Session 0: Character Creation

[Ludanto]

Hey, Marullus.

I think we need to define "antecedent". Everything I can find says that it means, more or less, "ancestor", or "that which comes before", but your context is using it like "reagent" or "ingredient". Is that what your wise is supposed to mean? "Alchemical Ingredient-wise"?

[Marullus]

Yes, that's correct - synonymous with "Magical Ingredient." The use of Antecedent comes from Burning Wheel, which is the sister product to Torchbearer. They have rules for extracting the essence of things, turning all kinds of things into magical ingredients for a +1D bonus.

That was more of a placeholder, since the original concept was "wizard who can find the MacGuffin in this dwarven ruin." The Wise isn't really needed for that, though, and under Torchbearer rules isn't actually useful in finding it. The primary use of Wises (especially on a first adventure) is to offer help to other people on tasks they're doing. With no other spellcasters, nobody else is using magical ingredients so there's nobody for me to help. It would only come up if I was convincing someone else to collect a magical ingredient with their skills which I could later use for a spell, which is pretty limited. Mostly, I expect this kind of thing will fall under his Lore Master 3 skill, not the wise.

As the concept for Allric evolved, and he converted more to the "Scoundrels" campaign idea, I changed his wise. When I posted his sheet, I listed it as "WISE: - Gullible Mark-wise" and his belief as "BELIEF: - The appearance of power is power itself." I was inspired by Aiofe's "Tretcherous Bastard-wise" and basically took the opposite, painting Allric as much more grey between the wise and the belief.

[Ludanto]

Well that (antecedent) certainly makes sense, from an alchemical turn-something-into-something-else view.

BW is awesome, though I'm not as well versed in the magic systems.

[Marullus]

While there might be artifacts of power (whatever that means exactly) there's been nothing revealed yet to suggest it.

Later, it might be worthwhile to dig for leads, looking for hints of artifacts.

Good point. It needs intermediate steps. How about, "I will search these Dwarven Ruins for information about artefacts of Power with which to avenge my family."

[Ludanto]

That seems kind of redundant with the Belief. Not everything has to be about revenge. Sometimes, you've just gotta go to work and pay your bills. Whether or not it advances your agenda as well, only time will tell.

[BillTheGalacticHero]

Previous Thread Convos HERE: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=6775&start=20#p319019

- Thag needs a friend. Who did he hang with when not being trained by Solomon to face his inevitable dragon?

- That also makes his Circles a 4. (If you want to skip having any friends, then he gets the Loner x1 trait and loses his mom and mentor, too.)

Page 17 in my book says you can only have 3 out of 4, I have parents, a mentor, and an enemy (well, I fudged a bit with the parents to make sense of my backstory - my father vanished a year or two ago, the inner demon to meet and defeat The Dragon finally won, and he set out and hasn't been seen or heard of since - an "evil" GM could easily put in some future twists using that info).

Previous Thread Convos HERE: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=6775&start=20#p319019

- Thag can't fill his quiver with preserved rations (Edit: Actually, you totally CAN do that. Huh.). You don't have a bow, so don't need a quiver. You are actually better served slinging his rope over his shoulder instead - the rope takes Torso 1 but Pack 2 so it gives you a freed up pack slot. (We need rations as a group, though, so you don't necessarily have to carry any anyway... We should check group provisions later.)

I know, that's why I picked one, it takes up one slot on torso or belt and can hold two items, although if I was the GM I would have to approve what can fit into it.

I think they should also allow you to "clip" one item to the outside of your backpack (only backpacks, not satchels), that item would be limited to a scabbard for a weapon, or a quiver, or a shield, or a rolled up cloak or bedroll.

I could skip the rations and carry an empty quiver that could carry coins or small treasures. Or an empty sack or two. As a Strider, I do have the Hunting ability, so if I had a bow I could get dinner. I think I could also use my Hunter, Scavenger, and Weaver skills to make a simple trap for small game. With the Weaver skill I should have needles and thread stashed as non-tracked gear, so I could fashion a fish hook and use thread as the line. If we camp in the outdoors, preferably in a forest and/or body of water, I will do that as a Test or Check. My instinct is to find clean water, because you can live a month without eating, but only a week without water.
(Yes, I watch too many of those survival shows on Discovery Channel).

I should also be able to make simple repairs to leather armour - stitching pieces back together.

Previous Thread Convos HERE: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=6775&start=20#p319019
- Bracers are nifty!

Yes, they can prevent being disarmed. They are only usable once per conflict though, so I assume you need a Leather-working or maybe Weaver skill test to repair them. But it does not specifically state that they are damaged and need repairing. GM ruling?

[Ludanto]

Much like leather armor, they can be used once per conflict. Just because. They don't (normally) need to be repaired.

[ffilz]

Sorry, I may have run out of time to do more work on my character before next week...

