Thumbnails for the faction characters

 The Rebs "Katya"-

For my first set of thumbnails and silhouettes I knew roughly that i wanted to make some sort of Sphyr character who wears some sort of cloak, i wasn't quite sure if i wanted to make something heavily armoured almost like a lighter weight power armour, or something more suited to an agile hunter like character. Of these silhouettes i personally really liked the second and first one, i got some feedback that the heavy armour plating looks more like a soldier type rather than someone who might work alone, and that generally the overall silhouette wasn't as easy to read as my first couple of iterations. So with this information i lowered the opacity and began sketching over them to add a bit more details to explain what is going on. The first two designs once again really caught my eye, i liked how the shroud fell over the head crest of the Sphyr and i feel overall this style of outfit helps sell the idea of an anonymous or undercover individual. Taking the genre of game into mind that i chose to look into, i think this character would be interesting as one of the player options, there are certain elements of her design that tell a story [i built on this idea further in the 5th sketch and following on from that] yet is still ambiguous enough that the player can use their imagination to fill in the specifics of the character's past. I really liked the idea of the escaped captive Sphyr woman, and so in the 5th sketch i explored some further ways to show this element of her character. I included the heavy collar that the traffickers placed on her when she was in captivity, she was able to pry it off and now uses it as a handheld weapon almost alike a lasso or grapple, she still has some of the tail restraints and leg shackles on her, but she has since broken her chains and freed herself. I was also inspired by a drawing by Karl Kopinsky, showing off her battle trophies in the form of a necklace of dog tags she has ripped from the individuals she has killed, she proudly wears this around her neck where her collar once was, symbolizing her freedom and revenge on those who hurt her.

Of the 5 sketches above, number 5 was by far my favourite, and so I went on to make a few iterations on her outfit and secondary weapon. I couldn't initially decide which weapon I liked best, though thinking how the character might work mechanically i ended up thinking something like a gun or other two handed weapon wouldn't work well as she would need one hand free to throw her collar at an enemy. I did however really like the fish hook concept, i think it draws back well on her race being amphibious creatures, and i imaged mechanically she would throw the collar to trap an enemy, then use the fish hook and drive it through their back, impaling them that way. Not only would this give her a tight grip on the enemy, but a sharp implement to such a soft area of the body would cause extremely painful damage, she does not fight for efficiency, but instead wants to inflict as much pain as possible to get revenge on those the GCPS have hurt for so long. in the end i liked the hood design of iteration number three and got a lot of positive feedback from my peers on how the hood looked, i also liked designs 1 and 6 in terms of the outfit, the scavenged pieces of protective wear from fallen enemies helps sell her story of being proud of her killings, whilst the longer sleeved cloak makes for a more interesting silhouette. I didn't like design number 4, i think the anonymity the cloak gives her gives another layer of depth to her backstory, perhaps this is a case almost like Mulan where she is pretending to be a male to get closer to her enemies without causing suspicion, the exposed face rids her that sense of stealth, though i do like the addition of the dog tags onto her tail and i think it adds to that extra bit of cockiness from her personality.

Here is a closer look to how the collar might work, I imagined it to have little sedative vials on the side, originally used to subdue any captives who tried to escape, yet now the character uses them to incapacitate a trapped enemy before attacking them with her fish hook. the collar is attached permanently to her wrist, implying the change in possession of power, she holds the reins now. On top of this, this would make it very difficult for any trapped enemy to flee from her. The clasp mechanism would be quite scratched and damaged from her prying it from herself, i intend to reflect his in the rendering of the metal and perhaps adding in some implications that she has edited the function of the device so that it can be opened and closed with some sort of key she would keep this attached to herself so once her target is dead, she could remove the device] either that or maybe it is on a timer?.

Exploring this idea further, I made some iterations on the overall design of the collar and where the sedative vials would lie. Of these designs I like 11 and 4 the best, i think they look the most sturdy and secure. I wasn't set completely on one idea though, so i presented my designs to some of my peers to get their feedback on them, i asked them which design looked the most secure:

Nat [Online Friend] "i think 5 is pretty good"

Francis "i like 5 the best :)"

Online friend "5 and 11 are both good"

Here are some iterations of her fish hook weapon based on different types of real fish hooks, I personally think in terms of how this weapon would be used, either the top or bottom row would be the most effective for swinging and impaling, and perhaps a fish hook with more of the spines on the hook part would cause more internal damage when being ripped from an enemy. The bottom chain details do look like a fun detail but may get in the way of the effectiveness of the weapon. In my opinion, I liked design [3 top row] and [6/7 bottom row] best. Whilst i did like the overall look of the middle row, especially number 5 with its sun shaped handle, i think as said before in terms of it's practicality it wouldn't perform it's job as well as the other two options. Here is some feedback i got on these designs:

Francis "I like number 2 [Top row] the best"

I also wanted to give the character some facial scarring, i think this would help show her fierce and dangerous side whilst also adding some further interest to the overall character design. Below i made a few different variations on shape, severity and depth of facial scarring. Of these designs i really like the burn scar of number 2, and the deeper facial wounds of 7 and 8. The missing eye and throat scarring tell a very good story of the traumas she has faced in a way that isn't too extreme. Looking at all of these elements and the feedback i was given, i think i want to combine the facial scars of number 7, the 2nd [top row] fish hook, the 5th collar design and the 5th and 6th outfit designs for my final character sheet. 

