View source for Playing a Wick

Ah, so the nomadic life of a wick appeals to you!

Cast out of Brunnhold, wicks are a thorn in the side of the galdori. Their magical ability is not as strong as that of a sorcerer, so they must live on the fringes of society, constantly moving, in caravans or on foot; their tribes are close-knit and protective, and their culture is as colorful as a patchwork quilt.

Dealing in small magic (cures and small spells) and false magic (fortune telling and palm reading), the tribes peddle their abilities and artisan wares among the humans, roving from place to place to find willing saps. The humans are always glad to see wicks, because they bring their fun-loving culture with them.

Wicks are a good character to play if you want to have fun, but they come with some weighty issues. The lack of a permanent home is not necessarily one of them; many wicks relish and enjoy the nomadic lifestyle. But wicks are always on the fringes of society, not fully accepted or trusted by anyone but other wicks.

==Pros of playing a Wick==

As a wick, you have a family for life. You get to visit interesting places and meet new people. You have some magic to use; though it is not strong, you'll find that it's useful in many situations. Wicks have even compiled their own grimoire of specialized spells: the Spoke's Almanac, as outlined in [[Wick Magic]]. You have willing friends among the humans, as well.

You also get to have lots of fun. Wicks love their traditions, and most of them include large festivals with lots of drinking, dancing, exotic food, storytelling and singing. Wicks are very supportive of the arts. And you get to speak Tek, which you can learn on the [[Tek Lexicon]]!

==Cons of playing a Wick==

You're mistrusted and even hated by the galdori, who grudgingly accept your trade goods but won't let you study magic. You have no permanent home, except for the city of [[Anhau]] - and even that seems to move around. (Besides, it's really not worth braving the [[Mythical Beasts| hatchers]].) Your people are often the victims of violent crime; [[The Seventen]] rarely investigate the death of a wick.

==Wick Beginning Skills==
A wick has racial limitations on their Aptitude Skill choices based on their fringe of society, mostly nomadic, adaptive existence under the watchful eye of their galdori rulers. Their Physical skill cannot begin at Poor and their Mental skill cannot begin at Good.


===Aptitude Skills===
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		<p><strong>Mental :</strong> Poor<br />
<strong>Physical :</strong> Good<br />
<strong>Social :</strong> Average</p>
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      <p><strong>Mental :</strong> Poor<br />
<strong>Physical :</strong> Average<br />
<strong>Social :</strong> Good</p>
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		<p><strong>Mental :</strong> Average<br />
<strong>Physical :</strong> Good<br />
<strong>Social :</strong> Poor</p>
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===Focus Skills===
An adult wick has their choice of '''1 Proficient and 4 Beginner Focus Skills''' to show their varied lifestyle, and can choose to  spend skill slots on Spoke magic, Spoke tricks, or both—neither is mandatory. A parse wick may not learn wick Magic, but they can learn the Tricks part of the Spokes' Almanac. A wick can choose to learn both Magic and Tricks. A child wick may begin play with their choice of 5 Beginner Focus Skills, and they may not begin play with a Proficient Focus Skill without moderator permission.

In order to further customize your character, a wick may exchange 1 Beginner Focus Skill slot to advance an Aptitude Skill of their choice from Poor to Average or from Average to Good or from Good to Excellent. '''You may only spend 1 Focus Skill slot to raise one Aptitude Skill one Tier in this way, no matter how many Focus Skills you have to spend.'''

You may also instead choose to exchange 1 Beginner Focus Skill slot to advance another Beginner Focus Skill to Proficient instead. No one can begin the game with an Expert Focus Skill without moderator permission (don't be afraid to ask, however!).

==Getting into Character==

Wicks can come from many places. Some grew up in a caravan, or in the city of Anhau, or Vienda; some had wick parents, or were raised by the community; some, however, were the product of an illicit affair between a galdor and a human. These children are often abandoned by their galdor parent and raised by their human parent. A wick can live with humans, or with other wicks, or just by themselves.

Part of the conflict in the life of a wick is finding where he or she belongs. Sometimes a wick is not satisfied with his tribe, and decides to leave; sometimes they feel out of place living among humans, and sometimes they're struggling for survival on their own. Or, perhaps, they're perfectly happy living on a caravan.

Try to consider what the origins of your wick are. Who are their parents? Does your wick know them? What led to their current situation? If they're in a tribe, which one?

==Wicks in Combat==

Wicks are wily and quick, and can usually slip out of a sticky situation by sneaking into the shadows or throwing up a distracting spell. They are difficult to catch and can sneak up on their foes in a variety of ways. They are often proficient with weapons, but prefer not to use them. They have fantastic reflexes and agility.

Unfortunately, wick magic is relatively weak. Against a stronger galdor, they cannot hope to compete through magic. They are physically weaker than humans, and try to avoid straightforward fights.

==Get a job!==

Wicks start work early, as soon as they can walk. They generally go into the same profession as their parents, but are allowed to choose any career they can handle on the road. Some caravans, for example, ferry humans from place to place for a small fee; some even have kilns and metalshops built into carts!

Here are some sample careers. You are not limited to these, of course; if your character lives among humans, he or she might have a distinctly human career path.

*Peddler of false magic - fortune telling, palm reading, seller of lucky talismans, tarot reading
*Artisan crafts - basketmaker, potter, painter, weaver
*Merchant - seller of exotic wares, specialty equipment, etc
*Courier, ferrier (carries people where they need to go)
*Healer

==Wick Goals==

Although most wicks are not overly ambitious, your wick will probably have some goals in life. He might want to start a family, buy his own cart, or become the Durg of his tribe. Just because you're always moving doesn't mean you can't aspire to a little stability and prosperity!

Make a short list of long-term goals and break them down into short-term goals. For example, if a wick wanted to become the Durg, he might first get himself a family, then several carts; he might try to break away from his caravan, start a new one, or just cozy up to the current Durg and hope to replace him. Maybe he would hatch a tricky plan to try and overthrow him - though he'd have to be careful not to get caught!


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[[Category: Character Creation Guide]]
[[Category: Race]]