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Tekka-Croe — The Lion's Band (Home-brewed Fantasy)

#characters #fantasy #characterdesign #groupshot #homebrew #rpgcharacter
Published: 2016-03-07 07:42:18 +0000 UTC; Views: 77801; Favourites: 1431; Downloads: 678
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Description A compilation of a couple months' worth of sketches.  Last Summer, I began quietly developing a fantasy setting for my own enjoyment.  It started as just a series of little one-shot illustrations- "what would [x] character look like in a fantasy setting?" and so on and so forth.  Eventually, I had put enough thought into it all that I started doing some world-building proper.

Anyhow, this is the core party of characters I've assembled, from left to right in the above image.

Reina- Quarter-Elf (?); Ranger
An orphan who's lived most of her life alone in the tangled wilds of the Southron Reach.  She's got a bit of Elf blood in her (though she's unsure how much) which makes her spry and agile, well suited to the uneven terrain of the wilds.  She's a skilled tracker and survivalist, and is well-versed in overland travel.  Her intense yet taciturn demeanor can give her a detached air, but to those people she chooses to be with, she is unfalteringly loyal.

Tekka- Elf; Mage
A roaming magicker who lives on the road, his wanderings have carried him far afield of the Elf enclaves in the capital regions.  He is aligned with Solar Archmagick, and is at his most potent when Sol's rays are shining down on him.  He is a world-wise young man, and his wry wit has carried him through near as many troubles as his casting staff.

Lionheart- Human; Spell-Sword
A nobleman by birth, this young man has used the considerable resources at his disposal to outfit himself for adventure.  He fancies himself a wandering do-gooder, and has quelled many a minor crisis through the lands.  Wherever there are rumors of fell goings-on, he's not far away.  To protect his family's reputation (and their lives, besides) he conceals his identity behind a robust bronze mask fashioned after a lion's visage.

Yvonne- Human; Warrior-Priestess
A Lunar Cleric, she is adept in both the use of restorative Lunar magick and in the wielding of her distinctive caster's mace.  She has trained all her adult life in these skills, and now travels all about, investigating rumors and reports of undead activity.  While her mace may crush and rend all manner of foul re-animations, she is gentle of heart and takes great pride in her capacity as a healer.

Trent- Human; Monster Hunter
A seasoned hunter of grand beasts, he revels in the thrill of tackling foes larger and stronger than himself.  He is well at home in the wide plains of the Southron Reach, with no roof above him but the sky.  He is a font of knowledge on all manner of creatures native to the region- their habitats, their behaviors, and what sorts of useful materials can be harvested from them.

Characters and setting ©
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Comments: 51

ares12 [2022-02-25 16:46:55 +0000 UTC]

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JBH10 [2020-10-13 09:04:15 +0000 UTC]

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SonOfSturle [2019-04-23 23:19:29 +0000 UTC]

Where did you get your inspiration for Trent's sword-type weapon?

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Tekka-Croe In reply to SonOfSturle [2019-04-26 22:02:47 +0000 UTC]

It's vaguely inspired by my enjoyment of large and heavy weapons in Monster Hunter, but I arrived at the specific shape myself.

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SonOfSturle In reply to Tekka-Croe [2019-05-15 18:30:38 +0000 UTC]

Okay, I'll look into that, thank you for getting back with me. I'd love to see more art with your Trent character!

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runewuff [2018-10-30 07:47:31 +0000 UTC]

This is great! I love seeing characters's equipment in detail, and practical fantasy armor designs seem a rarity nowadays.

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DouglasN [2017-12-26 10:57:03 +0000 UTC]

I love this.  

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DancingDragon18 [2017-11-03 03:17:47 +0000 UTC]

I really love Lionheart! I want to see more of him!

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ZeroDesignArt [2017-09-30 03:53:11 +0000 UTC]

Love your work!!

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Prasinius [2017-06-03 08:49:59 +0000 UTC]

Tekka-Croe, your art is amazing.
I like these original designs a lot. Everything feels unique and, at the same time, makes sense as a whole.
Keep going, it's very nice job.

Just a little advice for further improvement : Bows work the other way around. The "thickest" part is the middle part because its stiffness produce the spring effect. On the other hand, thickness decreases while going away from the "handle" because those parts supports lesser stress. If you want your bow to deform "harmoniously", there must be a decreasing thickness gradient from center to tips. The bow, as your made it, will mostly deform in the middle and not at all along the arms, producing a bizarre ">" shape.
It is a strange and inaccurate modern trend in art to have such "weak" handle and such thick arms ...

Hope it'll be of any help.
Good work anyway.

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KaneDarks [2016-11-26 19:42:22 +0000 UTC]

The design of weapons and outfits really got me, I would love to see anything related to this :3

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Snowy-Aegis [2016-11-26 15:57:20 +0000 UTC]

Trent's gear gives me Berserk vibes lol

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NathanStoddard [2016-11-18 19:32:30 +0000 UTC]

I just wanted to make one observation about the 'bow tip nocks' on that bow. (at a great draw they might come off.) all nicks tend to be on the 'back' for this reason. i46.tinypic.com/i4puoi.jpg
(if your interested in realistic design.)

