Game setup thread - "A Long Way Home" - players only

The Game Room
1

This thread is for setting up the RPG game first mentioned here. Following this post will be instructions for creating your character and his history. After all of the players have finished creating their character, I will create a new thread for players only.

The players:

  1. Phnord Prephect
  2. Johnny Bravo
  3. Mahaloth
  4. Hoopy Frood
  5. Suburban Plankton
  6. Time Stranger

Chapter 1: A Long Way Home

“The House of Blake is in decline, but this is only a temporary condition. I assure you, there are events of magnificent implications unfolding before you, around you, and far beyond. Though it may seem we have reached the twilight hours of our admittedly unimpressive history, you of all people should remember things are not always as they seem.” There’s a twinkle in Arthur “Old Man Art” Blake’s eye, as if his frail body is close to bursting from the effort of holding in a wonderful secret.

“You will not have the misfortune of growing up in the terrible condition of being unknown, child.” The old man’s soothing, even-tempered voice is mesmerizing to the toddler sitting in his lap. “No, not you. Even as I speak, your kin are out in the world, making their fortune. They will be gone for quite a long time. But, even when they return you will not yet be of an age to be cursed with the ability to create memory. Your first memories will be of splendid fortune, wealth, and reputation. You will be the first Blake in a long, long time to have reason to carry your head high, your whole life.”

Arthur’s voice begins to trail off as he closes his eyes.

“But I will be long gone by then, lost to age and illness. Hopefully, the last Blake to be buried on rented land. Hope, child!” His breathing slows to an even, slow rhythm. Soon, Old Man Art is asleep, snoring gently.

He never amounted to anything, and he never will.

2

Your party will consist of the following:

2 members of the Blake family. These will be minor nobles, either too young to have proven their worth, or having somehow fallen from earlier prestige.

1 native guide. This character may be a “savage” or barbarian from a hunter/gatherer society, or simply from a culture foreign to the rest of the group.

1 religious missionary. This character is not necessarily in service to the Blakes.

The remaining characters will be a mixture of mercenaries, or retainers/servants to the Blakes.

CREATING YOUR CHARACTER

Some sections have been spoiler-tagged for brevity, and ease of format.

First, determine your character’s attribute priority.

[spoiler]There are three attributes to choose from, which you will rank as first, second, and last priority.

ACTION: Represents your character’s physical ability. A character who prioritizes ACTION first will be strong, quick, and more dependable in a fight. They will move with confidence, and be less likely to hesitate in the face of danger. Characters who prioritize ACTION last will be more likely to shy away from danger, and more likely consider non-violent solutions to problems. They will not be particularly strong or quick, and won’t move with the same grace and confidence as others. This doesn’t imply a physical deficiency, but rather a “typical” level of physical prowess.

WITS: Represents your character’s mental prowess. A character who prioritizes WITS first will be more observant, and will make logical connections more easily. They can make excellent detectives, scholars, or inventors. They will be more likely to know the answer to a question, and develop a reputation as a “problem solver.” A character who prioritizes WITS last can still hold an intelligent conversation, but is unlikely to know another language, have specialized schooling, or be an “expert” in any field. They may miss clues or overlook something important. This doesn’t imply a mental deficiency, but rather a “typical” level of intelligence.

SOCIAL: Represents your character’s ability to influence others. Characters who prioritizes SOCIAL first will be natural leaders, excellent diplomats, or inspiring warlords or generals. They will have a knack for bartering, intimidating their foes, and inspiring their allies to great feats. People tend to have strong feelings for this character, and will tend to either admire or intensely hate him. A character who prioritizes SOCIAL last will be less likely to influence an NPC’s opinion. NPCs will not typically have strong opinions of them. He will have a harder time negotiating. This doesn’t imply a social deficiency, but rather represents a “typical” level of social ability.

Once you have determined your attribute priorities, it’s time to assign values to them.

Your first attribute priority has a value of 10.

Your second attribute priority has a value of 8.

Your third attribute priority has a value of 6.

This represents how many “sides” the die has whenever you must roll to test this attribute. For example, to knock down a door will test your ACTION attribute. If you prioritized ACTION first, your ACTION value would be 10. You would roll one 10-sided die when attempting to break the door down.

HITS – This quality determines how much punishment your character can take before he is knocked unconscious. To determine your character’s HITS, take the average of your ACTION and WITS scores. This will result in a HITS score of either 7, 8, or 9. As your character takes physical punishment, the damage is added to any previous damage you may have suffered. You will remain conscious as long as the total damage does not exceed your HITS score.[/spoiler]

Once you have determined your scores for your 3 attributes, and your HITS value, it’s time to decide your character’s talents and LUCK. Your character has 4 points to spend in this section, dividing these points as you see fit between the LUCK quality, and talents.

