Role-playing Log, Brom-lak Inksmear, April 17, 2009

Summary:

Brom-lak Inksmear, genasi swordmage and premier student of the famed White Lotus Academy, is sent on a dangerous mission to investigate recent reports that some evil befalls a tiny village, one Bristol Watch, Vilhon Wilds. Brom travels to Bristol Watch with all due haste. Upon arriving, he finds the town completely devastated, but the threat neutralized. He soon meets the band of adventurers responsible for defeating the evil and gathers information from them, including the insect horde threat commanded by the nefarious Ne'ral.

Brom communicates back to the academy Elders (via Send ritual) all the intel he gathered. The Elders digest the information and respond in kind, ordering Brom to investigate a new threat, just two days west of Bristol Watch at the Fort Dolor. Str8 Rippin' agrees to accompany Brom to the fort as some in the party received their own information about rumblings west of Bristol Watch.

Role-playing Quantity: High

The entire night was nearly all role-playing. The only fight of the night barely qualified, a botched assassination attempt on Quinn.

Role-playing Quality: Medium

Brom is the new character I rolled to replace Rend. I'm essentially playing the same template, with the slight tweek that Brom is the Aegis of Shielding specc (a more defensive defender than the Assault version). I made Brom a student of the White Lotus Academy, a recent article published in the D&D Insider website. The DM placed the school north of Akanul, in Aglarond. My idea for Brom's journey to Bristol Watch and eventual integration with Str8 Rippin' was the investigation into the emergence of a ravenous insect horde in the Vilhon Wilds.

That proved a decent enough hook to get Brom with the rest of the players, but the role-playing aspect proved difficult. I really don't have a firm grasp on Brom's personality and motivations, beyond serving the academy as an investigator. As a result, I often felt at a lost on how to react to the other player characters. As a whole, my role-playing felt stilted and forced.

I think I'm going to have Brom play the part of a conscientious bureaucrat. He will take copious, detailed notes on behalf of the Academy's missions. I'm picturing a kind of Sherlock Holmes, branding a bastard sword rather than a pipe. That could prove fertile territory, though I bet it's going to be hard to play the role of detective with six other players.