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 Post subject: Theodore Equifals
PostPosted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 10:14 am 
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"Hey, what are you doing wearing that stupid dress?"

Theodore both hates and loves bars. It's so frustrating to deal with the local stupidity, yet, there is no greater relief from his boredom. He checks an amulet around his neck... One bar. This could take hours.

"They're wizard robes. Now go away." The pushy drunks never seemed to be intimidated by those words. In fact...

"Wizard? Ain't you heard, this is a land of science. There's no such thing as magic." One of these days, Theodore will have to get a personal shield that stops drunk spittle from touching him. That would make this part of the ritual so much more pleasant.

Absently, he checks his amulet again... Three bars. The Verithet Modulator must have found a backdoor into the local laws. Not enough for real fun, but definitely enough to defend himself... "Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science."

"Oh, a spark huh? You don't scare me. Some backwater spark who doesn't know the difference between science and magic." This time, the drunk does seem to have enough presence of mind to add, "What's that you're checking?"

"It's a Modulation device that integrates the principals of magic into the local laws of physics. Mostly short range. It's a little unpredictable, some areas take a lot longer then others. It'll probably be stuck on level three for a while." Theodore was going to let him leave. After all, the drunk did possess the common sense to realize that a spark playing with a blinking gadget is bad news. Still, to insult magic like that... To insult HIS magic... Perhaps just a broken rib or two... "Now, let me explain the difference between science and magic." He paused, holding up a set of three tiny glass balls. "This is magic..." He says, first displaying the glass balls, then holding them in his palm, with his index finger pointed at the drunk's chest. Force missile!" The words were simple, a call to the energies around him of how they should manifest. The glass beads glowed, channeled the energy of his gestures and his words, and focused them through the properties of the glass to create motion.


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 Post subject: Re: Theodore Equifals
PostPosted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 7:50 am 
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Theodore would be a high level spark... if he could just design things according to this reality. Still, he's made quite a name for himself over the years.

If you met him very early in his "career", he was a random drifter in Eleghost. It's uncertain if he was born there in it's early days or if he walked out of the wilderness. He's certainly insane enough to have done the second, but common theory states that he'd have been killed long before he got to the city if that was the case. None-the-less, no one claims to be his parents, and he never mentions them.

In those days, his spark drove him to research "magic", inventing new necromantic spells, spells for healing, creation of golems, magic circles that could power a city... Of course, none of them worked as magic isn't real, but still you have to admire his... dedication.
Being a spark, he did develop one useful talent, that of using machines. While he normally couldn't repair another sparks work, if the device should have worked, he could usually get it to work.
This lead to him developing a reputation as a hack, a gadgetteer with no talent who only knew how to steal other people's work, and a loon, a spark who's talent had taken him so far out of reality it was comical. In fact, his most notable exploit from this time was flinging sulfur and bat guano in the face of the dread wasteland pirate Lamont Shadowarm*.**

Perhaps in his mid twenties, he finally got one of his spells to work. Immediately, he put together an expedition into the wasteland to try to find what he dubbed "a source of magic". It was was partially successful, although the source of magic eluded them, casualties were light and a they got a good survey of a few nearby areas that had not been scouted. Theodore declined his share of the survey profits.

Not daunted, he formed a second expedition. This one did not go so well. He was one of three survivors, and all returned empty handed and wounded; the expedition had been attacked by a shadow beast. This time, there were no profits, and Theodore was labeled a jinx***.

No one would go with him for a third foray into the wastelands. Desperate, Theodore headed into the wilderness by himself+.

It is unknown if the person who returned was the same Theodore as the one who left. When he returned, he was clutching an amulet, and rambling like a madboy.

Since then (maybe a year or two ago, maybe less), his reputation has changed. His spells have a much greater chance of working, and having this outlet for his spark seems to have made him a lot more stable. Still, rumors as to what he brought back and what consequences might arise from a quantifiable magic source have plagued him. He's been attacked by several shadow cults, at least one shadowspawn++, and Oberon's shadow-hunters have been waiting for a decision on if he's a threat or not+++.

-------------------
*: This lead to a resurgence of the phrase "batsh-t crazy" in the pirate community for several years. The debate as to whether Shadowarm invented the phrase at that time is still going on. It is unknown how Theodore escaped the situation, as Shadowarm refuses to speak of it.

**: The name Lamont Shadowarm was the first name to come out of this: http://www.seventhsanctum.com/gens/heroicname.html Give it a try!

***: It is my understanding that anyone who survives a single trip into the wastelands is believed to be lucky, although local superstition states that Elesbur the Mad cursed the realm so that a horrible tragedy will befall anyone before their fifth trip. Anyone who's previously been attacked by a shadow beast is considered bad luck, as the shadows found them once. Likewise, anyone who survived the massacre of most or all of his expedition is considered to have cannibalized them, either literally or stolen their luck so they could survive.

+: Unless a PC is crazy enough to have followed him or offered to help.

