Adventures in Syrada (updated 23rd August 2016)

Alright, let's give this a try and see if it will work...


The City of Syrada

The City of Syrada was established nearly a thousand years ago. It started as a fortress on top a large hill but quickly grew due to its easy-to-defend location. It was ruled by a Council that became known as "The Council of Nobles". Its members became the city’s first nobles.

For centuries Syrada prospered as an independent city-state. Then came the Tynian Empire, named after its first self-proclaimed Empress Tynia.

The city’s rulers realized that they could not win against the empire. So the Council sent messengers to the empire and asked to join it. The Empress accepted and Syrada joined the empire willingly. The Council’s members were allowed to keep their titles and the Council continued to rule the city as it had done for centuries. There were only two important changes. First, the city grew due to trade with the rest of the empire, especially after the empire’s forces managed to pass through the Grey Mountains and conquered the port city of Tarib in the south. Second, the Council got a new member: The Observer.

The Observer is a person wearing a white robe, white mask, and white gloves. Literally nothing else is known about them because the robe, mask and gloves hide them completely from view. Everything about them is a mystery: Their race, their gender, their age… some people even think that the Observer might not be a living creature at all, but rather an undead, or an elemental, or something. The Observer rarely appears in public, usually only during special events. His role is to observe the Council, advise them if necessary, and contact the Empress for them (also if necessary).

People that do things the Empress really does not like tend to suffer unfortunate – and often fatal – accidents. Some claim that these "accidents" are the work of the Observer but no evidence has been found to confirm or deny the accusation, and the Observer seems to not care, so the claim remains just a rumor.

Another rumor about the Observer is that they often walk among the townspeople dressed as a regular person (and thus unrecognizable for all) in order to see firsthand if everything in the city is in order, or changes must be made.

A third rumor about the Observer is that they are not a single person but multiple people, and that is the real reason for hiding their identity. That too has been impossible to prove so far.


Notable locations in and around Syrada

In the approximate center of the city is located the fortress – the oldest building in Syrada and the place where the Council gathers. The Observer is believed to live there.

Around the fortress are the homes of the city’s nobles, starting with the most powerful and influential families.

Other locations of importance:
- The Temple – a single temple, one of the largest and most imposing buildings in Syrada. It is not dedicated to any one god – instead people can worship any god or goddess they want
- The market – the place where you can find just about anything
- The Academy of Magic - as the name implies it is a place to study magic. Everyone is required to learn the basics, even if they don’t plan to become a wizard or some such
- The Forest of Cheria – most people call it "The Dark Forest" due to how little light manages to get through the tree leaves. A vast ancient forest to the east of the city. It is inhabited by elves that are highly territorial and very hostile towards all outsiders. Even other elves avoid the forest for that reason. It takes half a day of quick walking to reach the outskirts of the forest, but very few people actually go there
- The Village of Deladar and Deladar Lake. A small village to the west of Syrada. It is built on the southern shore of Deladar Lake, hense the name. The people there earn their living by fishing and by trading with travelers that pass through
- The White Mountain – a mountain to the north of Deladar Lake. Its peaks are covered by snow the whole year and that is the reason for the mountain’s name. According to an old legend both Deladar Lake and the White Mountain are not natural. Supposedly they were created via magic. No one knows if there’s any truth in that old myth
- The Phoenix Forest – an ancient forest to the south of the Village of Deladar. According to the legend many centuries ago a fire almost destroyed it. A lone druid prayed to the gods to save his beloved forest but there was no answer. When just a single tree remained from the once-great forest a phoenix passed through the area. The mystical creature absorbed the flames, ending the forest fire and saving both the druid and the last tree. Exhausted and relieved, the man fell down and soon sleep took him just as the sun set and night came. When he woke up the next morning most of the forest had already recovered. By the end of the day there was hardly any sign of the great fire. No one could explain how this was possible, until a few people remembered seeing a phoenix flying high in the sky. Someone suggested that it was the work of the phoenix and before long the forest became known as "The Forest of the Phoenix". Nowadays it’s known as just Phoenix Forest

There are more but the above are the most important.


A crude map of the area (more details might be added later; spoilered due to size):

Spoiler

Minor Actions Explanation:

Spoiler

Minor Actions are small actions you may do in addition to your Primary Vote(s) (A,B, C, etc). They will usually just provide you with additional information, maybe some small bonuses to rolls, or perhaps, in rare circumstances, an item. If it would cause an encounter or runs the risk of causing general havoc then it's best to put it as an additional detail under primary vote.

