RPG Character a Day 4,5, and 6

 RPG Character a Day 4,5, and 6

I’m continuing the practice of emulating and adapting existing characters to RPGs that I know and like to play. You may notice that the characters align with a game that I associate with the media property that they are from.

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Character 4 

The Walking Dead’s Daryl Dixon in APOCTHULHU

First up today will be a system that I am only familiar with in passing, APOCTHULHU. APOCTHULHU is a game in which the terrible eldritch apocalypse either is happening or has happened. It’s built on the bones of Delta Green, so at least I’m somewhat familiar with it.

For this character, I wanted to try to make Daryl Dixon from the Walking Dead. For game purposes, I’ll stat him as he was at the beginning of the series. I’m following along with the quickstart rules. 

Step 1 is to pick an archetype.
Daryl is a hunter, which makes it easy to go with the Former Survivalist archetype, which grants me some skills. I’m noticing now that Survival is a Choose One skill in this flavor of RPG, but the quickstart doesn’t elaborate further beyond listing a few examples on the premade character sheets: Survival (City), Survival (Plains). I can make this work, I’ll choose Forest and City.

Step 2 is to assign statistics. Darly is physically strong and resilient, so I’ll make sure that he’s got good strength, constitution, dexterity, and power. I’ll go with the middle set of statistics. The next part of this step is to give bonuses for living in the hard times of a particular apocalypse. I think that a zombie apocalypse would call for either being quick or resilient, so I would say that players could either have +1 DEX or +1 POW. For Daryl, I’ll shore up his POW.

Step 3 is something that I’m less familiar with, assigning resources. The archetype I picked has 5 that I need to assign either “at hand, stowed, or in storage.” Daryl doesn’t seem like the type to squirrel resources away. I’ll put 2 at hand, 2 stowed, and 1 in storage. I hope this is enough to cover a motorcycle and a crossbow. Further examination tells me that Resources are somewhat unattached to Gear. 

Step 4 is picking individual and community bonds. The chosen archetype has 2. I’ll make him loyal to his brother Merle, and to his newfound group (Shane’s survivors in the show). 

Step 5 is picking motivations. Like Delta Green, you pick up to 5. I’ll list a few.

Step 6 is picking adversity skills. This comes from “exposure to a shattered world” The GM is supposed to provide these, but I’ll make a setting appropriate choice: the importance of stealth and avoiding human conflict means taking +20 to one of the following skills: Persuade, Reassure, Scavenge, Stealth. I’ll take a Stealth boost for Daryl.

Step 7 is assigning bonus skills. Choose 10 skills to add +20 to, which can repeat but not go over 80. I can see immediately the need to shore up Stealth and Melee Weapons, and to add Ranged Weapons for Daryl’s signature weapon, the crossbow. I’ll add the remaining to Survival (City) and Scavenge.

Step 8 is adding the final touches, which is essentially like a Damaged Veteran Package in Delta Green. The quickstart doesn’t elaborate further, but I really imagined Daryl being Adapted to Helplessness or at least Hard Experience from the time that his mother died and he had to survive in the woods for some time. I consulted with a friend who owned the full-text game to help me achieve this. And in doing so realized that this setting would be Very Harsh, prompting me to upgrade the statistics from step 2 to increases in both and to earn another +20 from Step 6, putting some points into Persuade. This also means that starting SAN would be POW x 4 and starting with one disorder on a failed POW x 5 test, as well as gaining the Adaptation to Helplessness (-3 CHA, and the same to all Bonds) 

And with that, Daryl Dixon is complete for APOCTHULHU!

Daryl Dixon

STR 12 CON 14 DEX 16 INT 11 POW 12 CHA 6

HP 13 WP 11 SAN 48 BP 36

Resources: At Hand: 2 Stowed: 2 In Storage: 1

Bonds: Merle 6 Shane’s Survivors 6

Motivations: Keep my brother safe, keep the group fed, find a safe place, kill these monsters

Disorders: Adapted to Violence, PTSD

SKILLS

Craft (Farming) 50%

Drive 60%

Firearms 50%

First Aid 40%

Heavy Machinery 30%

Insight 50%

Melee Weapons 70%

Navigate 40%

Persuade 40%

Ranged Weapons 80%

Ride 50%

Scavenge 70%

Stealth 70%

Survival (Forest) 60%

Survival (City) 60%

Unarmed Combat 80%

GEAR

Motorcycle

Crossbow

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Character 5

Cowboy Bebop’s Spike Speigel in Ironsworn: Starforged

Lord forgive me, I’m going to do another Starforged character. I know that Orbital Blues exists, but I haven’t had the time to dive into it. As a side note concerning Starforged: Unfollow Me Now, This is Gonna Be the Only Thing I Post About for the Next Year. With that out of the way, it’s time for Spike Spiegel of Cowboy Bebop.

