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Fire Emblem: Paladins (Fate Core, now recruiting!)

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Liminal

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Jul 22, 2019
Okay so this is probably a really bad idea, but dammit, I just can't help myself. I would like to preface what follows with a declaration that I am really bad at sticking with these kinds of group RPs long-term, and that's if no one drops before my muse deserts me. That being the case, I'd ask that you come to this with at attitude that it's the journey that counts, not the destination, and not get involved if you know you'll be crushed if this doesn't reach a conclusion (though let's be honest, these things almost always die early on anyway, no one's surprised).

...

Still here? Okay, cool. I'm thinking about trying to GM a Fire Emblem game using the Fate Core RPG system. Right now, this is purely an interest check, so I won't proceed with the full lore dump and chargen rules yet. What I will say is that it would take place in my own homebrew Fire Emblem setting, unconnected to any of the other games; you wouldn't have to be familiar with the plot of any particular entry as a result, but a general feel for the aesthetics and themes of the series will be appreciated, to create characters who will fit. As for the premise, you'd play as knights in the service of your realm's queen, though your characters might have been of any background or station before being granted this position. You'd be fairly powerful and renowned individuals, deeply enmeshed in the politics and society of the setting, not rootless adventurers. Play would feature a mix of politicking, personal missions in service to your sovereign, and the obligatory Fire Emblem mass battles, in which you'd each command your own troops that you'd create as part of your own character. And, of course, the equally obligatory goofy social game, in which sex scenes would be allowed, since this is Blue Moon (though the setting wouldn't be porny in any way Fire Emblem isn't usually).

Sound interesting? If so, let me know, and tell me what class or type of character from the games you'd most like to emulate if this gets played.
 
So I just read up your writing for the Dragon Form and I have a few questions.

Dragon Form: Once per scene, you can spend a Fate Point to transform into a dragon. For the rest of the scene, you have the aspect I’m A Dragon, with 2 free invokes. While you’re a dragon, you’re the size of a substantial house, and have all the abilities being a dragon implies—flight, fiery breath, armored scales, dagger-sharp teeth, the works. Anyone who wants to oppose you must have a way to counter these advantages, probably with aspects of their own. You can remain in dragon form for one scene per Fate Point you spend; after you turn back, you take physical stress equal to the number of consecutive scenes you spent changed.
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-So in addition to my 3 stunts I am now required to spend at least 1 refresh to take this as a fourth stunt? I like to stick to 3 refresh in Fate specifically because of how useful fate points are compared to stunts imo.
-In addition to any stress I would take from combat I also take physical stress after turning back? That seems a bit unfair.
-I'm limited to how much I can be in dragon form based on how many refresh points I spend on this stunt? Again, I understand in the earlier games that dragonstones are a limited use item but lore-wise and in the newer games they do not have a limit to use.


Currently I feel this is limiting my character concept and forcing me to have backup options outside of the dragon form. My goal isn't to be unbalancing compared to the other players obviously but I'd like to have my character not worry about using his form for actual combat outside of certain circumstances. For instance if they were inside a building and there wasn't enough room for him to transform then that could very well be a problem for him.

Ultimately I guess I don't understand why you feel the need to limit the form when by itself it does nothing but thematics? As a dragon my character would not have any better skills than a standard character and would be just as effective or ineffective.

EDIT - For clarity, I'd prefer having the thematic ability to just 'become a dragon' through my dragonstone unless otherwise hampered by environment or plot rather than having a Stunt that allows me to transform to a limited capability even if the stunt arguably provides bonuses. I'm more than willing to accept drawbacks that could provide hardship for my character during the game such as having my stone stolen or such and having those prevent me from using my stunts that rely on his dragon form, but I don't enjoy having to write my character in a way that has them only transforming during critical scenes because of a limited-use mechanic. (Especially with the faint possibility that someone might be interested in dragon sexy time ;))
 
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Thanks again for bringing these issues up, DC. Let me first try and clarify what I want to achieve with the mechanics for manaketes, and then we can discuss making them more balanced.

So, I wanted to reinforce the fact that being able to turn into a dragon is kind of a big fucking deal, hence my thinking that it should be an extra with unique mechanics rather than just normal stunts and skills. Sure, in the video games, manaketes are just normal units with different flavor, but this is an RPG, not a strategy battle game. I want it to be something that feels special and unique.