[spoiler]LUCK: Some people are born with that “special something.” When the odds are stacked against them, they stare down defeat and manage, somehow, to snatch victory from its jaws. Ordinary men with farming tools and sheer determination have occasionally single-handedly slain an orc in battle, or have fallen from great heights without a scratch to show for it. LUCK is a fickle friend, but powerful indeed! Characters who spend at least one point to develop the LUCK quality will be able to influence the game in various ways. When a player announces their character is using LUCK, they will temporarily reduce their LUCK quality by 1. LUCK can’t be used if its current value is 0. LUCK regenerates at the end of a campaign narrative chapter. You may use a point of LUCK to do one of the following:

  1. Manipulate the GM narrative. You may add to the Game Master’s description of an event or situation, as long as the effect still makes sense for the situation. For example, if your character is exploring a dungeon and comes to an ominous door with no way to see the other side, you could spend LUCK to discover a secret passage which leads to a hidden vantage point over the room. This effect may not “take back” dice rolls which have already occurred, and it can’t “change history” to prevent a disaster. This effect is subject to GM approval (although the GM will approve using this power for anything dramatic or entertaining that doesn’t unbalance the game.)
  2. Pick the value of any die roll, prior to the roll. This can be your own roll, or a NPC’s roll. This may not be used to pick rolls for other players, unless that player agrees to it. This power can be used at any time and is not subject to GM approval. Instead of rolling the die, I will simply resolve the roll as if it had landed on the number of your choice. (Some instances allow characters to “pick the better result” among 2 or more dice. Using this power will negate that effect. No dice will be rolled.)
  3. Stand heroically. If your character has taken more damage than their HITS total, you may spend LUCK to fight through the pain and remain conscious. You will participate in the remainder of this combat as normal, using sheer force of will to remain standing. You will not suffer any combat penalties for injury while using this power. At the end of the current combat (once final victory or defeat has been determined) this effect ends, and your character will lose consciousness. Taking damage equal to 2X your HITS will still result in death, as normal.

Talents: This is where you flesh out your character’s particular abilities. Your character will have skills they excel at, or a knack for something nobody else can quite “get.” Talents represent those things that your character does better than just about anyone else!

Inspiring: This talent allows you the option to “inspire” nearby allies with words or a battle cry. Requires a “simple” combat action. Test your SOCIAL. On a roll of 4+, nearby allies will add +1 to any roll of 1, 2, or 3 for the remainder of this combat. This helps mitigate the danger caused by extremely low combat rolls. If you roll 8+, allies will add +1 to ALL combat rolls, or +2 to rolls of 1, 2, or 3. You may only attempt to use Inspiring once per combat.

Lock picking: This talent allows the option to pick locks. Lock picking tests the WITS attribute. Different locks will have varying degrees of difficulty. Failing a lock picking roll damages the lock, and increases the difficulty of the next attempt.

Sentinel: When attempting to draw fire from enemies (taunting), your character rolls their SOCIAL twice and picks the higher result, instead of rolling once as normal.

Warlord: When using a two handed weapon, your character rolls their ACTION twice and picks the higher result, instead of rolling once as normal.

Hawkeye: When using a bow or ranged weapon, your character rolls their ACTION twice and picks the higher result, instead of rolling once as normal.

Haggler: When negotiating with a non-hostile NPC, your character rolls their SOCIAL twice and picks the higher result, instead of rolling once as normal.

Backstab: While wielding a dagger, if your character has not yet received damage this combat, you may test your WITS in an opposed roll with an enemy. If you succeed, any damage caused by your next attack against that enemy is tripled. If you fail, damage is calculated normally. (This effect will end up greatly increasing damage against lightly armored targets, and will have a lesser effect against heavily armored opponents.)

Language: Your character has a knack for communication. He has picked up some vocabulary from almost every language known, without really trying. You may test your WITS any time you hear a foreign language. 4+ can understand a human conversation. 6+ can understand non-human conversation. 8+ can understand a demonic or angelic conversation.

Bulwark: Your skill with a shield is unmatched. Instead of multiple attacks reducing your block effectiveness by 1 for each attack beyond the first, your block effectiveness is reduced by 1 for each TWO attacks beyond the first. This makes it very difficult for weaker enemies to overwhelm your defense with pure numbers.

Medium Armor: Your character can wear and fight effectively in chainmail or other similar (non-heavy) armor.

