Marsden is Here

So one of the side effects of being a temporally challenged DM/Player is that I often have stray character backgrounds and worldbuilding ideas running around in my head. This one is currently not letting me get the sleep that Covid recovery is demanding of me, so I'm going to inflict it on all of you.

[Scene: a group of adventurers sharing background stories]
"So I had a comfortable upbringing you know, wealthy and important family, indulged in pretty much anything I wanted while being prepared for my eventual role in the family empire. When I came of age the suitors also started calling, and that's all I expected, a comfortable marriage suiting both family's business interests.

My most persistent suitor was also someone I thought was a real jackass, you know? And there's a history of bad blood between our kin. Then it turned out they had been quietly challenging any other suitor who seemed to be gaining my favour and either maiming and forcing them to leave the city as a condition for their life or outright killing them.

So I challenged the evil [spits] myself, in public with the proof, and when they condescendingly refused my challenge I ran them straight through their hateful little heart.

So that's how my family ended up owning their family the cost of a Raising and I ended up exiled until I pay my family back. Which is proving harder than I thought, because there's a lot of people out here who need that treasure a more than my family."

Unsurprisingly there's a lot that hits my high points as a DM looking at player background here. Firstly there's some very clear reasons why the character is out adventuring and why that goal might be hard to accomplish. Bonus points for a treasure sink which isn't going to destabilise the local economy.

There are connections to other parts of the world: possibly-mixed loyalties to a family trading business, a potential rival or nemesis, a tendency to get involved with the less well off; all of which could be drawn on for story hooks or provide resources the character might turn to but only by advancing that aspect of the story. These aren't presented in a way where they have to feature immediately or regularly. (If I really want that level of connection, I'll mention it before character creation).

And while good at heart [I would expect that their] actions are going to be strongly influenced by growing up with
- a legal system which they were mostly immune to and
- where duelling (fantasy staple anyway) may or may not be formally acceptable but happens (especially given)
- the standard fantasy RPG availability of healing and even death-reversing magic to those wealthy enough exists,
... in a way which may well lead them into conflict with the laws and customs of the cultures they now find themselves in.

Finally this is a character that can function not only in the dungeon but also at some level of society. (In the general case it doesn't have to be /high/ society, but some people skills, please).

( real world introspection )

( A later scene )

On Tuesday evening I had the opportunity to play in a one-shot of Numenera with a group of people I don't have the pleasure of gaming with very often. I've heard about the system on-and-off and I was suitably impressed with it in play; immediately encouraging of a descriptive style of play, very simple mechanic, setting deals neatly and explicitly with the natural player tendency to "now-ise" everything. Would pick up and run.

Busana the Intelligent Glaive who Explores Dark Places* and her two companions Roderick the Foolish Glaive who Stands Like A Bastion and Future Steve 17 the ? Nano who Exists Slightly Out of Phase were drawn into a "game" wherein an inimical race were plotting a public massacre of several locals.
* Recreation of the character I am currently playing on Wednesdays in an Arcana Unearthed campaign - system which was coincidentally also authored by Monte Cook.

Things I Have Not Done Before in a game included
- discretely emptying a "love poison" potion around the roots of a plantlike creature acting as a receptionist to gain her favour and expedited access to the Aon Priest we hoped had information which would help us.

- persuading an NPC that the reason his husband was lying on the floor goaning and bleeding out his ears was because he was going to imbibe too much "counterwise wine" at the event he had received an invitation to.

- having to dodge an "Instant Boat" being created in the air above the final combat (and special mention to Roderick who "stood like a bastion" and caught one end of said boat as it fell to give myself and Future Steve 17 a better chance of getting out of the way).

The final battle was a nail-biting and near-thing as our characters were underpowered for the scenario, and more than once it looked like we were doomed to lose. We only managed to interrupt and limit the massacre rather than prevent it completely, and Busana nearly perished but after the final opponent was subdued Future Steve 17 was able to make use of a convenient first aid kit to restore sufficient health that she was able to limp tail-and-ears-high out to the cheering crowds.

~~~
On the way home from the game I nearly ran over a bunny just around the corner from home - a pale tan mini-lop with dark brown ears which ran straight at the car. A grey smush-faced companion hopped out of a nearby drive while I was trying to earn the first's trust enough to catch it so I was able to go and bang on the door (just before midnight) until the owners came out to herd them back to their hutch.

In her first session of play Helena Headsplitter
- managed to get hired with a group of adventurers investigating what so far seems to be an out-of-control summoning by a now-mostly-ex cult of Yog-Soggoth
- finds her lowly 10 Charisma to be one of the highest in the party.
- failed the first of her attempts to tumble -across- a combat to the other side, landing un-dignifiedly under the dwarven inquisitor and had to be rescued by the human-in-plate-with-greatsword
- nearly contracted ghoul-fever (reroll granted by the Ki-master monk)
- deal some decent damage to ghoul with her greataxe
- temporarily acquire two magic rings and a cloak (the latter currently too filthy to be worn just yet)
- not find her missing friends
- hasn't found reason to mention the 5th PC a human Investigator in this list yet

~~~~
Helena Headsplitter Pathfinder Half-orc Fighter 2 / Rogue 3
Urban variant of concept (mostly affects skill point distribution)

Helena (to those who know her well) Headsplitter (to everyone else) spends most of her time serving, bouncing and occasionally dancing at a low-life dive downtown. (Half-orc bouncers are not uncommon, half-orc dancing girls have a more specialist (or inebriated) demand).

On the side she is not adverse to the occasional bit of larceny particularly breaking and entering and second-story work as long as no-one gets hurt enough that the town guard get involved, and adventuring when a suitably profitable or personal opportunity arises.

Those who meet her are usually struck (sometimes literally) by the way she moves like a predator stalking - poised, alert, and ready. Those who are unlucky enough to draw her full attention quail and hesitate, implictly understanding that this is not a person to be crossed lightly.

Most of the time her greataxe is near at hand - casually wrapped with ribbons and the black-metal head often concealed by a gaudy, flimsy card sheath. For about-town ostensibly a "prop" used in her dancing closer examination will reveal it to be a well crafted traditional orcish axe, the apparent notches and chips in the edges deliberately added for appearances sake. Her armour (when geared up for adventuring) also displays uncommon traits - seemingly absorbing the light and almost shifting away whenever anyone tries to look at it.

Normally quiet and reserved, even polite, when angered or combat starts Headsplitter will usually rush straight to the middle of the fray, born to dance to the primitive tune of her weapon passing through flesh, bone, protoplasm or anything else that gets in its way.

Helena worships Sheyln - Goddess of art and music, beauty and love, good luck and protection. Every dance a prayer; every blow a tribute.
( stats )