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Leliel
2009-10-08, 10:54 PM
Well, an experimental character idea of mine-ie, it requires some modification to the rule system to not be an NPC-for the NWoD is a man who willingly plays host to a fire spirit.

Where does the title come from?

Well...Spirits need a similar personality to their own natures to even attempt a merger...and a fire spirit exists to burn things...

You get where I'm going with this.

Anyway, the character, who nicknamed himself "Uriel" Urner, after the angel of fire in Abrahamic mythology-no one said serial arsonists can't be smart-isn't actually that much a bad person. He can do a good simulation, being emotionally unstable and not particularly caring about the property damage he causes, but he hates hurting people who don't "deserve" it-ie, people without property insurance are mostly off the hook, as are those who don't horde their wealth should they have it.

That said, he can't help but start fires occasionally-mostly small ones that don't last very long, but his nature as a fire-spirit host calls to him to set off the big blazes when he feels he can.

So, how would you RP a guy whose fascination with watching things burn is so great, a being made of living flame decided he made a good partner?

infinitypanda
2009-10-09, 12:01 AM
I know I might be stepping out on a limb here, but I'd have him start fires.


In all seriousness I'd have him always carry a lighter, and be very distracted whenever he saw even a picture of a fire. Make sure to play up other aspects of the character, though, so he doesn't seem one-dimensional.

taltamir
2009-10-09, 12:27 AM
what, people who own stock in insurance companies aren't hurt when their 401K Disappears due to said insurance company going bankrupt?
Or for a lesser example... someone loses their house in a fire and becomes homeless, because he could not afford the monthly payments on his insurance, because premiums went up due to a recent increase in fires...

As for what kind of person it takes... IRL when there is a fire, the police drives around looking for people masturbating to the blaze, they are typically the arsonists who started it in the first place.

There was a guy in planescape tormet that fit quite nicely without being too depraved.

Leliel
2009-10-09, 12:58 AM
what, people who own stock in insurance companies aren't hurt when their 401K Disappears due to said insurance company going bankrupt?
Or for a lesser example... someone loses their house in a fire and becomes homeless, because he could not afford the monthly payments on his insurance, because premiums went up due to a recent increase in fires...


I did say he's not that much of a bad person...

Which is to say, he fits the criteria for "villain protagonist", but then again, this is the NWoD. Playing things that go bump in the night is par for the course.

With him, he has a justification, albeit a flimsy one-he's under the control of his fire spirit a lot of the time. OK, he's the one that let said fire spirit control him intermittently to gain superpowers, but it's a lot more amoral than he is.

And to be frank, it isn't about watching things burn, although that's a part of it-it's watching his enemies' possessions turn to ash. He doesn't stick around until after the blaze is done, preferring to take pictures of the ruins once the police are distracted. He really hates greed and materialism, thanks in part to a pretty neglected childhood.

Of course, one theme I wish to explore with Uriel is the nature of revenge and vendettas. He himself admits he's not the ultimate authority on these matters.

Crafty Cultist
2009-10-09, 02:57 AM
make his eyes constatly dart towards flamable materials and the like, as if its very difficult not to just set it ablaze

when the party is planning, suggest using fire or smoking out the enemy at every possible opportunity

if someone is not cooperating with the party ask if you can set them alight

taltamir
2009-10-09, 03:39 AM
make his eyes constatly dart towards flamable materials and the like, as if its very difficult not to just set it ablaze

when the party is planning, suggest using fire or smoking out the enemy at every possible opportunity

if someone is not cooperating with the party ask if you can set them alight

funny thing is, in my current game my character has been setting fire to so many things, we made a party rule "NEVER set anything on fire without the party's consent"... although, granted, one of the other player was about to set the guard house on fire before we invoked said rule the other day... i am so proud!
fire is a great equalizer... it can take out an enemy much stronger then you :)

Rainbownaga
2009-10-09, 04:08 AM
funny thing is, in my current game my character has been setting fire to so many things, we made a party rule "NEVER set anything on fire without the party's consent"... although, granted, one of the other player was about to set the guard house on fire before we invoked said rule the other day... i am so proud!
fire is a great equalizer... it can take out an enemy much stronger then you :)

Problem with WoD is that anyone that goes around intentionally causing property damage for too long ends up with a fairly low morality score; worse when people don't manage to escape. Not that it matters for an NPC though.

bosssmiley
2009-10-09, 05:16 AM
Have him use fire as the basis of his cosmogonic schema ("In the beginning, there was fire. In the end, all will be fire.")
Have him use fire metaphors as the basis of his beliefs ("The true flame burns in all living things, virtue is the fanning of that flame to an inferno that lights the universe").
Have him use flames as meditational foci.
Have him become fascinated by the science of combustion and explosions, or with the refining and transformative properties of fire in alchemical contexts.

This still gives you the pyrophile edge, but without the banality of the usual "What a pretty thing a fire is..." firebug clichés.

The In Nomine RPG had an interesting take on its rival angels and demons of fire. Belial (the demon of fire) was little more than a brimstone-smelling cosmic Beavis with a flamethrower fetish. Gabriel (the angel of fire) represented fire as inspiration, as protection, and as symbol of human progress.

Leliel
2009-10-09, 03:18 PM
Problem with WoD is that anyone that goes around intentionally causing property damage for too long ends up with a fairly low morality score; worse when people don't manage to escape. Not that it matters for an NPC though.

Of course.

I never intended him to not be a tragic hero, or at least, one heading down that path.

And bosssmiley, that's actually a good example with In Nomine.

I haven't played it, but it's a good point you make-that fire can be used to create-or at least, prepare for creation-as well as destroy.

Aron Times
2009-10-09, 03:26 PM
My Geist: The Sin-Eaters character is basically a pyromancer. With Pyre-Flame Rage 3, he can incinerate a target a good distance away with invisible flames (quite handy for killing vampires).

Perhaps you can stat this character as a Sin-Eater with the Pyre-Flame Key and the Rage and the Boneyard Manifestations.