Heavy Armor: Your character can wear and fight effectively in any type of armor, including heavy full plate. (Requires 2 points to purchase)

Intrigue: Your character has a natural ability to determine what people want, or when they’re lying. An NPC must succeed in an opposed SOCIAL roll against your character twice in order to lie to you, instead of only one success as normal. Also, you can spot half-truths almost effortlessly. Any time you try to determine whether someone is withholding information, roll your SOCIAL twice and pick the highest result, instead of rolling once as normal.

Detective: You can spot things slightly out of place, and put together clues better than anyone else. When making a perception test, roll your WITS twice and pick the higher result, instead of rolling once as normal.

Brute: You are mighty, indeed! Whenever you test your strength with a (non-combat) ACTION roll, reroll any result of 1, 2, or 3. In addition, add +1 to the final result of all (non-combat) strength tests. Also, all successful melee attacks you make deal +1 damage. However if you roll your natural maximum in a WITS or SOCIAL test, ignore the result and re-roll the die. The second result stands.

Physician: You have a good understanding of human anatomy, and how the human body works. When you attempt to heal damage through magic, prayer, or medicine, two extra points of damage are healed.

Genius: Your character has almost perfect memory, and has had extensive schooling. You automatically pass any easy or medium knowledge test. Hard and Very Hard knowledge tests are treated as if they are one-tier easier. [/spoiler]

Equipment: Once you have finished determining your character’s Attributes, HITS, LUCK, and Talents, pick your character’s equipment. Melee weapons come in three tiers: small, medium, and large. A weapon’s in-game effect depends on its size, not its type. A small weapon adds +1 damage. A medium weapon adds +2 damage. A large weapon adds +3 damage, and requires 2 hands. Some examples of weapons and armor:

[spoiler]Dagger (small) – A scoundrel’s weapon of choice. When making an attack with a dagger, add +1 to your damage. Easily concealable.

Sword (medium) – A civilized soldier’s weapon of choice. When making an attack with a sword, add +2 to your damage. Difficult to conceal.

Battle Axe (large) – A warrior’s weapon of choice. When making an attack with a Battle Axe, add +3 to your damage. Cannot conceal. Requires two hands.

Bow – A scout or hunter’s weapon of choice. When making an attack with a bow, add +2 to your damage. A character wielding a bow may “take aim” for any number of turns. Each action spent “taking aim” increases your aim score by 1 for the next shot. When you fire your bow, continue rerolling any ACTION dice which are equal to or less than your aim score until you have a result higher than your aim score.

Shield – Standard issue for professional soldiers. A shield allows the wielder to block melee and arrow attacks. +1 damage reduction. In addition, at the beginning of each combat round, make an ACTION test. The result represents your block value that round. Any opponent who makes a physical attack against you must first make an ACTION roll higher than your block value, or the attack automatically fails. Every attack after the first reduces your block value by 1 for the rest of the combat round.

Thrown Weapons – This class of weapon covers darts, or more exotic weapons like weighted knives, or throwing stars. These weapons do not add any bonuses to damage, but are easily concealable. You may “take aim” with thrown weapons.

Clothing – Standard clothing. Provides no combat bonuses.

Light armor – Typically leather or fur. Provides +1 damage reduction.

Medium armor – Typically a combination of leather with vital areas covered by steel, or chainmail. Provides +2 damage reduction. Requires Medium Armor or Heavy Armor talent.

Heavy armor – Typically an impressive suit of plate armor, durable and intimidating. Provides +3 damage reduction. Requires Heavy Armor talent.

Other than combat-related items, your character will carry miscellaneous items which would make sense for him to own given his status and talents. Things such as ink and parchment, lock picking tools, clothing, religious trinkets, tools, or other similar items can be freely included in your inventory during character creation, keeping in mind that such items must make sense for you to own and carry.

The Blakes will have horses on this journey, while the others will start on foot. For currency, the group has a total of 10 gold fulcrums (golds) controlled by the Blakes, while each other character will have 5 silver fulcrums (silvers), and 5 copper fulcrums (coppers) each. One gold is worth 10 silver. 1 silver is worth 10 copper. 1 copper will buy a meal and a bed almost anywhere. The Blakes will be expected to supply food and standard accommodations for the others, when available. The others will be expected to supply their own luxuries: booze, gear upgrades, fortune-telling, bribes, etc.[/spoiler]

3

Name: Cobar Yani
Position: Native Guide/Hunter/Tracker/Scout from one of the barbarian tribes of the plains.

Stats:
Wits
Action
Social

Talents:
Hawkeye
Language
Detective

Luck (1)

Main Equipment:
Bow
Dagger
Light Armor

Other equipment:
TBD

Story to come in the near future. Have the basic idea floating around in my head.

