Meliora

"A duelist's heart is as sharp as her blade. Trust your instincts, and let your conscience be your guide." - Ingomar Luntror (Val's Father) Theme: Valérie Luntror Human (Versatile) • Noble • Swashbuckler 1 Medium • Chaotic Good • Unique, Human, Humanoid Abilities Strength 12 (+1) • Dexterity 16 (+3) • Constitution 14 (+2) • Intelligence 10 (+0) • Wisdom 12 (+1) • Charisma 14 (+2) Boosts • Ancestry: +2 Str, +2 Dex • Background: +2 Cha, +2 Con • Class: +2 Dex • Free: +2 Dex, +2 Wis, +2 Con, +2 Cha Adventuring & Combat HP 20/20 Perception +6 • Expert 5 • Wis 1 • Item 0 • Senses Normal Vision Speed 25 feet, 30 feet with panache Class DC 16 • Trained 3 • Base 10 • Dex 3 • Item 0 Armor and Shields AC 17 • Trained 3 • Base 10 • Dex 3 • Item 1 • Trained: Light Armor, Unarmored Defense Shield • Bulk 0 • +0 AC, Hard 0, HP 0 (0) Saving Throws • Fortitude +5 • Trained 3 • Con 2 • Item 0 • Reflex +8 • Expert 5 • Dex 3 • Item 0 • Will +6 • Expert 5 • Wis 1 • Item 0 Weapon Proficiencies • Trained: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons, Unarmed Attacks Rapier +6/+1/-4 • Trained 3 • Dex 3 • Item 0 • Damage 1d6 + 1 P • Deadly d8, Disarm, Finesse Deadly d8 - On a critical hit, the weapon deals an extra 1d8 damage. Disarm - You can use this weapon to Disarm with the Athletics skill even in if you don't have a free hand. Uses this weapon's reach and adds the weapon's item bonus to attack rolls if any. Main-Gauche +6/+2/-2 • Trained 3 • Dex 3 Damage 1d4 + 1 P • Agile, Disarm, Finesse, Parry, Versatile S Agile - Multi attack penalty is reduced. Disarm- You can use this weapon to Disarm with the Athletics skill even in if you don't have a free hand. Uses this weapon's reach and adds the weapon's item bonus to attack rolls if any. Parry - This weapon can be used defensively to block attacks. While wielding this weapon, you can spend a single action to position your weapon defensively, gaining a +1 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn. Hand Crossbow +6/+1/-4 • Trained 3 • Dex 3 • Item 0 • Damage 1d6 P • Range 60 ft, Reload 1, Hands 1 Skills *Acrobatics +6 • Trained 3 • Dex 3 • Item 0 • +1 Circumstance bonus to Tumble Through when you have panache Arcana +0 • Untrained 0 • Int 0 • Item 0 Athletics +4 • Trained 3 • Str 1 • Item 0 • Armor -0 Crafting +0 • Untrained 0 • Int 0 • Item 0 Deception +5 • Trained 3 • Cha 2 • Item 0 Diplomacy +5 • Trained 3 • Cha 2 • Item 0 Intimidation +2 • Untrained 0 • Cha 2 • Item 0 Lore: Heraldry +3 • Trained 3 • Int 0 • Item 0 Medicine +1 • Untrained 0 • Wis 1 • Item 0 Nature +0 • Untrained 0 • Wis 0 • Item 0 Occultism +0 • Untrained 0 • Int 0 • Item 0 *Performance +5 • Trained 3 • Cha 2 • Item 0 • +1 Circumstance bonus to Perform when you have panache Religion +1 • Untrained 0 • Wis 1 • Item 0 Society +3 • Trained 3 • Int 0 • Item 0 Stealth +6 • Trained 3 • Dex 3 • Item 0 • Armor -0 Survival +1 • Untrained 0 • Wis 1 • Item 0 Thievery +3 • Untrained 0 • Dex 3 • Item 0 Languages: Common, Undercommon* *I think it'd be neat to have been taught under common by someone in the lower city during Val's youth. Maybe a dueling teacher, someone who influenced her panache, her battle dancer style, something. Maybe a mentor figure who up and left one day. More abandonment trauma. Abilities Confident Finisher • Class Ability • You gain an elegant finishing attack you can make when you have panache. You gain the Confident Finisher action, which has the finisher trait. Confident Finisher • Finisher | Swashbuckler • Make a Strike with a weapon or unarmed attack that would apply your precise strike damage, with the following failure effect. Failure. You deal half your precise strike damage to the target. This damage type is that of the weapon used for the strike. Exemplary Finisher • Finisher | Swashbuckler • You can Step as a free action immediately after the finisher. Step - You carefully move 5 feet and do not trigger reactions, such as attacks of opportunity, that can be triggered by move actions or upon leaving or entering a square. Panache • Class Ability • When you perform an action with particular bravado, you can leverage this moment to perform spectacular, deadly maneuvers. Gained by successfully performing the skill check associated with specific actions that have a bit of flair, including Tumble through and additional actions determined by your swashbuckler's style. Precise Strike • Class Ability • When you have panache and Strike with an agile or finesse melee weapon or unarmed attack, you deal 2 additional precision damage. If the Strike is part of a finisher, the additional damage is 2d6 precision damage instead. Swashbuckler's Style Battledancer • Class Ability • You are trained in Performance and gain the Fascinating Performance skill feat. You gain panache during an encounter when the result of your Performance check to Perform exceeds the Will DC of an observing foe, even if the foe isn't fascinated. Feats Incredible Initiative • General • You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to initiative rolls. Natural Ambition • Human | General • You gain a 1st-level class feat. Nimble Dodge • Swashbuckler | Class • A creature you can see targets you with an attack. You can deftly dodge gaining