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Old 07-26-2021, 02:45 AM   #1
Tymathee
 
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Default [DF] Faun Barbarian - Bessarion

Part 1

Here's another from my archive of pre-generated characters that I thought I'd showcase and get some feedback on. If I'm not playing a dedicated spellcaster, I'm usually playing some variation of a barbarian.

Bessarion

250 Points


Attributes: ST 17 [70]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 13 [30].

Secondary Characteristics:
Damage 1d+2/3d-1
BL 58 lbs.
HP 17 [0]
Will 10 [0]
Per 12 [10]
FP 13 [0]
Basic Speed 6.00 [-10]
Basic Move 7 [5]

Advantages:
Acute Hearing 2 [4]
Appearance (Handsome; Muscular Physique, -20%) [10]
Beefcake Protection [1]
Claws (Hooves) [3]
Combat Reflexes [15]
DR 2 (Doesn’t Stack With Armor, -20%; Tough Skin, -40%) [4]
Fit [5]
High Pain Threshold [10]
Skill Adaptation (Lifting for bodybuilding) [1]
Striker (Horns; Crushing) [5]
Temperature Tolerance 1 (22° thru 90°) [1]
Woodsman 4 [20]

Features:
Digitigrade posture (leg and foot armor isn’t interchangeable with human armor).
Furry lower-body (provides no real game mechanical benefits beyond mere basic modesty).
Tail (neither a manipulator nor enough of a problem to interfere with armor).

Disadvantages:
Code of Honor (Adventurer’s) [-15]
Common: Spoken (Native)/Written (None) [-3]
Lecherousness (15) [-7]
Odious Personal Habit (Unclad faerie) [-10]
Wealth (Poor) [-15]

Quirks:
Chauvinist [-1]
Hedonist [-1]
Nature Lover [-1]
Proud [-1]
Sociable [-1]

Skills:
Brawling-13 [1]
Camouflage-14 [1]
Carousing-12 [1]
Climbing-12 [1]
First Aid-10 [1]
Hiking-12 [1]
Intimidation-10 [2]
Lifting-15 [8]
Musical Instrument (Panpipes)-12 [12]
Naturalist-12 [1]
Navigation (Land)-13 [1]
Observation-12 [2]
Running-12 [1]
Sex Appeal-12 [1]
Staff-18 [20]
Stealth-12 [1]
Survival (Woodlands)-15 [1]
Swimming-13 [1]
Throwing-12 [1]
Tracking-15 [1]
Wrestling-13 [2]

Equipment:
Blanket [Haversack] $20, 4 lbs.
Bandages [Haversack] $10, 1 lb.
Coins [Pouch] 10 copper. $10, 0.16 lb.
Elven Rations [Pouch] $30, 1 lbs. 6 meals.
Haversack [Torso] Holds 10 lbs. of gear. $30, 1 lb. (9.75/10 lbs.)
Panpipes [Haversack] $40, 1 lb.
Personal Basics [Haversack] $5, 1 lb.
Pouch [Tied to Haversack] $10, 0.2 lbs. Holds 3 lbs. (1.16/3 lbs.)
Quarterstaff Dmg thr+2 cr/sw+2 cr; Reach 1, 2; Parry +2; $10; 4 lbs.
Rope, 3/8” (10 yards) [Haversack] $5, 1.5 lbs.
Small Belt Knife [Haversack] $15, 0.25 lb.
Whetstone [Haversack] $5, 1 lb.
Wineskin [Over Shoulder] $10, 0.25 lb. (8.25 lbs. full of water)
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Old 07-26-2021, 02:48 AM   #2
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Default Re: [DF] Faun Barbarian - Bessarion

Part 2

Designer’s Notes

Bessarion is “built to concept”, and under the assumption that each player creates their own personalized character with worldbuilding hooks that the GM then uses to create a game world where such a group of PCs could logically exist in. The concept is “faun barbarian”… while looking up imagery to inspire me, I couldn’t help but notice that a lot of what you can find on Google Images is, uh, erotic. Eh, why not? Hawt faun barbarian it is!

The RAW Faun template from DF’s The Next Level is strange. Above all else it wants you to be a Bard, otherwise those points in Musical Ability go to total waste. I’d think that the Bard niche would be best focusing on the Face Man qualities and those magical Bard abilities… but the Faun has traits that lean towards being a Barbarian/Druid. This gives the impression that the template is overall trying to stretch you in too many directions all at once and therefore not be point-efficient. Sense of Duty (Nature) is horrible, as it is so very polarizing; either no-one in the group should have this trait or everyone in the group should have it. I’m also not a fan of the Dependency on Mana, which may or may not be good game balance as it really depends on what in-game utility it is supposed to be counterbalancing… not all point expenditures are made equal and that trait might be overcompensating.

