[Dungeon Fantasy] Farmer/peasant as a bargain henchmen concept

[Michael Thayne]

Dungeon Fantasy 15: Henchmen gave many templates for characters who are frankly pretty ordinary, at least by fantasy world standards, namely cultists, guards, laborers, servants, and torch-bears. At 62 points, these guys are at best a slightly above average. Then Dungeon Fantasy 16: Wilderness Adventurers added native guides, which can represent hunters, fishermen, or nomads. But there's no template for henchmen from that ubiquitous figure of Ye Olden Times, the peasant. And why shouldn't we? After all, we already have a 250-point Innkeeper template, so why not a 62-point Peasant?

Here's my current version which I've been editing over the course of this thread. Feedback is welcome, of course:

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 12 [20].
Secondary Characteristics: Basic Speed 6.00 [10].
Advantages: Animal Friend 2 [10]; Improvised Weapons (Farm Implements)† [1] • 20 points chosen from among ST +1 or +2 [10/level]; IQ +1 [20]; HP +1 to +3 [2/level]; Will +1 to +4 [5/level]; Per +1 to +4 [5/level]; Alcohol Tolerance [1]; Animal Friend 3-4 [5/level]; Common Sense [10]; Fearlessness [2/level]; Fit [5] or Very Fit [15]; Green Thumb 1-4 [5/level]; Hard to Kill [2/level]; Hard to Subdue [2/level]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Honest Face [1]; Lifting ST 1-3 [3/level]; Luck [15]; Magic Resistance [2/level]; Night Vision 1-9 [1/level]; Rapid Healing [5] or Very Rapid Healing [15]; Resistant to Disease (+3) or (+8) [3 or 5]; or Temperature Tolerance 1 or 2 [1/level].
Disadvantages: -30 chosen from among Appearance (Unattractive or Ugly) [-4 or -8]; Bad Temper [-10*]; Chummy or Gregarious [-5 or -10]; Clueless [-10]; Cowardice [-10*]; Easy to Read [-10]; Gullibility [-10*]; Hidebound [-5]; Horrible Hangovers [-1]; Incurious [-5*]; Language: Spoken (Native)/Written (None) [-3]; Odious Personal Habits [-5 to -15]; Overconfidence [-5*]; Sense of Duty (Adventuring Companions) [-5]; Skinny [-5]; Wealth (Struggling or Poor) [-10 or -15].
Primary Skills: Animal Handling (any) (A) IQ+2 [2]-12‡; Area Knowledge (any) (E) IQ+2 [4]-12; Farming (A) IQ+2 [8]-12 • Two of Riding (Horse) (A) DX+2 [2]-12‡; or Animal Handling (any other) or Teamster (Equines), both (A) IQ+2 [2]-12‡.
Secondary Skills: Brawling (E) DX [1]-10; Weather Sense (A) IQ [2]-10; Wrestling (A) DX-1 [1]-9 • Shortsword or Spear, both (A) DX [2]-10 • Spend 2 points on the unchosen option from the previous list; Knife or Thrown Weapon (Spear) (E) DX+1 [2]-11; Axe/Mace, Bolas, Bow, Broadsword, Lasso, Staff, or Two-Handed Axe/Mace, all (A) DX [2]-10; or Sling (H) DX-1 [2]-9.
Background Skills: 5 points in Forced Entry, Knot-Tying, or Sewing, all (E) DX [1]-10; Climbing, Stealth, all (A) DX-1 [1]-9; Smith (any) (A) IQ-1 [1]-9; Packing (A) IQ+1 [1]-11‡; Naturalist (H) IQ-2 [1]-8; Veterinary (H) IQ [1]-10‡; Herb Lore (VH) IQ-3 [1]-7§; Carousing (E) HT [1]-10; Hiking or Lifting, both (A) HT-1 [1]; Fishing or Scrounging, both (E) Per [1]-10; or spend 1 point to buy an unchosen primary or secondary skill option at 1 level lower.