Examples:
- Putting Freya's hair into a ponytail
- Keeping an eye out for danger while searching the room (will give a small bonus if there's a roll for spotting approaching danger)
- Rest for X minutes before continuing - useful for renewing spells and abilities that can be used once every X minutes

They may help you, but please, try not to abuse the system. Trying to examine a couple objects in detail may be fine, but picking every item off the shelf in a store can get a bit... tedious.

 

Skills
Each skill has four levels: Basic (I), Advanced (II), Expert (III) and Master (IV)

Spoiler

Spellcraft: Increases the max number of starting spells (+1 starting spell per level). Most spells require a certain level of Spellcraft to learn

Channeling: Increases max Mana and the mana regeneration per hour
Novice: +10 max mana, mana regeneration increased to 2 per hour
Advanced: additional +15 max mana (total +25), mana regen 3 per hour
Expert: additional +25 (total +50), mana regen 4 per hour
Master: additional +50 (total +100), mana regen 5 per hour

Toughness: Ability to endure blows and resist certain negative effects, such as poison or frostbite. Increases max Hit Points
Novice: +20
Advanced: additional +30 (total +50)
Expert: additional +50 (total +100)
Master: additional +100 (total +200)

Diplomacy: Sometimes using force is not the best solution. This skill helps with persuading people and spotting other people’s attempts to manipulate the character

Intimidation: Sometimes it’s better to threaten or scare people instead of trying to be nice and persuade them. This skill helps with that and with not getting intimidated by other people

Seduction: For when the main character wants to seduce someone, or when someone is trying to seduce her but she wants to resist

Melee Combat: Sooner or later fighting ends up being the only solution. And sometimes there’s no time to get away. In such cases you’ll be glad to know how to fight in melee

Ranged Combat: Melee combat is dangerous. Shooting people from a safe distance with a bow or crossbow is much safer. Also helps when someone tries to shoot you instead

Combat Casting: Casting spells is not that easy while someone is trying to kill you. A bit of training helps a lot…

Lore: Knowledge about various things: history, geography, myths, old languages…

Arcana: Knowledge about various magic-related things
Note: Arcana and Lore help with identifying items (and possibly with realizing an item is cursed)

Sneak: Sometimes sneaking around the enemy and avoid a confrontation is the best way

Lock Picking: Helpful when people have "forgotten" to leave their doors open, or their chests unlocked, or other similar situations

Pick Pocketing: Helps separate people from their money, and helps keep your money where they belong…

Traps: Knowledge about traps: Spotting traps, setting up traps, disarming traps…

Exploit Weakness: Knowledge about finding and exploiting weaknesses, be it a weakness in the target’s armor, or a weakness in a creature’s body structure, or the good old "stabbing people in the back"

Woodcraft: Knowledge about living and surviving outdoors, for when you are away from civilization, be it in the forest, or the mountains, or some other place with few people

Combat Tactics: Knowledge how to fight when facing multiple enemies and how to make the most of one’s allies during combat

Spells
Spells can hurt allies (and even the caster) unless the description says that the spell will not hurt allies.

Spoiler

Fire Bolt – requires Spellcraft I, cost 1 mana, range 10 meters, chance to set the target on fire if it hits: Spellcraft level *5. Has an accuracy bonus. Deals 2d8 fire damage
Casting time: 1 second

Fireball – requires Spellcraft I, cost 5 mana, range 10 meters, explosion radius 2 meters. Creates a ball of fire that is thrown at a target. The ball itself deals 1d6 fire damage to whatever it hits. The explosion deals an extra 2d8+Spellcraft level-1 fire damage to all within its range. Spellcraft II allows the caster to increase the damage of the spell by spending extra mana when casting – each point of extra mana used increases damage by 1. Chance to set each target on fire = Spellcraft level *5
Casting time: 3 seconds + 1 extra second for each mana point spent to increase the damage

Wall of Fire – requires Spellcraft I, cost 10 mana, range 3 meters. Creates a wall of fire 3 meters wide and 3 meters high. The wall lasts for (Spellcraft level*15) minutes or until the caster extinguishes it. Deals 3d6 fire damage to all who pass through it, plus an additional 3d6 fire damage for every second spent within the flames. Spellcraft II allows the caster to spend extra mana when casting the spell to increase damage, duration and/or size of the wall
Casting time: 10 seconds