Frank

[Rusty Tincanne]

... why are you hard-over to get the Peasant skill? It is pretty esoteric. Were you thinking of laborer?

I think of Laborer as a skill for lifting/hauling/moving things. Like clearing rubble, pushing a rock over a ledge or carrying a large sack of loot.

To me, peasant is a bit finer. Making a bow and/or arrows, mending that ripped backpack, or even carrying something light, like hauling a stack of kindling. And it seems appropriate for helping with cooking. I have even seen it used in a couple of those contexts in games.

Ludanto: Am I reading the difference correctly? If I am correct, it is not an esoteric trait at all. We have an elf without a bow, which could be an early test, assisted by a survivalist or hunter. Voila, our elf has a ranged weapon! (Or I gain a check... :rolleyes: )

You could still pick up Cook with your Specialty. (Otherwise, we don't have a cook. )

True. I was thinking of that or Scavenger, but will go with Cook 2 as long as that is what the group prefers.

Would you be willing to tie him to the relationships/story of Allric? I like what the Hollifort PCs have going on, and that you bridge to them by having Berry's enemy as your mentor. I'd like to create a natural alliance between Allric and your thief, perhaps, as they ply the roads.

I love the idea. Any ideas how to tie them? Maybe a common enemy, with Rabon having having been caught stealing supplies from the same dwarf? Perhaps it was Allric that had hired the young thief? There should be somthing better, but I cannot think of it right now.

Here's is what I have so far for a character:
At a young age, Rabon Hudd started working in the copper mines with his father (explains dungeoneer skill), earning extra money for his family. As with all small folk, his life is full of grief and misery: He was raised poor and saw his mother die in childbirth, his siblings of malnutrition and fever in the winters, and his father in a mining accident. With nothing to hold him there, Rabon joined a scouting patrol unit where he learned to fight and cook equally poorly. Tiring of this, Rabon deserted and sought his fortunes in the larger towns, learning to steal to fend for himself, but always noticing that the poor are merely a platform upon which the wealthy thrive. He remains unsure if this sickens him or if he is just jealous.

Character Creation:
Rabon Hudd, Human Thief
Raiment: A green cowl with a hood, of course!

He hails from a remote village – Peasant 2, Rough Hands 1
Social Grace: He habitually looks to his own interests first, using any means possible to convince people to give him what he wants - Manipulator 4 (boosted from 3)
Specialty: He served as a unit cook while serving in the military – Cook 2
Nature: 5
(Rabon wants a better life, so he boasts his deeds (+1), thinks little of what the older races have to say and demands his rights (+1 Nature, -1 Will). He knows dying poor is the worst way to go, so he has no fear of what lies beyond because of work in the mines (no change in trait)
Alignment: Neutral; he both sickened by the wealthy and jealous of their privilege and means in equal measure.
Traits: Rough Hands (1), Devil May Care (1)

Health 4, Will 3

Final Skills:
Cook 2
Criminal 3
Dungeoneer 2
Fighter 2
Manipulator 4
Peasant 2
Scout 3

Circles: 1 -> 2 -> 3
Friend – Mer Rhionn the Weaver (and Maid)
Parents – deceased miner (father) and weaver (mother) (1D bracelet)
Mentor – none (2D treasure on belt pouch)
Enemy – possibly a humorless dwarf or (more likely) Jon the Quartermaster, whom he stole from (to sell on the black market) while in the military.

Belief: It seems appropriate it should be about income inequality. "Riches must be reappropriated from the Haves to the Have-Nots" But that seems next to impossible to test. And I don't see any character in Torchbearer giving resources away. Ideas?

EDIT:
Equipment: Backpacks are a factor in all fighting and dungeoneering tests. I would prefer to have him using a satchel.
He has a dagger on his belt, a 1D bracelet on his wrist, and 2D coins on his belt.
As the thief/dungeoneer, I am happy to have him carrying the rope, grappling hook and a small sack. I was thinking of a 10' Pole for mapping purposes and testing for traps.

Thoughts? Needs? (I saw Marullus's post in the previous page, but wasn't sure where we had gotten to.

[BillTheGalacticHero]

I'll skip my grappling hook if you're going to carry one, that will free slots in my backpack to carry stuff.

[Rusty Tincanne]

I'll skip my grappling hook if you're going to carry one, that will free slots in my backpack to carry stuff.

Do you want to hand off the rope, too? It is Pack 2/Carry 1.

[BillTheGalacticHero]

I'll skip my grappling hook if you're going to carry one, that will free slots in my backpack to carry stuff.

Do you want to hand off the rope, too? It is Pack 2/Carry 1.

Not sure, rope has many uses.

[Marullus]

Rusty - don't forget his extra human skill, which raises him to Criminal 4.