4

Misc equipment

Hunting knife (with both serrated and smooth edge)
Whetstone
Strong, light rope (50 ft worth)
5 Snares
Hatchet
3 day supply of food and water to spare
Supply of arrows
Supply of spare arrowheads and feathers in case he needs to fletch new arrows.
Supply of spare arrow strings
30 yards of twine
Flint and steel
Cold weather clothing
Spade
Lightweight hide tarp
Blanket
Small canister of pitch
Needle and 5 yards catgut thread
Steel mirror
Walking stick
Bladder of strong alcoholic spirit (used for sterilization, pain relief, and an occasional nip when he’s had a bad day)
Hunk of rough soap
Bag of salt
Metal pot and spoon
Tin mug
Lump of cured animal fat
Bone whistle

5

Moftar the Hermit
Self-appointed Chosen One of Sovin the Righteous
Missionary / Demon Hunter

Stats:
Social
Wits
Action

Hits: 7

Talents:
Intrigue
Language
Luck (x2)

Main Equipment:
Bulky Clothes (many layers, like a homeless person) Light Armor equivalent
“Holy” staff (medium weapon?)
Bags, pouches, and lots of pockets of trinkets, stuff, and junk.
Moftar lives, or lived, somewhere in the nearby mountain range, presumably in a cavern somewhere but nobody’s ever found it. Rarely found within city walls, when he is he’s either preaching loudly about the scourge of demonkind or begging for ‘donations to aid the great battle’. Moftar can be persuaded to help the sick or dying with herbal concoctions of his own design, for a small fee of course. Occasionally he can be found on nearby peasant farms, aiding the growth of crops or treating sick livestock. The merest suggestion of demonic activity, however, will draw him like a moth to a flame, and he will almost always drop any previous task to attempt to dispatch the greater evil.

Only on very, very rare occasions has Moftar been seen to be sober, or lucid, enough to have an entirely rational conversation; he claims his altered states of consciousness assist him in his ability to dig to the bottom of situations and help him to sense demonkind.

Nobody has ever heard of this “Sovin the Righteous” except from Moftar’s own mouth.

6

That should say 30 ft of twine, not 30 yards. 30 yards of twine is just kooky.

7

Oh, and my armor will be cured animal hides as commonly worn by the members of my tribe.

8

Do we really need to get as detailed as that, in terms of non-essential items? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, in fact it adds more than a little depth to the game to keep track of such things.

I was just planning to use my pockets etc. as a sort of Hammerspace for the sort of items a hermit might have, to be determined by the intersection of circumstance and GM veto.

9

Well, I’ve been in campaigns where the GM held that if it wasn’t written on your sheet you didn’t have it with you, so I’m just playing it safe. Based on what I know of Mosier having gamed with him on here where he’s been in the capacity of both player and GM, he doesn’t seem to be like that, but I pretty much do this by default regardless of GM.

10

Name: Gerald Blake
Position: Blake ‘noble’

Stats:
Wits
Social
Action

Hits: 8

Talents:
Backstabbing
Intrigue
Detective

Luck (1)

Main Equipment:
Dagger
Standard Clothing
Gerald *might *have one day been in a position to take his place as the head of the Blake line…but things didn’t quite ‘work out’ that way, did they?. As it turned out, the only thing he’s likely to head is the Village Council’s next attempt to raise additional taxes…which will likely be as futile as the last several such attemps…

More to follow…

11

Hmm… well, let’s see what the boss says. Just be warned, my list could end up being quite long, considering how I see this character playing out! :smiley:

I see on preview that Plankton has joined the group. Good that both of you have chosen Detective… I’d considered that, but seeing that Cobar had it, and now Gerald, I’m less worried about the party in general missing something important.

One thing that is concerning me is the healing issue. Note that I’ve set myself up with some background in healing, but NOT any special skills with it. I’m also making the assumption that healing is an Action skill, which is not my character’s specialty. If we don’t get another specialty healer, I’d consider trading in for the bonus skill, if y’all think we need it.

Gerald, looks like you’re going the mild-mannered noble route? Do I see a hint of rogue in there? We could use someone sneaky, maybe with a set of lockpicks. Cobar, looks like you’re going for the lightly-armored ranger type of fighter… group could use a tank-type, maybe? Can’t wait to see what the others come up with.

PS: Mosier, would you try to send me an e-mail and/or private message, whatever you’re planning to use for this? I think have them set up properly (after ten years!) plus I’d like to discuss the magic situation in more detail, in case I have to make changes to my character or what have you. Thanks.

12

I wasn’t thinking “mild-mannered”…more “old and jaded”…but Gerald is certainly the type of person who’s learned over the years that he’s certainly not going to get anything handed to him in life. ‘Rogue’ connotes a certain rakish charm that Gerald never quite learned to possess. But he’s been known to take a ‘shortcut’ or three in order to get done what needs to be done, when the situation requires; certainly he’s acquired a few tricks over the years that might come in handy…

13

Unfortunately, your PMs aren’t set up properly. I get an error message saying the following:

Phnord Prephect has chosen not to receive private messages or may not be allowed to receive private messages. Therefore you may not send your message to him/her.

