Lady Tquia's Monkey [Risus]

[shaidar]

So I'm thinking:

Pankratist’s Jaw:
Street tough/combat 4

Escaped the tiger:
Lucky survivor 3????

Listening for footfalls on a wet street:
Underworld connections 2

Something else for 2

Which means I need to think if a hook, perhaps he's made an enemy on the streets.

[Leitz]

With a hook and a tale you get 12 dice. As a fighter, there are probably people who have lost large bets against you, and women/men who you haven't agreed to "visit for the evening".

Interesting twist is that the background includes fusiliers and halbardiers, so I'm seeing a 1700's setting. Which also seems to fit with the clockwork concept.

[shaidar]

Yeah, I like those elements of the setting

Plenty of options for an enemy (hook) and try and write it up as a tale too.

[shaidar]

Thought of a better hook, his father was a drunkard who beat his family, so his hook is that he cannot let such behaviour stand in his presence.

Too much? (too little?) I wanted to give the guy some positive aspects.

[Leitz]

I like it; he defends those who cannot defend themselves.

Addendum: There's also the issue that he may have seen a rich dad beat a kid, and he beat the snot out of the dad.

[shaidar]

Yeah, if Tibbius wants to strengthen that hook with such an enemy that's cool.

In a lot of other respects he's not a good person. He was set on his path when he was old enough to finally defend the family from his father and almost beat him to death. His father left and he had to step up and use his gifts to help provide for them.

[Leitz]

My character is pretty un-combat, preferring to talk or charm his way out of things. Maybe they met when your character stopped some bullies? With your "Underworld connections" you may know that my character more of an intelligence gatherer than pure thief.

[shaidar]

We might have known each other as children, when the dancers looked after you, and then bumped into each other again on a job years later.

[Leitz]

Sounds good. Let's see what The Bindoner comes up with, and we can weave things together then.

[The Bindoner]

I'm rather time-poor at present. Wife's birthday on the 27th.

However...

The setting reminds me in some ways (feeling more than detail) of Fallen London, which I haven't played in quite some time. I'm thinking of reviving an old character, Chicanery Jayne. The original character was a pirate, in this setting I think a dockside type.

Thinking:

Fence, grifter, street-tough. Bags of Swagger, Knows Someone Who'll Buy That, Trick Shuffle, Unexpected Knife. Don't Believe a Word Of it, Cheated the Wrong Person.

I'll read more of the setting now I've got a decent epub reader and tailor those concepts to the setting.

[tibbius]

I'm rather time-poor at present. Wife's birthday on the 27th.

However...

The setting reminds me in some ways (feeling more than detail) of Fallen London, which I haven't played in quite some time. I'm thinking of reviving an old character, Chicanery Jayne. The original character was a pirate, in this setting I think a dockside type.

Thinking:

Fence, grifter, street-tough. Bags of Swagger, Knows Someone Who'll Buy That, Trick Shuffle, Unexpected Knife. Don't Believe a Word Of it, Cheated the Wrong Person.

I'll read more of the setting now I've got a decent epub reader and tailor those concepts to the setting.

Wow ... that's a great over all concept, but please remember that even with a Hook and Tale you have at most 12 dice to split among cliches. 3 dice is a moderately strong cliche, 4 is quite good; 2 is "eh" and 1 die is weak.

[The Bindoner]

Wow ... that's a great over all concept, but please remember that even with a Hook and Tale you have at most 12 dice to split among cliches. 3 dice is a moderately strong cliche, 4 is quite good; 2 is "eh" and 1 die is weak.

Glad you think it's a start.

The last two are ideas for a Hook and Tale.

I'll sneak some reading time tomorrow by pretending to work on my wife's birthday card (which I've already finished), then rephrase things in setting terms.

[shaidar]

sounds cool

[shaidar]

Here is what I have so far. The name is subject to change. I plan to extend his backstory to try and bring in the escape from the mechanical tiger cliche, etc. The favours cliche is one way of linking us together. I'm happy to change up some cliche's if there is too much overlap with other characters.

Beyren, the fearless and calculating Quesolean street thug.

He is in his early twenties, dark haired, tall and broad shouldered. He prefers to fight unarmed or with knuckle-dusters, but has been known to wield a mace when the occasion requires.

Pankratist’s Jaw:
Street tough/combat 4

Escaped the tiger:
Lucky survivor 3?

Listening for footfalls on a wet street:
Underworld connections 2

The Urchin asked who could solve his problem:
favours earned and owed 2

Hook:
He cannot stand by and see anyone abused by a drunk. (possble enemy, perhaps even his father)

Beyren was born and raised in Staggertown, the oldest of 4 children. His mother did odd jobs to bring in a few coins and his father was a mediocre muscle for hire. They lived on the edge of poverty, not helped by his fathers drinking and temper. He would often return home drunk and use any perceived slight to beat up his wife and children. He either didn't notice or care when Beyren hit puberty and started to grow, both in height and breadth. Beyren was 14 when he almost beat his father to death defending his mother after some imagined problem with the evening meal, in fact it was only his mother begging him to stop that stayed his hand and saved his fathers life. They never saw his father again.

With missing income he had to step up and find work to support the family, and once news got around about what he did it wasn't long until he was offered muscle work by those who used to employ his father. The family needed money, so he learned not to be too fussy about the work he took on, and soon realised he didn't actually care. Unlike his father, he had a knack for the work and quickly found his footing, making connections throughout the underworld. It wasn't long before people started to come to him for help to fix their problems, and he learned that in a place where coin can be in short supply that favours can be even better than coin in this kind of work.

