Character Creation

[Rex]

I am caught up with you I think.

[Enoch]

Step 4: What's Your Specialty?

Each character gets a skill to represent their specialty. Normally, no two characters can take the same specialty, but the rules envision a small group, and certainly not one where there could potentially be replacement characters, multiple parties, etc. I'd ask that you attempt to avoid duplicating specialty skills, but if you absolutely have to have Criminal to complete your vision for your character and someone already has it, go ahead.

Pick one of the following and give it a rating of 2 (as always, if you already have it, give it +1 up to a max of 4):

• Cartographer: in all likelihood, you've probably never played in a campaign where the character's mapmaking ability has mattered. It matters here. Each room or area you pass through will have a challenge of some sort, whether that's overcoming a monster or trap, dealing with difficult terrain, an environmental hazard, or something else. You'll have to deal with that difficulty each time you pass through (except for slain monsters) unless you use Cartographer to map the area (think of it more as detailed notes on which areas of the floor will support your weight than how to find your way through a small building).
• Cook: also a vital skill. This is a game about managing your supplies in a hostile environment, and being able to stretch rations or preserve the ones you have is a life-or-death ability.
• Criminal: all of your traditional "thief" skills: picking locks, picking pockets, etc. Note that climbing and disarming traps will generally be covered under Dungeoneering, and sneaking and disarming traps are covered under Scout.
• Dungeoneer: the art of disarming traps, dealing with dangerous terrain, etc. It's a pretty vital skill as well.
• Haggler: making your money stretch when you get to town is very useful, and a clever player may be able to make use of it in the Adventure phase as well.
• Healer: as important as it sounds. That said, be aware that not all impairments are physical; mental stress can be just as debilitating. Nearly falling into a bottomless pit can be stressful!
• Hunter: as you'd expect, finding game in the wild and knowledge of their habits and lairs.
• Manipulator: lying, every adventurer's favorite social skill.
• Pathfinder: don't get lost in the wild, yo.
• Persuader: the Diplomacy skill; not quite as broken as in D&D (but Crane and his friends really pioneered character-based social combat, so it helps if somebody has some social skill).
• Orator: the third social skill on this list. Think social skills matter? Yup. This one is for speaking to and persuading crowds. It's also great for telling stories to your friends around a campfire.
• Scavenger: by now you probably realize that a game that's focused on trying to get by with what little you have would probably benefit from finding free stuff. Swallow your pride and repurpose that goblin's trash!
• Scout: Hide/Move Silently. Combat is one of the few areas where death can be quick (we'll cover how combat works later; you generally have to choose for the conflict to be "kill or be killed"), and advancement is done through using your skills and traits and roleplaying, not through combat XP, so avoiding combat is not always a bad choice (and ambushes make everything better).
• Survivalist: do I really need to explain why, in a game where every space in your backpack counts and running out of water is as big a threat as an orcish horde, being able to build fires and find clean water is useful?

[Enoch]

I'm going to post Step 5 now, as while choosing isn't particularly complicated, the way they work is unique to Torchbearer and I want to give people a little time to digest. Wises are basically knowledge skills, but mechanically they don't work like skills.

Step 5: How are You Wise?

Wises are not tested the way skills are: they are used to boost a skill test or re-roll a failed test. They get used in 3 ways:

• I Am Wise: roll an extra die on a skill test related to the wise that either you or an ally makes. For example, if you're bargaining with goblins for safe passage and you have Goblin-wise, you can declare you're using your wise and get an extra die for it.
• Deeper Understanding: spend a fate point (a metacurrency; how to earn it and what it's used for will be explained later) to reroll a single failed die on a test. Failed that test to build a crude bridge over the chasm? Use your Rope-wise to fix the lashings and hopefully succeed.
• Of Course!: spend a persona point (another metacurrency) to reroll all the failed dice. Explain why you were wrong and have now figured it out. You can use this in conjunction with other metacurrency spends.