For stats, Spike is fast as heck, making Edge a must-have. After that, Wits and Shadow as a reflection of Spike’s craftiness and criminal background.

Edge 3

Heart 1

Iron 1

Shadow 2

Wits 2

Starforged’s Asset cards make it easy to build Spike: you can go with Ace Pilot, Gunslinger, and Bounty Hunter. I’ll also bend the rules a bit and give him a Support Vehicle, the Snub Nose Fighter.

Later on, you can acquire an Asset that may reflect his Jeet Kune Do like Brawler, and maybe a Companion: Sidekick Asset for Jet, Ed, Faye, or Ein. These could also be portrayed as a Connection / Bond instead of a character sheet Asset. I struggled to make a 

Support Vehicle: Snub Fighter

⬛Your armed snub fighter carries a single pilot for space or atmospheric flight and combat. When you Enter the Fray, you may roll +integrity; if you do, take +2 momentum on a hit.  

⬜When you Strike or Clash, add +1. On a strong hit with a match, mark progress. 

⬜ When you personally defeat a notable foe in your snub fighter, envision the victory mark you make on the fuselage. Tally your victories in this box. For every five, mark 2 ticks on your quests legacy track

Path: Ace

⬛When you Face Danger or React Under Fire by guiding your vehicle through a hazard or out of harm’s way, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit.  

⬜When you Gain Ground by maneuvering your vehicle against a foe, add +1. If you score a strong hit with a 4, 5, or 6 on the action die, you may put yourself in firing position. If you do, set aside the action die or note its value. If you or an ally Strike using the vehicle’s weapons, preset your action die with that value. This persists until you fail to score a strong hit on that move, or until you make another move which changes your vehicle’s position.  

⬜When you must Endure Stress while piloting a vehicle, you may roll +integrity. If you do, take +1 momentum on a strong hit.

Path: Gunslinger

⬛When you Enter the Fray by facing off against your foe (+heart), or by preparing to act without tipping them off (+shadow), add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. On a strong hit with a match, you may immediately take a shot (without making a move) and mark progress twice.  

⬜When you Gain Ground or React Under Fire by moving into cover, add +1. On a strong hit, this cover gives you leverage; add +1 when you make a move to attack or defend at range. If you then score a miss, the cover is lost or compromised.  

⬜When you Compel or Gain Ground with the threat of violence by holding someone at gunpoint, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit.

Path: Bounty Hunter

⬛When you take a bounty contract and Swear an Iron Vow to see it done, add +1. On a strong hit, you’ve got a solid lead and may immediately mark progress. When you Fulfill Your Vow, make the legacy reward one rank higher (1 extra box if already epic).  

⬜When you Gather Information related to a bounty, add +2. On a strong hit with a match, you reveal a surprising aspect of the contract; envision what you discover, and choose one. 

✴ Forge ahead: Mark progress twice. 

✴ Change loyalties: Forsake Your Vow and mark 2 ticks on your bonds legacy track.  

⬜When you Take Decisive Action in a fight against a bounty target or their agents, you may reroll one challenge die.

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Character 6

Rambo from the First Blood series

Rambo III was on the tv at work the other day, and I can’t get over how ridiculous it was. I remembered an RPG that someone had told me about a few years ago called Straight to VHS where player characters are the over-the-top ridiculous tropes making their way through convoluted silly plotlines, just like movies that went straight to videotape. STV has changed since I last saw it. It used to be a d20 based game, but now it uses a d6 dice pool and I approve of these changes.

Anyways, here’s my best attempt to make Rambo for Straight to VHS.

I dropped $160 of the $200 character currency to make a machinegun. There’s no survival knife as gear, so I’ll make it and drop the remaining $40 on it, same as what a toolkit costs.

Stats

Accuracy: 3

Athletics: 2

Charisma: 0

Intellect: 1

Spycraft: 0

Strength: 4

Hit Points

Heart: 3

Shield: 3

Tropes

Badass: Most of these other Tropes are for eggheads and commies. You believe in the power of doing. “Doing” just means kicking all sorts of ass. You get a +1 Boon when you attack multiple targets with a single attack. Also, the special ability "Bad Edit" doesn't cost you a Token.

