Session 0: Character Creation

[Rusty Tincanne]

Now that I think about it, I could do the same thing with Enoch's character. I was her handler, now she's mine, in a way.

I also had another thought, though it might just make our TB experience that much more difficult. What if we were in a remote monastery, close to a small village. The villagers figured out strange things were afoot and (for some reason, perhaps superstition linked to a drought or whatever) they burned the monastery down. We were the only survivors, forced to head to a different city.

The Cleric would be welcome at the local church, of course. The rest of us would need to rely on other relationships in the community.

Just a brainstorm. Shoot it down if it is too much back story and/or would place undue burdens on the group. TB is treacherous enough without adding in hardships.

[Faolan7]

I might just sit back and watch for a bit. You guys got some good planning going.

My town list is by no means exhaustive on the towns that exist. I just threw together one of each type, so if you need a new one, such as one with a remote monastery or a supersitition against religion, I can definitely make new towns.

I should hopefully be able to start writing the actual campaign this week, so the published adventures will fit better with the group and be more cohesive.

[Marullus]

I'm leery of having us burned-out and even more-desperate-than-normal in Torchbearer.

Hometown choice is critical to each character's creation, so I'd like to keep that freedom open. I can see it as our "original" hometown, then we ended up at the Monetary (which could be in Narbara, on a remote site up the forboding mountain, or elsewhere). I assumed we'd be based in Narbara as the only overtly-religious locale, and expected that at least one PC would choose to be from there (though I did not).

To bring in this idea, perhaps:

• We each have an "Original hometown," which we've already been away from for a period of years but where we still have ties.
• We've been at the Monastery away from people and sequestered by the church. We need to know if it is burned in our Prequel or if we can potentially retreat to there.
• Our Parents are required to be in our "Original Hometowns," if we have them. (An interesting question for the Dhampir, especially.) I made my witch an orphan and left the circumstances intentionally-ambiguous as to how her parents died and home burned when the church showed up to claim her.
• If the Monastery still exists, then that's a good place for our Mentors to be, if we have them. We need to allocate Specialties first, as they determine mentors. If the Monastery burned, we need know if we all have no Mentors, if we had a Mentor who made it to a new town, or if we had scattered mentors to begin with.
• Friends and Enemies seem to be more fungible to begin with - we can have them in other appropriate locations (each choice of which tells us a little more about our story).
• If we go with the "the Monastery burned" approach, then we're making "we're done and return to town" another source of plot - we lost our "safe place to return to" and we have serious decisions to make about who's friends/relations/mentors we call upon, in which town, each time. With an orphan witch, a Vampire-daddy (I HOPE the Dhampir chooses to have living parents), one of us living on blood, and another on carrion, that is a lot of plot grist.

Perhaps we need a town location for the Monastery, and then another town location where Vampire-Daddy still lives (i.e. Dracula's castle and attendant town)?

[Enoch]

@Rusty and Marullus:

I think that's an awesome story idea. If you're talking about that monastery being in our backstory, it works great for me--I figured I'd be kept in some out-of-the-way place, whether that was nestled in a city or isolated. It wouldn't do to let the townsfolk see a half-vampire walking in and out of the church.

I don't think that mechanically there's really any change. We can all still have "home towns" (and associated NPCs) per the rules; we just start the story out with the shared backstory of having been at the monastery when it was burned down. I don't think we need to change anything. If the monastery has burned down, it should probably be placed on the map but mechanically it no longer functions as a town--we keep the towns as written. I'm not taking Parents in the Circles section; I imagine my Sire is still alive, but I haven't really plotted that out. If I took Parents I would choose an existing location to place them in or work with the GM to come up with a new location.

If our illustrious GM wants a Vampire Lord, a castle is certainly an appropriate location for them, but I don't think mechanically it would likely function as a Town. Towns are places where characters can visit and be safe (from pretty much everything but debt). A hostile vampire's castle is an adventure location, even if there are townsfolk around.

EDIT: to clarify, I am taking Religious Bastion as my home town (and associated Trait and Skill). Story-wise, I assume there was an isolated location I was kept and raised. Whether that isolation was physical (a remote monastery in the vicinity of Nabara or just influenced by it) or enforced (I wasn't allowed out-of-doors or out of the compound, even if it was in the middle of the city) is something that can be decided if needed. I am not taking living parents I get along with. My mother died before I was old enough to remember her and I don't know anything about who sired me. My sire can certainly come into play, but it would just be weird to go "okay, guys, I'm gonna go see my Vampire Lord father, who's hanging out in the Religious Bastion for some reason".

[Marullus]

(Just to kick open another topic)
I'd like group conversation on three things... NPC Relations, Specialties, and Gear.

The NPC relations conversation is kicked off above. I'll also pull out and start the Specialties conversation. We each pick one and they all must be different - it is important to the group to cover certain things.

I believe the Dhampir wants to have Scout as a specialty, emphasizing the sneaky-role he'll play.

