Header Spotlight: Scalawag

The Header Spotlight segment is a way to deliver some information about the specific Headers and to highlight their strengths and weaknesses.

Today, we'll be covering the Scalawag. 

Let's be honest.  You're probably going to pick this up because it sounds awesome.  Don't worry, it is.

The Scalawag is a Support Header that is focused on survival.  The Survivor skill allows you heal yourself easily (although you still can't do it while unconscious) and the Experienced Drinker skill keeps you up, as long as you can take the damage.  Unassuming and Keys to the Kingdom give you some tools to get out of tight situations.

But let's be honest, the real gem of this class is the Cheat Death skill.  This skill effectively gives you another 6 minutes before you die.  At least, that's normally how it works.  Turns out, there's a lot of ways to prevent you from bleeding out by stabilizing yourself (Warden and Rogue skills).  There are also a few production items that can save you as well!

Good Header Combinations: Rogue (Cheat Death / Hard to Kill), Brute (Good fixes for a high damage Header)

Pro: If you're looking after number 1, there are only a few Headers that provide as much safety and security of the Scalawag Header.

Con: If you're part of a team, this Header does the rest of your team no good.  You might be better off taking something that meshes well with the team. 

Are you going to take Scalawag? How do you plan on dealing with Cheat Death?  Let us know in the comments!

Header Spotlight: Trader

The Header Spotlight segment is a way to deliver some information about the specific Headers and to highlight their strengths and weaknesses.

Today, we'll be covering the Trader. 

The Trader is a support header that is designed to supplement characters that revolve around bartering.  While it was designed to give more stuff to players who aren't interested in combat, anyone can get the header and benefit from it!  The amount of CP you sink into this class can be as little or as much as you choose.

The primary skills of the Trader are Appraise and Buyer.  Appraise lets you read the secret cards that indicate high value (and you can choose to reveal them to others or not), and Buyer lets you bring lower level production items into game at a higher cost.  But if you're going to be selling items, it really lets you flesh out your inventory and get some harder to get wands.

They also have the ability to copy recipes (huge for crafters) and can get Merchant Contacts that help you buy said recipes.  Round it all off with the ability  to sell your valuable gems and luxuries for a profit, and there are few that can accumulate as much wealth as the Trader! 

Good Header Combinations: Any Production Header (If you're going to trade, you might as well make some of your own goods), Enchanter (One of the better magic headers for a non-combat player)

Pro: If you're looking to make money and aren't really focused on combat, this Header is going to make your game a lot more enjoyable.  You'll be able to get easy access to merchant-type plot, and you'll be the guy to go to when someone needs something... special. 

Con: No matter how you try and spin it, this Header isn't really going to help you in combat... at all.  Sure, you can get the Buyer skill a number of times to get some goods, but it's not really cost or CP efficient.   

Would you play a Trader?  What Headers would you take if you didn't want to do combat?  Let us know in the comments!

Healing and You! A Guide on (hopefully) Not Dying

 

We encourage guest posts from players and owners across the Larp genres.  They will not always express our views or fit every game. If you would like to do a guest spot, please email us here with your idea!  Dave Jurns has been Larping for several years and has served (and continues to do so) as a Plot person for WAR (Rage Hollow).  

Like basically everything else in WAR Accelerant, healing is going through a pretty radical shift and I think it’s going to take a little processing to wrap our heads around the differences.  Hopefully, we can work though some of that today.

Big Change #1:  Healers can’t heal forever. 

This is big, and it’s going to be weird for those of us (me included) who are used to making it rain “10 Elemental Healing”. 

“But Dave,” you may be saying, “I couldn’t heal forever!  I was using up components, and I’d have run out eventually!” 

No, you wouldn’t have.  LCO components, at least in my neck of the woods, fell from the sky like manna.  I don’t even know if anyone used them for anything but cantrips.  Everyone I can think of just called them “cantrip fodder”.  You get the idea.  The point is, with a system like that healing was effectively infinite.

No more.

Healing resources are going to be a little bit tighter, and the straight-up NERO style “backpack” just isn’t very feasible.  Basic healing requires attribute expenditure and there just isn’t that much to go around.

But, (deep breaths here) it’s cool.

Header Spotlight: Deathspeaker

The Header Spotlight segment is a way to deliver some information about the specific Headers and to highlight their strengths and weaknesses.

