World of Brukellen Development

[elf23]

A quick question: Do Dwarves have the traditional animosity towards Goblins in this setting? (I'm thinking about the Dwarf favoured feat Favored Opponent (Goblins or Giants)...)

[elf23]

OK here's the stats block for my character. I'm still thinking about the background, and yet to choose equipment and so on.

Concept (Role): Technologist (Adept 1)
Background: Dwarf
Abilities: Str -1, Dex +2, Con +3, Int +5, Wis -2, Cha -1, Spd 30 ft.
Core Ability: Expertise
Initiative: +2
Combat: Attack +2 (+0 base, +2 Dex)
Defense: Dodge/Parry +14/+12 (+12 base, +2 Dex/-1 Str)
Saving Throws: Toughness +3 (+3 Con, +0 Tough, +0 armor), Fortitude +5 (+0 base, +3 Con, +2 Great Fortitude), Reflex +2 (+0 base, +2 Dex), Will +0 (+2 base, -2 Wis)
Conviction: 3; Virtue: Noble, Vice: Volatile
Reputation: +1

Non-Lethal Damage: Bruised (0), Dazed (5+Toughness), Staggered (10+Toughness), Unconscious (15+Toughness)
Lethal Damage: Hurt (0), Wounded (5+Toughness), Disabled (10+Toughness), Dying (15+Toughness), Dead
Fatigue: Winded, Fatigued, Exhausted

Special:

Trained skills: Bluff +3, Drive +6, Sleight of hand +6, Disable Device +9, Knowledge (Physical Sciences) +9, Knowledge (Technology) +9, Craft (Chemical) +9, Craft (Mechanical) +9, Craft (Gunsmithing) +9

Bonus Feats: Great Fortitude, Night Vision, Talented (Craft & Search - stonework only)
Favored Feats: Diehard, Favored Opponent (Goblins)
Feats: Firearms training, Imbue Item, Artificer Training (Fire shaping, Elemental Blast, Widen Power), Artificer Training (Create Equipment, Energy Shaping, Metal Shaping)

Powers: None
Power rank: +4, Power bonus: +9, Save Difficulty: 16

Notes:
I noticed that in the rules for supernatural item creation it requires a Knowledge (Supernatural) check, which doesn't really fit this character. Could i use Knowledge (Technology / Physical sciences) instead for this check?

Also, maybe i'm missing something, but the rules for single-use supernatural items doesn't seem to cover imbuing an item + a feat (Elemental blast + Widen, for example), even though one of the listed example items (Explosive runestone) does so. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Some possible artificer powers i was thinking i might take in the future, which fit in with the concept, would be: Acid, Blast redirection, Blind / Deafen, Confusion, Danger sense, Disintegration, Dowsing, Fog shaping, Levitate, Nauseate, Poison, Snare, Sound shaping, Transmutation.

By the way, with Create Equipment what i had in mind was being able to create bizarre mechanical multi-use objects. (Rather than springing stuff out of thin air.)

[The Shadow]

Kendermage,

Haven't seen a reply to my PM, so I don't know if you're cool with building a role or not. But if you are, how's this look:

Kindler

Combat Progression: Medium (3 points)
Skill Progression: 4 + Int (1 point)
Save Progression: Medium Fortitude and Will, Normal Reflex
Power Progression: Fast, Narrow (1 point)
Feat Access: Expert
Core Ability: Fearless

Power list is, tentatively: Calm, Combat Sense, Cure, Cure Disease, Enhance Ability, Enhance Senses, Ghost Touch, Heart Reading, Psychic Shield, Second Sight, Supernatural Weapon, and Truth-Reading. If I could add a few more, they'd be Body Control, Sense Minds, and Ward.

Didn't end up needing Synchronicity, as few of their powers have an overt display, and the ones that do can be explained as divine miracles easily enough.

EDIT: The Dino-Pirates Generalist is also a pretty good fit. If we used that, I'd take Ultimate Save: Will as his core ability. Hmm, that might work in place of Fearless, for that matter.

[Kendermage]

The KIndler looks good, but I'm fine with either of the suggestions you made.

[The Shadow]

OK, here's a more detailed writeup of the Kindler, and then I'll finish up my character and get him posted in next couple days.

