Our orphaned elf, a onetime burglar, servitor to someone
in power, and worshiper of the god of magic Nethys needs to come to life. High
intelligence and finely honed physical prowess gives us a lot to work with. His
lack of willpower, and either abrasiveness or just plain ugly, gives us some
flavor as well. Now just to place all the pieces of the puzzle to get the
clear picture.
Although much of what I do is based on story, sometimes
you have to work the mechanics into the story. This is an important part about
the game that I think some people forget. Mechanics are important and shouldn’t
be considered a dirty word. To that end here are
some mechanical choices I made for the character that may be important:
Alt Racial Traits
I replaced pretty much all the standard Elven Traits;
Keen Sense, Elven Magic and Weapon Familiarity and picked up two replacements.
Urbanite: Elves who live in cities for more than a
century can grow to know the ebb and flow of social situations just as their
forest-dwelling cousins know the rules of the wild. Elves with this racial
trait gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks made to gather information and
Sense Motive checks made to get a hunch about a social situation.
Forlorn: Elves raised outside of elven
communities—are accustomed to other races' brevity of life. Although they lose
the opportunity to train in traditional elven arts, these elves pick up a bit
of their adoptive parents' skills. They gain Skill Focus as a bonus feat.
Traits
Forlorn
Magic is Life
Orphaned
Drawback
Vain
I’ve decide to go with the Witch class, specifically the
Alley Witch archetype, ad so Ive rolled on the Witch random background chart.
Witch Training: [Gifted] You received your magical
ability as a gift from a supernatural being, such as an angel, devil, god,
ancient dragon, or powerful fey. This creature expects you to act on its behalf
in exchange for the power it loaned you.
Menadiric Holyoak
Menadiric’s family had lived among the Taldane people
since the great exodus, and although his parents had given him and his younger
sister Taldane names they still retained their elvish last names. Their
surnames are the last thing that Menadiric’s parents left them when they both
died in a horrible fire that consumed the small hovel they occupied on their
Lord’s estate. Ninety may seem almost venerable to humans but elvish Menadiric
was barely just a child, and his sister even younger.
Not really knowing how to deal with elven ‘children’ that
were older than him, the liege lord sent them off to an orphanage. The
orphanage, however, was also ill prepared to deal with them and in less than a
year the elven children were living out on the streets. Because most of the
humans in the trade city of Yanmass understand little of elven biology, it was
easy enough for Menadiric to get himself a job with a merchant as a runner, a
step up from the life of a peasant that his parents had.
Running all over Yanmass gave the young elf a unique
understanding of the trade city, every street, every alley, every building
became a part of Menadiric’s existence. It also meant that Menadiric interacted
with people in many circles, including some who lived outside the law. The
elven adolescent fell in with the wrong crowd and began using the fact most
people assumed he could be in places most people shouldn’t to help his new
friends acquire certain items.
Menadiric was enjoyed his life as a part time thief, more
because of thrill than the money. At least, he enjoyed it until he got caught
red-handed. The pleasure of his own thrill had taken him away from his sister,
failing her when she had no one else. The strict laws of the Taldan trade city
meant that Menadiric was imprisoned for his crime, and as a non-noble this may
have been a life sentence if the son of the lord his parents served – now
himself a lord – did not step up for him. The young lord, who had become a
master of law, pushed for trial by combat. It was a trial which Menadiric won,
but not without acquiring a horrible scar that disfigured his once-perfect
face.
The lord that Menadiric remembered only as a child, of
course, had his own motives. The price for making it possible to walk free was
to serve the lord for as long as he lived. The lord needed someone who could
perform tasks around the city without raising suspicion, someone to be his eyes
and ears around Yanmass and keep him informed. This was a task almost uniquely
suited to Menadiric, and the added bonus of a home off the streets for his
sister meant it was a deal worth honoring.
Once again Menadiric spent his days roaming Yanmass and
getting to know its streets and byways. This time the experience was different,
more visceral, as if he could feel the city in his bones. He could sense the
mood of its people and of the city itself as if it were a living breathing
person. One night in his dreams he met with a Taldan woman who dressed in a mix
of Taldan and Kelesh garb. She told him that her name was Yanmass and she was
the city, that she needed him to help keep the balance of the streets. Although
hazy, Menadiric understood and when he awoke there was a large rat sitting on
his bed. He knew he now served two masters, his lord and Yanmass herself.
When the liege died Menadiric was released as per the
agreement, and as a freeman he returned to the city proper. His sister had
taken up the life of a seamstress, for which he was very proud. Menadiric even
found some happiness, another Forlorn who could look past his scars and
sometimes abrasive demeanor. He saved the woman from being mugged and beaten on
the streets of his city and she has not left his side since. Now only beholden
to his family and the city of Yanmass, Menadiric serves his purpose as the
balancing force of his home.
And there you go Menadiric has come to life with but a
few random rolls. If the CRB floats your creative boat please consider becoming
the patron on my Patreon, this is how us creators survive. You can also
check the CRB out on that crazy thing the kids call social media. On twitter
I’m @SimonSezCRB and I live tweet my weekend games. You can also find
the CRB on Tumblr where you can see some of the art that inspires me as
well as random ideas I have throughout the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment