[Delvers to Grow] Shigran of the Flaming Spear

Varyon · 06-30-2021, 09:33 PM

Now that I have the PDF of Delvers to Grow (which is outstanding) alongside some other Nordlond content (which is similarly excellent), I decided to try my hand at something I'd considered creating ever since reading book 1 of The Stormlight Archives - a spear-wielding Swashbuckler. I set point value at [250], and started with an Eldhud Fast Delver at the Master level ([187]). Because I'm a horrible person, I did stray off-template a bit, namely by picking upgrades my character technically wasn't eligible for (Backstab Artist and Ghost, which are Thief Only and Thief/Scout Only, respectively).

I had a particular idea in mind, so I started with the Eldhud template, and opted for Extinguishing Touch (so I can put out fires with a touch - but perhaps more importantly so gear in my hands benefits from my Fire Resistance 5), Flaming Touch (letting me set fires with a touch), and Nimble Tail (giving me an Extra Arm that can manipulate objects - say, setting fire to things without having to use my hands - but not strike). This technically put me [1] over on my Eldhud Gifts, but given those are available at any time as Power Ups, that's fine.

Next up, I applied Swashbuckler I and II, opting for Spear as my primary skill and the target of the Weapon Master. This was a soft departure from the template, which recommends Rapier, and was followed by a hard departure - I opted against Weapon Bond (which I'm disinclined to start with) and opted instead for a different Perk - Weapon Adaptation (Staff to Spear), which basically eliminates the -2 to skill for doing butt strikes (swings and thrusts) and claiming the +2 to Parry. For my secondary combat skill, I opted for Throwing. I also dropped Fast-Draw, given I was using a spear, and put the point into the slush fund. Between Savoir-Faire and Streetwise, I opted for Savoir-Faire (Military) - my character once served in the military (although he arguably wasn't great at it, given lack of Soldier skill).

For the two upgrade modules, I went for Backstab Artist, and for my Trademark Move I tentatively opted for a Telegraphic Attack Spear Thrust/Vitals (from behind, naturally). This meant I had a total (from template and upgrade) of [5] in Stealth, so I shunted [1] over into the slush fund. I also opted for Ghost, boosting stealthiness further while enhancing my own perception and gaining a good deal of Night Vision in the process.

For my two Disadvantage Modules, I opted to make an Unwelcomed Blood Knight. However, the Code of Honor (Chivalry) of Blood Knight doesn't really allow for stealthily stabbing most foes from behind, so I modified things a bit. CoH (Chivalry) in Basic Set (I don't have DFRPG to see how it's defined there) appears to consist of: Never break your word, Never ignore an insult (to yourself, a lady, or your liege; apology or honorable duel will wipe the insult away), Accept any challenge to arms (by those of equal or greater Status), and Fight honorably (both sides being equal for fights, at least against similarly-honorable foes). I kept most of this, but had the "sides equal for fights" only apply to duels (to avenge an insult or due to a challenge to arms), got rid of the requirement that fights be otherwise-honorable (to allow backstabbing), and added in Protect the weak and Punish evildoers. I felt this was roughly the same, so still worth [-15]. For Unwelcome, I decided the character had suffered the equivalent of Dishonorable Discharge from his military duties for having unlawfully executed opponents he deemed "evil," leading to Social Stigma (Criminal Record). Compulsive Spending didn't quite fit, so I opted to replace it with a part of Old Soldier - the character has Wounded.

At this point, I have a [206] character (not counting the [2] set aside for slush fund). Five Quirks gets this to [201]. Unfortunately, at this point I actually had accidentally recorded Combat Reflexes (from Swashbuckler II) as only [5] rather than [15], so I thought I was at [191]. I opted for two more upgrade modules - Faster Delver (+1 DX, +1 Move) and Favored by Fate (+1 Per, +1 Move, Luck). This actually put my Basic Speed at 6.75, so I spend another [5] on +0.25 to Speed, for Speed 7 and a blinding-fast Move 9. With my "remaining" (recall my recording error) [4], I initially opted to give my character [1] in Consumable Signature Gear in the form of a functionally-infinite supply of oily rags, which he would tie near the head of his spear and set alight during combat. Then, when considering his need to change bandages for his Wounded Disadvantage, I thought of something better - give the character flammable blood (seemed appropriate for an Eldhud with fire powers), which would normally be a Disadvantage but I set as a Perk on account of Extinguishing Touch (which would let the character put out any such flame) and Fire Resistance (which would prevent the flame from harming the character anyway). Now the Consumable Signature Gear is actually in the form of bandages (and given I get $100 worth for [1], he has 10 lbs of bandages at all times, which I feel is sufficient he can just be assumed to always have some fresh ones as well as some bloody - and extra-flammable - ones available when needed). I also created a Perk I called Fast-Flame that allows the character to extinguish or ignite (via his gifts) mundane flames he touches as a free action rather than calling for a Ready. With my remaining [1], I took a look at his Trademark Move, and realized that he was at effective skill 23 (Spear 21, +4 for Telegraphic, +1 for Trademark Move, -3 for Vitals). So, I updated that to instead be Telegraphic Attack Spear Thrust/Spine, for effective skill 18. So, for the last [1], I gave him Unique Technique (Power Attack), which lets him trade -2 to hit for +1 to damage, and incorporated this into his Trademark Move, for final effective skill 16.