You can use each of these methods once per wise. Once you've used all three methods for a wise, you can either change the wise to something else, or take a skill advancement to a related skill (for example, Carpentry for your Rope-wise). Once you've used all 3 methods, you can use them again.

A note on specific wises: <creature>-wise gives you the ability to speak their tongue. Orc-wise and Goblin-wise are very useful in regions they inhabit, for obvious reasons. Wises may be used for specific towns or locations; our gnomish illusionist may want to consider Master's Tower-wise, which would be very useful if you all choose to explore those ruins. You can take wises for specific groups (which includes adding new groups to the world--if you want there to be a barbarian tribe living in the mountains, Eagle Clan-wise is a good indicator we need an Eagle Clan!), or specific things (Book-wise, War-wise, etc.).

What wises are available are dependent on your Stock, as follows:

• Elves: choose either Elven Lore-wise or Elven Craft-wise and one more wise of your own choosing.
• Dwarves: choose either Dwarven Chronicles-wise or Shrewd Appraisal-wise, as well as one of your choosing.
• Halflings: choose either Home-wise or Needs a Little Salt-wise, as well as one of your choosing.
• Humans: choose a single wise of your choosing. That means most Men will start with one fewer Wise.

Some specific stocks (like the Ridder) will have rules that grant additional wises, etc. Those will be noted in the stock.

[Stirling]

Clough Mouse number two

The smuggler has a specialty craft in taking Cartographer (rank 2), mostly from trying to find the secret way in and an exit route out if things go tits up. The social graces of a Haggler (2) and in response to the questions on nature:

Spends his chill dark nights preparing for the possibilities and probabilities of the following days, gaining Loner trait.
Certainly speaks up and make shis voice heard among the demi-human rabble rousers, raising nature +1,
like vultures, you can still find plenty of meat left on the bones when the wild packs move on. So shelter up and feat on the gold and Gucci left behind when it is safer. Nature +2

[Enoch]

Step 6: Nature

OK, this one will be a bit more complicated (though the actual process is super-simple), just because Nature is important and it's not really like systems from other RPGs. Let's talk about Nature is and how it's used. Nature is how much you personify your race or species--how "typically dwarfish" you are, for example.

Nature has a rating as well as 3 descriptors, which vary from stock to stock. For example, elves have the Nature descriptors Singing, Remembering and Hiding. Whenever you take an action in the game that you don't have a skill for, you can roll your Nature instead if it involves one of your descriptors. For example, if you're making a Lore Master test to identify what the ancient runes mean, your Remembering Nature can be tested instead (if and only if you don't have Lore Master). You can do it even if you don't have an appropriate descriptor, but your Nature is temporarily reduced. You can also spend one of the currencies to add your Nature rating to a test.

The common descriptors are:

Nature Descriptors

• Elf: Singing, Remembering, Hiding
• Dwarf: Delving, Crafting, Avenging a Grudge
• Halfling: Sneaking, Riddling, Merrymaking
• Human: Boasting, Demanding, Running

Therefore, having a high Nature can be really, really useful. However, it slows down learning new skills, too. You need to try to use a new skill a number of times equal to your Nature to get a rank in it. If your Nature ever drops to 0 or rises to 7, you'll retire as an active character.

Your Nature is determined by answering a series of questions, depending on your Stock. You start with a Nature of 3, and your answers may increase or decrease your Nature, or grant new Traits (we'll use the Mythcreant's rule to add to rather than replace another trait, unless it makes no sense).

