Outer Divide Application
Sep. 29th, 2013 11:26 pmYes, you get to deal with me again. Lucky you.
[- OOC Information -]
Name: Tanner
Do you play any other characters in Outer Divide? No (Because of fail!application last time)
[- Character Information -]
Character Name: Vaarsuvius
Fandom: The Order of the Stick
OU, AU, or CR AU: OU
Canon Point: Panel ~4 of comic 897
Journal:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
verbose_evoker
Character History: http://oots.wikia.com/wiki/Vaarsuvius
Personality: There are many traits typical of an elf, and Vaarsuvius has not shied away from them. On the surface, Vaarsuvius exhibits the same traits as any other random elf—prideful in their area of expertise, prideful in their race…prideful in general, really. And it is all true. V is a wizard and is going to let you know about it, at length. Preferably at length, in fact, though the thought of convincing someone with a Fireball is satisfying.
Unquestionably intelligent in an academic sense, but swinging between brash and shrewd behaviors, Vaarsuvius is the kind of person you want to have as a friend, but not to actually talk to—Vaarsuvius is largely arrogant and fixated on V’s own arcane power, though V has recently begun to try to curb this. After committing Familicide, V has become overcome with guilt, and is attempting not so much to atone, but to prevent such events from happening again. V does not hold a particularly Good moral compass, but does in fact have one. The interaction between prior self-assurance and guilt has been turning them inside out, but V is strong of mind and hasn't broken under the pressure of intense moral strain. Gotten emotional, yes, but not broken.
On the topic of emotions, Vaarsuvius generally keeps composure, and carries a disciplined demeanor. On the other hand, V is not above making snide remarks, verbally sniping at people with a dour expression as accompaniment, or even outright anger at times. Moments of expressed happiness or rest are rare. In the past, they've been with Inkyrius, V’s life partner—V did have love in their life. By and large, though, Vaarsuvius is all business, always focused on a particular goal. Most of the time, this goal is related to ULTIMATE ARCANE POWER, which Vaarsuvius has been questing towards for most of their long elven life. This is why V became a wizard in the first place, and part of the reason behind continued association with Roy and company. The other parts is obligation between friends. See, while V keeps emotions under wraps most of the time with a thoroughly no-nonsense exterior, that’s just because V doesn't emote much. V will never call you a friend, but you’ll certainly know it when V comes over to WIZARD away your problems, while complaining at length about how you got into them.
As a wizard, V has a highly analytical mind, which is helpful when dealing with manipulation—With a calm head, V can generally understand what a person is saying between the lines. This analytical thought pattern is also what gets Vaarsuvius frustrated at times, when trying to understand what actually drives people. Social interaction isn’t V’s strong point except when picking apart people’s wordings to get subtle meanings, rules-lawyer style. Considering that Vaarsuvius has issues understanding people’s genders and emotions—this was the leadup to the downfall of V’s relationship with Inkyrius—V basically has D&D’s version of Asperger’s Syndrome. Even after a catastrophic divorce related to brute-force arcane power, V has mentioned that “As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero.” Vaarsuvius, in short, doesn’t get people. It’s to the point where V regards Belkar’s brain as a two-state filing system of hate vs. lust.
Powers/Abilities: Being from an “RPG Verse”, Vaarsuvius’s abilities can be rigidly quantified. V has the precise abilities of a 15th+ level Evocation-specialist Wizard in Dungeons and Dragons 3.5th edition, insofar as the world can reflect them (the RPG verse is an imperfect model).
To elaborate: Every day, Vaarsuvius can “prepare” spells if V has had sufficient rest, drawing from spells in V’s spellbook. These spells can then be cast at any time later by a gesture, saying the spell’s name, and a visual display of purple-tinted magic, though there are some exceptions to the usual completion method. These spells are of various levels, beginning at 0-level “cantrips”, with Vaarsuivius’s observed limit being 8th-level spells such as Power Word: Stun. Being specialized in Evocation, the school of magic that makes things blow up, V can do more of the spells that make things blow up.