Kindler (stats as originally posted)

The Kindlers are a severe quasi-military order belonging to the religion of Techne. The Technians believe that the Maker (or Technon in the original language of the faith) created the universe as a vast, intricate clockwork for his own designs, entrusting some of its mechanisms with a "spark" from his own soul to help maintain it. These are the sapient races.

Magic is shunned, for it is seen as leeching off the power of the Great Machine for one's own ends; technology represents working within the system, so to speak. (It may well be that Technians were historically responsible for the advance of technology.)

Techne teaches that one must nourish the spark, both in oneself and in others. Since different people are presumably designed by the Maker for different ends, one must not try to coerce others to work against spec, as it were. Thus, traditionally, they abhor slavery. Some modern sects have caved on this issue and other fashionable sins, but the order of the Kindlers remains steadfast.

Their goal is to kindle the spark in all they meet - whether by giving aid to those in need, by encouraging those who are faltering... or, if necessary, by removing the grit from the gears of the Great Machine by force. While some Kindlers live in community, working on communal projects and helping those nearby, others are sent out as itinerant agents; these are the ones the common folk tend to think of when the name "Kindler" comes up.

A Kindler is forbidden to kill unless he has discerned to the point of moral certainty that the spark in his target has been extinguished by wickedness; at that point they are a mad dog that can be put down without a qualm. The criteria for discernment are quite strict, however. This means that the two exceptions - self-defense and defense of the helpless - see a lot of 'creative' interpretation out in the field, especially in the dangerous frontier of Karson Island.

The Kindlers do not actively seek converts to their faith; they will certainly take them, but their primary goal is to encourage the spark in others and to teach them to avoid behaviors that harm the Great Machine. While they do gain a small number of adult trainees, most of their growth comes from the fact they take in unwanted children; many a Kindler knows no other family but his or her community.

The Technian view of life is a bit fatalistic; what must be will be. However, as mentioned, they do see some behaviors as definitely not in the Maker's plan and to be eliminated. The Kindlers... do not have much of a sense of humor about life. :) Their training is rigorous and teaches them to ignore their passions when they militate against the intellect; trying to scare or cow a Kindler is a waste of time. Arguing with them is also a bad idea; not only do they get trained in logic, they don't tend to allow for much in the way of nuance. There is black and there is white. Grey is a shade of one or the other; careful discernment will tell you which.

Unbeknownst to the Kindlers, some of their sacred texts are actually part of an ancient adept training manual. Many Kindlers develop minor powers through studying them, though just try convincing *them* of that!

My own character is Jacob Kindler, and I'll have his stats up soon. What looks like a last name there is actually a title; they give up their family names when they join the Order. Not that Jacob had any family name to give up; he was given to the order as an infant.

He's a tall, rangy man who wears a duster with stylized six-rayed 'sparks' embossed on the back and lapels. (The symbol of the Order.) He's never without his shotgun and a pistol. Cleaning the former, daily, is quite literally a religious ritual for him.

Kendermage, I'm assuming that Wild West has some sort of feat for quick-drawing? EDIT: Never mind, I forgot about the existing Quick-Draw general feat.

EDIT: By the way, Ward when used by Kindlers hedges out 'unnatural' beings. Undead count, as do certain kinds of monster that could be argued not to be part of the Maker's plan; outsiders probably do not count, though, as they plainly have the spark. (Yes, some undead are intelligent, but that doesn't count. Kindlers would say they are just cunning fakes.)

[The Shadow]

Huh. I just realized that unlike Heart Shaping, Calm requires mental contact - and Mind Touch is all wrong for Kindlers. (Though mental grappling would fit right in...) What to do about this, Mr. Narrator sir?

One thing I've done in other campaigns is rule that you can take a mental contact power with the ability to Mind Touch "built in" - but you can only use it to establish contact for purposes of the power, not for communication or the like. It still takes an extra action to establish contact, just as if you were using Mind Touch.

Honestly, I don't know why Calm is treated so differently from Heart Shaping. It's not like it's more powerful. In M&M they're lumped into a single power.

[Kendermage]

Looking good Shadow. I'm all for your interpretation of the Calm power imbued with a hint of Mental Contact. Calm gives a Will save anyway doesn't it? So it seemingly would police itself even without the mental contact requirement.

Yeah I never knew why Calm or even Bliss are separate powers when both functions could easily be handled by Heart Shaping.

[The Shadow]

In the course of writing up Jacob's bio, I had further thoughts about Techne.