Unless your Stock specifies you have different Nature questions, they are as follows:

Elf Nature Questions

• Do you walk among the ancient trees on moonless nights
  and listen to their songs? Or has your heart hardened in the
  long ages since the Dawn?
  • If you listen to the ancient songs, increase your Nature
    by one.
  • If your heart has hardened, you may replace or
    increase your home trait with Bitter or Jaded.
• When evil stalks the world, do you confront it or do you
  retreat to the hidden places of the elves and allow time to
  defeat your enemies?
  • If you retreat and hide, increase your Nature by one
    and decrease your starting Fighter skill by one.
  • If you confront evil, your Nature and Fighter remain
    unchanged.
• Do you yearn to follow the cries of the gulls to the sea and
  journey west beyond all knowledge or are you prepared to
  live a life of struggle and grief?
  • If you yearn to journey west, increase your Nature by one.
  • If you do not yearn for the west, you may replace
    or increase your home trait with Fiery, Curious or
    Restless.

Dwarf Nature Questions

• If your kin are slain and their halls plundered, would you
  spend your life plotting and exacting revenge, or would you
  tally your losses and move on to greater challenges?
  • If you would take revenge at any cost, increase Nature
    by one.
  • If you would forgive these grudges, you may replace or
    increase your home trait with Honorable or Jaded.
• Would you plunge ever deeper into the bones of the earth
  looking for treasures untold, or do you fear what you would
  uncover should you dig too deep?
  • If you would dig ever deeper, increase Nature by one
    and decrease Fighter skill by one.
  • If you fear what lies beneath, do not increase Nature or
    decrease your skill.
• Do you yearn to spend your days crafting wondrous objects
  from silver and gold or does the life of adventure call?
  • If you were born to craft wondrous objects, increase
    your Nature by one.
  • If the life of adventure calls, you may replace or
    increase your home trait with Fearless or Foolhardy.

Halfling Nature Questions

• Do you eat second breakfast every day, even if supplies are
  running short? Or do you tighten your belt and go a little
  hungry now so your supplies will last?
  • If you always eat second breakfast, increase your
    Nature by one.
  • If you do not eat second breakfast, you may replace or
    increase your home trait with Skinny or Stoic.
• When confronted, do you stand your ground and fight or do
  you run and hide?
  • If you run and hide, increase your Nature by one and
    decrease your starting Fighter skill by one.
  • If you stand and fight, your Nature and Fighter remain
    unchanged.
• Would you rather be safe at home in your warm bed than on
  this dreadful adventure?
  • If you would rather be in your bed, increase your
    Nature by one.
  • If you rather like adventures, you may replace or
    increase your home trait with Adventurous or Calm.

Human Nature Questions

• Do you sit by the hearth at night drinking and boasting of
  your great deeds, or do you spend those chill nights quietly
  preparing for the dark times to come?
  • If you boast of your exploits, real or imagined, increase
    Nature by one.
  • If you quietly prepare, you may increase or replace
    your home trait with Thoughtful or Loner.
• When the elves and dwarves voice their concerns, do you
  demand to be heard as an equal or do you bow your head
  and listen to the wisdom of your elders?
  • If you demand your rights, increase Nature by one, but
    reduce Lore Master or Scholar by one if you have those
    skills, or Will if you do not.
  • If you listen to the wisdom of the elder ones, no ratings
    change.
• Would you flee from the hordes of goblins, beasts and
  monsters that prey on civilization or will you plunge into
  their midst, questing for treasure?
  • If you would flee and hide inside the walls of tall
    citadels, increase your Nature by one.
  • If you do not fear those who prey on civilization, you
    may replace or increase your home traits with Brave,
    Foolhardy or Defender.

Example of Nature
To catch up with the example character, Grak will take Manipulator as his Social Grace (Step 3). I don't know why a Stock that has Treacherous as a non-optional trait doesn't start with it, but he has it now! Because he doesn't have it already, it starts at 2. Otherwise, he'd just increase it by 1. For his Specialty (Step 4), he'll take Criminal. Who knows when he'll need to pick a lock or plant evidence on a friend (he is Treacherous, after all). Again, he doesn't have it, so he starts it at Criminal 2.

I skipped ahead and chose his Wises as part of an earlier step, so I don't need to do that now. On to Nature! He gets special Nature questions, with the descriptors Stealing, Lying, and Wrecking.