His Appearance (Handsome) has a cool modifier on it. I wanted to be able to model male sexual attractiveness achieved through a defined, muscular physique while not necessarily having a more attractive face. Muscular Physique, -20%, is a combination of:

• Accessibility, Only when not wearing armor, -10%. You must be only clad in clothing that shows off your muscles! Wearing all too modest clothing or armor that isn’t specifically shaped to show off your physique won’t do.
• Maintenance, Weekly Lifting roll, -5%. You must maintain your muscle mass and definition by working out at least once a week, dedicating a day’s worth of exercise. No doubt there’s probably more finer grain detail to how often/how much you need to work out for bodybuilding, but this seems to be a conveniently gameable abstraction that seems roughly plausible enough. This amounts to about 12 hours(!) of exercise, which could logically be broken up into smaller chunks spread over multiple days rather than a single day.
• Nuisance Effect, Distinctive Feature, -5%. Such a well-built, defined muscular physique tends to draw eyes… this gives -1 to
your Disguise and Shadowing skills, and +1 to others’ attempts to identify or follow you. This might rather call for the actual quirk plus an associated Required Disadvantage, -1%, but this is unnecessary splitting of hairs really. Either way you have what amounts to a net [10].

As a feature of the modifier, you’re required to have at least ST 13 to qualify for this Limitation.

Beefcake Protection is from DF’s Barbarians book. It’s just Extra Option (Bulletproof Nudity).

Code of Honor (Adventurer’s) is an interesting trait I came up with. It’s essentially CoH (Mercenary’s) [-5] + Sense of Duty (Adventuring companions) [-5] + Sense of Duty (Hirelings) [-5].

Skill Adaptation (Lifting for bodybuilding) is realistically an over-abstraction, but DF seems to be the genre where a dedicated skill for bodybuilding seems out of place. A Skill Adaptation Perk seems appropriate for this.

Woodsman is a neat Talent I came up for him. Camouflage, Naturalist, Navigation (Land), Survival (Woodlands), and Tracking benefit from this Talent. The Reaction Bonus is from fellow woodland folk.

Fun fact, from what I can gather the name Bessarion might mean something like “wooded valley”, and it is of Ancient Greek origin.
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"Mom's resentful that she has to work so hard, which obscures her guilt about actually wanting to work so hard. Dad's guilty about being less driven than mom, but thinks it's wrong to feel that way, so he hides behind a smokescreen of cluelessness. Quinn wears superficiality like a suit of armor, because she's afraid of looking inside and finding absolutely nothing. And I'm so defendant that I actively work to make people dislike me so I won't feel bad when they do. Can I go now?" - Daria Morgendorffer
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Old 07-26-2021, 10:22 PM   #3
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Default Re: [DF] Faun Barbarian - Bessarion

Cool character! I only have one question and a suggestion.


Can a being that weighs so little have such high strength (17)?

Wouldn't it be better to just combine Oswald the Violet and have him be a sexy shapeshifter? and maybe add GLAMOUR as an ability.

Last edited by vicious Violence; 07-26-2021 at 10:26 PM.
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Old 07-26-2021, 11:26 PM   #4
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Default Re: [DF] Faun Barbarian - Bessarion

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Originally Posted by vicious Violence View Post
Cool character! I only have one question and a suggestion.


Can a being that weighs so little have such high strength (17)?

Wouldn't it be better to just combine Oswald the Violet and have him be a sexy shapeshifter? and maybe add GLAMOUR as an ability.
Well, as written, Bessarion's build makes the suggestion that Fauns within this particular theoretical setting are SM 0 at full maturity. Some might depict Fauns as smaller creatures, but it really depends on the source material. The Faun of Pan's Labyrinth is quite tall for example. Given his ST of 17, he ought to be at least 275 lbs.

I like each of these characters to be their own distinct character, although that's a neat idea! I'd avoid Alternate Form because... hmm, I don't know, I just wish there was a more eloquent way to handle that trait.
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Old 07-27-2021, 07:58 AM   #5
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Default Re: [DF] Faun Barbarian - Bessarion

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Originally Posted by Tymathee View Post
Well, as written, Bessarion's build makes the suggestion that Fauns within this particular theoretical setting are SM 0 at full maturity. Some might depict Fauns as smaller creatures, but it really depends on the source material.
Humans at full maturity are also typically SM 0, but the standard DF1 Barbarian template (which I know you're intentionally departing from here) has Gigantism (ie: SM +1), for what that's worth. A hulking Faun Barbarian standing 7' tall, maybe with a rack of antlers like an elk, would be a pretty cool image IMHO.
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Old 07-27-2021, 09:44 AM   #6
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Default Re: [DF] Faun Barbarian - Bessarion

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Can a being that weighs so little have such high strength (17)?
DF has a tenuous connection to reality at the best of times.
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Old 07-27-2021, 05:34 PM   #7
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Default Re: [DF] Faun Barbarian - Bessarion

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Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
Humans at full maturity are also typically SM 0, but the standard DF1 Barbarian template (which I know you're intentionally departing from here) has Gigantism (ie: SM +1), for what that's worth. A hulking Faun Barbarian standing 7' tall, maybe with a rack of antlers like an elk, would be a pretty cool image IMHO.
The imagery is certainly pleasing to the mind, but game mechanically it's actually more crippling (in my opinion, and others as well). SM +1 is definitely for the Rule of Cool rather than practicality. I know I'm invoking the RoC a bit already with this character but if we wanted higher SM, I'd suggest that the GM make SM +1 a [-25] Disadvantage. He's already has a hefty amount of Disadvantages though so I'd rather not layer it on even more heavily than it already is. :(