Ice Circle – requires Spellcraft I, cost 5 mana. Spikes of ice erupt from the ground forming a circle around the caster. Anyone hit by the spikes takes 1d6 piercing damage and 2d6 ice damage. Hits both allies and enemies. Spellcraft II allows the caster to increase the spell’s damage by half the caster’s intelligence, but at the cost of increasing casting time to 2 seconds
Casting time: Instant

Ice Bolt – requires Spellcraft I, cost 1 mana, range 10 meters, chance to freeze the target if it hits: Spellcraft level *5. Has an accuracy bonus. Deals 2d8 ice damage
Casting time: 1 second

Ice Javelin – requires Spellcraft I, cost 5 mana. Creates a Javelin made of ice that can be used a weapon (melee or ranged). Because it is created by magic it counts as enchanted and has an accuracy bonus. Lasts (Spellcraft*15) minutes
Casting time: 5 second

Lightning Bolt – requires Spellcraft I, cost 1 mana, range 10 meters, chance to stun the target if it hits: Spellcraft level *5. Has an accuracy bonus. Deals 2d8 lightning damage
Casting time: 1 second

Arcane Bolt – requires Spellcraft I, cost 1 mana, range 10 meters, has a critical hit chance if it hits: Spellcraft level *5. Has an accuracy bonus. Deals 2d8 arcane damage, plus an additional 3d6 in case of a critical hit
Casting time: 1 second

Mend – no requirements, cost varies based on damage to cloth, restores damaged clothes. Slow spell, exact duration depends on how badly a piece of clothing is damaged
Casting time: varies

Light – no requirements, cost 1 mana, creates a small ball of light that illuminates everything within a 3 meters radius. Lasts (Spellcraft level *10) minutes
Casting time: 1 second

First Aid – no requirement, cost 2 mana, heals 1d6
Casting time: 3 second
Included solely for completeness, since Minor Heal is better in every way

Healing Touch – requires touch and Spellcraft I, cost 2 mana, heals 2d8+Spellcraft level*2 HP per use
Casting time: 2 seconds

Minor Heal – can be used from a distance, requires Spellcraft I, cost 2 mana, heals 2d6+Spellcraft level HP per use
Casting time: 2 seconds

Mana Shield – requires Spellcraft II. Cost 0 Mana. While active any damage the caster takes will reduce mana reserves – 1 mana for each point of damage. Lasts until turned off or until the caster runs out of mana.
Casting time: Instant

Comprehend Language – requires Spellcraft I. Cost 2 mana, lasts 10 minutes and then needs to be renewed. Allows the caster to understand any language (written and spoken), unless there’s some sort of magical interference (such as a spell). Does not allow the user to actually speak the language, just to understand it
Casting time: 10 seconds
Required to learn spells for speaking other languages

Divine North – no requirements, cost 1 mana, for the next 10 minutes the caster knows which way is north
Casting time: 1 second

Character
Name: Freya Valren
Appearance: Red hair, freckles, green eyes, little shorter than average height, C-cup breasts, slim figure.
Family: Freya's father is the son of a blacksmith from a small remote village. When he was young he got bored with life there and so, looking for some excitement, became a mercenary. Her mother is the daughter of a former mercenary sorceress. The two joined the same mercenary company and that’s how they met. Over the next few years they got close and slowly fell in love. Then over half their company died while fighting against some sea-worshipping cult that wanted to sink the entire continent into the sea. Freya’s parents decided that they’ve had enough excitement and gave up on the mercenary life. They settled in Syrada where the husband works as a blacksmith while the wife mostly takes care of the house and the children, and occasionally enchants weapons for some of their wealthier clients.

Out of habit (and perhaps a little paranoia) the parents still train their combat skills.

Freya has 3 siblings: An older brother, an older sister, and a younger sister.