• When he sees unattended belongings, he absolutely takes it all without thinking. He increases his Nature by 1 but reduces his Will by 1.
• When caught in a lie, he responds with another, better lie. Increase Nature by 1.
• When walking through a forest at night and coming across a beautiful faery circle of softly glowing mushrooms, he grabs one of the mushrooms and eats it. Because of the Mythcreants' rule, I'll add the trait Touched by the Gods (rather than replacing his home trait).

So he ends up with his Nature unchanged, his Will reduced by 1, and a new trait.

Grak the Goblin Shaman
Stock: Goblin Shaman
Abilities: Will 4, Health 3
Skills: Ritualist 3, Alchemist 2, Cook 2, Dungeoneer 2, Fighter 2, Scavenger 3, Scout 2, Manipulator 2, Criminal 2
Trait: Treacherous, Lost, Touched by the Gods
Wises: Goblin-wise 1, Shadow-wise 1
Alignment: Chaos
Hometown: Chaos Caves
Starting Weapon: Dagger
Nature 3: Goblin (Stealing, Lying, Wrecking)

[BillTheGalacticHero]

Step 6: Nature
<snip>...

Your Nature is determined by answering a series of questions, depending on your Stock. You start with a Nature of 3, and your answers may increase or decrease your Nature, or grant new Traits (we'll use the Mythcreant's rule to add to rather than replace another trait, unless it makes no sense).

Unless your Stock specifies you have different Nature questions, they are as follows:

...<snip>...

Human Nature Questions

• Do you sit by the hearth at night drinking and boasting of
  your great deeds, or do you spend those chill nights quietly
  preparing for the dark times to come?
  • If you boast of your exploits, real or imagined, increase
    Nature by one.
  • If you quietly prepare, you may increase or replace
    your home trait with Thoughtful or Loner.
• When the elves and dwarves voice their concerns, do you
  demand to be heard as an equal or do you bow your head
  and listen to the wisdom of your elders?
  • If you demand your rights, increase Nature by one, but
    reduce Lore Master or Scholar by one if you have those
    skills, or Will if you do not.
  • If you listen to the wisdom of the elder ones, no ratings
    change.
• Would you flee from the hordes of goblins, beasts and
  monsters that prey on civilization or will you plunge into
  their midst, questing for treasure?
  • If you would flee and hide inside the walls of tall
    citadels, increase your Nature by one.
  • If you do not fear those who prey on civilization, you
    may replace or increase your home traits with Brave,
    Foolhardy or Defender.

Does this mean a human could start with four traits? One from your Class, one from your Home, and two from your Nature?

[Enoch]

Yes. The tradeoff is not increasing your Nature. Most (every?) Stock has the option of getting up to Nature 6, meaning that you're really good at Boasting, Demanding and Running, but not good at learning new skills.

Speaking of, I forgot to list the Nature descriptors for each stock! I'll re-add that to the previous post.

[Rex]

I took Healer specialty, but could change it to Cook specialty, then I would need to add a different Crossroads skill I think.

I will take mythical creature wise.

Do you sit by the hearth at night drinking and boasting of
your great deeds, or do you spend those chill nights quietly
preparing for the dark times to come?
If you boast of your exploits, real or imagined, increase
Nature by one.
If you quietly prepare, you may increase or replace
your home trait with Thoughtful or Loner.
When the elves and dwarves voice their concerns, do you
demand to be heard as an equal or do you bow your head
and listen to the wisdom of your elders?
If you demand your rights, increase Nature by one, but
reduce Lore Master or Scholar by one if you have those
skills, or Will if you do not.
If you listen to the wisdom of the elder ones, no ratings
change.
Would you flee from the hordes of goblins, beasts and
monsters that prey on civilization or will you plunge into
their midst, questing for treasure?
If you would flee and hide inside the walls of tall
citadels, increase your Nature by one.
If you do not fear those who prey on civilization, you
may replace or increase your home traits with Brave,
Foolhardy or Defender.