If you are trying to send this message to multiple recipients, remove Phnord Prephect from the recipient list and send the message again.

If this is because of an account setting, you can fix it by going to User CP in the top left, then “edit options” on the left list, and then the “private messaging” on the right.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll send you an email if you give me your address.

14

Maxwell Grey

For better or for worse, the fortunes of the Grey family have been bound with the Blakes for many generations. In past times, better times, they served as a kind of hereditary militia and honorguard for the Blakes, keeping the roadways safe and enforcing the laws of the Blake family. As the fortunes of the Blakes grew sour, though, the Greys were forced to ply their trade further afield, serving as mercenaries and soldiers of fortune throughout the realm. They still maintain a house in the village, though, and both families remember the sweeter fruits of better days.

Neither of the Blakes know what deal was struck that brought Maxwell back to the village, grimfaced and covered with the dust of a hundred foreign places - it certainly couldn’t have been the pay. But as they saddled their horses and made ready to leave their home, there he was: a fine blade, a worn scabbered, a dented shield with an unadorned grey face.

Attributes
Action
Social
Wits

Hits: 8

Talents
Medium Armor
Bulwark
Sentinel
Luck (1)

Weapons
Longsword
Shield
Medium Armor (brigandine over mail)
Small Hatchet
Short javelins (2)

Equipment
Flint/Steel
Roll of bandages
Whetstone/Small flask of oil
Field rations (5 days)
Field kit (tin mug, small spoon, small pot)
Waterproof document tube
Oiled cloak
Bedroll
Journal with waterproof binding and clasp
Ink/pen
Knife
Cestus
Chalk, several pieces

15

You’ll find that Hoopy Frood likes his characters to be prepared. :slight_smile:

This is fine, although if it turns out the item you want is something you absolutely certainly must have right now to avoid catastrophe, you’ll probably get vetoed. Common “hermit things” like string, herbs, a skinning knife, etc. are no problem, but if a situation absolutely demands that you need a measuring spoon, it would be a bad time for you to remember your character keeps a collection of cooking supplies in his first-pants’ back pocket (for example).

16

Ok, I tried to make mine healing-oriented, since that was requested. I imagine her as more of a hyperactive nature child, which is why I stacked her attributes the way I did. I put Actions first since I want her to be strong and fast, even though she’s a small person with not a lot of brute strength. I put Wits last but gave her the genius talent since I want her to be pretty uneducated/dumb about everything except nature stuff (to help with healing.) But I couldn’t really find how healing worked, so if I need to change that around because it is based on WITS, let me know.

Tasha Stables
Tasha is a spritely young lass with an almost overwhelming optimistic streak. It’s entirely plausible the only reason she was chosen for this journey was to remove her gregarious mouth from the Blake lands so the family could get some peace. Her commoner relatives have served the Blakes in assorted lowly capacities as far back as anyone can remember, and they’re all the girl has ever known - hence her unfailing adoration of the Blakes. When not on duty, she’s mostly been left to her own devices to run about the land, soaking up sun and scrambling up trees, resulting in an appreciation for nature and how it can be used to help people get by in their meager surroundings. She’s so excited about getting to see the outside world and Find Their Destiny that she can hardly stand it!

Attributes:
Action
Social
Wits

Hits: 8

Talents:

Luck (1)
Physician
Hawkeye
Genius (only relating to natural things)

Weapons:
Whip (medium) (main)
Small Dagger
Sling shot

Equipment:
Small meal kit (cup, spoon, fork)
Blankit
First Aid Kit: bandages, small jars or poultices and balms, needles, thread, vial of alcohol, mortar, pestle.
Wooden box of herbs and assorted sundries collected from nature.
Flint/Steel
Heavy Cloak

(more once I have time to think about it, just wanted to post now)

17

Working on mine today. I’ll post it later.

18

Using medical knowledge to heal wounds will test your WITS. However, with the Genius talent, most healing attempts will automatically pass. Only the most severe wounds would give your character trouble, and even those will have their difficulty reduced due to her talent.

When attempting to heal someone’s wounds, you will use your WITS against a success threshold equal to the target’s current damage. Anything below 7 counts as an easy or medium difficulty. 7-9 is hard, and 10+ is VERY HARD. Genius makes you automatically pass a healing attempt on anyone who’s damage is less than 7 (which is a whole heapin’ lot of damage). It also reduces the difficulty of healing any damage 7 or higher by 3 (one “difficulty tier”).