To flesh out the character, I revisited those 5 Quirks. I opted for Flaming Spear! (the character sets the cloth tied to his spear aflame for pretty much any fight, only extinguishing it when using stealth - and reignites it as he's breaking stealth to attack), Likes Setting Fires (Quirk-level Pyromania), Dislikes Fires Set by Others, Thinks Sneak Attacks are Honorable (a Quirk-level Delusion), and he keeps a Lucky Ring on his finger, an old heirloom (that isn't worth anything). His Unnatural Features consist of dark red skin, vestigial horns (a pair of them on the forehead), vestigial bat-like wings, and his tail (yes, that's more than 2, but the mechanical effects - penalty to Disguise/Shadowing, bonus to attempts to identify you - are what matter). For a name, I decided to recycle one from another half-demon I created years ago, Shigran, and appended "of the Flaming Spear" after his name, for obvious reasons.

For gear, Shigran is Poor (thanks to Unwelcome), so didn't have much to start with (only $200, plus the $100 worth of renewing bandages). His spear eats up $40 of that. He can't afford the full Basic Kit from DtG, so I took out the light sources (glow vial and torches) on account of him having Night Vision 6 (and plenty of flammable used bandages in a pinch) and the tent, dropping cost to $127. I added in 5 small balls (taken from Low Tech) and an extra pouch so he can keep one of them on his belt - the balls are typically wrapped in used bandages, and he sets them alight and throws them for his ranged attacks. I opted to give the balls Acc 1 - he could easily use Acc 0 found rocks for free, so some benefit for paying $3 per projectile seemed appropriate. Total cost was $192, total weight (including the 10 lbs of bandages, and assuming a full waterskin) was 44.4 lbs and Light Encumbrance.

The final character, thanks to my recording error, is worth [260] and is presented in the next post. He's at his Disadvantage cap, so reducing cost would probably call for reducing ST to 11 (more in line with the original DF Swashbuckler; swing damage is at -1; BL reduces to 24 and full-waterskin loadout is just barely Medium Encumbrance; ball throwing range reduces to 38 yards), reducing Move to 7 (although one advantage to Move 9 is that it greatly improves his range for Backstab), or perhaps removing Silence 2 (or some combination adding up to [-10]). Part of me is strongly tempted to drop Brawling (which is basically useless with only [1] in it) and pick up Swimming (so Shigran doesn't drown the first time he finds himself unexpectedly in water), but I'll keep things as-is.

Varyon · 06-30-2021, 09:36 PM

Shigran of the Flaming Spear [260]

Attributes [140]
ST 12 [20]
DX 15 [100]
HT 12 [20]
IQ 10

Secondary Attributes [15]
Damage 1d-1/1d+2 (1d+1/2d+2 when backstabbing)
BL 29 lbs
HP 12
Will 10
Per 12 [10]
FP 12
Speed 7 [5]
Dodge 11
Move 9 (7 at Light Encumbrance) [10]
Height 5'10"
Weight 150 lbs

Advantages
Attractive [4]
Charisma 1 [5]
Combat Reflexes [15]
Consumable Signature Gear (Bandages) [1]
Eldhud Gifts [9]
(Extinguishing Touch [2])
(Flaming Touch [2])
(Nimble Tail [5])
Expert Backstabbing 4 [8]
Fire Resistance 5 [15]
Luck [15]
Night Vision 6 [6]
Silence 2 [10]
Vanishing Act [8]
Weapon Master (Spear) [20]

Perks [5]
Fast-Flame
Flammable Blood
Trademark Move (Telegraphic Rapid Power Attack Spear Thrust/Vitals 15, 15, 15)
Power Attack
Weapon Adaptation (Staff->Spear)

Disadvantages [-62] (removing [-12] for Eldhud traits, net is [-50], the cap)
Bloodlust (12) [-10]
Code of Honor (Blood Knight) [-15]
Poor [-15]
Social Stigma (Criminal Record) [-5]
Impulsive (12) [-10]
Unnatural Features 2 [-2]
Wounded [-5]

Quirks
Flaming Spear!
Likes Setting Fire
Dislikes Fires Set by Others
Delusion: Sneak Attacks are Honorable
Lucky Ring

Skills [41]
Acrobatics 14 (DX-1) [2]
Brawling 15 (DX+0) [1]
Carousing 12 (HT+0) [1]
Climbing 14 (DX-1) [1]
Jumping 14 (DX-1) [1]
Savoir-Faire (Military) 10 (IQ+0) [1]
Spear 21 (DX+6) [24]
Stealth 17 (DX+2) [8]
Throwing 15 (DX+0) [2]