++: Either a very very young shadowbeast, or perhaps some form of shadow beast foot soldier, or maybe it was a shadow cultist who knew some actual secrets. Either way...

+++: At least, most of them are waiting... Rumors that Theodore has actually been attacked without Oberon's permission have been squelched.


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 Post subject: Re: Theodore Equifals
PostPosted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:59 am 
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Some spell ideas: (Sample VM-ware for the Verithet Modulator.)

Energy Knife:
0 bars: This is a hilt. A well made hilt, of a solid and strong material. A metal-ceramic alloy that stands up to most things and doesn't conduct. He has used it to wedge open portals. Actually, any hilt with enough brass and some symbols will work, but this is the focus he uses most often.
1 bar: A basic energy dagger. About the cutting power of a normal knife. Although it is made of energy, it behaves as if it were solid. Watching it get "stuck" in something has baffled a few sparks.
2 bars: The blade, now adjustable can contract to the length of a exacto knife, or expand to the length of a sword. It is sharper, about as sharp as the blades on a mid-level sparks contraptions.
3 bars: The blade starts to warp slightly... Although no sharper then it was, it can now disrupt some types of energies. At 3 bars, it can parry energy blasts, or stop energy flows when thrust between the conductors.
4 bars: The blade is impossibly sharp now. Cutting through things as if they were concepts not objects. Sometimes this means that fragile things that are well defined are harder to cut then stronger items. (EX: a locket with a picture of a grandmother worn by a child is harder to cut then a "typical iron door".) At this level he can sever some things, such as teh flow of a river (making a makeshift dam) or swipe between two tesla coils to not only disrupt the energy flow but prevent it from starting again for a few minutes.
5 bars: At this point, Theodore can cut things that shouldn't be cut. Things such as the animosity between two people, or even the flight path of an arrow. His most notable use of this was carving a hole out of a Irallith void cell.

Portable Hole
0 bars: This doesn't exist... he can't even take it out of its container. The one time his coverage dropped to 0 bars while the hole was out, it reappeared in its container when coverage came back.
1 - 2 bars: It looks like a black cloth. It absorbs light on 2 bars as if it was darkest black.
3 bars: The hole can be used to open most thin materials, such as windows. Although it cannot open a void cell. The edges of the hole always look like it's torn in a void cell, no matter what it's punching a hole through. It can be peeled off from either side, although there is a trick to it.
4 bars: The hole can do thicker materials, most doors, even void cells. If placed on an object that's too thick, it creates an impression about a foot deep.
5 bars: It can open a full room sized hole in most objects. It can even be thrown into the air where it will hang, opening up into a room. (Which looks more like a tunnel.) (this takes just the right kind motion. Theodore has not had enough time with 5 bars to be able to do this reliably.)

Force Missles
Uses 1 - 5 glass beads. He can only "move" as many as he has bars.
0 - 1 bar: He's better off throwing the beads. Although he does get a bit more accuracy with 1 bar then he can throw.
2 bars: Each glass bead strikes with the force of a strong finger jab. Usefull for pushing buttons, or distracting.
3 bars: Each glass bead is surrounded by a fist sized aura of energy, and strikes with the force of a decent punch with a mailed gauntlet.
4 bars: Now were talking, the beads move faster, and can break even some metal objects. He's used this against small clanks to good effect, although with any real war clank, he'd have to target a vulnerable spot.
5 bars: These have been known to punch fist size holes in war clanks. Not the best way to stop them, but still impressive.

Fireball:
0 bars: Flinging sulfur and bat guano. Yay!
1 bar: A lighter sized flame that can be thrown or used to set flamables on fire.
2 bars: A flame bolt, about what you'd expect from a pistol made by a low level spark.
3 bars: A similar bolt that explodes on impact, useful for lighting a person completely on fire.
4 bars: A full 40' fireburst, capable of melting many metals.
5 bars: A large napalm burst.


Last edited by Thirwin on Fri Apr 10, 2009 10:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Theodore Equifals
PostPosted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 11:12 am 
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Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 4:07 pm
Posts: 281
Healing (assuming most sparks have some medical training, so this doesn't step on too many toes)
Note, he does need to use this spell constantly or the effects stop. Most people who have felt it describe it as a warmth as wounds close (without scarring or infection, provided they aren't infected to begin with). Nothing a mid level spark couldn't do, but it's the way he does it, by chanting and laying on hands. He does need herbs of various types for the spell, and they are depleted when used.

1 bars: He can heal bruises faster, about what you'd get by applying neosporin.
2 bars: Bruises heal in a few minutes, cuts heal in hours, deep cuts in days.
3 bars: Cuts and bruises seem to vanish in moments, deep cuts in hours, and bones and breaks might heal in only a week.
4 bars: Gashes and similar heal in a few minutes, and breaks and more severe manglings in a day or so.
5 bars: Most wounds vanish in moments, and even someone who's been stomped on by a war clank (assuming they are still alive) can recover in hours.


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