1, 2) roll attributes:
Attributes: [3d6]=8[3d6]=8[3d6]=8[3d6]=15[3d6]=14[3d6]=12. Swap an 8 to a 14. Assigned as:
STR: 12 (+0)
DEX: 14 (+1)
CON: 8 (+0)
INT: 14 (+1)
WIS: 8 (+0)
CHA: 15 (+2)
3,4,5) Background is Scholar. Free skill is Know-0. Let's see how rolling goes. (I'm aiming for particular classes that rely on CHA, so I want to see if I can raise it. As a Scholar, I have a 50% chance...)
Growth [1d6]=5 (That's Connect-0)
Growth [1d6]=4 (+2 Cha to 17)
Growth [1d6]=4 (+1 Cha to 18, +1 Wis to 9)
6) Pick your class.
I want to play with what's in the Atlas and those are all half-classes, so I'll combine two to be an Adventurer. I'm liking the vibe from an Accursed / Bard. So, he's a wandering scholar born to a Pact-infused lineage. I like him delving into the unknown beyond the river to find ancient secret knowledge. Perhaps more about himself.
Modifying this to be a better character instead of aimed at "all of the Atlas." He takes the nature-oriented route by using the Partial Mage (Beastmaster) class from the main book in combination with the Accursed. Both are quasi-mystical powers that can come with his Pact-infused lineage. He remains a wandering scholar with Know of what's across the river, and with his Diplomatic Grace focus keeps the core scholarly elements of knowledge of languages and preternatural social skill. He just no longer does it with song. The most important part of the change is roleplaying with an animal companion, and it changes the direction of growth with leveling (more mystical, less music.) Imbued with hellish combat capabilities, the Pact also keeps him alive. He'll make the other half Warrior and take Die Hard.
7,8) Pick Foci. With those two half-classes, I'll end up with Arts instead. I only get the single Foci pick.
I love the sound of "Amundi Godblood Foci" and that meshes well with his "born this way Accursed" idea. I'm torn between Night Walker or Wildtongue - they both have profound effect on who this character will end up being. Either a darker/grittier guy, or a more druid-like character. I'll reserve th right to change this later... lets see what the rest of the party looks like. I'll put down Night Walker for the moment - it is grittier more 'accursed' feel and my other PC in a West Marches game is already an animal-talking druid. Having given up the partial-Expert class, I'm not elligible for the Amundi Godblood foci, so can't take either Nightwalker or Wildtongue. Instead, I'll take Diplomatic Grace, which keeps the key scholarly/social aspects, as noted above. As a warrior he gets a second combat-oriented Focus - he will take Die Hard.
9) Pick one skill. I'm going to go for Magic-1. As an Accursed, that's really important.
(Switching to Warrior, he just loses a skill, too.
Deleted Survive-0 without replacement.)
10) He's a Mage with the tradition of Accursed.
11) I don't get spells, but I get Arts from both Accursed
and Beastmaster.
- For Accursed, I get
Accursed Blade. (I like the asthetic of summoning the weapon rather than Eldritch Blasting.) I then pick one. For now, let's say
Rob Vitality. That looks interesting. We may change this if the character evolves in relation to group dynamics before play starts.
- For Beastmaster, I get Bind Companion - but it describes how to swap out companions. I'm going to take the Chosen Friend option that means he is bound to one special animal that instead levels with him and is mystically preserved from death. He gets the shared viality and mind link with that one special companion. For his free pick, he chooses Savage Senses, helping him as a wilderness explorer.
- I need to set both their effort scores.
That's Survive-0 and +2 Charisma for Beastmaster effort of 2/2. Then Magic-1 and +2 Charisma for the Accursed effort of 3/3.
So, this seems to be the appropriate place to talk about the companion. He needs to pick a 2HD Animal that he is permanently bound with. The two books only have four 2HD animals - a giant pig, a giant goat, a giant spider/wolf hybrid, and a giant cockroach. Sure, we could adapt from other sources and have a wolf or something, but this got me thinking of the "why do people always get cool wild animals?" conversation. It is more likely that a special animal companion will be of domesticated stock - so why not a pig? I really started getting into the idea of the personality and roleplay of a giant boar... especially a boar who can talk to him telepathically, so I can roleplay the responses as one-sided conversations for fun. Maybe he raised it from a piglet, and as he's accursedly-magical, formed the bond. When it grew to its full size (the 2HD Bull Pig is a swine the size of a cow, so 62 inches at the shoulder and 1,000+ pounds) he went with it. So, meet Lucius, giant tusked pig and travel companion.
12)
Looking at Bard/Mage or Accursed/Expert it is 1d6 either way. Max hit points in house rule. Con +0. Total hit points is 6. Beastmaster is a partial mage, not a partial expert. So, this makes it use the Accursed/Partial Mage table. That costs -1hp (1d6-1 HD). Total HP now 5 instead of 6. Switching from Mage/Mage to Mage/Warrior takes him from 1d6-1 to 1d6+2, then Die Hard gives an additional +2. Taking max hp at first level is then 6+2+2 = 10.