a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against the triggering attack. | Cannot be encumbered to use. Dueling Parry • Swashbuckler | Class • You can parry attacks with your weapon. You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of your next turn as long as you are wielding only a single one-handed melee weapon and have your other hand(s) free. Inventory Money: 58 SP Bulk 6/6 • Enc 6 (5 + Str 1) • Max 11 (10 + Str 1) Adventurer's Pack • Bulk 2 • Backpack, bedroll, belt pouch (2), chalk (10), flint and steel, rope (50 ft.), rations (14), soap, torches (5), waterskin Item • Bulk 0 • Notes Arms and Armor Leather Armor • Bulk 1 • Notes Rapier • Bulk 1 • Notes Main-Gauche • Bulk L • Agile, Disarm, Finesse, Parry, Versatile S Hand Crossbow • Bulk 1 • Range (60ft), Reload 1, Hands 1 Bolts • 10 • Bulk L (1) Appearance Long flowing light brown hair, high cheek bones, piercing-yet-soft eyes, and a deviously playful smile adorn Valérie's soft features. She is athletic, standing at 5'7" and 156lbs. Valérie prefers comfort but has had the same, favorite, set of clothes since her teenage years - which she wears to this day - clothing commissioned by her father for her sixteenth birthday. Personality Valérie is a headstrong and fiercely independent woman, shaped by a childhood that diverged dramatically from her noble upbringing. Despite being born into such a position, she has little patience for the constraints and expectations that come with her noble status. Valérie is a rebellious spirit, loves the art of rapier dueling, has an indifference to nobility, with a strong sense of justice, fiercely loyal, complex emotions, and is a seeker of adventure with intriguing contradictions (from her station and lot). Rebellious Spirit - Sought a life beyond the suffocating traditions of high society. Rebellion being a response to the oppressive demands of her mother, who has only grown more controlling after the death of Valérie's father. Rapier Dueling - Val has become a formidable duelist for her age. It being the one living connection she has with her late father. It's become a tool for asserting her autonomy and coping with loss. Indifference to Nobility - She's uninterested in the trappings of high society. She doesn't care for wealth, titles, or social prestige. Adventure Seeker - Valérie found solace in the gritty underbelly of society. The thrills found in this places became taste for the unconventional that drives the girl. Justice - Val maintains a strong sense of justice. She's not afraid to stand up against perceived injustices - valuing personal freedom for herself and others, to live life on their terms. Fiercely Loyal - While she may appear aloof or indifferent, Valérie is fiercely loyal to the few individuals she lets into her inner circle. Valuing loyalty and honesty above all else. Complex Emotions - Beneath her tough exterior lies a complex emotional landscape. Her rebellion being a partial reaction to the loss of her father and the increasing dominance and demands of her mother. She struggles with the feelings of grief, anger, and a desire for a sense of belonging. Contradictions - A noble by birth who shuns her own class, a skilled duelist who seeks adventure, and a rebel with a sense of justice. Valérie is a multi-dimensional embodiment of intriguing contradictions. History Firstborn and only child to the Luntror family, Valérie is a Baldur's Gate native of the noble class. Her father was a duelist of some renown within their circles and took to training his only child in the art he enjoyed so much. Life was quite ordinary and happy for some time. Until Valérie's father passed away in the night due to an unfortunate sickness (a curse, incurable sickness, magical?) claimed him against all efforts. With that passing, the young duelist daughter had only the bittersweet memories, the commissioned clothing, her rapier - all gifts from her father - and her father's main-gauche. Valérie's mother took soon-after to arranging marriages for the young girl. In an effort to keep their noble house from toppling, maintaining their fortune, her mother sought out suitor after suitor. With each came yet another needlessly extravagant soiree. Four years of these arrangements. All of the fake smiles and half-hearted well wishes. It was a chore navigating these events while pretending to care for expected decorum. Even Val's mother grew to hate them. What with Valérie forcing each new prospective suitor to face her in a duel. Turning to her mother with each victory exclaiming, "When you find my equal, only then will I consider such marriage to said suitor worthy of my consideration." In her continued fits of rebellion Valérie would take to sneaking out to the lower city and engage in merriment with the tavern goers. Drinks, sharing tales, gambling and even a bit of light-hearted rebellion/lawbreaking. Eventually, the adventure-seeking became the only sensation that even somewhat filled the hole left after her father's passing. With that, Valérie gathered her belongings and abandoned her home, setting off on the eve of her twentieth birthday. Sunset seemed as good a destination as any. Perhaps she could find Kent and his father and stay with them for a time.