Gear $200, 40.15 lbs (+8 lbs with full waterskin); Light Encumbrance with Backpack, No Encumbrance (8.4 lbs) without Backpack
Carried
Spear, $40, 4 lb
Spear 21
1H: 1d+3 imp, Reach 1*, Parry 0; 1d+5 Backstab
2H: 1d+4 imp, Reach 1,2*, Parry +2 (spear thrust); 1d+6 Backstab
2H: 1d+3 cr, Reach 1,2*, Parry +2 (staff thrust); 1d+5 Backstab
2H: 1d+5 cr, Reach 1,2*, Parry +2 (staff swing); 2d+6 Backstab
Worn
Ordinary Clothes, $0, 2 lbs
Lucky Ring, $0, neg
Belt Pouch, $10, 0.2 lbs
-Personal Basics, $5, 1 lb
-Misc coins, $8, neg
Belt Pouch, $10, 0.2 lbs
-Bloody Bandage-Wrapped Ball, $3, 1 lb
Throwing 15
1d-2 cr +1 burn, Range 42 yards, Acc 1, Bulk 0
Small Backpack, $40, 3 lbs
-Blanket $20, 4 lbs
-Rations, 1 week, $42, 10.5 lbs
-Waterskin, 1 gal, $10, 0.25 lbs (+8 lbs when full)
-Bandages, $0, 10 lbs
-Ball x4, $12, 4 lbs

As noted above, the character is [10] over budget. I feel the best way to get him in line would be to replace one level of ST with +1 Lifting ST [3] and +1 HP [2], and remove one level of Silence. For character advancement, he would first toss a point in Swimming, then pick up Reach Mastery (Spear) to avoid the Ready maneuver to switch between Reach 1 and Reach 2, then buy Silence back up, and finally buy ST back up to a full level. Beyond that, I'd base purchases on what the character/party seems to need, based on adventuring experience.

While adventuring, the character will likely try to get a Strong Delver companion to carry most of his rations for him, leaving himself with 1 day's worth, and may opt to only carry a few pounds worth of bandages (I feel it's inappropriate to have someone else carry those around, so it's more like early on he only keeps a few pounds at a time, but will later start carrying the full 10 lbs), to try to stay below Light Encumbrance. An early purchase is likely to be a Quick-Release Backpack, likely followed by a personal tent (unless it looks like that isn't needed). After that, he'd be well-served grabbing some light armor.

In combat, he'll typically start by using Backstabbing to immediately hide if possible, and will generally favor targeting the closest foe, even if rolling a Critical Success (a Self-Control Roll against Impulsive is necessary to target anyone but the nearest foe). During combat, he'll fight normally if his allies (or an innocent) appear to be in danger, but otherwise favors ducking into cover to attempt Vanishing Act (and if he would need to use Dungeon Parkour to reach a good hiding spot this turn, an SC roll is needed to instead take a slower but safer route). Once vanished, he can freely target any foe within his movement range, but if given the choice between attacking now and waiting another round to get to a juicier opponent, Impulsiveness will favor the moment (and again, will make him inclined to use Dungeon Parkour if necessary). He typically favors killing blows - strikes to the Vitals, Neck, etc - over incapacitating ones (such as strikes to limbs), and needs a rather compelling reason to even attempt to resist his Bloodlust once battle is over (he also often favors finishing off a downed foe over engaging a fresh one). If not hiding, the cloth tied to the head of his spear is almost always alight during combat, adding a 1 point linked burning attack (the spear itself is safe so long as it's in his hands, as it benefits from his Fire Resistance) - indeed, he typically reignites it as soon as he breaks stealth to attack (typically as part of his Trademark Move, which is often an All Out Strong Attack). Against foes who are resistant to impaling attacks, he typically favors using a tip slash (for cutting damage, plus the incendiary effect of the cloth), but isn't above swinging the butt of the spear into a foe. He's not in a good situation if things come down to a grappling contest, given he lacks any grappling skill, but with two hands and a tail to contend with it's hard to stop him from finding something to set on fire - even if only his own clothing - and that makes it difficult to grapple someone.

His Stealth 17 could let him assist the party's primary sneaky type (probably more as a hidden bodyguard following along, as he lacks any other thief-y skills), but the combination of Bloodlust and Impulsive means he's very likely to attack any enemies they come across, again typically with his Trademark Move (he probably wouldn't be foolish enough to ignite the spear, but you never know).

EDIT: I have modified his Trademark Move. While a stab to the spine was interesting, it's not really in-character for someone who "typically favors killing blows - strikes to the Vitals, Neck, etc - over incapacitating ones." It's also, sadly, less effective overall - as I note in post #5, anytime the character can cripple a foe by stabbing the spine, three stabs to the vitals would likely kill them outright. As a side note, dropping to nominal skill 15 doesn't influence the character's Critical chances - as +4 of the skill is from Telegraphic Attack, skill 16 would have still used normal Critical rules (crit success of 3 or 4, crit fail on 17 or 18). Additionally, thanks to the "miss by 1" clause of attacking the Vitals, if he does happen to roll a 16, he still hits, but it's only a Torso hit, not one against the Vitals.