Physician increases the effectiveness of healing. You may make 1 attempt per hour to heal wounds. Normally each success would heal 1 point of damage. Your character would heal 3 points per success.

TLDR: Genius+Physician is a very powerful healing combo, even with a very low WITS. The most extreme, gory injuries will be beyond her ability to treat, but even trained professional healers with high WITS won’t be as consistently able to heal typical battle injures as she is.

Keep in mind, healing supplies and herbs are not unlimited! Each attempt to heal will use some of your supply. Keep track of this on your character with a shorthand “healing supplies” item instead of listing every item separately. The most you’d reasonably carry is 20 or so, and it would weigh about 10 pounds and could be carried in a travelling bag.

19

Hi new players!

Maxwell, good to see you. Glad to see the party has a meatshield! With you to hide behind, our enemies won’t stand a chance! Wait… something didn’t sound right about that…

Tasha, hello to you too. Thank you for helping with the healing, but know that you don’t HAVE to if you don’t want to, or if you think it doesn’t fit your character. I’m sure that we can find another route if needed. That being said, I’m glad you did; hate to think that everybody would be relying on a mad old hermit’s healing herbs!

Good party balance so far… to put it in generic D&D terms, we got our Ranger, Cleric, Rogue, Warrior, and Druid slots filled, which is a good balance for the party. If only we could have a proper Wizard!

Mahaloth, I guess that means you’re the

that Raft People suggested! :smiley:
Mosier, I’m glad to hear that healing isn’t an ACTION skill… is it too late to trade my WITS and SOCIAL stats?

I see that everyone’s pretty much going the list-all-items route; guess I will have to as well. Look for that in the future, tho, 'cuz it’s gonna be a long list… crazy homeless people have to carry everything they own!

I wonder which of you Moftar knows already. Cobar, probably not, if we’re hiring you as our native guide in foreign lands. I’m thinking there’s a chance Gerald knows him - maybe he was in the courthouse during one of Moftar’s many arrests for loitering or panhandling, if he’s involved in government as seems to be implied? As for the ‘nobility’, I’d only be surprised if they knew Moftar’s name… if they look like they have money, there’s a good chance he’s tried to beg some from them at some point! And Tasha, being a child of the woods, has undoubtedly been warned time and time again to “Stay away from that crazy old bum!”

Some stuff on his items list:
(spoilered for length)

An ornately decorated Shaman’s staff, 7 feet or so in length. Medium Weapon.
Symbol of Sovin the Righteous, if needed, otherwise he just uses his staff.
Homeless person clothing: rags and leather bits and furs and such, held together by twine and hope. Light armor equivalent. Blanket/cloak equivalent. Flea hotel equivalent.
An herbal healing kit (plants, animals, fungi, mud, crystals, bits and pieces of all kinds of stuff)
An actual healing kit (bandages creams salves etc)
A magical healing kit (healing potions if available, deduct from available funds)
Knives. Plural. Most are dull and rusty or tarnished, undoubtedly scavenged from someone’s trash, but at least one that’s worthy of being a weapon, one that can be thrown, and one for carving wood.
Spoons, mostly similar in quality to his knives; at least one teaspoon, with which other measurements can be worked out.
A Spatula, in honor of Brahe Silver’s “Crane” character
No Fork.
Several tin cups, not all of which have holes in them, and not all of which are made of tin.
A hatchet, a small saw, and a trowel, for cutting and digging.
Several pair of scissors and shears.
A tool kit for carving small totems out of wood, stone, bone, etc.
A supply of several such totems representing local wildlife, in various stages of completion.
Other small toys and doodads such as a clown might have: inflatable bladders, a clockwork mouse, a yo-yo, a toy boomerang, etc.
Rope and twine, various lengths, mostly used to hold his clothes together. At least one piece of twine measures exactly 91 feet in length, because Moftar is ‘just kooky’ like that!
Fire-starting kit. Includes flint(s) and steel(s) with locally-foraged tinder(s) as well as any other fire-starting equipment is available: matches, lighters, magic items, etc?
Sewing kit: needles, thimbles, pins, etc.
Pens, pencils, chalk, paints, pigments, etc.
Bits and pieces of paper, some blank, mostly used at least once before.
Booklets, pamphlets, menus, shopping lists, someone elses’s discarded love letters, etc.
Bags and pouches of nuts, dried berries, dried rice, jerky, bread crusts, grains and other foodstuffs. Minimum 5% mold content.
Pouches of spices: salt, pepper, sugar, flour, yeast, etc.
“Tobacco” pouch, pipes, rolling papers, cleaning tools and assorted paraphanalia (for medical/spiritual use only as prescribed (do not use while operating farm machinery))

No Soap.
Radio.