Nature +1
Scholar -1
Replacing Quick-Witted with Defender

[BillTheGalacticHero]

Great! The trade-off to the trade-off is that you have 4 Traits where you could, once per session/?adventure? add a +1D to your roll. Not quite as useful as being able to tap Nature and add +4D or +5D, but it still helps. And it helps giving you more options to get those vital Checks by using the Trait against yourself.

I've updated my character sheet accordingly

TRAIT: - Steadfast 1 Class Trait
TRAIT: - Early Riser 1 Home Trait
TRAIT: - Thoughtful 1 Nature Trait
TRAIT: - Defender 1 Nature Trait


I have also picked my Wises, but am leaving myself the option of changing my pick.
Most humans only get one, but Ridders get one from their Class. The trade-off is that they start with almost no equipment. A bloody 12' lance isn't going too useful in combat if we have to explore some cramped dungeon or cave to find something.

WISE: - Lance-charging-wise
Advancement: -
WISE: - Staying in the Shadows-wise
Advancement: -

Not sure if that is too general... my idea is that Tancred is being hunted by his family who support the current regime, he's been able to survive by "staying the in shadows" - out-of-sight, out-of-mind, not doing anything to bring attention to himself, but not abandoning his homeland and going into exile.


I still need to come up with a suitable Belief and Instinct.

[Enoch]

Got the following message from Marullus:

So, for your goblin example, you missed an obvious answer. The Goblins don't have Manipulator as a standard skill because Lying is their nature. They are better rolling Nature than they are opening the skill.

Marullus exactly right--lying is second-Nature to Grak. He'll take Haggler instead. Everything is transactional for him, after all!

[drpete]

Working my way through the process...

For specialization, I think I'll go Dungeoneer. I was thinking about Orator, but I'm worried that that is specializing too much in something that may be tangential to the main business of plundering tombs

I'm thinking... wizard's towers are chaotic locations, and we are sort of on the weirdos against civilization, so I'll go with chaos, unless that's more evil than just "free".

I'm added parents, who are Loremasters in Evanora's Dingle. I've named them, and chosen a last name: Leadbelly.
I've got a friend. I was thinking, maybe... could he have befriended Grak the goblin shaman? I can imagine that Grak could have been to the Wizard tower for some reason, etc...?
A mentor, Mordin Ironfist, who taught him all about practical matters and adventuring.
And his enemy, Blossom the pixie, who he has ended up in a feud with.

Does this make my circles ... 5?

[Marullus]

Current Summary
Stirling - Human Thief - Methuselah Barraclough

• Speciality - Cartographer
• Wises - Criminal Orgs-wise

Drpete - Dwarf Adventurer (Brothers Grimm) - Grimm Leadbelly

• Speciality - Orator Dungeoneer
• Wises - Dwarven Chronicles-Wise, Fairy Tale-Wise

Rex - Human Witch (Red Riding Hood) - Ganna

• Speciality - Healer or Cook (?)
• Wises - Mythical Creatures-wise

Marullus - Wolf Loremaster (Big Bad Wolf)

• Speciality - Loremaster
• Wises - Human-wise, Legendary Places-wise

Marullus - Gnomish Illusionist (Rumplestiltskin) - Rumple

• Speciality - Persuader
• Wises - Potions-wise, Sorcerer's Tower-wise (?)

BillTheGalacticHero - Human Forsaken Ridder - Tancred

• Speciality -TBD Pathfinder
• Wises - Lance-charging-wise, Staying in the Shadows-wise

Rossik - Dwarf Oathbreaker

• Speciality -
• Wises -

shroomofinsanity - Halfling Burglar (Gourmet Chef)

• Speciality - Cook (?)
• Wises -

Paladin - ?

• Speciality -
• Wises -

[Marullus]

Nature +1
Scholar -1
Replacing Quick-Witted with Defender

Per Mythcreants rule #2, keep all the traits.