Stats:
HP: 20/20
Mana: 20/20
Mana regeneration: 2 per hour

Strength 9+0+0 = 9
Dexterity 11+0+0 = 11
Constitution 9+0+0 = 9
Intelligence 10+4+0 = 14
Wisdom 10+1+0 = 11
Charisma 11+2+0 = 13
(base+bonus from votes+bonus from items worn)

Skills:
Spellcraft I
Channeling I
Combat Casting II
Arcana I
Diplomacy II
Combat Tactics (custom skill) I
Melee Combat I
Seduction I

Spells (3/3):
Healing Touch
Arcane Bolt
Comprehend Language

Inventory:
100 coins
Silverthorn (enchanted dagger, a present from her parents, to-hit bonus: +2, damage 2d8+2, cannot be sold)
2 Scrolls of Fireball
Ring of Resist Lust (grants resistance to lust-based effects) worn (middle finger, right hand)
Unidentified Small Round Shield (dirty and with a few dents, attached to Freya's left hand)

Character Info:
Bisexual and attracted to both sexes
Virgin

Best Friend: Essendra (called Essa)
A prostitute, a year older than Freya, though Freya did not find out what her line of work is until a couple of years ago. She knows a lot of important people (and not just from this city) but most of them would never admit it. While she knows the basics of both physical combat and spellcasting (in case a client gets too carried away) she prefers to solve problems by relying on her good looks and seducing people.

Favorite Location: The Phoenix Forest
Gives bonuses to all rolls related to Phoenix Forest, gives minor bonuses when elsewhere in the wilderness, and reduces the time Freya will need to learn Woodcraft I.

Sexual Experience:
* Masturbates often and has masturbated a lot in the past
* Likes to peek on other people having sex and has watched Essa have sex with some of her clients (with Essa's permission but without the clients knowing about it)
* During a celebration Freya was groped by a woman who had had a bit too much to drink. She responded by flirting with the woman, though nothing beyond that happened. +1 to all rolls when trying to seduce another woman
* Being very curious Freya saved some pocket money to hire a prostitute. However she was too embarrassed to do it with a random person so she hired Essa instead. Her friend offered to do it for free since they are friends, but Freya was nervous how it would turn out and insisted on paying. Essa licked her and made her cum three times before Freya fell asleep due to exhaustion (which was in part due to how nervous she had been before the event). The next morning Freya felt a little bad for not returning the favor, but Essa assured her that it was not a problem. Since then Freya has started using Essa in her fantasies a lot more when masturbating.
* Masturbated in front of her naked mother

 

Character creation part 1:
These are the first things that you guys need to decide about the character

1) Fetishes you do NOT like – okay, so this isn’t about the character but it is necessary so that I can put a warning if a post contains one or more of them


2) Name and appearance of the character
Example:
Name: Esvera
Appearance: Blue eyes, shoulder-length raven hair, D cup breasts, average human height.


3) What sort of family does she come from?
A. The family of a minor noble. While both of her parents are members of the Council usually only father goes to the meetings while her mother prefers to take care of their home. Esvera has two older siblings – a brother and a sister. Their family is rather wealthy and has some influence in the city due to their titles
B. The family of a rich merchant. Very wealthy but with limited influence since they are not nobles. Esvera has two older siblings – a brother and a sister.
C. A family of magi. Both of her parents are skilled spellcasters. One works as a teacher at the Academy while the other works as a tutor for people who want to learn more about magic without studying at the Academy. Esvera has two older siblings – a brother and a sister.
D. A family of retired mercenaries. Both parents are skilled warriors that have survived numerous battles. They are well-known among mercenaries. Esvera has two older siblings – a brother and a sister.
E. Other – specify, just don’t be greedy (such as creating a family of very wealthy high-ranking nobles that are also spellcasters).

Important: You CAN modify the above choices. For example, if you want the main character to have one older and one younger sibling, or to have three siblings instead of two, or to have no siblings at all. Just say which choice you’re voting for, and then list the changes and/or additions you want to make to that choice. When voting "Other" you can combine elements from the above choices, just don’t try to have everything in a single family.

The reason all choices involve the MC having siblings is because this way it’s easier to justify her being allowed to go on adventures.

 

1) There are nothing that I can't read
2) Freya, Red hair, freckles, green eyes, little shorter than average height, B-cup breasts, slim figure
3) E. Other – Daughter of a blacksmith and a housewife. Has two older brothers and a younger sister

I don't want neither over the top appearance, nor easy start with influential parents. Daughter of a crafter seems average enough

 

1) Not a fan of Hermaphodites or Futas. Major turn off. Not a fan of Incest, but willing to play with it if the story works.