First and foremost, what I wanted to go for with the Dragon Form stunt was to reinforce that being a dragon puts you on a whole other level compared to a human warrior. When I talk about people needing specific means to counter the I'm A Dragon aspect in order to oppose you, what I'm suggesting is that normally, in a straight fight between a dragon and a human, the dragon wins, full stop. As in, you don't even need to roll for combat, you just crush whoever you're facing, no contest. To have even a chance against you, humans would need special countermeasures, like the sort of anti-dragon weapons and techniques developed during the Dragon War and wielded now by specialized dragonslayers, or magic. That's where I'm coming from with all the costs and limitations placed on the extra, to compensate for it basically being an auto-win button for most fights.

That said, I can see how the limits are excessive. I'm perfectly comfortable ditching the need for it to be an extra stunt bought with refresh; not really sure what I was thinking with that. You can take it as one of your three free stunts. I'm also thinking the physical stress after transforming is unnecessary. So, that leaves just spending a Fate Point to transform once per scene.

Does this sound better to you? I get that you might be picturing it like the video games, where turning into a dragon is just how you do your attack animation and nothing special beyond that, but...well, frankly, I just think that's lame. I think it should be a bigger deal. If you're into that, then let me know how you feel about these rebalanced mechanics. If not, and you really do want it to be more like the video games, let me know and we can discuss it further from there.

Also, while I'd be totally fine with ignoring the rules and letting dragon form be used freely for sex, keep in mind, full-grown dragons are the size of a house. Assuming the proportions are about the same, a dragon's dick would literally kill a human :LOL:
 
Also, while I'd be totally fine with ignoring the rules and letting dragon form be used freely for sex, keep in mind, full-grown dragons are the size of a house. Assuming the proportions are about the same, a dragon's dick would literally kill a human
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Right and I was mostly teasing about the sex part, though I've met plenty of people who like that kind of size difference even if penetration isn't possible :p Could be fun for a scene or two.

---

I can see where you are coming from but I don't fully agree and I'll try to explain why. Firstly, your accommodations to my points are appreciated and I don't want you to think that I'm sweeping that aside. This isn't an attempt to argue with you about things but mainly to voice my concerns and issues.

what I'm suggesting is that normally, in a straight fight between a dragon and a human, the dragon wins, full stop. As in, you don't even need to roll for combat, you just crush whoever you're facing, no contest. To have even a chance against you, humans would need special countermeasures, like the sort of anti-dragon weapons and techniques developed during the Dragon War and wielded now by specialized dragonslayers, or magic. That's where I'm coming from with all the costs and limitations placed on the extra, to compensate for it basically being an auto-win button for most fights.
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Yep this is the major disconnect. What you are saying is about the level I expect from an elder dragon, or perhaps more aptly one of the dragons that would be on the council for their kind. These individuals would be so potent that normal powers would do nothing to them and align with your arguement of an instant win button in my opinion. Of course, those dragons aren't available for play because of their potency as you have stated in your writeups. I do indeed prefer to think of my character as strong but not unduly so, especially in a system style game like this where players by default shouldn't really be more or less powerful than each other. The last thing I want is to steal other people's thunder by just auto-winning scenes when it should be a joint effort as a team, though I wholly agree that with the power buff elements there absolutely should be a limitation on how many times one could use it.


I get that you might be picturing it like the video games, where turning into a dragon is just how you do your attack animation and nothing special beyond that, but...well, frankly, I just think that's lame. I think it should be a bigger deal.
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I can see what you mean in the fact that Dragons normally should be a big deal but I'm not sure Instant win button should be the way to handle it. Mainly though what I want for the roleplay is not to have to worry about transforming so that I can focus my character solely on his dragon form and not need to have training in weapons or otherwise have backups for when transforming wouldn't seem appropriate. I want my character to remain dependent on his dragonstone and genuinely fear when he cannot use it, to actually be a detriment to the party when he can't transform. To that end I'm choosing to accept that his current three stunts as written would not apply unless he can transform, meaning he would be much less potent comparatively.