So you have:
Nature +1 = Nature 4
Scholar -1 = Scholar 1

Traits: Quick-witted, Moonchild, Thoughtful, and Defender

[drpete]

There can't be scholar 1, can there? That has to default to removing the skill, I think...?

[BillTheGalacticHero]

I think you can get a level 1 skill only through the character creation process, otherwise you start at level 2 once you've done enough Beginner's Luck tests.

[BillTheGalacticHero]

It doesn't look like anyone has taken Pathfinder as a specialty, that would fit in with my character living in the wilds, so I'll take that.

[Marullus]

I've got a friend. I was thinking, maybe... could he have befriended Grak the goblin shaman?

That's awesome.

Does this make my circles ... 5?

No, Max of 4. You have to choose one option to NOT have as you can take a Max of 3 of the 4. (p. 17)

I'm thinking... wizard's towers are chaotic locations, and we are sort of on the weirdos against civilization, so I'll go with chaos, unless that's more evil than just "free".

I was wrestling with that myself. The book says...

Choose Alignment
The world of Torchbearer exists in a perpetual war—
sometimes hot and sometimes cold—between the primordial
forces of Law and Chaos. Whether they recognize it or not,
heroes tend to become proxies in this war. The greatest
champions declare their allegiance and fight for the
advancement of their cause. Decide whether your character
is aligned with the forces of Law or Chaos, or remains
unaffi liated.
-
Law represents the forces of progress, order and
civilization.
-
Chaos represents the forces of freedom, entropy and
savagery.
-
Unaffi liated is for those who think having shelter,
food and family is more important than ideals and
ideologies.

So, that means choosing Law or Chaos is... An idealist?

It seems more restrictive than in other OSR games.

Rumplestiltskin, for example, is clearly Lawful Evil as he brokers magical contracts through the power of Law to achieve his goals and personal benefit. That isn't an idealogical commitment to "progress, order and
civilization." It's using Law to achieve personal comfort and gains, which sounds more Unaffiliated.

The wolf is clearly an agent of Chaos, but is he witting and committed? Probably not - he happily gave up the wilds to get free meals dressed in Grandma's bonnet, which sounds more like, he thinks "having shelter,
food and family is more important than ideals and ideologies."

Under this logic, it is very rare I would apply Law or Chaos... I don't know that I am happy with that.

[drpete]

Alright, then Grimm has become an orphan... he has a string around his neck, holding a Jade "Seeing Stone" given to him by his mother, a lore master. The Stone is "supposed" to be useful in seeing fairies, either it doesn't actually do anything, or Grimm doesn't know how to use it.

Nf5mV_vHBXhKQTtxegqXK3s2ow3Rb_WWe5uhBQqtQxw.jpg (23.81 KiB) Viewed 1215 times

[Rex]

Thanks for the help, I missed that.

[Marullus]

Bill,

Taking a look at Forsaken Ridder, it looks like you are overspent. It says you must take a hometown and parents but derive no benefit from them.

Screenshot_20191020-152106.png (1.29 MiB) Viewed 1196 times

The class includes extra skill points, so it is not getting your hometown skill or a human skill pick that make it balance and you get the extra Wise instead of having your hometown trait. (I suppose you have a horse instead of parental rights. )

COMMANDER: 3 Special Class Skill
CRIMINAL: 2 Class Skill
FIGHTER: 3 Class Skill
HUNTER: 2 Class Skill
ORATOR: 2 Social Grace Skill
PATHFINDER: 2 Specialty Skill
PEASANT: 2 Home Skill
RIDER: 4 Class Skill
SCOUT: 2 Class Skill

CIRCLES: 4 3
1 + 1 (parents) + 1 (friend) + 1 (enemy)

TRAIT: - Steadfast 1 Class Trait
[*]TRAIT: - Early Riser1 Home Trait
TRAIT: - Thoughtful 1 Nature Trait
TRAIT: - Defender 1 Nature Trait