Vaarsuvius could conceivably learn any and every wizard-available spell that is not of 9th-level and/or in the schools of Necromancy or Conjuration. In canon, V has demonstrated or referenced the use of the following spells: Arcane Eye, Banishment, Bull's Strength, Bugsby's Cat-Retrieving Hand, Bugsby's Expressive Single Digit, Bugsby's Flicking Finger, Bugsby's Grasping Hand, Chain Lightning, Charm Monster, Cone of Cold, Crushing Despair, Detect Magic, Dimensional Anchor, Disintegrate, Dispel Magic, Dominate Person, Evan's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion, Expeditious Retreat, Explosive Runes, Feather Fall, Fireball, Fire Trap, Forcecage, Fly, Greater Dispel Magic, Greater Invisibility, Gust of Wind, Haste, Heroism, Hold Monster, Hold Person, Hold Portal, Identify, Invisibility, "discount" Invisibility Sphere, Lightning Bolt, Magic Missile, Mass Bear's Endurance, Mass Bull's Strength, Mass Enlarge Person, Overland Flight, Owl's Wisdom, Polymorph, Power Word Blind, Power Word Stun, Prestidigitation, Prismatic Spray, Protection from Arrows, Resilient Sphere, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility, Sending, Silent Image, Sleep, Stinking Cloud, Stoneskin, Stone to Flesh, Suggestion, True Seeing, Vaarsuvius' Enhanced Scrying, Vaarsuvius' Greater Animal Messenger, Vampiric Touch (can’t actually cast this one because it’s Necromancy), Veil, and Wall of Fire. Generally, these spells do exactly what they sound like they do, in lieu of going to d20srd and looking them up. It can also be assumed that Vaarsuvius knows all cantrips, since that is a trait of all wizards. Cantrips include minor but useful magical tricks like making ghostly sounds, cleaning objects, and generating a light source.
Necromancy and Conjuration are V’s “barred schools”, which mean that V cannot cast any spells of those schools except under specific, unusual circumstances. The Wizard class also provides the use of a familiar, an animal closely bonded with the caster. Blackwing, a raven, is V’s familiar, and can speak Common (assumed to be English). In addition to Wizard abilities, Vaarsuvius is an elf (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/elf.htm), which provides various natural traits. V can detect hidden doors just by walking past them, can see twice as far as humans in low light, and does not sleep—instead, V “trances” for four hours per night.
This is far from confirmed, but extrapolating from clues in the source material and the 3.5 rules, Vaarsuivus is able to cast 4/6/6/9/5/5/4/2/1 spells per day, going from 0th level cantrips to 8th level spells.
Additional information on Wizards and what wizard spells do is available on d20srd.org; there’s kind of a lot of rules--if I went over every detail, you'd be reading all day. While canon diverges from D&D 3.5 more than occasionally, it generally follows those rules, and it can be assumed that they’re all in effect.
Finally, Vaarsuvius is aware of their own numbers in the game framework, and can do just a little tomfoolery with the fourth wall. (I'm not sure how this should be handled in Outer Divide, beyond Vaarsuvius knowing that they're no longer in a stick figure comic.)
Possessions: Spellbook, Headband of Intellect +4, Ring of Wizardry III (canon isn’t clear but it’s probably III instead of IV). The second item does exactly what it sounds like, and the Ring of Wizardy III grants V some extra 3rd-level spells. Blackwing might count as a possession--I will leave it up to the mods if Vaarsivius’s familiar should count as a separate character instead of a tagalong.
Arrival: Ship.
[- Writing Samples -]
Network Sample:
[The video displays an elf standing in front of a freshly-opened pod, straightening their wizard robes. With just a hint of complete infuriation coming from a practiced voice:] The situation bestowed upon me is absolutely preposterous and exceedingly unlikely, for whatever that word is worth at this point.
[There is the sound of quiet fumbling as Vaarsuvius puts on the headband of intellect.]
I demand to be expelled from this plane immediately, preferably to my prior location on the Prime Material Plane. I will not ask again. It would be unreliable to Use Magic Device again on this object. Considering the surroundings and general machinery of this location, I believe myself to have been transported to the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus. While the details are inexact in that the metals are not arranged in the form of clockwork, exactly, there are few other explanations besides a Demiplane of Extreme Plot Contrivance. [Forceful gesture around the room.] And that is not to imply that I have eliminated the possibility of such demiplane. I do not recognize many of these trapped entities, implying a great degree of power in them, which further implies potent trapping mechanisms beyond a simple Hold Monster. This begs the question of why I have been extricated from my own holding capsule.