I just like Allric and Rabon being already buds on the trail. You can have been part of the misadventure with Dourgrim the dwarf, if you like. Or, we can say that Allric is Maid Mar Rheonn's estranged grandfather?

You listed no Mentor - you aren't taking Trevor the Thief as a Mentor after all, tying him to the theft of Berry's father's magic orb?

[Rusty Tincanne]

Rusty - don't forget his extra human skill, which raises him to Criminal 4.

I just like Allric and Rabon being already buds on the trail. You can have been part of the misadventure with Dourgrim the dwarf, if you like. Or, we can say that Allric is Maid Mar Rheonn's estranged grandfather?

You listed no Mentor - you aren't taking Trevor the Thief as a Mentor after all, tying him to the theft of Berry's father's magic orb?

Extra human skill... Missed that one. Or is that how I got Cook 2?

As for our relationship, I like both, but see the Dourgrim connection as more of a bond. What did they do to that poor dwarf?

[Marullus]

Page 17 in my book says you can only have 3 out of 4, I have parents, a mentor, and an enemy (well, I fudged a bit with the parents to make sense of my backstory - my father vanished a year or two ago, the inner demon to meet and defeat The Dragon finally won, and he set out and hasn't been seen or heard of since - an "evil" GM could easily put in some future twists using that info).

It does say that, but if you choose to have no friends, it halts your process. You get an enemy and don't get to pick Mentor or Parents.

Do you have friends who enjoy your occasional visits or are you a loner, tough and cool? If you have a friend, +1 Circles. Write your friend’s name on your character sheet. Choose a profession from your home town’s skill list for your friend. If you are a loner, tough and cool, your Circles starts at 1, and you have an enemy. How did your enemy destroy your life and set you on this path? Write down the name of your nemesis or mortal enemy on your sheet and skip the rest of the Circles and Relationships questions and take the Loner trait at level 1 or increase it by one if you already have it. Also, go get snacks for the rest of the group while they finish answering the questions.

Each of the questions is binary - a) do you have friends, or b) are you a loner, tough and cool? If you want to have Parents or Mentor, you have to have friends and not be a loner, too. So, it isn't so much a "three out of four" as it is "Friends and then two out of three."

[Rusty Tincanne]

You listed no Mentor - you aren't taking Trevor the Thief as a Mentor after all, tying him to the theft of Berry's father's magic orb?

Forgot to address this. I guess I wanted to leave that up to shroomofinsanity. Is that too many connections to your character? Will it add too much inter-character strife, or is it good grist for the story?



Also: I have my character sheet up. I am not sold on the equipment yet. I don't see a need for more than 2 people taking a rope, so I could swap mine out with a cloak, which is useful for recovery tests for exhaustion and/or sick, and making more torches, if needed.

[BillTheGalacticHero]

I'll come up with a friend by Saturday, but probably not Friday as that's my game group's Tunnels &bTrolls night.

[Ludanto]

While you could probably use Peasant to create a torch, I don't think it would work to make a bow. That seems pretty specialized. I see a Peasant as being the Duct Tape skill. It can fix things and maybe get a little extra out of a bad lot, but it's not very focused.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Wait. Did you hear that? That was the sound of my heart breaking, Ludanto!

Noted. Then I'll be changing a few things about Rabon... Like home town, it's skill and trait.

[Marullus]

While you could probably use Peasant to create a torch, I don't think it would work to make a bow. That seems pretty specialized. I see a Peasant as being the Duct Tape skill. It can fix things and maybe get a little extra out of a bad lot, but it's not very focused.

I think that's pretty fair. Peasant skill describes MENDING, not MAKING.

Making a new bow (assuming proper wood/materials are acquired) is an Ob 2 Armorer test. I assume that if a bow were damaged as a result of a failed test that Aiofe would be able to mend it with Armorer as well (and she has an instinct to get a free test to do so.)

That doesn't mean that Peasant isn't useful. Peasant factors are broken down into three categories: (Farm)work, Building and Mending, and Complaining. Mending factors are: Socks and Clothing, Fences and Tools, Wheels and Axles. That goes with the "Duct tape" skill idea. If non-weapons/armor are damaged by failure Twists, that's all peasant. Backpack straps, ruined boots, hole in our waterskins, etc. There are two specific encounters on the random event tables that have us meeting broken wagons/carriages and needing a Peasant to fix the wheel. So, perhaps it is Duct Tape... but not MacGuyver.

The one that intrigues me, though, is the Complaining factor list. The ability of peasants to ingratiate themselves to other peasants through their common understanding of toil is something I would love to see used creatively. I'd imagine using as a link test that, if successful, gives a +1D to a follow-on Circles test. (You ingratiate yourself into the local scene and then use that favor-status as you find the guy you need to help you.) Making an instinct about this and applying it to your Asking Around checks when Digging Up Leads paints your Peasant Thief as the kind of ingratiating everyman that it looks like you're trying to establish.