2) Agree with Hvast except C cups instead of B.

3)E. - Daughter of disgraced magician. Competent spell caster with an older sister and younger brother. (Putting her age around 22 with brother around 19)

 

1) Unlike many on this site I cannot handle Rape and 'reluctance' threads, especially not in stories where I get into the mind of the protagonist like this one. I also am not a fan of 'scat' and 'golden/rainbow showers', though I could probably get through them. Like Fallen Saint I also am not a big fan of Futa and Herms, though unlike him I can enjoy a story about them if it is done well, especially if it's about a True Hermaphrodite hooking up with another Hermaphrodite.
2) I also agree with Hvast and FallenSaint's suggestions:

With these changes I think the character is just about perfect.
3) E - and here's where we run into trouble: I say she should have a father who was a mercenary and a mother who was a mercenary wizard with an 3 older siblings 2 brothers and a sister.

 

Now that I am not in such a huge hurry let me elaborate on 3...

3) E - Freya's father was the commander of a mercenary unit, The Brazen Serpents, and developed a fair reputation for taking his commitments seriously and getting the job done. Her mother was a young Magician from the academy who's family had been wealthy but got involved in a scandal of some kind and couldn't pay her tuition any more, so she went to work for The Brazen Serpents as a mercenary support caster. The two worked together for a year or two and Freya's father and mother fell in love. Freya's father had quite a bit of money saved so he bought out a caravansary on the south edge of the city and they settled down, had a family, first a son, then a daughter, then another son, and a fourth daughter, our character Freya, each less than a year apart. After that her mother had a string of messy miscarriages from having too many children too quickly and by mutual accord on the advice of the district midwife her father and mother stopped having vaginal sex for about 17 years, though her mother, like her daughters, is one of the lucky women who can actually enjoy both anal and the taste of semen. (So neither father or mother strayed, they just changed their sexual routines...)

Freya's father, now in his late 50s serves drinks in the common room of the caravansary where Freya grew up and teaches swordplay to young noblemen who want to know more about how to WIN in a fight than fancy maneuvers and showmanship, especially those joining the Imperial Army. Freya's mother meanwhile keeps the accounts and tutors men and women in the practicalities of magic outside the controlled and contained conditions of the academy, again especially those going to serve in the Imperial Army.

I also was considering having Freya's mother be pregnant at the start of the story, her 'miracle baby': because she thought she was too old to have any more children. (In that case Freya would be newly turned 18 at the beginning of the story, and her mother in her early 40s.)

EDIT: Or alternately if we want Freya to be a bit older she has a much younger sibling the 'baby' of the family, who is probably still a toddler at best: or if we really want to push this 'miracle' angle a pair of twins.

 

@Simon_Silver

I think it is little too detailed for this game format. You are trying to do GM's job.

I can't object to C-cup even If I prefer our adventure to have easier time to disguise as a young man in situation were it is needed. That and receiving less attention.


I still want a more boring childhood for our character but if people want story hooks and inherited magical talent, then here is my new offer.

3) E. Other – Daughter of a blacksmith and a "housewife". Housewife is a hidden magic-using spy of a foreign power but our protagonists doesn't know this.
Freya has two older brothers and a younger sister

 

It's hard to take off the GM hat some times.

Counter offer, building off that:

3) E. Other - Freya is Daughter of a "blacksmith" and a "housewife". Housewife is a hidden magic-using spy of a foreign power but our protagonists doesn't know this. Also unknown to our character her father is a 'Smith Saint', who are the result of being the first born son of a first born son for seven generations, and so is her eldest brother. (Something similar but slightly different happens with first born daughters along the female line for seven generations, though I leave WHAT exactly that would be up to the GM, and in any case our character would only be involved in all this tangentially, it's a plot hook, not a power.) Furthermore her father knows about what his wife is: and is implicitly explicit in it. (No, I am not going to tell you what I mean by that...)
Freya has two older brothers and a younger sister

 

(Footnote: I am trying to restrain myself from doing the GM's job, I just constantly have all these IDEAS in my head that I want to get out there: The GM is the final arbiter of if they were good or bad ideas, I just throw stuff at the wall and see if it sticks!)

 

It makes no sense to me that she wouldn't know she is a magic using spy. If she IS the spy, why wouldn't she know it? That just throws things out of left field for no reason to me.