Ah. [Vaarsuvius closes their eyes and concentrates for a few moments, before opening them again. This is followed by a sigh.] It appears that this is a powerful illusion indeed. Illusion is a likely explanation considering the circumstances of where I am in reality. I have found my solution: Greater Dispel Magic. [At the three words, an aura of purple magic surrounds Vaarsuvius, released as a bolt towards the device. Apparently that managed to shut of the video. Fortunate, as V would have happily gone on talking and talking and talking.]
Log Sample: Vaarsuvius much desired to evoke tomorrow, as usual. Commanders of the forces of reality used it to make the threats within burn, as they should. But V would have to learn restraint. For Kyrie. Fire and lightning could not repair, and when repairs were necessary, a specialty in Evocation did not reward the wizard in question—particularly not when Conjurations were impossible, of course excepting Limited Wishes and Shadow Conjurations, neither of which were available.
Haste. Haste. Several copies of Resistance. Resilient Sphere. An extra Invisibility. Mage Armor, for Elan, and Heroism in the case of his mental faculties being too tied up in puns for him to sing. Perhaps Durkon possessed some diamond dust usable for Stoneskin.
Vaarsuvius attempted to ignore Blackwing say something. But it was true: there simply weren’t a lot of party support spells here. V would have to fill some of the remaining slots somehow, though, a distasteful reminder of an unusual lack of prudence.
Preparing Chain Lightning only reminded V of reading the Summons, word by word.
Enough! Hedging out unhelpful thoughts was one of the functions of Concentration! Vaarsuvius threw their hands in the air momentarily. They would assist Greenhilt, shamed or otherwise, and reviewing thoughts continuously did not make any progress in that regard.
Other spells could do, this time. Even lesser ones like Floating Disk, to give the party a place to sit when they tired, or Bigby’s Cat-Retrieving Hand, to remove Mr. Scruffy from battlefield control. It was not out of the question, and a wizard must always be prepared. At least V had those few Evocations that could be indirectly helpful.
Vaarsuvius looked over to Blackwing, closed the book, and gestured towards the loyal familiar. V still had plans for the raven that had been ignored until now. The Order should first become accustomed to his presence.
Addendum: Yes, yes, the gender debate. I am deliberately taking no sides on that. If it ever comes up, V will be deferential about it. In person, Vaarsuvius will be sufficiently androgynous that no one will be able to identify gender. Also, I am using V as a pronoun.
[- OOC Information -]
Name: Tanner
Do you play any other characters in Outer Divide? No (Because of fail!application last time)
[- Character Information -]
Character Name: Vaarsuvius
Fandom: The Order of the Stick
OU, AU, or CR AU: OU
Canon Point: Panel ~4 of comic 897
Journal:
verbose_evoker Character History: http://oots.wikia.com/wiki/Vaarsuvius
Personality: There are many traits typical of an elf, and Vaarsuvius has not shied away from them. On the surface, Vaarsuvius exhibits the same traits as any other random elf—prideful in their area of expertise, prideful in their race…prideful in general, really. And it is all true. V is a wizard and is going to let you know about it, at length. Preferably at length, in fact, though the thought of convincing someone with a Fireball is satisfying.
Unquestionably intelligent in an academic sense, but swinging between brash and shrewd behaviors, Vaarsuvius is the kind of person you want to have as a friend, but not to actually talk to—Vaarsuvius is largely arrogant and fixated on V’s own arcane power, though V has recently begun to try to curb this. After committing Familicide, V has become overcome with guilt, and is attempting not so much to atone, but to prevent such events from happening again. V does not hold a particularly Good moral compass, but does in fact have one. The interaction between prior self-assurance and guilt has been turning them inside out, but V is strong of mind and hasn't broken under the pressure of intense moral strain. Gotten emotional, yes, but not broken.
On the topic of emotions, Vaarsuvius generally keeps composure, and carries a disciplined demeanor. On the other hand, V is not above making snide remarks, verbally sniping at people with a dour expression as accompaniment, or even outright anger at times. Moments of expressed happiness or rest are rare. In the past, they've been with Inkyrius, V’s life partner—V did have love in their life. By and large, though, Vaarsuvius is all business, always focused on a particular goal. Most of the time, this goal is related to ULTIMATE ARCANE POWER, which Vaarsuvius has been questing towards for most of their long elven life. This is why V became a wizard in the first place, and part of the reason behind continued association with Roy and company. The other parts is obligation between friends. See, while V keeps emotions under wraps most of the time with a thoroughly no-nonsense exterior, that’s just because V doesn't emote much. V will never call you a friend, but you’ll certainly know it when V comes over to WIZARD away your problems, while complaining at length about how you got into them.
