This is looking at different ways to create the same character using different systems. I'm using my preferred test case character concept: the gorgon archer.
Why are these all the gorgon archer?
First, I like gorgons.
Second, the statement of "archer" implies that some level of martial capability is the primary focus of the character. Martial abilities only tend to get complex when they are a major facet of the character. Characters that have basic martial capabilities settle for the basic mechanics.
Third, gorgons are not a usual race and thus there will be less likely to be a built-in template to create them, forcing me to play around with the mechanics a bit to make things work which will prove a better test of the character creation mechanics.
Fourth, I like gorgons.
Fifth, there is a bit of magic involved and of a type that is not common. Even a little bit of magic can introduce a fair amount of challenging complexity to a character. In fact, minor magics are often more challenging to represent mechanically than great magics.
Sixth, I like gorgons.
Seventh, by using the same basic concept for each system, I can more easily see the impact that the character creation system has on the direction of the character. In many cases, the setting will also have an influence. D&D 5e, Hero System, Fate Core, Strands of Fate, and a few other such systems can all assume the same setting with different systems. L5R, 7th Sea, my Divine Blood setting, and other such world-specific systems have influence from a pre-set Lore. However, this is also useful as it lets me see how the character creation better models the desired themes of those settings.
And to finish the rather old joke I decided to unabashedly engage in: I like gorgons.
Now, in some settings, the presence of a gorgon won't make narrative sense. This would include the Legend of the Five Rings version below and, when I get around to it, any sort of Call of Cthulhu version of this character. For Star Trek, I was able to manage an alien race that sort of has the same visual cues, but even that's a bit off. The 7th Sea, on the other hand, is a gifted (or cursed depending on your perspective) human which is actually a bit closer to the actual myth of Medusa than the idea of a gorgon as a race.
In any case, I am going to be marking some of the versions as "Epitaphs" in the sense that they are referred to as gorgons or other monsters as a sort of title or insult rather than actually being one. The first of these epitaph versions is the L5R character, as even the Star Trek alien was close enough for my liking, but that will change.
Why are these all the gorgon archer?
First, I like gorgons.
Second, the statement of "archer" implies that some level of martial capability is the primary focus of the character. Martial abilities only tend to get complex when they are a major facet of the character. Characters that have basic martial capabilities settle for the basic mechanics.
Third, gorgons are not a usual race and thus there will be less likely to be a built-in template to create them, forcing me to play around with the mechanics a bit to make things work which will prove a better test of the character creation mechanics.
Fourth, I like gorgons.
Fifth, there is a bit of magic involved and of a type that is not common. Even a little bit of magic can introduce a fair amount of challenging complexity to a character. In fact, minor magics are often more challenging to represent mechanically than great magics.
Sixth, I like gorgons.
Seventh, by using the same basic concept for each system, I can more easily see the impact that the character creation system has on the direction of the character. In many cases, the setting will also have an influence. D&D 5e, Hero System, Fate Core, Strands of Fate, and a few other such systems can all assume the same setting with different systems. L5R, 7th Sea, my Divine Blood setting, and other such world-specific systems have influence from a pre-set Lore. However, this is also useful as it lets me see how the character creation better models the desired themes of those settings.
And to finish the rather old joke I decided to unabashedly engage in: I like gorgons.
Now, in some settings, the presence of a gorgon won't make narrative sense. This would include the Legend of the Five Rings version below and, when I get around to it, any sort of Call of Cthulhu version of this character. For Star Trek, I was able to manage an alien race that sort of has the same visual cues, but even that's a bit off. The 7th Sea, on the other hand, is a gifted (or cursed depending on your perspective) human which is actually a bit closer to the actual myth of Medusa than the idea of a gorgon as a race.
In any case, I am going to be marking some of the versions as "Epitaphs" in the sense that they are referred to as gorgons or other monsters as a sort of title or insult rather than actually being one. The first of these epitaph versions is the L5R character, as even the Star Trek alien was close enough for my liking, but that will change.
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