His remaining pockets are filled with trash: sticks, rocks, shiny pieces of metal, chipped ceiling tiles, and suchlike things that strike his fancy.

Phew, that’s a lotta stuff! While Mosier has, of course, the right to veto any of it, I reserve my right to add to the list until the game officially starts!
Oooh, can I have a familiar? A pet rat would be fun…:smiley:

20

Like all children of my tribe, I was born without a name. Each boy in my tribe before his coming of age is referred to as the son of his father. Each girl is referred to as the daughter of her mother, up until her coming of age. How are the names determined after that? It differs depending on gender.

The women of my tribe are the landowners, and the head landowner is the Matriarch and ultimate arbiter of any decision made that impacts the entire tribe. The Matriarch is determined by vote of all members of the tribe who have come of age. Typically, though, the vote is merely a formality since the Matriarch is usually the eldest landowner. In spite of her power, however, it is rare that the Matriarch ever intercedes in even major matters, preferring to let the tribe on the whole decide matters that impact it. When a woman acquires land, her name becomes the name of the property she acquires. Land can be acquired through business deals, marriage (sometimes one in the same), gifts, or the occasional conquest of another tribe. (Which can either involve assimilation or annihilation. Those who were assimilated typically started out as indentured servants and in rare cases could distinguish themselves and work there way into full membership in the tribe.)

But while the women own the land and the ultimate political voice is counted among them, most of the tribal business is conducted by the men of the tribe. We are the warriors and the governors, the diplomats and the hunters. The tribe is governed by a council of 10 men elected by the women of the tribe with the matriarch having the ability to outright reject anyone, though, it’s rare that such power is ever exercised. The council selects one among them to serve as tribal leader. This man is the face of the tribe, typically one who is equally strong in battle and diplomacy. Almost all interaction with other tribes is handled by men, a large part is because many tribes won’t bargain with a woman to begin with, but also because the women devote most of their time to domestic issues. Religion and medicine, closely intertwined, are handled equally by both the genders.

This setup, though odd to many, has served my tribe well throughout its history. It recognizes the inherent differences between the genders, but makes sure that all members who have come of age in the tribe have a responsibility directly to it.

So what is my role in all this? Well, in my youth, my father was one of the longest serving members of the council. However, he was never tribal leader, that honor being bestowed upon my father’s best and oldest friend, Burnum. When they started on the council, they were among the youngest ever selected for the positions. Both had been well regarded warriors before they pursued the political side of things. Their rivalry was always friendly, each celebrating the success of the other, rather than resenting it. With the two of them heading the council around the time I was born, they ushered in an era of prosperity in the tribe. They were inseparable. Oddly enough, their wives became pregnant within weeks of each other. Burnum’s son was born first. He was a strong and healthy boy, clearly destined to follow in his father’s footsteps. I, on the other hand, was born sickly. My skin had a yellowish tinge, and I spent more time in my infancy in the medicine tent than in my own parents. I managed to survive those first few months, and my condition improved somewhat, but I would spend a large portion of the rest of my youth fighting off various maladies, while Burnum’s son grew into a strong and athletic child. My father always wanted him and I to develop a relationship similar to what he had with Burnum, but that wasn’t going to happen. I was essentially an outcast among my own peers, and though he would never say it, I could tell I was a disappointment to my father.

But I realized early in my life that if I couldn’t beat people physically, I could beat them with my mind. I watched everything, learned as much as I could. I used the time I spent being nursed to health in the medicine tent to learn wisdom from the healers there. I came to realize that the mind will be strong long after the body has begun to waste away. I got to experience a view of the world different from the political side that my father would instruct me in. My ability to absorb and use the knowledge I would gain from my normal tribal training and the additional training I got from the medicine men and women would wind up saving my life, and that of Burnam’s son as well.

We come of age in my tribe during our 13th year. For the boys, this involves being dropped off alone in various areas of the nearby woods. There each boy was to spend three days living by his own wits and physical abilities. Contact between the boys was not allowed, and if it was ever revealed that anyone worked together, they would immediately fail the ritual. Men of the tribe would occasionally check on us to make sure we were doing okay, but they were not permitted to lend any aid. If a boy couldn’t cut it, he would be allowed to retry in another 3 months. My father pulled some strings to get me out of having to go through this ritual for fear of my weaknesses being an issue. I know he meant well, but when I found out I approached him and told him that his actions were an insult and I was going to go through the ritual with or without his support.