DouglasCole · 06-30-2021, 10:28 PM

Impressive!

This isn’t the first 250-ish character I’ve seen with Delvers to Grow …but it’s definitely the most detailed!

Tymathee · 07-01-2021, 01:18 AM

Cool! I really like colorful characters that paint a picture in your imagination.

I like your focus on his characterization in combat. I've played in a lot of lower case dungeon fantasy (not necessarily GURPS, you get the idea) where the player group (besides me) ignores the personality traits of their character as soon as combat happens and go into a mindset of "highly disciplined fantasy special-ops fighter mode". I'll be the one character, while doing their best to contribute on the meta-level, actually staying in character for combat. I know there's a delicate balance between staying in-character and making sure you're not letting down the people you're sitting down at the table with, but that "fantasy special-ops" mindset seemed to be a lot of what I had to deal with in that other game. Not that that isn't something that could happen in GURPS, but GURPS's high emphasis on fine grain characterization seems to favor consistent in-character roleplaying and that's great!

So I really like your character, he's cool. :)

Varyon · 07-01-2021, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

Impressive!

This isn’t the first 250-ish character I’ve seen with Delvers to Grow …but it’s definitely the most detailed!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tymathee

Cool! I really like colorful characters that paint a picture in your imagination.

I like your focus on his characterization in combat. I've played in a lot of lower case dungeon fantasy (not necessarily GURPS, you get the idea) where the player group (besides me) ignores the personality traits of their character as soon as combat happens and go into a mindset of "highly disciplined fantasy special-ops fighter mode". I'll be the one character, while doing their best to contribute on the meta-level, actually staying in character for combat. I know there's a delicate balance between staying in-character and making sure you're not letting down the people you're sitting down at the table with, but that "fantasy special-ops" mindset seemed to be a lot of what I had to deal with in that other game. Not that that isn't something that could happen in GURPS, but GURPS's high emphasis on fine grain characterization seems to favor consistent in-character roleplaying and that's great!

So I really like your character, he's cool. :)

Thank you! One thing I'm not thrilled about is the Trademark Move. Targeting the Spine is nasty, yes, but for a Weapon Master it's inefficient and less bloodthirsty when compared to, say, a three-attack Rapid Strike to the Vitals. Against an unarmored foe, an All Out (Strong) attack to the Spine would average 17 HP of Injury, which will auto-cripple any foe with HP 16 or lower. However, each stab to the Vitals would average 34.5 HP of Injury, and considering all three are likely to hit, that means any foe who would be crippled by the spine stab will likely die outright to the triple-stab (3 hits would average 103.5 HP of Injury, which will take anyone with HP 17 or lower beyond the -5xHP threshold). Honestly, I was just trying to think of something to increase the penalty, and failed to consider Rapid Strike. Of course, that would be at effective skill 15, but I think I'd be fine with that.
(EDIT: I have now modified the character to have the 3x Vitals thrust. In addition to being a more-worthwhile attack, it honestly fits the character a lot better than striking the Spine did.)

As GM, I'd be comfortable just letting the character have a functionally-infinite supply of bandages (clean and bloody) without bothering to track weight for a Perk, provided the player agreed not to do anything ridiculous (no, you cannot tie the bandages together into a long rope to rappel down that ridge, and using a similar rope made of bloody bandages as a makeshift powder train is right out), but decided to err more on the side of caution (although certainly not all GM's would allow for Consumable Signature Gear). This would free up a lot of weight, putting him only a little over a pound beyond Light Encumbrance (~~which pretty much means unless they're attacked very shortly after refilling their waterskins he'll typically be at No Encumbrance~~ - EDIT: scratch that, I was looking at empty-waterskin weight; he'd still need to offload most of his food onto another delver to stay unencumbered). As an aside, I envision his blood as being roughly comparable to the standard fuel used for oil flasks and lanterns and the like - indeed, the party could opt to bleed him (ideally following this up with a healing spell/potion) if they were desperate for fuel. The smell might be a bit odd, however, and would probably risk attracting monsters, similarly to tallow candles.

Overall time for the build was a couple hours, which was honestly pretty quick (I'm not terribly experienced with character creation). Of course, most of that was tweaking and the like to hit the [250] mark - I think it was only maybe 20 minutes of work to go from basic concept to having the initial [206] character with three choices of upgrade modules to use in the process of boosting to [250] (the odd man out was Acrobat; I decided I liked the +1 to DX of Faster Delver over the boosting his ability to do parkour, in no small part because that got me really close to Speed 7). And that's with Chrome not liking the DtG document (for some reason, it seems to hang, particularly when doing searches or changing pages, while it handles pretty much any other pdf just fine).

GarenLiLorian · 07-01-2021, 08:31 AM

If consumable Signature Gear gives a little heartburn (I'd definitely look askance as a GM... It's hard to argue that bloody rags are character defining, not generic, and special), you could consider Doodad instead: I think 'used bandage' probably fits in with a pack of gum or dead rat. Different flavor; you don't have to track the weight, and it won't get 'used up', but it also won't work more than once a session.