I can see several for the Witch, and need input from the group as all of these skills are pretty necessary, but she only picks one:

Her speciality is up to the group... She could have Cook 4, Persuader 3, Healer 3, or Cartographer 2, based on what the group needs most.

What about the Death Knight?

The Cleric?

[This is then circular and impacts back to the NPCs above, as your Mentor (if you have one) is required to relate to this skill.]

[Enoch]

NPCs for Magda, the damned:

• Parents: I am going to be an orphan--the Church is the only parent I've ever known. Presumably my sire is still kicking around, but the few people I actually know either don't know anything about him or aren't interested in telling me. It's likely that someone knows where I came from, and even has information about my sire, but probably not my minders.
• Friend: yes, I have a friend, one of the monks who was responsible for caring for me (bringing me food, acting as a liaison with whomever I needed something from, etc., to minimize the number of people that needed to know of my existence).
• Mentor: I have a mentor too. They lectured me extensively on theology, making sure I understood why my soul was damned, and why I needed to atone for it even though I couldn't change it.
• Enemy: of course! I haven't decided who yet; maybe my Sire, or maybe just someone else. A cleric who thinks I should be destroyed and will work to that end (although they won't do anything overt within Town, since the Church hierarchy has clearly decided to let me exist), maybe.

[Enoch]

We also all get to pick a social grace!

[Marullus]

•Mentor: I have a mentor too. They lectured me extensively on theology, making sure I understood why my soul was damned, and why I needed to atone for it even though I couldn't change it.

So, a Scout who also is a theological church hunter? Perhaps someone who aged when you didn't? That's cool.
(How strict are we on the rule tying Mentors to Specialty skills?)

A cleric who thinks I should be destroyed and will work to that end

That's awesome.

We also all get to pick a social grace!

Yep! I picked Persuader for the Witch. Only one appropriate - I see her oddly-direct and uncomfortable with crowds. Some of the Social Graces are also Specialties, though, wherein the group can agree that one person will bump that skill up.

(The Witch will have Cook 3, Persuader 2, and Healer 2 no matter what. She could have one of them be one point higher by having it be the specialty, which I want others to weigh-in on. I could take Cartographer at 2 if nobody else has it, but it might be a better skill for another PC to have. The Witch will be using checks to feed people and cure conditions; someone else taking on mapping would spread-out check-use.)

Initial Witch Thoughts on NPCs:

• No parents. She saw them die on the night when the church took her in.
• Yes friends. In-particular, she still has people that remember her in Hazla, including a kind herbalist (Peasant) who lived nearby.
• Maybe Mentor. Her primary mentor is either the Cleric or Death Knight PC to whom she is a Ward. However, she has someone in the Monastery who helped her adjust to that person's ways. If Yes - they escaped when the monastery burned (if it did) and sent word from a new town (tbd). If No - they tragically died in the fires and she only has (an object) to remember them by.
• Yes Enemy. No ideas yet. I'll add more details based on what other players say.

[Enoch]

The difference between a Social Grace and a Specialty, however, is that any number of people can take the same Social Grace, even if someone took it as a Specialty.

re: the monastery, when were we thinking it burned? Was it an accident, or something sinister? Was the monastery attacked? Do we know why, or by who?

[Marullus]

Analyzing the system... How do Humans get double traits? A level 2 trait can apply +1D to all relevant tests instead of one per phase, which is a big deal. There are a finite number of combinations that allow it, however. As I am sitting and bored, I thought I would find them.

• If you don't boast in bars, instead spending your time prepping for the worst AND you have no friends in this world, you can have Loner 2.
• If you don't boast in bars, spending your time prepping for the worst AND you grew up near a wizard's tower you can have Thoughtful 2.
• If you do not hide from danger behind town walls because you have no fear of monster hordes AND you grew up in a busy crossroads town you can have Foolhardy 2.
• If you do not hide from danger behind town walls because you have no fear of monster hordes AND you grew up in a Religious Bastion, you can have Defender 2.

...I think that's it.

So, for the Cleric who begins with Human stock: if one of those is appealing and sounds like your guy, it might be worth considering. If not, then there are lots of cool traits you can have at level 1 instead for other/better flavor.

[Rusty Tincanne]

The Paladin-turned Death Knight will have parents. He has to! They, of course, think he is dead, so he won't want them to know of his fate.
Trait: Relentless - makes it sound as if I have to choose a mission to fulfill. Could tie into figuring out who started the monastery fire (if there was one) or it could be something else entirely.

He'll probably take fighter as a specialty. Because we'll need a fighter in the end.

Social graces: Though it isn't my first choice for an undead warrior, it'll likely be Orator due to his Paladin background.
I'm swamped with work right now, so more in depth planning will need to wait a bit.