13)
BAB is +0. Partial Warrior BAB is +1.
14) Gear package. I see this guy as rather self-sufficiently equipped as a delving scholar. I'd like the Pieced Armor, but that only comes with the armored warrior who gets no food and no coin. So, I'll pick the Scholar package, which has what I think I'd need plus 80sp, of which I can spend 50sp to add a War Robe. He has a staff, but it's to be a tool not a weapon. If the GM allows, I'd like to put a head on it and have it be a long-handled shovel instead. (I love adventuring with a shovel.) Last, I'll pick up some Cooking Utensils for 4sp. He's a wanderer not a heathen. Looking up the "Healer's Pouch" there is only a reference that implies that not having one would be a penalty to trying to use the Heal skill. I don't have or intend to have the Heal skill, but using it unskilled in a pinch might be worth keeping it.
I see this guy as a Taleteller, not a musician, but having a bodhran drum or a lute might be cool... that's not in the lists so GM's discretion. I would gladly swap the healer pouch for a simple instrument. I spent an additional 10sp to get the large roundshield for a +1 AC, which he carries readied on his back until needed. That leaves him with 16 sp remaining still.
For Encumbrance purposes I am getting rid of the second dagger and the Healer's Pouch (particularly after picking upvthe more appropriate Cartographer Set.). It says we can sell back starting gear, so that's 3sp and 5sp respectively.
Okay, redoing Gear. 180sp instead of a package.
Wilderness Bundle - 40sp
War Robe - 50sp
Metal Shield - 20sp
Staff (long-handled shovel) - 1sp
Rations, 1 week - 5sp
Lantern - 10sp
3 pints oil - 3sp
Writing Kit - 3sp
20 sheets of paper - 2sp
Cartographer's tools (in-game purchase) - 15sp
Mule - 30sp
1sp remaining
15, 16) Hit bonus with weapons. His unarmed is pitiful (-2 unskilled to-hit, +1 for Dex). He mostly is reliant on his Accursed Blades. He can summon them at will and they fight with Magic+Charisma. So, being accursed makes him decent in a close fight if he needs to be. (He carries the dagger for show... being unarmed would be too suspicious.)
17) Armor class is 14 War Robe +1 Dex for 15 AC.
Spending 10sp to get a large roundshield, which adds +1 AC for 16 AC. (This has a big effect on Shock, which he wouldn't overlook.)
18) Saves. Physical (STR/CON) are both +0 so it is 15. Evasion (INT/DEX) are both +1 so that's 14. Mental (WIS/CHA) gets the +2 so 13.
19) Name and Goal. I picked Gars Ruprect off one of the book's tables. The cultures don't line up between the Atlas and the GM's statements so far, but so I remember, I picked a Kytheronian name which seemed a likely origin culture full of displaced nobles with long or forgotten eldrich histories. I think that inspires the concept here. His goal is to find lost secret knowledge in the ruins beyond the river now that the land is opened, which may or may not relate to his own liniage and history.
(All this stays the same - we're not pursuing the interreligious conflict of Music and Justice. He just has a more interesting and useful set of Pact-liniage abilities he's learning to use, and it includes his bond with Lucius, the giant pig.)
Mashripal - the Workings necessary to bind Eldritch powers into a bloodline are ancient and this is the center of his academic knowledge.
...
Level 2 Mage/Warrior
Hit Die: 2d6+4 (+4 Die Hard)
BaB: +2
Focus: +1 Any
Hit points aren't additive, they are re-rolled each level. If your total was less than last level you just take +1 on last levels total.
Level 2 HP [2d6+8]=7+8=15
That's higher than his previous total of 10, so his total is now 15.
3 skill points: raise Know from 0 to 1 (2pts), get Survive 0 (1pt)
He is learning more, and with Survive he no longer is a massive penalty to the group. This adds one language he was studying in his downtime. So we will pick Equus to round out his archeological-scholar angle as he studied his texts.
Pick one Focus:
Armsmaster
You have an unusual competence with thrown weapons and melee attacks. This Focus’ benefits do not apply to unarmed attacks or non-thrown projectile weapons. This Focus’ bonuses also don’t stack with Deadeye or other Foci that add a skill’s level to your damage or Shock.
Level 1: Gain Stab as a bonus skill. You can Ready a Stowed melee or thrown weapon as an Instant action. You may add your Stab skill level to a melee
or thrown weapon’s damage roll or Shock damage, assuming it has any to begin with.
Level 2: The Shock from your melee attacks always treats the target as if they have AC 10. Gain a +1 bonus to hit with all thrown or melee attacks.
As an Accursed, he has a special benefit of applying the martial skill point to his Magic skill instead. So he gets Magic-2.
Choose one Accursed art:
Night-Black Eyes: You can see clearly in perfect darkness. As a Main Action, focus on a particular visible object, person, or location; you can tell if it is enchanted, though no details about the magic are seen.".