I also made a few colourways using colour pallets from the Rebs models. Asking my peers for feedback, colourway number 1 was by far the most popular, and i agree that with the blue colour of the body this design looks the most cohesive, however i did also like the red cloak of number 2 and i really think it jumps off of the page, however as the marauders mostly use red in their colour pallet, it may be best not to use this for the nemesis character.

 The Marauders "The HOGG & SWINE"-

For my marauders character I really wanted to make both a big mech design and also a smaller little gun wielding character that would stand on top of the mech, I first explored this idea through some silhouettes, i wasn't initially sure whether or not i wanted the mech to be bipedal or quadrupedal, however i did want one design constant throughout all of my iterations. I thought a big menacing pair of iron jaws would be very on brand for the brutish yet technologically advanced orcs and goblins. The mech itself i imagine would be quite rusty, battered and mostly unpainted save for some old worn logos of factions who have commissioned the Marauders services, their current "bosses" being the GCPS. The mech itself would be a sort of transport vehicle, not only serving as transport for the marauder goblins, but also the sphyr captives who are being transported to sell. With this in mind i thought it a good idea to put in some sort of cage or holding cell where the captives would be held.

None of these initial 8 designs really stood out to me, so i began a second set of silhouettes exploring a larger more beastly form. Number 10 really sparked an idea in me to just keep adding more spikes and more pipes and wires and a bigger body to make it more and more imposing. I eventually traded out the legs for tank tracks and gave it large "arms" to which it would drag itself along. I really liked this final silhouette and had a good vision to how i could take this further, i loved the top mounted gun turret for picking off any attackers from long distances, the clunky and beastly form that looked slow yet intimidating. The dirty look to the smoke chugging out of this great machine gave it again a very intimidating and brutish feel. And i also thought the cage in the mouth was cool addition, meaning that the captives could be sealed away if any attackers approached the vehicle, but could also be shown off to any potential buyers if needed. 

Taking this silhouette i lowered the opacity and sketched in some of the details of the machine, I called this machine The HOGG, with the small gunner on the top being called the Swine. I thought this was a very fitting name for a piece of goblin technology. I also planned out the interior of the mech and how it might be piloted, as goblins are only small i thought they would try to maximize as much space for their precious cargo and all the machinery that makes up their hulking mech. As such, the cockpit requires the goblin inside to be reclined forward, looking through the small eye slits of the HOGG. Another detail i really liked was the poorly painted on GCPS logo, it shows their rushed alliance with this faction based merely on monetary gain as opposed to any similarities on world or political views. I really liked the juxtaposition of the very well made mech, to the sloppy paint job showing the marauders care little for outward appearances and mainly focus on the functionality of their machines.

Here are some outfit considerations for the Swine gunner on top of the mech, I took inspiration from pre-existing models of Goblins within the Marauder faction, taking their general colour pallet and design elements to make a selection of outfit designs to which i presented to my peers for feedback -

Seb - "considering there on the top i like 2 and 5 but also 4 i think the ripped shirt adds to the idea he's involved in a lot of dangerous stuff and the goggles i feel fit the idea if he's on the top with a turret"

Vinny "I like 2 and 8"

August  "Ooooo same here, I really like 8 a lot!"

Online friend "I like 3! 7 with the goggles is also fun"

Oli "1,3,6 and 7"

Francis " I like number 2:)"

Personally I really like number 8 or number 4, I think practicality wise the hat is very good for keeping out the sun and the utility belt would be useful for holding extra bullets, throwable explosives or any other items they might need to protect the mech. I also really like the spiky hair and i think it helps lean into the chaotic goblin look.

Here are some design ideas for the gun turret on top of the mech, I included a range of barrel sizes as well as overall body designs, though I think i prefer the longer barrel of the designs on the right hand side. I feel these give more of a sci fi feel and would also be better for long ranged combat [they also push the design choice of little goblin using a big gun which is something i really wanted to illustrate with this design]. I was torn between design 3 and 6 and so i asked some of my peers which design they liked best. 

Francis "number 3 :) followed by number 9 but i like 3 the most. ok so i like 3 the most because i would say it seems the most brutish or violent in shape, the design is very reminiscent of a gattling gun which i think fits well with the description of the character you've given me"

With this feedback in mind i decided to double check how each design looked atop my mech, and i agree that of all of them number 3 works the best in terms of sticking with the overall blocky and chunky vibe of the mech.

Using the models as reference I made a quick colour version of the sketch i made earlier, I looked into some textures and paint decals and how i can use these to make the design look old and weathered. I'm very very happy with this design overall and i am looking forward to putting this all together in a character sheet.