Stat Bonuses: +3 ACC or STR, +1 to two other stats

Skill: Destruction +2

Flaw: Diplomacy -2

Special Abilities

Die Hardly: A shark bite and a gunshot wound? Big deal! At the end of each Scene you heal 1 HP without needing to turn in a Token. Also, while all your Hearts are marked, you get to ignore a single “1” in each of your rolls. Being so resilient has made you almost unaware of danger.

Stat Bonuses: +3 to any stat, +1 to two others

Flaw: Awareness -2

Special Abilities: 

Makin’ Me Angry (free action) Once per Scene, get two Tokens when you have Nothing To Lose. 

Come and Get It (major action) Once per Scene, during an Action Sequence, earn a Token by acting cool and casual. On your next turn, you can do any one action as a free action.

Gimmicks

Spray and Pray: Once per Scene, wildly fire a ranged weapon. Enemies within your weapon’s range have a -2 Problem on their attacks before your next turn.

Items

Machine Gun +1

Normal Range: Far

Blast Range: Close

Trade Secrets: An Ironsworn: Starforged Campaign Diary, Part 0/1

 

The Forge

Long ago, humanity fled the Milky Way to escape the ravages of a catastrophic war, brought on by the discovery of a large, strange alien gate and the turmoil experienced by human society concerning what to do with them. Religious zealots of several beliefs declared that the gate was a blasphemy unto their gods. Unified in spirit and purpose, these zealots wielded nuclear weapons to sabotage efforts to study and use the gate.

As the war raged, the gate opened. Billions of humans fled through, the fate of the gate unknown once they had passed through. Transported nearly instantaneously to The Forge, the colonists began exploring and settling their newfound home. The Terminus was the most concentrated area, and over time natural clans started to claim their seats of power, extending outward into the Outlands and Expanse regions. These Banner families became projectors of power and cultural influence.

An order of mediators known as the Keepers attempt to enforce The Covenant, a set of decrees that are the only semblance of law and order in The Forge. The Covenant recognizes that war is a natural state of man and provides provisions that ban the use of weapons that leave planets inhabitable. Nevertheless, Banner families frequently wage war for resources and power.

Across the vast, dangerous regions of space, Couriers carry and relay information; a Courier is often recognized as one of the most reliable sources of information while Librarians work endlessly to archive happenings. 

Humanity did not make the journey alone. Three powerful sentient AIs were created to guide fledgling pioneers on their way: Monk, tasked with religious and spiritual guidance to unify humanity; Constable, who works with Keepers to detect and analyze threats concerning matters of The Covenant; and Deus Machina, a science and engineering AI that once inhabited all machines, long missing now.

The effects of the holy war that led to the exodus of humanity have left their mark; the major religions of the past have taken a backseat while previously minor religions have intermingled and flourished. 

Remnants of a long-dead civilization and the strange black iron structures they left behind were discovered. They can fetch a high price on the market, especially sought after are working Precursor facilities. This reverse-engineered alien technology led to the creation of Paragons: humans with new potential and magic. The magic is not without risk, however, as it has proven to be a corrupted force for humans seeking knowledge and power.

Character Summaries

Aboard the Ante Up are two friends on a journey for answers across The Forge.

Frederic “Talisman” Hamm won the spaceship in a poker game by following what he thought was the guidance of Deus Machina, a sentient and powerful AI that lingers like ghosts in pieces of technology that the AI has long since abandoned. Talisman always listens to the voice of Deus Machina, hearing it everywhere. Talisman gave the ship to Deckard “Black Jack” Book, in exchange for Book to journey with him in search of answers about Deus Machina. Black Jack himself seeks to find the truth about what became of the Precursors, ancient aliens that once populated The Forge. 

Talisman

Edge +1

Heart +3

Iron +2

Shadow +2

Wits +1

Assets:

Kinetic -

Devotant (Deus Machina)

Lore Hunter

Black Jack

Edge +2

Heart +3

Iron +1

Shadow +1

Wits +2

Assets:

Trader

Scavenger

Explorer

Inciting Incident

The Duo met up with Yelna “Jank” Chang, a black market trader located on Weave, an orbital settlement inside an asteroid field floating around the jungle planet Tangle. Small, crowded, and full of incredible engineers, lacking any effective governmental entity, Weave is an overpopulated libertarian hellhole that rivals ancient and forgotten Kowloon Walled City.