Varyon · 07-01-2021, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GarenLiLorian

If consumable Signature Gear gives a little heartburn (I'd definitely look askance as a GM... It's hard to argue that bloody rags are character defining, not generic, and special), you could consider Doodad instead: I think 'used bandage' probably fits in with a pack of gum or dead rat. Different flavor; you don't have to track the weight, and it won't get 'used up', but it also won't work more than once a session.

The benefit of Gizmo/Doodad is that you can always have just the thing you need (once per session per point), within certain limits. This completely lacks that sort of utility - you have bandages, and only bandages, some clean (he needs at least one a day to keep his wound clean while delving) and some bloody (he needs around one per battle, as I assume it largely burns up in the process of fighting). A character with Gizmo/Doodad could use it to produce a clean bandage, an oil-soaked rag, a hex wrench of exactly the right size to loosen (or tighten) the bolt, an arrow when otherwise out of ammunition, a lockpick after being stripped and thrown into a cell, and so forth.

As for being "signature," the primary purpose is so he always has a flammable cloth to tie to the end of his spear, which is absolutely a flavor thing for the character (the linked point of burning damage really doesn't accomplish much, mechanically speaking), in the same way as Indy's hat and whip. Always having a visibly-bandaged chest is also an inherent aspect of the character's visual design (vague though it is), much like Sorian from The Boy Who Fell. This kills two birds with one stone.

DouglasCole · 07-01-2021, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Varyon

This kills two birds with one stone.

Higher purpose (kill hrafnar-folk); Trademark Move (Rapid Strike/Sling on two separate targets)

Varyon · 07-01-2021, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

Higher purpose (kill hrafnar-folk); Trademark Move (Rapid Strike/Sling on two separate targets)

Clever. While on the topic of Nordlondr Folk, I don't know if was you or Mr Smyth (or heck, maybe a playtester) who came up with it, but "Eh, That's Just Grug" is a great Advantage, and something I intend to adapt for "monstrous" PC's in the future (and seems usable for any sort of Social Stigma, essentially functioning as a -80% Limitation on the Disadvantage).

DouglasCole · 07-01-2021, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Varyon

Clever. While on the topic of Nordlondr Folk, I don't know if was you or Mr Smyth (or heck, maybe a playtester) who came up with it, but "Eh, That's Just Grug" is a great Advantage, and something I intend to adapt for "monstrous" PC's in the future (and seems usable for any sort of Social Stigma, essentially functioning as a -80% Limitation on the Disadvantage).

That's Kevin. Probably inspired by Bruno's tendency to play Minotaurs in various games. But players are players, and playing fun and/or highly synergistic templates (Both? Both? Both. Both is good.) means that you have a lot of half-monsters walking around town and drinking [insert what the heck IS that?! here] casually in the tavern. So "Eh, That's Just Grug" is really needed.