Now, instead of the level of power that you propose in terms of auto win and close to invincible for the transformation might I propose a different angle? Manakete and half-breeds can transform into dragon shape without requiring the stunt. This provides them little in the way of mechanical benefit besides 'hey I'm a dragon' and 'I can fly'. However you could have the Dragon Form Stunt be an optional take that boosts a few skills for that current scene by spending a Fate Point. Something like:

Soul of the Dragon: By spending 1 fate point you gain a +1 to Battle, Athletics, Fitness, and Will for the rest of the current scene. You also gain a small aura of your chosen element. Waves of heat for fire, crackling sparks for lightning, etc.

Then you could take your pre-existing Dragon Form and call it something like 'Ancient Dragon Form' to show the difference between a younger and an older dragon aptly. The lesser tapping into potential would still allow for a Manakete to be powerful when need be, maybe even increasing the buff to +2 if you feel it isn't strong enough or switch around what skills it buffs, but also not make them completely steal the show because they still can be harmed and fail checks and the like. What are your thoughts?
 
I definitely get where you're coming from. That in mind, looking at how you've designed Xedel's abilities, I actually do think they model what you're going for quite well, and I'd be comfortable using them as they are. Seeing as no one else has expressed interest in playing a manakete yet, I'm fine with just setting aside the extra as presented for the moment; if anyone else does want to go that way with their character, we can discuss it as necessary.
 
Again, sorry for the wall of text and I hope this doesn't sour anything between us. That sounds perfectly suitable for me to set this all aside and I thank you for your understanding. Of course nobody else has actually submitted a character yet so I do hope this isn't all in vain lol.
 
Not to worry! Still working on some details, but:
Gender: Male
Age: 34 years
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 164 lbs
Eyes: Grey. Sharp and shrewd.
Hair: Black, worn long (reaches past his shoulders) and always well-groomed.
Description: Edgar carries himself with the confidence and casual arrogance of a man born to power and privilege. He is undoubtedly an attractive man by most standards, but there is something about his gaze that many find unfriendly - like he is looking down upon them, or perhaps through them. His continued training has left Edgar in good shape, though he does not have the raw muscle of many more dedicated warriors.
The Keeper's clothing is always well-kept, and of high quality. He tends towards black and red, and has a preference for long coats - though he has been known to trade those in for a brilliant red cape when he particularly wishes to make an impression. In battle he dons a full suit of black plate armour, again with a red cape. In any scenario he usually carries his tome strapped to his right side, and when appropriate he also wears a sword on his left.

High Concept: The Keeper of Thunder and Steel
In addition to his fealty to Queen Imogen and the crown, Edgar also owes his loyalty to Firewatch and to his own, struggling family, the House of Owin. He is too responsible (and proud, and stubborn) to allow any of these obligations to slide, though it is unclear which would win out should they ever come into direct conflict.
Edgar is the fourth child of Duke Bartrand of Engver, and thus a member of the noble House of Owin (a long and storied line whose fates are considerably diminished of late). While his time at Firewatch and serving alongside his fellow Paladins has taught him respect for those commoners who have earned it, he has held onto the noble, distinguished manner he learned as a child. Some might even call him arrogant, but their opinion counts for little and less.
The Duchy of Engver is situated on the northernmost reaches of Cydonia, bordering the Empire of Ralis. They were among the first to fall during Maric's War.

Edgar returned home too late to prevent the devastation of his father's territory, but gathered together what surviving forces he could and spent the waning years of the war waging a ruthless campaign of harassment and destruction against the Empire's back lines. Those days have earned him a dark reputation as the merciless 'Demon of Engver', and the fear and enmity of many an Imperial soldier and commander. His victories brought him to Queen Imogen's attention, who uses his reputation to good effect from time to time; the mere suggestion of a visit from the Demon is a clear sign of her displeasure, and has sometimes been enough to unravel dissent before it can truly begin to build.

(Edgar's reputation is rooted as much in fear of his magic as it is of his nature - or so he chooses to believe - but it can be quite useful, so he does nothing to dispel it.)
Relationship: ?
+5
+4Will
+3SurtYmir
+2CommandBattleRiding
+1PoliticsEtiquetteFitnessFreya
Rote: Warp: A Ymir spell used to instantly teleport two individuals (or a single individual and their mount) across a battlefield (up to four zones).
Rote: Elthunder: An offensive Surt spell: the caster emits a bolt of lightning from their hand, attacking at range using the Surt skill.
Mounted Combatant: Edgar specializes in fighting from horseback; he receives +2 to his Battle skill while mounted.
Focus item: Tome of Surt: A black, leather-bound volume, decorated with three blood-red rubies.
Focus item: Ring of Ymir: A pair of intertwined silver serpents, each devouring the other's tail.
 