Jank asks the pair to locate and extract someone important to him but couldn’t give the Duo too many details, only that the contact is callsign “Wayfinder.” Wayfinder was located at Prism, a settlement on the nearby planet Underworld. The two decide to travel under the guise of legitimate commerce. 

The sector is on the brink of war, but the Duo doesn’t know it yet.

Publishing Note: [BRACKETS and bold text show some behind-the-scenes mechanical functions of the game. Not all dice rolls are listed, only the ones that are memorable and interesting]

Extracting Wayfinder

The Ante Up approached the planet Underworld and made contact with the settlement Prism. Book was able to negotiate passage onto the planet by paying tribute to the local lord, a minor member of the Kai family, one of The Forge’s most powerful Banner Families. 

[Black Jack used his Trader asset to be able to roll +supply (5) in place of +heart (3), at the cost of 1 supply, netting a Strong Hit]

Security Chief O’Neil and a cadre of robots greeted the Duo, conducted a survey and scan of their ship and cargo, and escorted them to greet the resident Kai. The settlement of Prism was located deep in the crater impact of the planet and protected by an enormous transparent bubble. The station was home to a replica Meiji era Japanese castle, reflecting the Kai Banner family lineage. 

Bruno Kai was located in the station’s dojo, practicing the sword with a martial arts instructor. The Duo gave the Kai a golden panther statue equipped with a holoview projector.

[This expensive gift was a fictional display of losing 1 supply] 

The instructor noticeably responded when the Duo mentioned that they were “Two merchants trying to find their way amongst the stars,” the instructor noticeably responded. 

[Black Jack got a Strong Hit on the Gather Information move]

Confirming with certainty to the Duo that they had already found their target. The Kai, impressed with their gift, gave them free rein of the station to conduct commerce, mentioning they should visit the agricultural expert, Barbosa, and the tech expert, Kholsa, to see what 

Talisman sought out Kholsa, finding an older man lying on a hovercart underneath some sort of mining vehicle. Talisman began to talk with him about the various robots and technologies used by the Kai family station and ended up cutting a deal that netted the Duo a broken survey bot, knowing that Black Jack had been looking for one. Talisman kept on talking with Kholsa, discovering that decades ago, Kholsa had been a boy aboard the Exultant Vagabond, a colony ship bound for a sector somewhere in the Expanse region. Talisman had led the conversation this way, hoping to find information about Deus Machina, who at that time had been present aboard nearly every spacefaring vessel.

[Talisman got a Strong Hit on the Compel move to barter, and a Weak Hit on Gather Information related to his questions on Deus Machina]

Kholsa described the final moments of the Lonely Vagabond, where the emergency klaxon sounded, and it was discovered that there weren’t enough lifeboats to save everyone from whatever disaster the ship was headed towards. Kholsa recalled that Deus Machina had been cold and calculating in choosing which ship members it prioritized for the life vessels. He never knew precisely why he had been chosen over others or why the AI had taken his parents from him. Kholsa was angry at the AI and described it as evil in a way that he didn’t think any other machine was capable of being. Kholsa became suspicious of Talisman’s questioning about Deus Machina, especially when Talisman mentioned worship of Deus Machina as a religion.

Black Jack went to see Barbosa, the “Agricultural” expert. Black Jack was surprised to find Barbosa operating on a person, removing his organs, in an operating room. After failing to negotiate a deal with Barbosa, Black Jack discovered that the entire faculty ate dinners together but that the Duo was not welcome to dine with them.

[Black Jack got a miss on a Compel move to barter]

Hungry, Black Jack sought out the chef, a man named Hunter, at the facility and was able to negotiate a deal for bulk salt and spices on the condition that he was able to fix the facility’s freezer unit.

[Black Jack got a Weak Hit on a Compel move to barter, introducing a complication that the freezer needed to be repaired before more trading could be done]

Black Jack met Talisman at Docking Station 2, where the Ante Up was located, with a bowl of noodles and informing him of his progress. Talisman revealed a special surprise for Black Jack: the broken survey drone. A plan was formulated about how to get Wayfinder out. Talisman rummaged through their supplies, looking for some outdated sleeping pills, and the two set out to repair the freezer unit.