 

Two different uses of 'she': the DAUGHTER doesn't know because her MOTHER is in deep cover: the 'housewife' hasn't been able to keep it from Freya's father because it's really hard to live a lie with the man or woman you sleep with, especially for over 18 years, but keeping secrets from your children comes as naturally as breathing: (Case in point: Santa Clause.) so Freya doesn't know. I also have been thinking that perhaps Freya's father is from this rival nation as well, Freya's parents both have been in deep cover for most of their marriage, kind of like that show "The Amrei☭ans"

EDIT: for clarity.

 

Ah ok, I took that sentence to mean Freya was the housewife originally.

 

I've created a discussion thread: Adventures in Syrada Info and Discussion

Anyway, so far we have:
Name: Freya
Appearance: Red hair, freckles, green eyes, little shorter than average height, C-cup breasts, slim figure

As for the family… Worst case I can try to combine your suggestions into one, with some edits. In any case things such as one of the parents being a spy will be for me to know and for you guys to find out (or not, depending on how things will go).


The second part of character creation is being worked on. I hope to have it ready today or tomorrow. Note that you will still be able to vote for the things from part I.

 

Character creation part 2:
(For a brief description of skills see second post)

A. Freya’s parents insisted that she must learn to defend herself in case of an emergency. They let her choose what to use for her own defense. Freya decided that:
A1. She will face the enemies head-on and crush them. She focused on melee

+3 Strength
+1 Dexterity
+2 Constitution
Melee Combat I
Toughness I
Starts with a high-quality dagger and a melee weapon of choice

A2. She will take the enemies out from a safe distance

+1 Strength
+2 Dexterity
Ranged Combat I
Sneak I
Woodcraft I
Starts with a high-quality dagger and a ranged weapon of choice

A3. She will try to avoid direct confrontation and will aim to surprise enemies, taking them out before they can react

+4 Dexterity
Melee Combat I
Toughness I
Sneak I
Exploit Weakness I
Starts with a pair if high-quality daggers

A4. She had been amazed by what magic could do and decided that spells will be her way of fighting

+3 Intelligence
+1 Wisdom
Spellcraft I
Channeling I
Combat Casting I
Arcana I
Starts with a single high-quality dagger and a pair of spell scrolls (will be decided in next part)

A5. Other – specify. I will tell you the bonuses (if any) based on the details


B. Freya was allowed to choose what to study. Her favorite subjects were:
Choose four different skills. Freya gains a level in each skill (they can be skills she already knows or new ones)


C. In her free time Freya:
C1. Did her best to improve herself – one stat of your choice is permanently increased by 2 points
C2. Practiced her skills – choose one skill (it can be a skill she already knows from previous choices, or a completely new one). Its level increases by 1
C3. Helped her parents – her starting money increase by 100

Important: Make this choice THREE times. Exmaple:
- increase a stat by 6 (2+2+2)
- increase a skill from 0 to III
- increase a skill from 0 to I, another from I to II, and give her an extra 100 coins.
Important: Because she is young and inexperienced Freya can have no skills at Master level, and only ONE skill at Expert level



Freya’s stats and spells will be chosen in the last part of character creation.

P.S.: Yes, you can suggest skills not on the list if you think they will be useful for Freya. I actually considered adding Acrobatics and Dancing as skills, but decided they wouldn’t that useful so I left them out.

 

A4. She had been amazed by what magic could do and decided that spells will be her way of fighting

B. Freya was allowed to choose what to study. Her favorite subjects were: Diplomacy, Combat Tactics(custom skill), Combat Casting, Melee Combat.

C1. Did her best to improve herself – one stat of your choice is permanently increased by 2 points : Charisma
C2. Practiced her skills – choose one skill (it can be a skill she already knows from previous choices, or a completely new one). : Diplomacy:
C2. Practiced her skills – choose one skill (it can be a skill she already knows from previous choices, or a completely new one). : Seduction

Charming magic user with basic melee combat training and leadership skills

 

With Hvast on this one.

 

I also think Hvast has the right of it here.

 

@Hvast
To avoid any misunderstandings: What is your idea about the Combat Tactics skill?

Also, I've updated the second post with the info from this vote.

 

By tactics I mean understanding how effectively fight against a group of enemies or how to assist\lead allies