* Multiplied for self-control number.
† Works like the Innkeeper's Improvised Weapons (Kitchenware), except that it would cover pitchforks (which in the Peasant's hands, function as tridents) as well as billhooks and machettes (which function as kurkis or falchions, depending on the size).
‡ Includes +2 for Animal Friend.
§ Requires Naturalist.

[Donny Brook]

I would be inclined to raise ST (due to hard work) and drop HT to +1 (due to possible poor diet and harsh environments).

[edk926]

Maybe add the following to optional skills: Gardening to represent smaller scale growing; Lifting for general physical labor; Sewing because peasants were basically making and repairing their own clothing; and maybe some Easy difficulty crafting/building skills.

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

I would be inclined to raise ST (due to hard work) and drop HT to +1 (due to possible poor diet and harsh environments).

I thought about higher ST, but it seemed enough to give an option to raise ST and/or Lifting ST. As for HT 12, I went with that because it's what every other "bargain henchmen" except the Servant has. It is arguably kinda high, though.

Originally Posted by edk926

Maybe add the following to optional skills: Gardening to represent smaller scale growing; Lifting for general physical labor; Sewing because peasants were basically making and repairing their own clothing; and maybe some Easy difficulty crafting/building skills.

Lifting and Sewing are good calls. As for Gardening, I actually thought of making it a mandatory skill but was unsure what it would be used for in a DF context (plus it defaults to Farming-3, so if you really need it you still sort-of have access to it).

[Michael Thayne]

After debating this with myself a bit, I added the option to have an additional Animal Handling specialty, Packing, and/or Teamster (which all benefit from Animal Friend), as well as Herb Lore (which benefits from Green Thumb).

[Tinman]

Don't know if your familiar with RPK's 7th Son template for DF.
I think it has a lot of info that might help.
It's a foll 250 pts but there's a lot on how to chop 250s into henchmen 125 templates.


https://www.mygurps.com/index.php?n=...lateSeventhSon

[Varyon]

A peasant seems like a good character to have Housekeeping - which can help with evidence disposal (by cleaning up after yourself), preserving monster parts so they don't go bad by the time you get them to the town alchemist/occultist, food preparation, basic sewing tasks (like mending clothing), etc.

[Tinman]

Originally Posted by Varyon

A peasant seems like a good character to have Housekeeping - which can help with evidence disposal (by cleaning up after yourself), preserving monster parts so they don't go bad by the time you get them to the town alchemist/occultist, food preparation, basic sewing tasks (like mending clothing), etc.

Yes, also for various tasks around the farm.

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by Tinman

Don't know if your familiar with RPK's 7th Son template for DF.
I think it has a lot of info that might help.
It's a foll 250 pts but there's a lot on how to chop 250s into henchmen 125 templates.


https://www.mygurps.com/index.php?n=...lateSeventhSon

I saw that template a long time ago but did not look at it when making my template. Looking at it now, it gives me a few ideas (like adding Sling, or even Lasso or Bolas), but there are some things I'm not inclined to replicate (like Uneducated, which DF seems to avoid). If it gives you other ideas do tell me.

Originally Posted by Varyon

A peasant seems like a good character to have Housekeeping - which can help with evidence disposal (by cleaning up after yourself), preserving monster parts so they don't go bad by the time you get them to the town alchemist/occultist, food preparation, basic sewing tasks (like mending clothing), etc.

Originally Posted by Tinman

Yes, also for various tasks around the farm.

I thought of that, but the DF interpretation of Housekeeping seems to be that it's for taking care of a rich person's household, not tasks around the farm.

[Donny Brook]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

I thought of that, but the DF interpretation of Housekeeping seems to be that it's for taking care of a rich person's household, not tasks around the farm.

Professional Skill (Homesteading) has found repeated use in our group since one GM thought it up several years ago. It covers the "man's work" parts of a rural livelyhood that fall outside an existing skill or basic fundamental tasks that cross over between them. E.g. building a fence from local materials, storing firewood, hanging a door...