[Talisman got a Strong Hit on Check Your Gear to find the sleeping pills]

Black Jack talked with the cook Hunter, who became more at ease, while Talisman set about repairing the refrigerator unit. Talisman faked dropping a spanner wrench behind the unit and asked Hunter to get it since he was smaller. While Hunter was behind the freezer, Talisman crammed some sleeping pills into everyone’s noodle water. After finishing the repair job, the Duo left and returned to the hangar. 

[Black Jack used the Aid an Ally move +heart to lower Hunter’s defenses, and Talisman got a Strong Hit on Face Danger to poison the residents’ dinner]

Black Jack began to grow impatient in the hangar, thinking that perhaps Wayfinder would join them. Talisman looked at his watch and the label of the sleeping pills and figured that by now, everyone at the dinner table ought to be asleep. The Duo made their way to the dining room and found everyone facedown at the table, all unconscious. Talisman scooped up the dojo master, and the Duo carried him arm-in-arm back towards the hangar, convincing the robots that the man had just had a bit too much to drink. 

As the Duo secured their new passenger in the medbay, they stirred him awake by pouring water on him. At this moment, the Duo discovered that the martial arts instructor was, in fact, not Wayfinder. The groggy martial arts instructor told the Duo that he knew who Wayfinder was.

[With our vow progress track Find and Extract Wayfinder at the maximum value of 10, we rolled challenge dice to finish our quest. We rolled a 10 and a 10, the absolute worst roll in a game: 10 vs 10/10. We rolled 2d10, subtracting the lowest value (2) from the quest’s progress track, upgraded the quest from Dangerous to Formidable, and took the Miss on the move to mean that we had captured the wrong person].

The instructor told us that he would tell us who Wayfinder was if we swore a vow to take him away from Prism. So the Duo swore that they would carry him wherever he needed to go. The instructor, who revealed that his callsign was Spider, thanked them and it was disclosed that one of the unintroduced people passed out at the dinner table, a sickly-looking, scarred old man, was Wayfinder. 

Talisman and Black Jack hustled back through the stage, almost certain that the jig was up and that the robot’s threat-matrix processors would figure out what they had done. With limited time, Talisman threw the old man over his shoulder, and the pair ran as fast as they could before the security robots could take notice. 

[We rolled to Fulfill a Vow again with 10 progress and got a Strong Hit this time. We marked one box on the Quests Legacy progress tracker since this was a Formidable quest now. This meant that we now had two Experience available to us, a real silver lining after a catastrophic dice roll when we first critically failed to fulfill the vow the first time] 

With two new passengers, the Ante Up cleared the settlement and very likely left a pissed-off member of a powerful Banner family in their wake. Finally, it was time to make the trade with Jank back on Weave.

[We went through the End a Session move, which meant we needed to Develop a Connection with Jank, our black market contact who promised us information. We marked 1 progress and then rolled with the connection’s rank (+3), getting a Strong Hit and marking 2 ticks of progress on the Bonds Legacy progress bar.

The next component of End a Session was Reach a Mileston, which Talisman was able to do having discovered the name and last location of a missing vessel that Deus Machina once inhabited. Since this was an Epic vow, 1 tick was marked. 

The last component of End a Session was to make note of a connection, quest, or situation that you would like to make note of in the next game session. Doing so gives a mechanical reward of +1 momentum to characters]

RPG Character a Day 1, 2, and 3

 A friend of mine in a Discord server shared a challenge involving making an RPG character every day during the month of January and I wanted to give it a shot.

I want to try my hand at emulating at existing characters for the first week of the challenge. 

The first character concept I have in mind is for Ironsworn: Starforged. Characters in this game are super easy to make. The game's cultural touchtones include Star Wars: The Mandalorian. I wanted to make Din Djarin, the titular Mandalorian.

Ironsworn characters are easy to make. Din is tough, quick, and surprisingly empathetic for a killing machine. I view him as less sneaky or cunning, just a sort of hyper-competent dude who is also somewhat of a bumbling fool who sometimes struggles to see the bigger picture.

Edge	Heart	Iron	Shadow	Wits
2	2	3	1	1

The next part is picking Assets. In addition to his Command Vehicle, the Razor Crest, Din gets three Assets. I'm choosing to represent Din after he abandons gig work, as he effectively loses his bounty hunter guild credentials when he chooses to save The Child instead of terminating him.

Assets:

Armored
If you wear your finely crafted set of personal armor,

■ When you Face Danger, React Under Fire, or Clash against physical attacks or impact, you may put trust in your armor’s strength.

If you do, preset your action die to 4. On a strong hit with a match, take +2 momentum as you build confidence, make an impression on your foes, or improve your position.