Hmm, how I'm envisioning him, he's still quite tall for SM 0. More or less ~6'2"-6'3" and ~275 lbs., and very obviously impressively built. The modifier on his Appearance (Handsome) is supposed to invoke what I call The Chris Pratt Effect; guys with smokin' hot ripped bods, but with a very Joe Schmoe-face. If we could give Bessarion SM +1, it'd be for sheer beefiness rather than straight height.
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"Mom's resentful that she has to work so hard, which obscures her guilt about actually wanting to work so hard. Dad's guilty about being less driven than mom, but thinks it's wrong to feel that way, so he hides behind a smokescreen of cluelessness. Quinn wears superficiality like a suit of armor, because she's afraid of looking inside and finding absolutely nothing. And I'm so defendant that I actively work to make people dislike me so I won't feel bad when they do. Can I go now?" - Daria Morgendorffer
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Old 07-27-2021, 05:48 PM   #8
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Default Re: [DF] Faun Barbarian - Bessarion

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Originally Posted by Tymathee View Post
The imagery is certainly pleasing to the mind, but game mechanically it's actually more crippling (in my opinion, and others as well). SM +1 is definitely for the Rule of Cool rather than practicality. I know I'm invoking the RoC a bit already with this character
Rule Of Cool wins out over practicality any day that ends with a Y when I run DF. :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tymathee View Post
but if we wanted higher SM, I'd suggest that the GM make SM +1 a [-25] Disadvantage. He's already has a hefty amount of Disadvantages though so I'd rather not layer it on even more heavily than it already is. :(
I've seen that thread before and won't rehash the pros and cons, except to point out that Gigantism also comes with Move +1, which is worth [5].
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Old 07-27-2021, 05:56 PM   #9
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Default Re: [DF] Faun Barbarian - Bessarion

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Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
Rule Of Cool wins out over practicality any day that ends with a Y when I run DF. :)



I've seen that thread before and won't rehash the pros and cons, except to point out that Gigantism also comes with Move +1, which is worth [5].
I like Rule of Cool. Especially in dungeon fantasy, where a certain degree of munchkinism is expected but encouraged to be counterbalanced by lots of fluffy Rule of Cool stuffs.

Generally I'm not fan of Gigantism/SM +1. It just doesn't jive with my personal taste in PC design, although I recognize they're necessary for certain character concepts. My mind just can't get over what appears to be far more baggage than what these traits would otherwise suggest.
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"Mom's resentful that she has to work so hard, which obscures her guilt about actually wanting to work so hard. Dad's guilty about being less driven than mom, but thinks it's wrong to feel that way, so he hides behind a smokescreen of cluelessness. Quinn wears superficiality like a suit of armor, because she's afraid of looking inside and finding absolutely nothing. And I'm so defendant that I actively work to make people dislike me so I won't feel bad when they do. Can I go now?" - Daria Morgendorffer
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Old 07-27-2021, 07:35 PM   #10
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Default Re: [DF] Faun Barbarian - Bessarion

Some loose thoughts for GMs to read.

Beefcake Protection (... like I said, from DF's Barbarians book. I find the homoeroticism baked into the material to be funny. This is coming from a genderfluid biromantic/bisexual biological male of 75% Caucasian racial identity [I know, so very acutely ambiguous. I blame the years of narcissistic abuse from a more likely than not NPD mother and sociopathic abuse from a sociopath brother... and "winning" the genetic lottery... ANYWAYS...) is more or less as much as [95] points of Advantages, after taking into account the obvious -10% for "Only when not wearing armor" that makes you strip down for the benefits, for the dirt cheap price of [1]. Sweet heavenly munchkinism! In that custom modifier for his Appearance (Handsome), the maintenance cost ensures that he'll need to work to maintain his appearance and consequently his access to Beefcake Protection.

The rules text for Bulletproof Nudity (/Beefcake Protection) is... uh, a bit dated in my opinion. Topless males should absolutely get a extra +1 to active defenses. I'm sure many women, men, and other-gendered peoples can attest to the fact that exquisitely built and defined male pectorals can be quite scintillating. I'd say maybe at least require ST 13 (GURPS defines this as the minimum for "bulging muscles") or better to benefit from this extra +1 to active defenses.
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"Mom's resentful that she has to work so hard, which obscures her guilt about actually wanting to work so hard. Dad's guilty about being less driven than mom, but thinks it's wrong to feel that way, so he hides behind a smokescreen of cluelessness. Quinn wears superficiality like a suit of armor, because she's afraid of looking inside and finding absolutely nothing. And I'm so defendant that I actively work to make people dislike me so I won't feel bad when they do. Can I go now?" - Daria Morgendorffer
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