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Edgar looks awesome, though it'll be interesting to see how he fares with that 1 refresh 😈 I do kinda hope we don't end up with an all-male cast of PCs, haha. Can't wait to see some more characters!
 
Everything okay, folks? I know we had more people interested. Let me know if you need any help creating characters!
 
Sorry, I had a small stint in hospital last week and limited computer access ^^; I'm working on my pegasus knight!
 
Yikes, hope you are doing all right LittleDragon. I look forward to having some help keeping the skies under our control though :)
 
Just wanted to let anyone who'd be into this know that we're still recruiting! I can start any time we have a solid group.
 
Are you still taking new characters? I just cleared the 24 hour waiting period, and am halfway done creating a troubadour for this game. Female too, so that adds some balance.
 
Yes, recruitment is still open! Xedel the manakete is definitely down (I've been in touch with DC), and Keeper Edgar is hopefully still around, but I'm not sure. Your character will make three, one short of what I want to start this up.
 
Still around, still looking forward to it. :) Welcome to the site, Motoharu, glad to have you aboard!
 
Great! I should have her sheet posted Wednesday or Thursday. Hopefully Little Dragon will feel better, or someone else will show up, and we’ll have a full team!
 
Yes we are, at least! Feel free to submit. Keep in mind, once again, this isn't first-come-first-served--I'll be admitting the characters I like best, and the writers I feel like I'd enjoy running for.
 
Alright my character sheet is done. Please provide any feedback you want. I have played FAE before, but never the core system, so I want to make sure everything is right. I would be happy to change any of the Aspects or Stunts if anyone has better suggestions, or just has an idea that they think will fit with the group more.

Gender: Female

Age: 19

Height: 5’

Weight: 90lbs

Eyes: Bright Blue

Hair: Bright Blue, straight hair in a hime cut, ends at lower back

Description: Adelaide is very small, with a thin body and A cup breasts. Her skin is naturally light, but has become slightly tan since joining the Paladins. She normally dresses plainly and modestly, with a long white dress. In battle, she wears the standard troubadour outfit of a fancy blue blouse, a short skirt, and boots that go past her knees. She also has one fancy dress for special occasions, that is very lavish, and has fancy embroidery. She almost always smiles, but those who know her well can see it is usually forced. She tries to act as proper as possible, but deep down she has low self-esteem, and is afraid that anyone will start to hate her.

High Concept: Well-Mannered Troubadour Keeper

At the age of 16, Adelaide was told by her father, in front of her mother, that she was not his child. He had caught his wife in bed with another man before the birth, and by right could have had her divorced and shamed. Instead, in order to avoid scandal, he decided to keep it a secret, and to ensure that it wouldn’t happen again, limited the Duchess’s public life. Adelaide was not entirely surprised, her father treated her much worse than her younger siblings, beat her regularly, and in general treated her like an inconvenience. Now that Adelaide was of age, she was told that she would renounce her claim to Gascony, and go to Flamewatch to study to become a keeper. If she refused, both her and her mother would be shamed and thrown out on the streets.

Though privately, Adelaide, may be the pariah of the Gascony family, publicly, she still bares the name, and the social status that comes with that. The Gascony family is one of the five oldest families in Cydonia, and considered the most respected by the nobility, outside the royal family. 20 years ago the family had fallen on hard times, monetarily, but the Duke of Gascony, married the daughter of Count of Stein if the Ralis Kingdom, to finance his lands. As such, Adelaide was raised with impeccable manners, and a rich childhood. She also has relatives in both Ralis and Cydonia.

After training as a keeper at Flamewatch, she was assigned to assist at St. Mary’s Cathedral. A battle broke out nearby, and Adelaide got on her horse to see if anyone needed healing. She recognized a group of knights that were Prince Gerard’s retainers, and saw that the Prince was injured. She used Rescue on the Prince, and used Freya to heal him back to health, while the other men finished the battle. Adelaide fell in love with the Prince, but was too shy to say anything. After the battle, Queen Imogen, heard what happened, and offered her a place in the Paladins, which she accepted.