□ You add an important new piece to your set of armor, or upgrade its materials. As above, but preset your action die to 5 instead of 4.

□ When you must Endure Harm, you may instead let your armor take the hit. If you do, roll your action die. On a 4 or greater, ignore the harm. On a 1-3, ignore the harm but your armor is now broken; you must Repair and spend 5 repair points to bring it back to working condition.

Bannersworn (Mandalorians)

■ You are bound to a clan, faction, or creed.

When you Swear an Iron Vow in service to this ideology, reroll any dice. On a hit, mark 1 tick on your bonds legacy track. 

□ When you or an ally Sojourn and score a strong hit with a match, you may envision meeting someone of the same ideology. If you Make a Connection with them and score a hit, mark 1 tick on your bonds legacy track. When you Forge a Bond with anyone of your ideology, make the legacy reward one rank higher (1 extra box if already epic).

□ When you make a progress move in direct service to your ideology, you may reroll one challenge die. If you then score a strong hit with a match, mark 1 tick on your bonds legacy track.

Weapon Master

■ You are a walking armory, with a weapon for every occassion. When you Enter the Fray in personal combat, add +1 and take +1 momentum on a hit. Once per fight, when you Gain Ground by switching weapons or changing tactics, take an automatic strong hit.

□ When you Strike using a personal weapon which has limited ammo or a single-use mode, add +1 and mark progress on a hit. Then, Sacrifice Resources (-1). If you score a strong hit on this attack and immediately Take Decisive Action, you may retain the value of one challenge die from your Strike action instead of rolling that die

□ When you Secure an Advantage by suiting up and gathering your gear for a perilous encounter or mission, you may roll +supply. If you do, take +2 momentum on a hit.

Arguably, Bannersworn is the weakest of the Assets tied to this character, and something like Vestige might be better suited (reflecting the dying way of life of the Mandalorians). Still, I think this is a competent reflection of Din. I won't get into the more complicated parts of character generation (Bonds, Vows, etc). Even though those aren't that complicated, that ties more into worldbuilding than character generation and everyone knows the Star Wars world.

Iron-Norm, Session 8: Naked, Alone, Afraid, and Covered in Poop

Norm thought about it. He could just let the time pass. He couldn’t hear the crowd outside, and wouldn’t know when the coast was clear unless he crawled out and looked again. Ultimately, he knew that if he waited too long the mill’s machinery would turn on as production resumed again, and he sure as hell didn’t want to be in there when that happened. Norm decided to just wait for a few hours. Every once in a while, he peaked below the machinery, trying to see if any torches and lanterns had become extinguished. 

Eventually darkness had befallen the factory, and Norm decided that it was safe to come out. Leaving the factory would likely be another ordeal. Norm wrestled with the egress route. Front door? Employee entrance? There was just barely enough moonlight coming in from the windowpanes of the skylight to illuminate the floor. Norm saw that there was a ladder that led up to the roof, and decided that this might be the best way for him to determine the safest route. 

Norm climbed and soon found himself on the rooftop, overlooking the wide-open field in front of the factory where delivery wagons usually staged. Instead he saw a makeshift guard post set up where the paddy wagons were full of people no doubt waiting to be taken to the jail. 

“Best find a different route than the front.” Norm thought, just as he spotted something interesting. Below, Tristandrew was shaking the metal hand of one of the Copper Hands that he had seen before, watching the fight. Norm watched as Tristandrew plopped a heavy sack of something, probably money, right into the gang member’s hand. 

“Caused a shakeup, I did. Denim Road is out, so now he resorts to using Copper Hands. Worthless lot, they can’t get anything done on their own so they use those gauntlets to put a hurting on people. Seems like my efforts do pay off.”

REACH A MILESTONE

2 Progress ticks marked in No Loose Threads in Rockhome.

Norm contemplated his options. He knew that he needed to make it to Stanley’s office on the complete opposite side of the city from where he was. He knew that he would have to deal with Copper Hands and guardsmen, who were no doubt looking for him by now. The city streets were a treacherous snake waiting to devour him at every corner. But first, he needed to get down from the roof of this factory. 

Norm crept over to the far side of the roof and realized that he may be able to simply climb down, hand over hand, using the pipes and architectural oddities. He lowered himself down and started to climb, knowing that if he fell he may end up dead, or worse.

“One hand in front of the other. Strong and slow, slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”

FACE DANGER

Roll 1d6+iron(3) = 7 versus 10 / 2, Weak Hit. 