As a wizard, V has a highly analytical mind, which is helpful when dealing with manipulation—With a calm head, V can generally understand what a person is saying between the lines. This analytical thought pattern is also what gets Vaarsuvius frustrated at times, when trying to understand what actually drives people. Social interaction isn’t V’s strong point except when picking apart people’s wordings to get subtle meanings, rules-lawyer style. Considering that Vaarsuvius has issues understanding people’s genders and emotions—this was the leadup to the downfall of V’s relationship with Inkyrius—V basically has D&D’s version of Asperger’s Syndrome. Even after a catastrophic divorce related to brute-force arcane power, V has mentioned that “As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero.” Vaarsuvius, in short, doesn’t get people. It’s to the point where V regards Belkar’s brain as a two-state filing system of hate vs. lust.
Powers/Abilities: Being from an “RPG Verse”, Vaarsuvius’s abilities can be rigidly quantified. V has the precise abilities of a 15th+ level Evocation-specialist Wizard in Dungeons and Dragons 3.5th edition, insofar as the world can reflect them (the RPG verse is an imperfect model).
To elaborate: Every day, Vaarsuvius can “prepare” spells if V has had sufficient rest, drawing from spells in V’s spellbook. These spells can then be cast at any time later by a gesture, saying the spell’s name, and a visual display of purple-tinted magic, though there are some exceptions to the usual completion method. These spells are of various levels, beginning at 0-level “cantrips”, with Vaarsuivius’s observed limit being 8th-level spells such as Power Word: Stun. Being specialized in Evocation, the school of magic that makes things blow up, V can do more of the spells that make things blow up.
Vaarsuvius could conceivably learn any and every wizard-available spell that is not of 9th-level and/or in the schools of Necromancy or Conjuration. In canon, V has demonstrated or referenced the use of the following spells: Arcane Eye, Banishment, Bull's Strength, Bugsby's Cat-Retrieving Hand, Bugsby's Expressive Single Digit, Bugsby's Flicking Finger, Bugsby's Grasping Hand, Chain Lightning, Charm Monster, Cone of Cold, Crushing Despair, Detect Magic, Dimensional Anchor, Disintegrate, Dispel Magic, Dominate Person, Evan's Spiked Tentacles of Forced Intrusion, Expeditious Retreat, Explosive Runes, Feather Fall, Fireball, Fire Trap, Forcecage, Fly, Greater Dispel Magic, Greater Invisibility, Gust of Wind, Haste, Heroism, Hold Monster, Hold Person, Hold Portal, Identify, Invisibility, "discount" Invisibility Sphere, Lightning Bolt, Magic Missile, Mass Bear's Endurance, Mass Bull's Strength, Mass Enlarge Person, Overland Flight, Owl's Wisdom, Polymorph, Power Word Blind, Power Word Stun, Prestidigitation, Prismatic Spray, Protection from Arrows, Resilient Sphere, Scorching Ray, See Invisibility, Sending, Silent Image, Sleep, Stinking Cloud, Stoneskin, Stone to Flesh, Suggestion, True Seeing, Vaarsuvius' Enhanced Scrying, Vaarsuvius' Greater Animal Messenger, Vampiric Touch (can’t actually cast this one because it’s Necromancy), Veil, and Wall of Fire. Generally, these spells do exactly what they sound like they do, in lieu of going to d20srd and looking them up. It can also be assumed that Vaarsuvius knows all cantrips, since that is a trait of all wizards. Cantrips include minor but useful magical tricks like making ghostly sounds, cleaning objects, and generating a light source.
Necromancy and Conjuration are V’s “barred schools”, which mean that V cannot cast any spells of those schools except under specific, unusual circumstances. The Wizard class also provides the use of a familiar, an animal closely bonded with the caster. Blackwing, a raven, is V’s familiar, and can speak Common (assumed to be English). In addition to Wizard abilities, Vaarsuvius is an elf (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/elf.htm), which provides various natural traits. V can detect hidden doors just by walking past them, can see twice as far as humans in low light, and does not sleep—instead, V “trances” for four hours per night.
This is far from confirmed, but extrapolating from clues in the source material and the 3.5 rules, Vaarsuivus is able to cast 4/6/6/9/5/5/4/2/1 spells per day, going from 0th level cantrips to 8th level spells.