The ancient language of the faith is Helgrae (basically Greek), a language renowned for philosophy and classical literature. That's what their holy books are written in. However, I have the impression that Techne built on a previous faith, somewhat the same way that Christianity built upon Judaism; that's why the Kindlers I've come up with all have names that, in the real world, would come from Hebrew. The original faith that Techne grew out of was monotheistic and emphasized the role of a Creator, but did not include the idea of the Great Machine - that was the unique Technian contribution.

Techne strikes me as a faith that could appeal to dwarves just as much as humans. I'm not sure if there are any mixed-race Kindler communities, but it's an interesting thought.

On another note, I'm having trouble picturing Jacob in armor. That worries me a little, given how lethal True20 can be at times, but armor just strikes me as very un-Western. Any thoughts on this?

His stats are nearly done; I hope to have him up by tonight. Do we have a big enough group to start?

[Kendermage]

Shadow,

I'm loving what you are doing with the Techne. I too can certainly see how it would appeal to dwarves. Perhaps there is a fundamentalist sect which pervaded dwarven culture and which has trickled down out of the mountain into the human lands. Humans as whole might be more agnostic, than religious which could make for a nice schism between the kindlers and the average joe. We could certainly come up with a mixed race community maybe in the foothills between the human territories and dwarven territories.

Yeah, even with the alternative damage rules, True20 combat is still damned deadly. You could rule that the duster he wears functions as leather armor (+1 toughness); not much in the scheme of things but might keep him alive. Without armor things can get really deadly. Maybe the answer to it is to have some sort of scaling toughness bonus, every 4 levels or some such.

[The Shadow]

I'm loving what you are doing with the Techne. I too can certainly see how it would appeal to dwarves. Perhaps there is a fundamentalist sect which pervaded dwarven culture and which has trickled down out of the mountain into the human lands. Humans as whole might be more agnostic, than religious which could make for a nice schism between the kindlers and the average joe. We could certainly come up with a mixed race community maybe in the foothills between the human territories and dwarven territories.

Heh. Whether or not most humans in general are agnostic, one suspects that most humans *in Karson* play a bit fast and loose with the eternal verities. :) As the old saying went in the real world: "West of the Pecos there is no law. West of El Paso there is no God." :)

I suspect that, much like our West, there are plenty of places in Karson that would appreciate a preacher to come by and give 'em religion every so often. But listening to those sermons don't necessarily translate into, shall we say, a change of heart once the preacher leaves...

EDIT: As for dwarves, perhaps the original monotheistic religion was dwarven and spread to humans; while Techne is a much later development that arose in human lands and then spread back to the dwarves.

Yeah, even with the alternative damage rules, True20 combat is still damned deadly. You could rule that the duster he wears functions as leather armor (+1 toughness); not much in the scheme of things but might keep him alive. Without armor things can get really deadly. Maybe the answer to it is to have some sort of scaling toughness bonus, every 4 levels or some such.

I considered treating the duster as leather armor. But technically, without Light Armor Training, that'd also give him -1 to *all* Str and Dex rolls, including to-hit, and I'm already hurting for feats. (I hate making 1st level characters. :) They're so darn limited.) Hmm, maybe I should trade in Point Blank Shot for either Canny Dodge or Defensive Roll. Or perhaps put off taking a power until 2nd level.

How about I just post what I've got so far, and you can advise me on where to tweak.

[The Shadow]

Name: Jacob Kindler
Quote: "Mebbe you can take me. Mebbe not; I don't yet know. But there is one thing I surely do know: Unlike you, I have no fear of death."

Concept (Role): Kindler 1 (see design notes, below)
Background: Human
Abilities: Str +0, Dex +3, Con +0, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha +1, Spd ft.
Core Ability: Fearless
Initiative: +3
Combat: Attack +3 (+0 base, +3 Dex)
Defense: Dodge/Parry +3/+0 (+0 base, +3 Dex/+0 Str)
Saving Throws: Toughness +2 (+0 Con, +0 Tough, +1 armor), Fortitude +1 (+1 base, +0 Con), Reflex +3 (+0 base, +3 Dex), Will +3 (+1 base, +2 Wis)
Conviction: +3; Virtue: Honest, Vice: Inflexible
Reputation: +1