You succeed but face a troublesome cost. -1 momentum

As Norm made his way down, he realized that nearly all of his strength had been sapped by the fight and subsequent brawl. He didn’t think that he could make it all the way down in one go, instead opting to take a seat on the narrow windowsill of one of the large factory windows. Norm hoped that he wasn’t silhouetting himself, praying that nobody would look up and see him fixed like a beat up gargoyle on the wall. 

Unfortunately, with his hearing still out, Norm was forced to sit alone on the ledge with nothing but his own thoughts. The events of the past two days played out over and over again in his mind, along with the numerous events of Drezz that had flashed through. Norm had no doubt that these snippets of a different point of view were meant to help him in his perils, but it was still a mystery to him exactly where they were coming from. Was this something like reincarnation? Were these really past lives, or were they sendings from somewhere else, or someone else who was looking out for him.

Although nobody else could hear it, Norm spoke softly to himself, “Whoever you are, while I really appreciate the times that my life has been saved, I really think that these visions would stop. I don’t need your help. Thanks.”

With that, Norm retreated back into his own mind, doing his best to stop thinking about his situation but utterly failing. That’s when the thought struck him, “If these visions are happening inside of my mind, it’s likely that whoever is giving them to me, or whatever is triggering them, can read my thoughts. I don’t think I can make this stop, so it’s pointless to try, not until I get some more answers. Maybe I can test it. Put myself into more danger and see what I can find out through experimenting. You hear that? You better come through, or I’m going to doubt that you’re there, god or past lives, or whoever it is that’s watching!”

Norm felt that his arms were strong enough to continue down, and so he started down. When at last he reached the bottom, he hopped down and hoped that he had been quiet enough. Now came the perilous trek through the city on high alert for him.

UNDERTAKE A JOURNEY

Set difficulty to Troublesome: 3 Progress per waypoint

Roll 1d6+wits(2) = 8 versus 6 / 1, Strong Hit. +3 Progress and you reach a waypoint

Norm set off through the city, as alert as he could be for still not being able to hear anything. He did his best to look casual, but at the sign of torchlights moving down the streets, he would duck into nearby alleyways or seek other hiding places, just as Drezz and Aleko had done in their one vision. One particularly stacked patrol consisted of a dozen or more guards, led by someone on a horse that Norm could see in the confines of their own torchlight. To evade this patrol, Norm did something that he never thought he would have to, and seriously hoped that he would never have to again: Norm climbed down into the sewers. 

At first thought, it was perfect. The sewers of Rockhome probably ran underneath the roadways, and it was unlikely that Norm would run into any such trouble down here. The stench was positively unbearable though. Norm wished that Hirsham had ripped into his nose instead. 

But still, he needed to make it to Stanley, and preferably before the sun rose.

UNDERTAKE A JOURNEY

Roll 1d6+wits(2) = 6 versus 1 / 5, Strong Hit. +3 Progress and you reach a waypoint. 

Norm kept going, thinking that he was doing his best to navigate under the streets as best as he could. When he was unsure of where he was, Norm’s frustration began to grow, as anyone’s would when navigating a maze of waste that smelled as badly as this. Norm found a ladder with a trapdoor on it and decided to check to see if it would open. To his surprise, it did, and Norm found himself inside of a dark building, perhaps a shop of some kind. An outside streetlight bled in through the window, bathing the establishment in a pale light. It looked like some sort of antique store, and judging by the amount of cobwebs on top of the merchandise it had been some time since they had been tended to. 

Norm realized that this was a safe enough place, if only he had more time to spend at his leisure laying low. He knew that Bertrude, the good lad, would be bringing a message to Lucy, who would go looking for him at the publisher. But he also knew that he severely needed a moment to take a breather in a relatively safe place, full of relics of the past.

Norm opened a door that led to a backroom, hoping to find anything in there that might help him on his journey.

SECURE AN ADVANTAGE

Roll 1d6+wits(2) = 3 versus 9 / 4, Miss. 

You fail or your assumptions betray you. Pay the Price.

PAY THE PRICE

Envision two negative outcomes. Rate one as likely and Ask the Oracle using the yes/no table.

Likely negative outcome: there is someone or something in here, and they raise a ruckus

Less likely negative outcome: the building is dangerous and poses a safety risk

ASK THE ORACLE

Roll 1d100, 26 or greater = likely. Result = 73

Norm began to root around the backroom, not realizing at all just how much noise that he was making. He also didn’t realize that a shape was moving in the darkness behind him until it was nearly too late. In the reflection of a mirror, propped up next to a shelf of bric-a-brac,  Norm saw something swinging towards him, and he reacted.