I was placed in an area neighboring Burnum’s son. I think my father had a hand in this, but I don’t know for certain. I’m guessing he thought if I ran into trouble, Burnum’s son could help me out, even though it’d cause me to fail the task. Everything went fine the first three days and two nights. I had used all the knowledge I had learned to survive. I might not have been able to chase down game I hunted, but I didn’t need to. I had become a perfect shot with a bow and was a phenomenal tracker. However, the third night, everything went to Hell when something no one anticipated occurred.

There had been a drought for a few months at that point. The woods were a tinderbox waiting to happen. No one knows for certain what started it, but I woke up not too long after midnight to an odd feeling. The woods were eerily quiet as if all of nature was waiting in anticipation or fear. I then realized that smoke was filtering into the clearing where I had made my camp. It wasn’t long after that Burnum’s son came running my direction, clearly shaken and disoriented.

“Fire!” he shouted, clearly showing his ability to grasp the obvious. “We need to get back to the village now!”

“Uhhh, you do realize that you’re running the wrong way, right? The village is that way,” I pointed out.

“Then let’s go! Hurry up there’s no time lose!”

“I highly advise against that. If you notice, we are downwind from the village. If you also notice, while wind typically dissipates smoke, this wind seems to be concentrating it. The conclusion we can draw from this is running back to the village will lead us closer to the fire, and probably to our deaths. Our best bet is to run the other way, into the grasslands. The border’s a few miles away, but brush fires are nothing compared to fires in the woods. Fortunately, the rate of increase of the smoke seems to be slow, so this fire isn’t moving all that fast. We should be able to outrun it with not too much difficulty, and we should have enough time to do a controlled burn of a large enough area around us that should the fire actually make it to our general location it’s unlikely it will find anymore fuel to reach us. You help get me there, and I’ll make sure we make it out of this alive! Deal?”

Burnum’s son agreed, and we made haste to the grasslands. I put up a good front of having everything under control, but I was just as scared as he was. However, I knew that letting fear control me would accomplish nothing. Burnam’s son almost let his fear lead him to his death after all. Finding an area far enough out of the forest, we set to work conducting a controlled burn of a large swath of the immediate grasslands. In reality, the chance of this plan actually working should the fire make it this far was a longshot, but it was better than sitting around relying on pure luck to save us.

Then again, it was pretty much pure luck that saved us. As we watched the billowing smoke from the woods get closer and closer as dawn began to broke, we realized that the sun hadn’t come out. Instead, the sky was filled with thunderclouds. It wasn’t long after the sky opened up and a deluge came down drenching everything for miles–least of all us.

We were eventually found that afternoon by some of the scouts from the tribe and our fathers weren’t far behind. Seeing the controlled burn, Burnum congratulated his son on his ingenuity. Surprisingly, though, Burnum’s son told his father the whole story. How it was I that came up with the plan, and how had we followed his advice we probably would have died. Instead, by keeping my wits, I had managed to save us. I will never forget the look on my father’s face or the shock on Burnum’s. I don’t know why Burnum’s son did it. Maybe he was tired of always being held up as perfect by his father. I had always thought he relished it, but maybe while I was too caught up in my own insecurities about seemingly always disappointing my father, I missed his insecurities about seemingly never disappointing his. Regardless, after that day Burnum’s son and I became friends. We would never be as tight as my father and Burnum, but we came to respect each other’s respective abilities. We both passed the ritual as well. Even though we had worked together–clearly in violation of the rules–the reason we did so was easily understandable, and we managed to survive. Sadly, though, not everyone did. There were five of our number that perished.

So I finally got the respect among my peers and the tribe that I had deserved. I was given a name, and was even one of the few of my tribe to be given two. The first name given to me was “Cobar” which in the common tongue means “burnt earth”, after my idea of back-burning the brush to protect us. The second name I was given was Yani which means “peace”. Burnam’s son was given the name Warrigal meaning “wild”.

Over the years, Warrigal would follow in his father’s footsteps, becoming a member of the council and these days tribal leader himself. (His father and mine long having retired from it.) My father came to realize that my path wasn’t his. Instead I would go out with the hunters being the best tracker in my tribe and one of the bets shots. I would also accompany the traders to other tribes and villages, being able to observe things they would miss. I started working independently as a guide for individuals, small groups, and even caravans. I was exposed to many cultures through my travels, and learned to write in a few languages and speak and understand dozens more. I have also been an emissary of sorts for my tribe. My contact with the outside world has helped increase their trade.

Currently I have been hired by a couple of young nobles to guide them through the lands to their destination where apparently when they get there their family will become respected or famous or rich or something along those lines. It’s a story I’ve hard many times, and it almost always ends the same. They wind up with little more than disappointment to show for their efforts. Not that I care, though. As long as they keep paying me, I’ll make sure they get to their destination as quickly and safely as possible. But other than that, their issues are none of my business, and their concerns are not my own.