OH no. He's just like me, FR xD

Curses. You've found me! I must hide!!!!

No need! I figured it out.... I uh... I missed the big purple button that says join server at the top of the app xD Bwahahaha my girlfriend is gonna razz me for this, look me in the eyes and go, "Yes, users are stupid, that's you honey." In the most loving manner xD Well I tell ya what, once I start digging into the game I will chat you up about it and we can nerd out like crazy :D I love pixel graphics, yes! I grew up in the ol Super Nintendo days <old woman shaking her purse to the sky> That OST reminds me of the Legend of Mana music!!!!!! AHHHHH I need to play it now!!!!

I figured FF7 would be the winner! I'll be digging into the remake for the first time over the winter. So I'm even more excited with your positive review :D I've heard wonderful things about Chrono Trigger - granted I'm a horrible gamer and have yet to play. One of these days xD The energy is fantastic! I have fun into a little bit of an error with joining the discord. The link at the top of MW leads to an invalid link. While messaging Ishmael directly was not able to be delivered. I should have my discord verified and all that so. Interesting little road bump but not troublesome! :) I totally didn't miss the big purple [join server button, nope, not me xD

Yee :D I'll be running the TLG booth at GameHole Con in October wearing Dandelion's outfit from Witcher 3. So if you're around stop by and I'll give you a sketch and a fist bump :p

I will absolutely join the discord. Which FF is your favorite tho? ;P Thank you for all the wonderful convo, input, and heck the compliments too :D I love the energy here so I'll be looking forward to future chats and such :D

Oooooooo you had me SOLD at Breath of the Wild and Final Fantasy. Mmhmm that's GOOD stuff lol. I should add that my preference for dark fantasy does not mean I dislike epic fantasy at all :) I grew up with both. But like with ice cream, I enjoy one flavor more than the others and will eat whatever is in front of me 🤪   I do have some examples yes, if you don't mind my posting links in this response :) One of my personal favorites would be a fan art sketch I did of Deedlit (https://meliorahenning.com/portofolio/fantasy-art/) which just was one of the few times I finished a sketch and said to myself, "Yes, you done good this time." lol. Whereas with TLG work I *can* share the Berbalang and Basilisk (https://meliorahenning.com/fantasy-illustrations-1/) since those are not under an NDA / were shared on the weekly stream. I wish I could share more but that'll come soon enough :D I'm always excited to chat with folks who have writing experience in the hobby! I would love to hear about some of your work and possibly bribe some tips and tricks out of ya :P I'm all for being bombarded with commission work lol. I love seeing people get excited over a piece of art I've done; nothing better than a genuine smile among fellows :)

<Sarcasm> Please, oh no, don't rope me into an epic fantasy game. <Sarcasm/> I would have so much fun. ;P But that does actually sound fun! I trust this :p   I am an artist, yes! My current primary workload is dedicated to Troll Lord Games, the upcoming Codex Sinarum is the current thing on my plate. I've also done the world map for Wasted Lands. And am putting what free time I can into my own setting's art :)

That sounds like a challenge 😎

I've read a bit of that! Seems fun!!!! :p

But what if I want to be hit by a harpoon? Could be a fun new experience 🤪😜 I'll absolutely do some jumping into the deep end. Thank you for being so welcoming and informative!!!! Hope you're having an awesome day 😎

Hit me up when you start it! I'll keep an eye out too. Also I'm one of TLG's newer artists so, yknow, no pressure ;P

Well y'all are certainly more chatty and overall excitable than some other sites I've checked out! Major win already. As for what is appealing about PBP I think mostly comes down to being able to 1) enjoy a wider variety of games that I've always wanted to play/run and 2) it seems like I can do all of that while maintaining my current workload. :) Given my career AND side gig with commission work, there's just no time. lol I prefer grittier, dark/low fantasy. Games with plenty of role-play, exploration, and challenging combat. I always point to the SoulsBorne games, Dragon's Dogma, Baldur's Gate I & II, Divinity, Dragon Age I & II, Witcher I-III, and Legacy of Rain as my all time favorites for those elements.

You read that correctly!!! That red box BECMI has some of the loveliest layout work!!!