Stormlight Characters in the RPG

[DSCrankshaw]

So I was disappointed to see that the RPG didn't have mechanics for any of the main characters. But that just means that we have the opportunity to build them. So let's see people's take on building the characters. Feel free to go as detailed or general as you want.

I was going to do Adolin first, but I've decided that he's fairly straightforward. He's primarily a Warrior, with pretty much the entire Duelist and Shardbearer talent trees, maybe a little Soldier in the Combat Training line (to account for all the swords), plus Leader with the Officer talent tree (Politico doesn't really fit, but I kind of want Well-dressed for him). He also probably starts the Stormlight Archive the highest level of the three characters on the cover of the Stormlight player handbook: he's probably tier 3 by the time we meet him in Way of Kings (gamewise, Shardplate is considered a tier 3 reward, though Adolin was technically born with it, as it was part of what his mother brought to the marriage), while Kaladin's tier 2, and Shallan is tier 1.

So I'll do Kaladin instead. I'll mainly talk Path and Specialties, maybe a few specific Talents, while not worrying so much about specific skills and traits.

Spoiler

At level 1, when Kaladin leaves home to protect his brother, he's a Scholar with the Surgeon specialty, and the Field Medicine Talent.

I think the next two levels are Warrior, gaining the Vigilant Stance and Combat Training, where he gains the knife and shortspear expertise. I think Kaladin's more focused on Speed than Strength, though he hasn't dumped Strength either, and thus he focuses on light weapons and the Light Weaponry skill. It's when Tien dies that he begins his first step toward Radiance, and takes the Windrunner First Ideal talent. We don't see where he swears the First Ideal. It's hinted that it happened long before the Way of Kings, so I think here is a good place to start.

From here, Kaladin becomes a Squadleader, so I think he's going to start down the Leader path, and here he takes the Champion specialty. Why Champion and not Officer? Well, partly because Champion has some Warrior abilities, but also because Kaladin's picture is shown in the Champion section. I think this puts him around level 6 when he kills the Shardbearer and Amaram brands him. He's a slave for eight months before being sent to the Shattered Plains. This puts us at the start of The Way of Kings.

It's at this point, when he stands at the Honor Chasm and decides to try one more time, when he takes the Second Ideal talent. He also takes the Reverse Lashing Talent before he swears the Second Ideal at the end of Way of Kings.

During Words of Radiance, Kaladin starts to take the Gravitation and Adhesion talents, and takes the Third Ideal talent so he can swear the ideal at the end.

During Oathbringer and the year that follows, he continues to take Windrunner talents and perhaps some Leader talents. By this time he's reached the end of Tier 3. He's also built up his Heavy Weapon skill so he can wield a long lance (probably the Longspear on the Heavy Weapon table).

When he retires as Highmarshal, he takes a few more talents in Surgeon, getting to the Ongoing Care talent. And then there's the occupation. I might be tempted to take some Warrior talents, or perhaps more Leader (Champion), but maybe  it's the Adhesion tree that he's advancing in during the occupation, as he's forced to rely on it rather than Gravitation. By the end he swears the Fourth Ideal of the Windrunners. I think this puts him close to, if not at, level 20. The advancement we see for him in Wind and Truth, swearing the Fifth Ideal, puts him beyond the scope of the RPG, which probably means he's in Tier 5.

I tried to match his progression in the books, but there's some room for flexibility. Perhaps we give him a few more Surgeon talents early on (at least Swift Healer), maybe even skip warrior entirely and focus on Champion. Ultimately, I'm not sure there's quite enough talents for everything I want for Kaladin, but I suppose that's always the case.

 

[lacrossedeamon]

Brotherwise did a video on how they would build out Rlain.