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Spirogs [2016-11-16 16:41:41 +0000 UTC]

Wow, the layout design for this is incredible. I'm always amazed when someone is capable of making something look really cool without going overboard with detail.

I've been trying to get to that point, but not having luck lol. 
I'm going to emulate you a bit, see if I can't figure it out haha! I have a number of RP party lineups I've been meaning to do. I think I'll practice with them and glean some design aspects from you if you don't mind. Other artists make the best teachers

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Tekka-Croe In reply to Spirogs [2016-11-16 20:09:40 +0000 UTC]

Once you get the basic shapes for a character worked out, I actually recommend going a bit overboard on the detail.  Once you've packed in as much detail as you can, you're able to take a step back and figure out which details work and which ones just clutter up the design.  From there you can remove the unnecessary details and still have a good concentration of detail where it's needed.

As a personal example using my character Reina, here's the initial design for her armor from a few years back:

In retrospect, that design is just a mess of technical greebles, all competing for attention, and really disrupting the overall shape of the design.

The current iteration of the armor preserves the most essential details of the original, but most of the clutter has been removed:

As a consequence, the overall shaping comes through a lot more clearly and the character ends up having a better-defined silhouette, while still having enough detail to be visually interesting.

I don't mean to throw unsolicited advice at you, I just figured it might be useful insight.

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Spirogs In reply to Tekka-Croe [2016-11-16 23:00:26 +0000 UTC]

NOOO I'M STARVING for this sort of advice hah!
Awesome!

I will definitely try that. Once I'm done with my party lineup (which follows the same layout, with the characters, weapons beneath them, and names, because it's just so classy) I'll run it by you to see if you think I pulled it off

I love when I find an artist that makes me want to improve my style based on the idea that theirs is a more advanced version of what I've got going now.
Feels like that clarity you get from seeing a destination on a road you're already walking on but got sidetracked, you know?

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TakaIcscp [2016-06-29 10:31:48 +0000 UTC]

Looks sweet as, can't say much more

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xelianthought [2016-05-02 15:43:38 +0000 UTC]

Well drawn! 

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Aerrowflex [2016-04-19 17:38:12 +0000 UTC]

The Helmet for Trent, is it based off of Guts from Berserk The Golden Age Arc animated movie/s? Tekka-Croe  

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Tekka-Croe In reply to Aerrowflex [2016-04-27 15:12:40 +0000 UTC]

I actually haven't gotten around to watching the movies yet; I have however read a little bit of the manga and have seen the anime from the 90's.

But yeah, the nose and cheek guard area is based off of Guts' helmet.  I figured it was appropriate to make a nod to the inspiration that Berserk provided.

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MegaBLYSTONE [2016-04-08 02:05:26 +0000 UTC]

This is so awesome, I won't bother pointing out the lack in practicality of half of those weapons!

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VATROU In reply to MegaBLYSTONE [2016-04-10 21:02:37 +0000 UTC]

Actually from someone who has seen his fair share of fantasy weapons. These are far more practical than anything else. The only ones that might be a stretch are the bow and great sword. And that itself is nitpicking. From a design standpoint the great sword is only a tad big.

I gotta say though the armor designs are fantastic. The armors are well protective, properly cover the characters and allow a range of movement for the various classes.    

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MegaBLYSTONE In reply to VATROU [2016-04-11 02:50:05 +0000 UTC]

Even then, that great sword's grip placement would make it difficult to maneuver. I'll have to agree with you on the armor though; Excellently designed.

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VATROU In reply to MegaBLYSTONE [2016-04-11 03:01:27 +0000 UTC]

The Great sword's grip, well that really depends on the scale of it, from the way I look at it; it seems like a two handed sword grip on both sections. Meaning the swordsman can choke up or down on the sword depending upon the need for reach or fine dexterous movement. I could be misjudging the scale of course but comparing the great sword to the dagger handles it does seem much longer and more easily adaptable.

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Gabstronomy [2016-04-04 10:40:23 +0000 UTC]

such great looking characters. very inspiring   

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T-Brand [2016-03-31 18:10:37 +0000 UTC]

Such cool characters!

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NathanStoddard [2016-03-27 06:36:36 +0000 UTC]

I like it!

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509freak [2016-03-14 19:03:01 +0000 UTC]

That's a nice change of pace. Reina looks good in green.
It's fun to see you include yourself as a character (lol).
Lionheart bears a striking resemblance to Nathan Fillion's character in Destiny. Coincidence?
Yvonne reminds me of Links blue outfit from twilight princess... sort of.
Trent just feels like Berserk's Guts. Looking badass and all! 
The weapon designs look amazing and feel practical and fit each character well.
I hope this goes further (maybe a short story or something).
Great job!