06-30-2021, 09:33 PM	#1
Varyon Join Date: Jun 2013	[Delvers to Grow] Shigran of the Flaming Spear Now that I have the PDF of Delvers to Grow (which is outstanding) alongside some other Nordlond content (which is similarly excellent), I decided to try my hand at something I'd considered creating ever since reading book 1 of The Stormlight Archives - a spear-wielding Swashbuckler. I set point value at [250], and started with an Eldhud Fast Delver at the Master level ([187]). Because I'm a horrible person, I did stray off-template a bit, namely by picking upgrades my character technically wasn't eligible for (Backstab Artist and Ghost, which are Thief Only and Thief/Scout Only, respectively). I had a particular idea in mind, so I started with the Eldhud template, and opted for Extinguishing Touch (so I can put out fires with a touch - but perhaps more importantly so gear in my hands benefits from my Fire Resistance 5), Flaming Touch (letting me set fires with a touch), and Nimble Tail (giving me an Extra Arm that can manipulate objects - say, setting fire to things without having to use my hands - but not strike). This technically put me [1] over on my Eldhud Gifts, but given those are available at any time as Power Ups, that's fine. Next up, I applied Swashbuckler I and II, opting for Spear as my primary skill and the target of the Weapon Master. This was a soft departure from the template, which recommends Rapier, and was followed by a hard departure - I opted against Weapon Bond (which I'm disinclined to start with) and opted instead for a different Perk - Weapon Adaptation (Staff to Spear), which basically eliminates the -2 to skill for doing butt strikes (swings and thrusts) and claiming the +2 to Parry. For my secondary combat skill, I opted for Throwing. I also dropped Fast-Draw, given I was using a spear, and put the point into the slush fund. Between Savoir-Faire and Streetwise, I opted for Savoir-Faire (Military) - my character once served in the military (although he arguably wasn't great at it, given lack of Soldier skill). For the two upgrade modules, I went for Backstab Artist, and for my Trademark Move I tentatively opted for a Telegraphic Attack Spear Thrust/Vitals (from behind, naturally). This meant I had a total (from template and upgrade) of [5] in Stealth, so I shunted [1] over into the slush fund. I also opted for Ghost, boosting stealthiness further while enhancing my own perception and gaining a good deal of Night Vision in the process. For my two Disadvantage Modules, I opted to make an Unwelcomed Blood Knight. However, the Code of Honor (Chivalry) of Blood Knight doesn't really allow for stealthily stabbing most foes from behind, so I modified things a bit. CoH (Chivalry) in Basic Set (I don't have DFRPG to see how it's defined there) appears to consist of: Never break your word, Never ignore an insult (to yourself, a lady, or your liege; apology or honorable duel will wipe the insult away), Accept any challenge to arms (by those of equal or greater Status), and Fight honorably (both sides being equal for fights, at least against similarly-honorable foes). I kept most of this, but had the "sides equal for fights" only apply to duels (to avenge an insult or due to a challenge to arms), got rid of the requirement that fights be otherwise-honorable (to allow backstabbing), and added in Protect the weak and Punish evildoers. I felt this was roughly the same, so still worth [-15]. For Unwelcome, I decided the character had suffered the equivalent of Dishonorable Discharge from his military duties for having unlawfully executed opponents he deemed "evil," leading to Social Stigma (Criminal Record). Compulsive Spending didn't quite fit, so I opted to replace it with a part of Old Soldier - the character has Wounded. At this point, I have a [206] character (not counting the [2] set aside for slush fund). Five Quirks gets this to [201]. Unfortunately, at this point I actually had accidentally recorded Combat Reflexes (from Swashbuckler II) as only [5] rather than [15], so I thought I was at [191]. I opted for two more upgrade modules - Faster Delver (+1 DX, +1 Move) and Favored by Fate (+1 Per, +1 Move, Luck). This actually put my Basic Speed at 6.75, so I spend another [5] on +0.25 to Speed, for Speed 7 and a blinding-fast Move 9. With my "remaining" (recall my recording error) [4], I initially opted to give my character [1] in Consumable Signature Gear in the form of a functionally-infinite supply of oily rags, which he would tie near the head of his spear and set alight during combat. Then, when considering his need to change bandages for his Wounded Disadvantage, I thought of something better - give the character flammable blood (seemed appropriate for an Eldhud with fire powers), which would normally be a Disadvantage but I set as a Perk on account of Extinguishing Touch (which would let the character put out any such flame) and Fire Resistance (which would prevent the flame from harming the character anyway). Now the Consumable Signature Gear is actually in the form of bandages (and given I get $100 worth for [1], he has 10 lbs of bandages at all times, which I feel is sufficient he can just be assumed to always have some fresh ones as well as some bloody - and extra-flammable - ones available when needed). I also created a Perk I called Fast-Flame that allows the character to extinguish or ignite (via his gifts) mundane flames he touches as a free action rather than calling for a Ready. With my remaining [1], I took a look at his Trademark Move, and realized that he was at effective skill 23 (Spear 21, +4 for Telegraphic, +1 for Trademark Move, -3 for Vitals). So, I updated that to instead be Telegraphic Attack Spear Thrust/Spine, for effective skill 18. So, for the last [1], I gave him Unique Technique (Power Attack), which lets him trade -2 to hit for +1 to damage, and incorporated this into his Trademark Move, for final effective skill 16. To flesh out the character, I revisited those 5 Quirks. I opted for Flaming Spear! (the character sets the cloth tied to his spear aflame for pretty much any fight, only extinguishing it when using stealth - and reignites it as he's breaking stealth to attack), Likes Setting Fires (Quirk-level Pyromania), Dislikes Fires Set by Others, Thinks Sneak Attacks are Honorable (a Quirk-level Delusion), and he keeps a Lucky Ring on his finger, an old heirloom (that isn't worth anything). His Unnatural Features consist of dark red skin, vestigial horns (a pair of them on the forehead), vestigial bat-like wings, and his tail (yes, that's more than 2, but the mechanical effects - penalty to Disguise/Shadowing, bonus to attempts to identify you - are what matter). For a name, I decided to recycle one from another half-demon I created years ago, Shigran, and appended "of the Flaming Spear" after his name, for obvious reasons. For gear, Shigran is Poor (thanks to Unwelcome), so didn't have much to start with (only $200, plus the $100 worth of renewing bandages). His spear eats up $40 of that. He can't afford the full Basic Kit from DtG, so I took out the light sources (glow vial and torches) on account of him having Night Vision 6 (and plenty of flammable used bandages in a pinch) and the tent, dropping cost to $127. I added in 5 small balls (taken from Low Tech) and an extra pouch so he can keep one of them on his belt - the balls are typically wrapped in used bandages, and he sets them alight and throws them for his ranged attacks. I opted to give the balls Acc 1 - he could easily use Acc 0 found rocks for free, so some benefit for paying $3 per projectile seemed appropriate. Total cost was $192, total weight (including the 10 lbs of bandages, and assuming a full waterskin) was 44.4 lbs and Light Encumbrance. The final character, thanks to my recording error, is worth [260] and is presented in the next post. He's at his Disadvantage cap, so reducing cost would probably call for reducing ST to 11 (more in line with the original DF Swashbuckler; swing damage is at -1; BL reduces to 24 and full-waterskin loadout is just barely Medium Encumbrance; ball throwing range reduces to 38 yards), reducing Move to 7 (although one advantage to Move 9 is that it greatly improves his range for Backstab), or perhaps removing Silence 2 (or some combination adding up to [-10]). Part of me is strongly tempted to drop Brawling (which is basically useless with only [1] in it) and pick up Swimming (so Shigran doesn't drown the first time he finds himself unexpectedly in water), but I'll keep things as-is. __________________ GURPS Overhaul