FACE DANGER

With speed, agility, or precision, +edge

Roll 1d6+edge(1) = 3 versus 9 / 6,  Miss. Pay the Price.

PAY THE PRICE

Most obvious outcome: Norm gets hit by whatever this is and an alarm is being raised

Norm was too slow. Thankfully, his attacker was not very strong. Norm realized that he was face to face with an elderly lady who had swung a wooden cane at him. Norm started to laugh, but then realized that her mouth was open wide in a scream. Norm scrambled back into the main room and tried to climb into the trapdoor. He narrowly fit through, falling into a pile of waste as he landed on the floor of the sewer.

“Fuck.” Norm thought, “Now this path will be swarming with guard soon. I’ve got to hurry.”

Norm ran, as fast as he could, hoping that he would guess the correct route, since he hadn’t taken the time to see exactly what street that he was on in the antiques shop.

UNDERTAKE A JOURNEY

Roll 1d6+wits(2) = 6 versus 5 / 8, Weak Hit. Reach a waypoint and mark +3 progress, but suffer -1 supply

Norm ran through the dark sewers, twisting his ankle and falling down more than once. He smelled like shit, and his pants, socks, and boots were soaked through to the core. He couldn’t bear it anymore. He took off his clothes, leaving only his underwear on as he desperately made his way down the tunnels.

After what felt like ages of running, Norm’s lungs ached and his legs felt as if they were going to give out. He needed a break, but he feared that the patrols would be on the lookout at sewer vents and other entrances. Norm cursed, slowing down his pace and hoping that he might find another exit. He stumbled and clutched at the walls, and found a side narrow side passage.

Norm followed this side passage and found a sliver of light at the end of it. On the ground below was a variety of animal bones and other detritus. Norm realized that the walls above him were cylindrical, and that this was a wastewell, where trash that could be washed away was often thrown to be carried out to the harbor by the sewers. Norm took hold of stones that were jutting out and climbed the fifteen feet before he found himself in the courtyard behind  a combined business and residence. 

The moon shone overhead, and Norm did his best to figure out where he was. If those were animal bones, this might be the butcher that was actually close to Stanley’s publishing office. If it wasn’t, Norm was risking it all, venturing out into the streets looking like a crazed, naked madman, which was fitting since that was exactly what he was tonight. Norm decided to risk it,

REACH YOUR DESTINATION

Progress move, roll the challenge dice and compare to your progress. 

Roll 2d10 = 6 / 1 versus 9, Strong Hit.

On a strong hit, the situation at your destination favors you. Choose one.

SOJOURN

When you spend time in a community seeking assistance, roll +heart. If you share a bond, add +1. 

Roll 1d6+heart(1)+2 = 6 versus 5 / 2, Strong Hit.

On a strong hit, choose two

I choose: Mend: Clear a wounded debility and take +1 health

And the rules also say: On a hit, you and your allies may each focus on one of your chosen Recover actions and roll +heart again. If you share a bond, add +1. On a strong hit, take +2 more for that action. On a weak hit, take +1 more. On a miss, it goes badly and you lose all benefits for that action.

Roll 1d6+heart(1)+1 = 7 versus 8 / 2, Weak Hit.

I choose: Recuperate: Take +2 health for yourself and any companions. (+1 health),

+4 health gained overall, and Wounded debility cleared.

Norm was right. This was right around the block from Stanley’s publishing company, and Norm knew that Stanley often locked his keys inside, and was prone to leaving a spare underneath a rock out back. Norm unlocked the backdoor and entered the backdoor, into the printing press’ floor. Norm climbed the stairs to the second floor, whispering (or so he thought), “Stanley, Stanley please I need your help. I’m fucked up, man.”

Norm emerged onto the second floor and a door opened up, revealing Stanley wearing a nightgown and holding a candlestick that was lit. The older man’s face was twisted in an expression of either horror, shock, or concern, or perhaps all three. His mouth moved, but Norm couldn’t hear him.

“I can’t - no listen Stanley I can’t hear you. My ears, and Hirsham, I was in a fight and I think he ripped them off - I can’t hear shit, you gotta help me lay low they’re looking for me.”

Norm took a step forward and then collapsed, striking the floor with a solid thump.