As his position in Staggertown was cemented and his family grew up and started to find their own work and support themselves, he realised that he was free to expand his horizons beyond Staggertown, and indeed he would need to if he has going to ensure he never ended up like his father. Weighing up his limited options he decided that his skills naturally lent themselves to working the fighting cages at the Temple of Sport, where he soon made a name for himself as being tough, lucky and ruthless.

This new found notoriety in the cages also gave him options for more honest work, such as bodyguard. While the pay was usually better than his darker work, he found it far less interesting. It was during one of these guarding jobs, looking after a visiting Onderban merchants family who wanted to tour the city, that he ended up on the edge of Potterend and Clockchime Square. One of the merchants children was an annoying brat that couldn't keep his hands to himself and somehow activated the steam-powered tiger in the discount store. The tiger managed to rampage down the street with Beyren on his back, clinging on and somehow guiding it away from the busiest areas and eventually into an ornamental pond where it finally stopped. Beyren thought that the child was lucky to get away with a broken leg, but the merchant somehow blamed him for the situation and refused to pay. That was the last bodyguarding job that he took.

EDIT: added more background

[tibbius]

Here is what I have so far. The name is subject to change. I plan to extend his backstory to try and bring in the escape from the mechanical tiger cliche, etc. The favours cliche is one way of linking us together. I'm happy to change up some cliche's if there is too much overlap with other characters.

Beyren, the fearless and calculating Quesolean street thug.

He is in his early twenties, dark haired, tall and broad shouldered. He prefers to fight unarmed or with knuckle-dusters, but has been known to wield a mace when the occasion requires.

Pankratist’s Jaw:
Street tough/combat 4

Escaped the tiger:
Lucky survivor 3?

Listening for footfalls on a wet street:
Underworld connections 2

The Urchin asked who could solve his problem:
favours earned and owed 2

Hook:
He cannot stand by and see anyone abused by a drunk. (possble enemy, perhaps even his father)

Beyren was born and raised in Staggertown, the oldest of 4 children. His mother did odd jobs to bring in a few coins and his father was a mediocre muscle for hire. They lived on the edge of poverty, not helped by his fathers drinking and temper. He would often return home drunk and use any perceived slight to beat up his wife and children. He either didn't notice or care when Beyren hit puberty and started to grow, both in height and breadth. Beyren was 14 when he almost beat his father to death defending his mother after some imagined problem with the evening meal, in fact it was only his mother begging him to stop that stayed his hand and saved his fathers life. They never saw his father again.

With missing income he had to step up and find work to support the family, and once news got around about what he did it wasn't long until he was offered muscle work by those who used to employ his father. The family needed money, so he learned not to be too fussy about the work he took on, and soon realised he didn't actually care. Unlike his father, he had a knack for the work and quickly found his footing, making connections throughout the underworld. It wasn't long before people started to come to him for help to fix their problems, and he learned that in a place where coin can be in short supply that favours can be even better than coin in this kind of work.

As his position in Staggertown was cemented and his family grew up and started to find their own work and support themselves, he realised that he was free to expand his horizons beyond Staggertown, and indeed he would need to if he has going to ensure he never ended up like his father. Weighing up his limited options he decided that his skills naturally lent themselves to working the fighting cages at the Temple of Sport, where he soon made a name for himself as being tough, lucky and ruthless.

This new found notoriety in the cages also gave him options for more honest work, such as bodyguard. While the pay was usually better than his darker work, he found it far less interesting. It was during one of these guarding jobs, looking after a visiting Onderban merchants family who wanted to tour the city, that he ended up on the edge of Potterend and Clockchime Square. One of the merchants children was an annoying brat that couldn't keep his hands to himself and somehow activated the steam-powered tiger in the discount store. The tiger managed to rampage down the street with Beyren on his back, clinging on and somehow guiding it away from the busiest areas and eventually into an ornamental pond where it finally stopped. Beyren thought that the child was lucky to get away with a broken leg, but the merchant somehow blamed him for the situation and refused to pay. That was the last bodyguarding job that he took.

EDIT: added more background

Well that's a Tale for sure, and I reckon you have 12 dice to assign ... maybe spend one on 3 Lucky Shots, or a Sidekick, or boost Lucky Survivor to 4 dice? Whatever you'd like. Beyren's come together quite well.

I requested a forum for the game, so we'll step over there by the magic of hyperlinks, once I have a first post ready.

[shaidar]

How does "3 lucky shots" and sidekicks work? Is that in the companion?

edit: found it, Google was my friend. I think 3 lucky shots sounds good, although I may go sidekick depending on how the other characters pan out, if there is a gap to fill

[Leitz]

I'm not sure what my schedule is for this. I was supposed to get a lot of things done these past couple of weeks but am spending my time ill and totally drained of energy. I have a game to run, two books to read and review, another book to revise, new job paperwork (lots of it), new job learning to do, and an instructors class to prepare for. All I can do at the moment is type this, go clean up cat puke, and be exhausted.

[shaidar]

Sorry to hear that, I hope things improve. Maybe we can put this one on hold for a while.

[tibbius]

Maybe Leitz character could join in later on. Still waiting for a new forum assignment. Don't want to pester about it over the holidays.

[Leitz]

I'm good with that; I still need to write up the bio.