Nyalakene wrote:
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Noted and considered, though I observe in return that the advice isn't "why not be an Altherian espionage/exploration team armed with guns, books and impeccably stylish hats" or "the very choppy adventures some lovably surly Fire Dwarves" or even "screw it: everyone is a Sstheric and must ssssss-trech their sssssessssss as they play."
Or how about a hapless pack of Cancerese schmucks who think they're going to be the hench-goobers of the next Dark Apostate but are mostly Dubiously Evil Minions with sticky fingers.
Like those gross yellow things in overalls, but with more spiked chains.
Why Legionaires besides "hey all the loot will be Gladii so that'll work out?"
Edit: upon reflection that question has been answered as "because the stakes, at least of the Hard Points, will tend to be immediate and personal," no?
Yes.The reason I and others have recommended Coryani characters is that the Civil War has real impact on all of the individuals from there. It could be as simple as offscreen stories the PCs include such as "Uncle Decimus believes <blah> and Aunt Cecilia is firmly on the side of <other blah>, let me tell you, THAT's gotten ugly..."
I played a Legionnaire through the first story arc as part of the Legion of the Watchful Hunter. My character was a Kio from Plexus which is where the WH originated from. He received an Armillus early on and was an honorable type which was a bit amusing given the Left Hand of Illir nature of the Legion. His legion was the one that went missing and was later revealed to have been betrayed. At the battle of Enpebyn I believe he fought for the loyalists as he felt it was his oath to do so. I viewed his position on the war as similar to that of Captain Lochley in Babylon 5 if that helps.
It was one of the largest BIs run by PCI with ~200 players involved. At the end of the BI there was a special mission to try and recover the Standard from the depths of the Lavender Way. Sponsored by Menesis and the Rebels, my character was allowed to cross lines to help recover the Standard because it was his legion. I was an 8th level Coryani Battlemage, the lowest level character at the table with the highest at the table somewhere around 12th or 13th with most being 10th or 11th I believe. I fully expected to die. Post standard recovery (brutal) he got released from the Armillus and joined the Rebels, first loyalty to Legion and through them the Empire. It will remain one of my most memorable characters and experiences of all times. He fought former friends and comrades at the same BI (though not directly, no PC on PC combat was allowed), and had the special mission not popped up he likely would have remained with the Loyalists until near the end when it was clear that the Armillus, that siding with Menesis wasn't consider to violate the oath.
From my perspective any group should have a common cause or purpose at least it you want to maintain cohesion and it provides the room to explore some of the moral quandries that Arcanis is known for. If you're all Emerald Society members who need to work together, it explains why you continue to stick together even with radically different views on a particular topic.
In terms of "loot", it's a home game. Throw in some additional adversaries, swap some stuff around or do what you need to in order to find the right balance with your PCs. The other thing to consider is that the items you find may change a character concept. Fleshripper is a perfect example of something from the initial campaign that could end up changing the trajectory of a character, providing your players are open to having their characters evolve in ways they didn't expect.
If you need hooks for non-Coryani characters you could have a Coryani family, or an orphan or a village or something become important to the PCs and throw in some extra hooks and quandries. Ultimately if you and your players are having fun, what the rest of us think isn't all that important.
With a sweep of his hat,
Paul