NAME: -

CONDITIONS
Dead: immune to its penalties; may help, make tests and use wises

CLASS/STOCK: - Death Knight (undead) (formerly a paladin)
LEVEL: 1
Benefits: Choose any melee weapon and either chainmail or plate. Your armor is damaged. You may choose either a shield or a damaged helmet.
ALIGNMENT: -
ORDER OF MIGHT: 3
RAIMENT: -

BELIEF: -
GOAL: -
INSTINCT: -

RELATIONS

HOME: -
PARENTS: -
MENTOR: -
FRIENDS: -
ENEMIES: -

TRAITS & WISES

TRAIT: - Cadaverous - You feel feel neither pain nor fatigue. Your body is a lifeless cage, imprisoning whatever remnants of a soul you have left. A grotesque apparition, pale and gaunt and rotting. You are walking dead.
TRAIT: -

WISE: - Battlefield-wise
Advancement: -
WISE: - ??????
Advancement: -

Fighter 3, Orator 3, Rider 3, Theologian 2, Ritualist 2


EQUIPMENT - plate mail (damaged), probably a 2-handed sword but maybe a normal sword.

So he starts with the Dead condition. Does that mean he is never fresh? Weird. His Health and Will will both be 4 unless I see something to counter this in the rules. Let me know if I got any of that wrong, by the way.

[Enoch]

Question about the Paladin-turned-Death Knight investigating the fire: how did he die? Did he die in battle, maybe defending the monastery? Did he die in the monastery fire?

[Marullus]

When is a corpse fresh?

I LOVE the Paladin dying in the Monastery fire and his transition to Death Knight being that new. (Gods REALLY don't like the torching of their temples.) I would make a strong relationship with the witch so we can play through the transition, too.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Did he die in the monastery fire?

That was my intention with that.

I love how I can throw out an idea for the group, asking for input, and the next thing I know, Enoch and Marullus have 3-4 posts each running away with it without ever actually giving a yea or nay, leaving it implied.

Does the Death Knight use the Paladin's Raw Abilities? Special Skills/Specialties? Alignment? I haven't seen that written in the pdf.

What would it mean to have a Scavenger trait at level 2?


His goal might be, "I must avoid surviving on the flesh of my fellow adventurers," implying he wants to keep them alive.

[Enoch]

According to Denizens, a Death Knight can distribute 8 points between Will and Health; Health cannot be higher than Will.

Technically you're Human (the stat block even says "Stock: Human", so I would imagine you have the same options for a Human special skill as other Humans, and of course all characters use the same Specialty list unless the stock says something else.

I don't see anything about alignment restrictions, so I'd assume you can take whichever alignment you feel suits him.

As always, if the GM disagrees, I will submit to Rule 0.

[Faolan7]

Enoch already did this, but I'll answer it anyway.

For Raw Abilites, distribute 8 points between Health and Will, but Health cannot be higher than Will.

For skills, choose either the Human Warrior or the Human Paladin, then choose another a skill from the following list and give it a rating of 3: Criminal, Haggler, Pathfinder, Survivalist (Human Specialty Skills).

Since the statblock doesn't give an alignment restriction, and the Death Knight has access to Human Warrior skills, I'll say there's no alignment restriction. An undead paladin is likely to be less strict than a living paladin anyway.

@Enoch: What's Rule 0? Is it a Torchbearer thing that I missed, or just a bit of jargon?

Also, as you all have chosen your stocks, it is time to move onto the next step (officially).

Where is Your Home?
There is a thread with the current towns. If none of the towns fit your character, or if you want something specific, mention it and we can work on a new town for you. This campaign takes place on a continent (Kroyia), so there are bound to be lots of cities/towns I don't include. When I get some free time, I'll throw together a world map too.

[Enoch]

Sometimes you'll see it in RPGs. Rule 0 is generally something along the lines of "the GM is always right". It holds even if the players disagree with the GM's interpretation.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Thanks Faolin. It's been a while since I played TB and I only did the character creation once.

It is tempting to open Haggler at 3 and then choose Bedford as a hometown, giving me Haggler 4. I could imply that it doesn't take much to haggle when you are undead.

My other choice is to be a generalist, opening up at Survivalist 3 and hailing from Narbara with a Cartographer 2. The instinct to always map when making camp is a solid choice, especially if another character has the cartographer, pathfinder or scholar skill.

I am leaning towards the latter choice for group dynamics.

[Enoch]

If you want another party member with Cartographer, I can take that as my Home Town skill to Help you with that.

[Marullus]

...and I can help with Scholar.

Isabelle the Witch

Her hometow is Hazla, where she picked up her knack for Alchemist (bumping 3 to 4) and her Thoughtful trait.

She picks up these skills from class: Alchemist 3, Enchanter 2, Healer 2, Lore Master 2, Mentor 2, Scholar 2.

The witch has its own list for Human Special Skills, from which she picked up Cooking 3.

She took Persuader 2 as her social grace.

If Rusty is the cartographer, I am glad for that role being filled. I think Healer 3 is probably the most solid option for Specialty unless the Cleric wants it, in which case Persuader 3 or Cook 4 are just as thematic depending what the group wants.

I am thinking "Ingredients-wise" for her cooking, alchemy, and enchantment creations.