06-30-2021, 09:36 PM	#2
Varyon Join Date: Jun 2013	Re: [Delvers to Grow] Shigran of the Flaming Spear Shigran of the Flaming Spear [260] Attributes [140] ST 12 [20] DX 15 [100] HT 12 [20] IQ 10 Secondary Attributes [15] Damage 1d-1/1d+2 (1d+1/2d+2 when backstabbing) BL 29 lbs HP 12 Will 10 Per 12 [10] FP 12 Speed 7 [5] Dodge 11 Move 9 (7 at Light Encumbrance) [10] Height 5'10" Weight 150 lbs Advantages Attractive [4] Charisma 1 [5] Combat Reflexes [15] Consumable Signature Gear (Bandages) [1] Eldhud Gifts [9] (Extinguishing Touch [2]) (Flaming Touch [2]) (Nimble Tail [5]) Expert Backstabbing 4 [8] Fire Resistance 5 [15] Luck [15] Night Vision 6 [6] Silence 2 [10] Vanishing Act [8] Weapon Master (Spear) [20] Perks [5] Fast-Flame Flammable Blood Trademark Move (Telegraphic Rapid Power Attack Spear Thrust/Vitals 15, 15, 15) Power Attack Weapon Adaptation (Staff->Spear) Disadvantages [-62] (removing [-12] for Eldhud traits, net is [-50], the cap) Bloodlust (12) [-10] Code of Honor (Blood Knight) [-15] Poor [-15] Social Stigma (Criminal Record) [-5] Impulsive (12) [-10] Unnatural Features 2 [-2] Wounded [-5] Quirks Flaming Spear! Likes Setting Fire Dislikes Fires Set by Others Delusion: Sneak Attacks are Honorable Lucky Ring Skills [41] Acrobatics 14 (DX-1) [2] Brawling 15 (DX+0) [1] Carousing 12 (HT+0) [1] Climbing 14 (DX-1) [1] Jumping 14 (DX-1) [1] Savoir-Faire (Military) 10 (IQ+0) [1] Spear 21 (DX+6) [24] Stealth 17 (DX+2) [8] Throwing 15 (DX+0) [2] Gear $200, 40.15 lbs (+8 lbs with full waterskin); Light Encumbrance with Backpack, No Encumbrance (8.4 lbs) without Backpack Carried Spear, $40, 4 lb Spear 21 1H: 1d+3 imp, Reach 1, Parry 0; 1d+5 Backstab 2H: 1d+4 imp, Reach 1,2, Parry +2 (spear thrust); 1d+6 Backstab 2H: 1d+3 cr, Reach 1,2, Parry +2 (staff thrust); 1d+5 Backstab 2H: 1d+5 cr, Reach 1,2, Parry +2 (staff swing); 2d+6 Backstab Worn Ordinary Clothes, $0, 2 lbs Lucky Ring, $0, neg Belt Pouch, $10, 0.2 lbs -Personal Basics, $5, 1 lb -Misc coins, $8, neg Belt Pouch, $10, 0.2 lbs -Bloody Bandage-Wrapped Ball, $3, 1 lb Throwing 15 1d-2 cr +1 burn, Range 42 yards, Acc 1, Bulk 0 Small Backpack, $40, 3 lbs -Blanket $20, 4 lbs -Rations, 1 week, $42, 10.5 lbs -Waterskin, 1 gal, $10, 0.25 lbs (+8 lbs when full) -Bandages, $0, 10 lbs -Ball x4, $12, 4 lbs As noted above, the character is [10] over budget. I feel the best way to get him in line would be to replace one level of ST with +1 Lifting ST [3] and +1 HP [2], and remove one level of Silence. For character advancement, he would first toss a point in Swimming, then pick up Reach Mastery (Spear) to avoid the Ready maneuver to switch between Reach 1 and Reach 2, then buy Silence back up, and finally buy ST back up to a full level. Beyond that, I'd base purchases on what the character/party seems to need, based on adventuring experience. While adventuring, the character will likely try to get a Strong Delver companion to carry most of his rations for him, leaving himself with 1 day's worth, and may opt to only carry a few pounds worth of bandages (I feel it's inappropriate to have someone else carry those around, so it's more like early on he only keeps a few pounds at a time, but will later start carrying the full 10 lbs), to try to stay below Light Encumbrance. An early purchase is likely to be a Quick-Release Backpack, likely followed by a personal tent (unless it looks like that isn't needed). After that, he'd be well-served grabbing some light armor. In combat, he'll typically start by using Backstabbing to immediately hide if possible, and will generally favor targeting the closest foe, even if rolling a Critical Success (a Self-Control Roll against Impulsive is necessary to target anyone but the nearest foe). During combat, he'll fight normally if his allies (or an innocent) appear to be in danger, but otherwise favors ducking into cover to attempt Vanishing Act (and if he would need to use Dungeon Parkour to reach a good hiding spot this turn, an SC roll is needed to instead take a slower but safer route). Once vanished, he can freely target any foe within his movement range, but if given the choice between attacking now and waiting another round to get to a juicier opponent, Impulsiveness will favor the moment (and again, will make him inclined to use Dungeon Parkour if necessary). He typically favors killing blows - strikes to the Vitals, Neck, etc - over incapacitating ones (such as strikes to limbs), and needs a rather compelling reason to even attempt to resist his Bloodlust once battle is over (he also often favors finishing off a downed foe over engaging a fresh one). If not hiding, the cloth tied to the head of his spear is almost always alight during combat, adding a 1 point linked burning attack (the spear itself is safe so long as it's in his hands, as it benefits from his Fire Resistance) - indeed, he typically reignites it as soon as he breaks stealth to attack (typically as part of his Trademark Move, which is often an All Out Strong Attack). Against foes who are resistant to impaling attacks, he typically favors using a tip slash (for cutting damage, plus the incendiary effect of the cloth), but isn't above swinging the butt of the spear into a foe. He's not in a good situation if things come down to a grappling contest, given he lacks any grappling skill, but with two hands and a tail to contend with it's hard to stop him from finding something to set on fire - even if only his own clothing - and that makes it difficult to grapple someone. His Stealth 17 could let him assist the party's primary sneaky type (probably more as a hidden bodyguard following along, as he lacks any other thief-y skills), but the combination of Bloodlust and Impulsive means he's very likely to attack any enemies they come across, again typically with his Trademark Move (he probably wouldn't be foolish enough to ignite the spear, but you never know). EDIT: I have modified his Trademark Move. While a stab to the spine was interesting, it's not really in-character for someone who "typically favors killing blows - strikes to the Vitals, Neck, etc - over incapacitating ones." It's also, sadly, less effective overall - as I note in post #5, anytime the character can cripple a foe by stabbing the spine, three stabs to the vitals would likely kill them outright. As a side note, dropping to nominal skill 15 doesn't influence the character's Critical chances - as +4 of the skill is from Telegraphic Attack, skill 16 would have still used normal Critical rules (crit success of 3 or 4, crit fail on 17 or 18). Additionally, thanks to the "miss by 1" clause of attacking the Vitals, if he does happen to roll a 16, he still hits, but it's only a Torso hit, not one against the Vitals. __________________ GURPS Overhaul Last edited by Varyon; 07-01-2021 at 09:23 AM.

