Highguard Patch 2.0

Legion is here, and so are some changes and new features!

Table of Contents

1. Silver Hand Restructure

2. Battlemage Corps Update

3. New D20 Features

4. Factions

5. Wikia

Silver Hand Restructure

With the arrival of a grave evil upon Azeroth, and the loss of Highlord Tirion Fordring, unity within the Silver Hand is more important than ever. Now, the Silver Hand of Quel’Thalas is jointly lead by all of the Knights within, hosting roundtable discussions on pertinent matters and educating the next generation as a whole, alongside your brothers and sisters of the Virtues.

-The Horsemen have been removed. -Paths have been removed.

-Uniform weapon for the division is now universally the Holy artifact (it clearly isn't that IC) to tie in with existing Silver Hand lore. HAMMERS AND BOOKS FOR EVERYONE! -The title of ‘Highlord’ has been replaced with ‘Chapter Master’ and is no longer in use because -with Legion, we know it to define the leader of the order as a whole. -Aspirancy and Squireship on the wiki have been updated to reflect the loss of the Horsemen and their specific trials. -The structure has changed to the following:

Chapter-Master: Dame Alwynen Dawnwrath oversees the Chapter and aids with administration, but the decisions on the Order are made by the body of Knights that resides within it. The Chapter Master does not hold a vote unless a tiebreaker is needed.

Knight: Knights are the primary body of the Silver Hand’s leadership, a community effort at a round table that focuses on the upbringing of the next generation along the Three Virtues, over politics.

Squire: Squires accompany a Knight in battle, shedding the robes of Aspirancy for training in the martial aspects of life, and defending the Faithful. They are very much still students, but not in the way Aspirants are.

Aspirant: Aspirants are new to the Order of the Silver Hand, and spend their time diligently seeking, absorbing the knowledge of those great in the Light before us. They are not yet ready to Squire to a Knight, and follow the path of the studious Clerics of Northshire.

Not within the structure, but still of note:

Order Lector: In charge of the education that Squires and Aspirants receive at large. Is responsible for coordinating with the Quel’Danas clergy, arranging lessons, administering rites and playing a part in ceremonies.

Battlemage Corps Update

The Battlemage Corps has been revamped to bring more of a feel to the class and division fantasy! Affinities are added for use in the D20 system for those of appropriate ranking:

“Magic is dangerous, it will burn the untrained. Or unlucky.” - Archmage Dal’itha Manawhisper

Frost: A mage with the affinity for frost prefers the spells that cripple enemies, slow them, or even impale them with fierce icicles. They can cast a secondary roll for all offensive spells utilizing the frost/water skill. Roll 1-5, whatever you get you can add to your roll. Should the attack still fail to deal any damage to the enemy, they will become frostbitten. Causing all damage for the duration of the event to be diminished by the number of the roll.

Flame: A mage with the affinity for flame is one who knows how to wield the fearsome flame fearlessly, without being burned. They have the ability to disperse the scorching of enemy flame, rolling 1-5 in addition to their normal defensive roll. However, if they roll a 1, their spell will still work, but they become overheated and take 2x fire damage for three player defense turns.

Arcane: A mage with an affinity for the base arcane, a master of the power of the god-like titans and cosmos, they are able to better understand the workings of the universe. Upon a perception check, they will have the chance to roll an additional time, if they did not pass the first time. If they fail a second time, the power of the cosmos blinds them, causing any further perception checks to be halved.

Apprenticeship System:

Any Magister/Magistrix can take an apprentice. Said apprentice must be of the Battlemage rank, and not be apprenticed by any other. A magister/magistrix may ‘gift’ an apprentice to another magister, putting the responsibility of training them upon the other magister.

Magister’s Responsibilities: Train the Apprentice in the ways of magic, giving them basic knowledge of at the very least four schools. (More are always appreciated.) Mentor them in the proper use of magic, and the proper control required for a magic user. Design a ‘final exam’. This must be vetted by the Warmagus first, before it is sanctioned to be conducted.

Apprentice’s Responsibilities: Learn from your master. Respect your master, but do not be a slave. Ask constant questions, strive to learn more. Show sufficient improvement during their apprenticeship, culminating in a ‘final exam’ of the Magister’s own design.

Ranking Up

Initiate: Go through an interview with the Warmagus

Battlemagi: Attend 2 D20 events - alternatively, host an event.

Sorcerer/Sorceress: Complete your apprenticeship.

Magister/Magistrix: Host a magical artifact/item of power retrieval and/or creation event that includes D20 combat/activities, supervised by an officer. Alternatively, prove your magical knowledge and combat prowess by defeating a summoned enemy. (Supervised by the Warmagus, each member will have a different enemy selected to suit their skillset, and counter it.)

Minister: Handpicked by the Warmagus out of the Magister rank, must display overall skill with magic and prowess at using it for battle. They must also show social skills, and the ability to make sound decisions. They must also (most often) be liked by many of the circle, as an unpopular leader is one that does not rule through guidance, but by suppression.

Warmagus: Picked from the Ministers should the unfortunate event of the previous Warmagus’s demise. Or of course, their retirement. But demise often follows those that take up this position, as it puts them in a rather dangerous and public position.

New D20 Features

Racial bonuses were something many of you wanted to see implemented, so we’ve gone ahead and done it with a two-tier bonus system. Every race gets a stat bonus, and a secondary trait based off of their in-character race. How would this reflect upon your character sheet? Let’s take a look at a high elf mage’s character sheet with this new system:

That’s all you have to do! Racial bonuses do not count towards the skill point cap. As for the secondary bonuses, just add them to the bottom of your TRP! Your DM will most likely remember what applies to you on rolls, but it’s always good to be knowledgeable on your own in case you’d like to try your hand at leading some events.

Factions

There are a few factions throughout the Broken Isles that the Highguard will come into contact with. Reputation can be earned with some of them through the outcome of events and choices made within them, while other factions might not be so keen to the idea. Rewards can vary from location-based buffs, to companion pets. Reputation is not a character-by-character system, and the actions of those under the Highguard’s banner will directly shape how the order as a whole is interacted with in events to come.

When TRP3: Extended is released towards the end of November, storyline NPCs will be fleshed out for us in-game!

Wikia

Last but certainly not least, in taking with the system of the Silver Redoubt’s wikia, we’ve put together a Highguard Wikia that holds information on guild locations, NPCs, items, factions and story arcs. It is by no means a finished product, and that’s because we want you to add onto it. Add the NPCs in your storylines, ancient artifacts uncovered, blueprints and gizmos -- add it. Page templates for a specific category can be found on pages in that category, have an explore.

Highguard.Wikia.com

We're having a fantastic expansion so far, and we've been invited to an RP PVP campaign that focuses on the Gilnean vs Forsaken tension in Stormheim. Gear up and praise Squig!