a threat where they would be necessary to combat it".

Fighting off a few muties and their three legged dog does not need the might of the Astartes.
An altercation with another Inquisitor does not need the might of the Astartes.
An underground network of tunnels infested with daemonic beasties which leading to a cavern where a powerful sorcerer cackles maniacally - that may need the might of the Astartes.

I would certainly have a Space Marine on my gaming table... if the game required it. If it didn't, said Space Marine model has a high chance of being inserted up the player's bottom.*

*Statement may be hyperbole.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

Elva

Don't forget 'stealers I've seen those guys take a guard officer who successfully took on an Inquisitor. The purestrain definitely warrant a space marine.
"Nobody expects the Imperial Inquisition!!"

Kaled

Quote from: Elva on August 17, 2010, 11:23:25 PM
I'd give him a skill too, they are invaluable for translating the character onto the table.
Only if the characters talents can't be represented by the stats alone, I definitely wouldn't suggest giving a character a skill just for the sake of it - plenty of characters can be represented perfectly well without using any skills.
I like to remember things my own way... Not necessarily the way they happened.

Inquisitor - Blood Bowl - Malifaux - Fairy Meat