06-30-2021, 10:28 PM	#3
DouglasCole Doctor of *GURPS* Ballistics Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Lakeville, MN	Re: [Delvers to Grow] Shigran of the Flaming Spear Impressive! This isn’t the first 250-ish character I’ve seen with Delvers to Grow …but it’s definitely the most detailed! __________________ My blog:Gaming Ballistic, LLC My Store: Gaming Ballistic on Shopify My Patreon: Gaming Ballistic on Patreon

07-01-2021, 01:18 AM	#4
Tymathee Join Date: May 2021 Location: I'd rather be alone than be with people who make me feel alone.	Re: [Delvers to Grow] Shigran of the Flaming Spear Cool! I really like colorful characters that paint a picture in your imagination. I like your focus on his characterization in combat. I've played in a lot of lower case dungeon fantasy (not necessarily GURPS, you get the idea) where the player group (besides me) ignores the personality traits of their character as soon as combat happens and go into a mindset of "highly disciplined fantasy special-ops fighter mode". I'll be the one character, while doing their best to contribute on the meta-level, actually staying in character for combat. I know there's a delicate balance between staying in-character and making sure you're not letting down the people you're sitting down at the table with, but that "fantasy special-ops" mindset seemed to be a lot of what I had to deal with in that other game. Not that that isn't something that could happen in GURPS, but GURPS's high emphasis on fine grain characterization seems to favor consistent in-character roleplaying and that's great! So I really like your character, he's cool. :)

07-01-2021, 08:31 AM	#6
GarenLiLorian Join Date: Jul 2011	Re: [Delvers to Grow] Shigran of the Flaming Spear If consumable Signature Gear gives a little heartburn (I'd definitely look askance as a GM... It's hard to argue that bloody rags are character defining, not generic, and special), you could consider Doodad instead: I think 'used bandage' probably fits in with a pack of gum or dead rat. Different flavor; you don't have to track the weight, and it won't get 'used up', but it also won't work more than once a session.