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Tekka-Croe In reply to 509freak [2016-03-14 22:06:24 +0000 UTC]

-I also think that green is good color on Reina, it's just a lot harder to work that into my sci-fi aesthetic.
-Tekka might be accurately considered my first true OC; he's where I derive my screen-name from.  I haven't done much with him since high school, so he hasn't gotten much exposure.
-I didn't even realize that Fillion had a part in Destiny.  I played the demo back when they made that available, and while I enjoyed the mechanical gameplay, I just wasn't really feeling the story and world.  If it ever gets a PC release, I'll probably pick it up then.
-The Twilight Princess connection is loose, but it's there.  I love the designs for Link's gear in both TP and especially in Skyward Sword.  It gave me a real appreciation for how cool a layered tunic and chain hauberk can look.
-I definitely had Berserk in mind when working on Trent.  How could I not with that great huge blade?
-The weapons were a lot of fun to design, especially the non-standard ones like Trent's aforementioned blade and Lionheart's katar-style short blades.

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CustodialData [2016-03-11 22:44:04 +0000 UTC]

Fantastic work! Love their designs, especially the Monster Hunter guy. Keep up the great work!

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goeliath [2016-03-10 05:47:55 +0000 UTC]

Haha, converting all your guys into fantasy eh?

Everyone's on a fantasy high these days! But seriously very well done, i just love the drawing style you have

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Eihort [2016-03-10 02:33:01 +0000 UTC]

"YAY! Tekka posted mo-..... waitaminute.


THIS IS AWESOME."

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Servitor2152 [2016-03-09 01:10:00 +0000 UTC]

Awesome designs!

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spacewolflord [2016-03-08 19:11:02 +0000 UTC]

Reina can fit any setting it seems.  Nice work.

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ItsCorion [2016-03-08 05:16:25 +0000 UTC]

Bethesda should hire you to do their next Elder Scrolls concept art.

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TexanWanderer In reply to ItsCorion [2016-03-08 12:41:16 +0000 UTC]

yes!

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Jon-Wood [2016-03-08 03:01:14 +0000 UTC]

Her intense yet taciturn demeanor can give her a detached air, but to those people she chooses to be with, she is unfalteringly loyal.

I'd point out that this bit sounds like a Mary Sue trait, but then I reread. The usual Mary Sue/Gary Stu bit is "if she thinks you're worthy of her, she'll defend you to the death". That places the responsibility on the people the character meets to befriend said character. Your description doesn't include her criteria for choosing someone, which makes it seem better, in some way I can't describe.

  Her intense yet taciturn demeanor can give her a detached air,I was wondering how you can be intense and also taciturn, and then I realized that it was a pretty accurate description of me.

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SKILLZ001 [2016-03-07 23:41:25 +0000 UTC]

Awesoem job !

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KaribuXY [2016-03-07 17:38:46 +0000 UTC]

I'm recently watching the new Anime Grimgar and I was thinking the whole time what class my character could be. I was thinking of a warrior but I could just not get a decent sword together until is saw Trent's sword. Thats just some badass beast hunter weapon.

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SonOfSturle In reply to KaribuXY [2019-04-24 14:24:25 +0000 UTC]

Have you happened to find any more art that has Trent's type of sword? I've been trying to find similar swords as inspiration for a weapon for my own character and haven't been able to find any

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KaribuXY In reply to SonOfSturle [2019-04-24 16:53:51 +0000 UTC]

I would say the Monster Hunter Series has a good collection of weapon regarding warrior Type of Classes. They might be a bit oversized but you can always scale them down. Regardless I would just type in ''weapons'' or ''concept art Weapons'' in the search bar of google. normally comes up with some cool looks.

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Aerbella [2016-03-07 16:38:24 +0000 UTC]

It looks great, but wouldn't Trent's weapon be rather unwieldy with the divided grip?  There's little travel allowed for the hands, which is important for a polearm, or a sword-polearm hybrid like this.

I love the clothing, especially Lionheart's boots.

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NewPlanComics [2016-03-07 15:33:34 +0000 UTC]

All these characters look amazing! I really dig Trent's sword design.

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C05M0NAUT [2016-03-07 13:46:38 +0000 UTC]

Really cool stuff--everything here looks amazing; from the weapons to the clothing to the characters themselves.

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abdamit [2016-03-07 13:42:41 +0000 UTC]

I don't know how artists even come up with these fantastic designs of armor, clothes, weapons, etc.
I don't seem to have much fantasy I guess ._____.

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FireElfs [2016-03-07 13:40:50 +0000 UTC]

The character's clothes reminds me of some armor you can find in dragon's dogma ^^

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Tekka-Croe In reply to FireElfs [2016-03-07 15:32:18 +0000 UTC]

Yup.  It's one of my all-time favorite games, and the recently released PC port is what got me working on these.  It always manages to put me in a very "fantasy" mood.

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FireElfs In reply to Tekka-Croe [2016-03-07 20:51:26 +0000 UTC]

one of my favorite game too !! the world is, indeed, very well done and réalistic!! personnaly this game give birth to many story in my imagination ^^ 

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Rob-Cavanna [2016-03-07 13:02:35 +0000 UTC]

Love these guys. The weapon designs say a lot about them too. 

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AriochIV [2016-03-07 09:06:51 +0000 UTC]

"Aren't you a little short for a liontrooper?"

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