Additional information on Wizards and what wizard spells do is available on d20srd.org; there’s kind of a lot of rules--if I went over every detail, you'd be reading all day. While canon diverges from D&D 3.5 more than occasionally, it generally follows those rules, and it can be assumed that they’re all in effect.
Finally, Vaarsuvius is aware of their own numbers in the game framework, and can do just a little tomfoolery with the fourth wall. (I'm not sure how this should be handled in Outer Divide, beyond Vaarsuvius knowing that they're no longer in a stick figure comic.)
Possessions: Spellbook, Headband of Intellect +4, Ring of Wizardry III (canon isn’t clear but it’s probably III instead of IV). The second item does exactly what it sounds like, and the Ring of Wizardy III grants V some extra 3rd-level spells. Blackwing might count as a possession--I will leave it up to the mods if Vaarsivius’s familiar should count as a separate character instead of a tagalong.
Arrival: Ship.
[- Writing Samples -]
Network Sample:
[The video displays an elf standing in front of a freshly-opened pod, straightening their wizard robes. With just a hint of complete infuriation coming from a practiced voice:] The situation bestowed upon me is absolutely preposterous and exceedingly unlikely, for whatever that word is worth at this point.
[There is the sound of quiet fumbling as Vaarsuvius puts on the headband of intellect.]
I demand to be expelled from this plane immediately, preferably to my prior location on the Prime Material Plane. I will not ask again. It would be unreliable to Use Magic Device again on this object. Considering the surroundings and general machinery of this location, I believe myself to have been transported to the Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus. While the details are inexact in that the metals are not arranged in the form of clockwork, exactly, there are few other explanations besides a Demiplane of Extreme Plot Contrivance. [Forceful gesture around the room.] And that is not to imply that I have eliminated the possibility of such demiplane. I do not recognize many of these trapped entities, implying a great degree of power in them, which further implies potent trapping mechanisms beyond a simple Hold Monster. This begs the question of why I have been extricated from my own holding capsule.
Ah. [Vaarsuvius closes their eyes and concentrates for a few moments, before opening them again. This is followed by a sigh.] It appears that this is a powerful illusion indeed. Illusion is a likely explanation considering the circumstances of where I am in reality. I have found my solution: Greater Dispel Magic. [At the three words, an aura of purple magic surrounds Vaarsuvius, released as a bolt towards the device. Apparently that managed to shut of the video. Fortunate, as V would have happily gone on talking and talking and talking.]
Log Sample: Vaarsuvius much desired to evoke tomorrow, as usual. Commanders of the forces of reality used it to make the threats within burn, as they should. But V would have to learn restraint. For Kyrie. Fire and lightning could not repair, and when repairs were necessary, a specialty in Evocation did not reward the wizard in question—particularly not when Conjurations were impossible, of course excepting Limited Wishes and Shadow Conjurations, neither of which were available.
Haste. Haste. Several copies of Resistance. Resilient Sphere. An extra Invisibility. Mage Armor, for Elan, and Heroism in the case of his mental faculties being too tied up in puns for him to sing. Perhaps Durkon possessed some diamond dust usable for Stoneskin.
Vaarsuvius attempted to ignore Blackwing say something. But it was true: there simply weren’t a lot of party support spells here. V would have to fill some of the remaining slots somehow, though, a distasteful reminder of an unusual lack of prudence.
Preparing Chain Lightning only reminded V of reading the Summons, word by word.
Enough! Hedging out unhelpful thoughts was one of the functions of Concentration! Vaarsuvius threw their hands in the air momentarily. They would assist Greenhilt, shamed or otherwise, and reviewing thoughts continuously did not make any progress in that regard.
Other spells could do, this time. Even lesser ones like Floating Disk, to give the party a place to sit when they tired, or Bigby’s Cat-Retrieving Hand, to remove Mr. Scruffy from battlefield control. It was not out of the question, and a wizard must always be prepared. At least V had those few Evocations that could be indirectly helpful.
Vaarsuvius looked over to Blackwing, closed the book, and gestured towards the loyal familiar. V still had plans for the raven that had been ignored until now. The Order should first become accustomed to his presence.
Addendum: Yes, yes, the gender debate. I am deliberately taking no sides on that. If it ever comes up, V will be deferential about it. In person, Vaarsuvius will be sufficiently androgynous that no one will be able to identify gender. Also, I am using V as a pronoun.
