For those unfamiliar with the game/setting, Solasta: Crown of the Magister takes place in a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting. In the distant past it was ruled by the Manacalon Empire of High Elves. There were no humans whatsoever. Nor were there gods or clerical magic. Humans came through a Rift from another world (Tirmar), fleeing the now mythical reptilian Soraks and their dark god Sorr-Tarr, and bringing their gods with them. A huge war was fought to push back the Soraks invading behind them, closing the Rift to seal them out brought on the Cataclysm. The Cataclysm warped the land, shattered the Manacalon Empire, and drained the world of magic for centuries. As the story begins, our adventurers have come to the city of Caer Cyflen, once a major city of the Manacalon Empire and now the central hub of efforts to explore the badlands and recover lost knowledge and magic from the Empire. The Council which rule Caer Cyflen have put out a call for Deputies to help explore and tame the Badlands.
Because of Solasta’s many themes of recovering lost knowledge and magic, and of a society re-discovering lost traditions after centuries of darkness – and also because it is built for a four man party – it is particularly fitting as a venue for The Hero and the Kat. So I will be adapting their backgrounds and builds to fit in to that setting.
Solasta is a 5E DND game. The only mod I will be using is Unfinished Businees, which adds a large amount of subclasses, feats, etc to fill out the set that comes with the base game.
Roland “Hero” de Salle
Build: Human Paladin/Oath of Devotion
Combat: Sword and Shield
Background: Aristocrat
“jeff easley fantasy painting;french paladin man,early 40s,muscular,haggard,broad chin,dark blonde hair,blue eyes,goatee,rusty chainmail,friendly smile;standing in hills overlooking frontier town“
Roland “Hero” DeSalle is a storybook knight in shining armor. He’s a man who has somehow made it to his 40s as an idealistic paladin without ever losing a jot of the idealism and naive optimism from his 20s.
He believes absolutely in people. He believes absolutely in forgiveness and redemption. He believes absolutely that every story can have a happy ending, that every person has good inside somewhere and that every conflict can be resolved. He believes *so* hard and *so* earnestly that it becomes infectious – regardless of how jaded the audience and how unrealistic the goal. He’s the kind of guy who can walk into the darkest slums, get accosted by teenage thugs, and walk out having bested them, admonished them, taught them better technique, recruited them as squires in training, and sent them wandering sheepishly home in a daze wondering what on earth just happened. He is also, however, 6’4″, even stronger than he looks, and just as dedicated to his combat training as he is to his optimism. You can’t be a storybook hero if you can’t walk the walk. He may embody forgiveness and mercy, but he will end you – quickly and forcefully – if he determines that you are not in fact willing to accept his outstretched hand and turn back from harming people. He is very much of-a-kind with Terry Pratchett’s Captain Carrot.
In Solasta Roland easily slides in to his usual role of “storybook hero warping crapsack world to his vision”. Solasta has “paladins”. But they mostly appear to be of the “zealous holy warrior” variety. Roland is… something entirely different. A Hero. No more. No less.
Roland is unquestionably a Paladin. Full stop. And Oath of Devotion is essentially old-school Paladin. “Paladins who swear the Oath of Devotion uphold the loftiest ideals of justice, virtue, and order. They act with honor in pursuit of the greater good, hold themselves to the highest standards of conduct, and some, for better or worse, hold the rest of the world to the same standards.”
Katarina “Kat” Kitovski
(Occasionally Kit-Kat, if you are either a *very* close friend or don’t fear her meticulous reprisal. You should).
Build: Human Rogue/Swashbuckler
Combat: Daggers,Crossbow
Background: Lowlife
“jeff easley fantasy painting;italian rogue woman, age 32, short black hair, leather armor, playing with a dagger, smirking mischieviously at the viewer;standing in hills overlooking frontier town“
Katarina “Kat” Kitovski is by all rights the exact opposite of Roland. She’s cynical, jaded, has seen the worst of the world, and knows full well its a dog-eat-dog world where you don’t get anywhere without stepping on people.
She’s been a thief, a bounty hunter, a thug, and everything in between. She knew people. She knew *exactly* what makes them tick. She knew *exactly* how and why they will let you down – every time. She had it all figured out and knew *exactly* how to get what she wanted from life.
And then she met Roland, and her world turned upside down. She believes in his dream, but she is who she is. So she makes things happen from the shadows to make *sure* his stories have the proper endings.
Kat is unquestionably pure Rogue. There are certainly more powerful kits I could have chosen, particularly since I am using the Unfinished Business community expansion. But I went with Duelist / Swashbuckler. “Duelists possess a swaggering bravado. They are quick-witted, self-sufficient, and dangerous to isolated enemies”. Yep. That’s her.
Fernando “Falcon” Fernandez
Build: Human Fighter/Battle Master
Combat: Rapier,Bow
Background: Wanderer
“jeff easley fantasy painting;spanish duelist man,age 32,dark-skinned, scruffy, athletic, unkempt, scars, ragged leather armor, facial tattoo of falcon, long black hair, small goatee, drunk, staring at the viewer, holding a rapier;standing in hills overlooking frontier town“
Francisco “Falcon” Fernandez was driven and determined. He lost his older brother Falco as a child. They were simply walking home, and got caught in the crossfire of an inner city gang war. Falco tried to shield him, and paid the price. Falco was everything to him. So he had a Falcon – his brother’s namesake – tattooed on his face and chest. And he made an oath on his brother’s grave. Every single participant in that war would pay the same.
He trained, he fought, he learned. He grew into one of the finest swordsmen his city had ever known. And he made good on his vow. Both gangs were utterly eliminated. And he was still here. Now what?
Falcon is a man in search of a new purpose. He’s spent years wandering as a mercenary, blade for hire, caravan guard, and many other things, while largely drinking himself into a stupor. He’s latched on to Roland’s dream and Roland’s faith in him as a substitute for finding his own way.
Falcon is just the sort of guy who would have learned dozens of specialized styles with esoteric names. Battlemaster suits him best as a supreme Duelist/fencer.
Tessandra “Tess” Tagliatova
Build: Half-Elf Wizard/Greenmage
Combat: Bow, Staff
Background: Academic
“jeff easley fantasy painting;half-elf bard woman,cockney,age 32,long black hair covering face on right side,buzz cut on left side,mystic face tattoos,leather armor,distant look in her eyes,distracted;standing in hills overlooking frontier town“
Tessandra “Tess” Tagliatova is another dreamer – desperately in search of who she is and where she came from. She did not know her parents. She grew up in a church orphanage in human lands.
She was never fully accepted among the other children. Too obviously exotic. Too obviously different. So she found refuge in books. In songs. In history.
Tess has devoted her life to learning everything there is to learn about the old Manacalon elves. Stories, art, magic, music – everything. If she can just learn who and what they were, maybe she can understand where she came from and who exactly *she* is.
Tess could just as easily be a Lore Bard, but given she is the only primary caster in the party she’s got a lot of ground to cover. A Solasta Greenmage is somewhat of a Ranger/Wizard mix with a bit of Druidic magic. That suits Tess very well as a fighting mage with a keen interest in Elven magic. As does a Wizard’s focus on Intelligence rather than Charisma. Tess is not a people person.
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