Today, we'll be covering the Deathspeaker. 

A good Deathspeaker is hard to find.  It takes someone with a certain kind of personality to spend a good portion of their time tending to and speaking to the dead.  You can often find a Deathspeaker or two attending Death's Drawing, observing the interactions of others and bearing care packages from the living.

The Deathspeaker support header complements most builds, because of it's unique abilities.  The ability to speak to the dead is great, and the ability to leave an item behind (if they want) when going to spirit makes them ideal to carry key items into dangerous places.  Finally, they get a Cure Death, which is hard to beat.

Here's a quick note about the ability to speak to dead (for those who are unaccustomed to Accelerant).  This allows you to speak to someone with the "Dead" trait, which you only get when you go to spirit to meet with Death.  This does not allow you to speak to someone who is currently affected by a Death effect (or have bled out).

Good Header Combinations: Anything!

Pro: It's got some really cool effects, and the ability to visit Death's Drawing is hard can be really interesting.  Also Cure Death.  'Nuff Said. 

Con: A lot of the effects for the Deathspeaker are situational and roleplay oriented.  Going deep in this tree may affect you combat capability by a small amount.    

What is your favorite Deathspeaker ability?  Would you play one?  Let us know in the comments!

Header Spotlight: Spellsword

The Header Spotlight segment is a way to deliver some information about the specific Headers and to highlight their strengths and weaknesses.

Today, we'll be covering the Spellsword Header. 

Spellsword is the Support Header that allows people to mix and match martial and magic abilities.  Normally spells require you to have both hands free, but the Spellsword allows casters to cast spells while holding a sword or shield in their other hand.  On top of that, this header allows people to even channel their spells through their weapons (for an attribute cost).  

This is probably one of the most mechanically complex header of all of them, because it's so different than other games.  Since you cannot cast with anything in your hands, being able to hold a shield or weapon while casting is a huge boon.  And while you can channel spells, they still have to hit a legal target, and count as a melee strike (in regard to defenses).  Still, it's a pretty sick class.

Finally, if you're in a jam, you can always bust out Tempest Stance, and not hold back on channeling those spells!

Good Header Combinations: Hexer (Channel spell effects and do damage with weapons), Shield Bearer (Deal damage with spells while using martial skills to defend)

Pro: Anyone who wants to cast spells on the front line is probably going to want to pick this up.  

Con: A lot of people took casting with a weapon or shield in the other hand for granted.  However, if you can manage not casting spells in combat (or using a staff), you can save your hard earned CP for something else.

What do you think is the best Magic and Martial Header to go with the Spellsword?  Let us know in the comments!

Header Spotlight: Bard

The Header Spotlight segment is a way to deliver some information about the specific Headers and to highlight their strengths and weaknesses.

Today, we'll be covering the Bard Header. 

Bard is a support header intended to allow people who love to sing and tell stories to use those talents for in-game benefit. Bards have the ability to sing their spells to either affect more people or to string a spell along, as long as they sing. It can be really powerful, but it's also fairly easy to interrupt in combat, so if you've got a Bard on your team, keeping them safe is probably going to be job number one.

Some people may have noticed that there's no rule regarding how long songs must be before effects. We put this Header in game with the hopes of improving the atmosphere and getting people to come out of their shell to sing. We really want people to sing songs of appropriate length for effects, but understand there will be times when you may want to sing faster due to some action on the field. Ideally, verses for continuous song would be about 20-30 seconds long, with full songs being about a minute or so. But it's not a hard and fast rule, so don't think that because your song is a few seconds under this limit that we'll kick you out. If it sounds awesome an immerses players, we love it.

Finally, the Bard has a very special capstone skill, where they can give a performance or tell a story, and all who listen will get a fairly large attribute refresh.  If you can beat the stage fright, everyone will want to be your friend!

Good Header Combinations: Healer (Lots of Touch Heals and Cures), Enchanter (Lots of Touch Grants)

Pro: If you can pull off the song, the Bard gets more use per attribute than any other class. Their capstone ability can give a big boost to a large group of people, so people will really appreciate your work. Get out and sing!

Con: The Bard is somewhat limited in it's ability to do things quickly. In combat situations that require you to respond quickly (if you're the only healer), you probably won't get a lot of use out of your Bard Header (at that point.)

Would you play a Bard?  What Headers would you combine with it?  Let us know in the comments!