TBD

I have a squad of cavaliers. They are led by Katrina, Adelaide’s childhood friend. She was the daughter of Adelaide’s personal body guard, and when Adelaide renounced her position, she abandoned her training to be a Cavalier of Gascony, and followed to serve her. She is the only person Adelaide confided her trouble with. The rest of the cavalier were assigned when Adelaide became a Paladin.

����
+5
+4Etiquette
+3Freya
+2YmirRidingPoliticsEmpathy
+1HistoryVassalsDeceptionCharmPhysic

Physic: Adelaide combines the power of Freya and Ymir to heal others from long distance. Adelaide can reduce the severity of a moderate or mild physical consequence by one step instantly making a Freya roll or Ymir roll (whichever is lower) at someone across a battlefield (up to four zones), with a difficulty equal to the stress value of the consequence.

Warp: A Ymir spell used to instantly teleport two allies (or a single individual and their mount) that are across a battlefield (up to four zones), to the zone the user is in.

Please don’t hurt me: +2 for rolls where Adelaide uses Empathy to create an advantage by analyzing someone to find out how to prevent making them mad.

Be neither seen nor heard: Roll Etiquette instead of Stealth if Adelaide is at a high class social function.

Staff of St. Mary: Focus for Freya Magic

Physical Stress Track: 2 boxes / None filled
Mental Stress Track: 2 boxes / None filled
Unit Stress Track: 3 boxes / None filled
Consequence Slots:
Mild: None
Moderate: None
Severe: None
Refresh: 1
 
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Looks good to me but I will point out three possible issues that I see.

1. 5 stunts means only 1 refresh. That will mean more opportunities of bad luck for the character so to speak. Not a problem of course, just something to be aware of.

2. No command skill means that her Vassals will be quite bad at fighting, effectively limiting them to taking hits for her her but not likely much else against trained opponents. Since she also can't fight on her own that could be a problem.

3. The character lacks both Battle and Athletics. I understand that is a conscious choice to play a support character but since Athletics could also be used to dodge incoming attacks you might want to consider having a rank or two just for defense.

Like I said though, just my opinions and I'm no expert either so make of it what you will. The important thing is that you are happy with the character. :)
 
Thanks for the feedback. I did choose 5 stunts partly to play a character that feels unlucky, and partly because I like stunts. Your point about the command skill is well taken, and I think I will add that since it fits the character concept. I’ll just have to think about what to remove. I had thought that riding would take the place of athletics for most things if I was on a horse, and vassal would be sufficient to defend from the occasional battle, though now I see I will need command as well.

If Liminal could chime in, and let me know how Adelaide would fair in combat with 2 riding, 1 Vassal, and 1 Command, plus magic, as long as she was on a horse and with her men? I fully expect her to be useless on foot by herself, but I want to make sure she can at least defend herself occasionally, if she is prepared. If that is not the case, I can increase one of those three skills or add a new skill. Also let me know if riding will let me dodge attacks on horse back, or if I need athletics to do so.
 
So I've been lurking... and lurking... and even made a character. Still lurking though. I'll spruce up a few smaller details and hopefully post a character worthy of the group.
 
I wanted to try my hand at a Samurai/Swordswoman character, like Joshua or Mia from some of the older games (Cuz Imma f*cking Weeb).

The main premise is that she was born in "the good kingdom" and was trained by her father for half her life, but has family in "the bad kingdom" and was sent there for the rest of her training. Then "The bad kingdom" decides to go to war with "the good kingdom" and she is forced to fight against her own people. She becomes a paladin because, not only is she good at fighting, but while commanding a unit of "the bad people" she dropped her sword and surrendered because she couldn't bring herself to continue hurting the people she loves.

Everything else is pretty generic. She wants to end the war so she doesn't have to fight her family anymore, but people don't trust her because she's seen as a traitor and a coward by both sides. Life kinda sucks. She doesn't know what to do... All that good Fire Emblem shit.

I thought it was a good concept, but its really up to everyone else if its good or not lol
 
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