Non-Lethal Damage: Bruised (0), Dazed (6), Staggered (11), Unconscious (16)
Lethal Damage: Hurt (0), Wounded (6), Disabled (11), Dying (16), Dead
Fatigue: Winded, Fatigued, Exhausted

Skills:

Diplomacy +5 (4 ranks)
Intimidate +5 (4 ranks)
K: Theology +3 (3 ranks)
Language (2 ranks)
Medicine +6 (4 ranks)
Perform: Oratory +5 (4 ranks)
Sense Motive +6 (4 ranks)
Survival +5 (3 ranks)

Favored Feats: Favored Opponent (Warrior) and Widen Power (Adept)

Feats:

Dedicated: Slaves and the abolition of slavery
Fascinate (Oratory)
Firearms Training
Point Blank Shot

Powers: (Wis-based, 4 ranks, save difficulty 13)

Calm

Languages: Karsonite (native), Wokia, Helgrae

Weapons: The rifle and pistol are from the Warrior's Handbook.

Bolt Rifle (.30) (+5, 20/+3, range increment 60 ft)
Revolver (.45) (+4, 20/+3, range increment 15 ft)
Holdout knife (+1, 19-20/+3, range increment 10 ft)

Armor:

Duster (masterwork leather jacket, +1 Toughness, no armor check penalty)

Possessions:

Bedroll, waterskin, trail rations, etc. Basic travel stuff.
Medical "toolkit"
"Horse", a warhorse

Wealth: 10 gold

Distinguishing Features/Mannerisms:

Mid-twenties. Black hair, slate-grey eyes, clean-shaven. Has a distinctive accent native to some spots in Karson. (Roughly Texan in Earth terms.) Travels very light.

Wears a brown duster with stylized six-rayed "sparks" embossed on the back and lapels. Also a wide-brimmed hat.

Never lies. But by no means does he always tell the full truth.

Completely unflappable. Never raises his voice, never startled. Doesn't make idle threats. Adrenaline can make him snarl a little, but that's about it. Distantly polite in a somewhat old-fashioned style. But he can be an effective public speaker when he puts his mind to it.

His shotgun is the equivalent of a religious icon. It is precious to him, though not irreplaceable. Cleaning it daily is a prayerful exercise. So is shooting people with it, if they have it coming.

Slavery doesn't exist for him - he refuses to acknowledge its existence. This is not an act; it is a strategy that helps prevent him from shooting slavers and slave owners (especially the crueler ones) on sight. Also, it can act as a handy escalator to violence if he does see a chance. :) (This is one of the very few things he gets really passionate about. You can tell because he gets even quieter and more still and impassive than usual.)

Likes books and discussing learned topics, even though his own studies have necessarily been rather focussed. Fond of obscure quotations.

Bio:

He was given as an infant to the Order of Kindlers, and that is the only family he has ever known. (I leave his biological family in the Narrator's capable hands. Feel free to bring on the drama.) He is totally committed to his role as a Kindler. Jacob has been a field agent for about a year now, and shows great promise.

His old novice master (Daniel Trainer) is the closest thing to a father he has; he wants to make him proud much more than he is capable of admitting to himself or anyone else.

There a couple other Kindlers of his age that he has history with: Micah Kindler was his close friend growing up. Though their paths don't cross much any more, when they do it's as if no time has passed.

Noah Kindler was a rival; there's bad blood between them, as much as there can be between two Kindlers. Noah thinks Jacob's obsession with slavery is an obvious (and contemptible) giving-way to emotionalism. Jacob for his part thinks Noah is out for the main chance more than the spark. (They're both probably partly right and partly wrong.) If they meet up, they are honor-bound to cooperate, but it'll be strained. Micah doesn't care much for Noah either - he always stood up for his friend - but doesn't have the same animosity Jacob does. (One thing all three of them share in common is a tremendous respect and love for Daniel.)

Note that Kindlers are a pretty reserved and formal bunch, especially in public. While in private Jacob and Micah would embrace and call each other 'brother', in public it would be a handshake and "Micah Kindler, well met." Someone who didn't know Jacob well wouldn't be able to tell the difference between his greeting to Micah and that to Noah; those who did would notice a tiny smile for the former and teeth a bit clenched for the latter. (In private, Jacob and Noah would probably keep up the formality as a deliberate rejection and insult.) Likewise, all three of them, and the others from their novice days, would almost certainly address Daniel as "Mr. Trainer."

Design Notes:

His Calm power has a limited form of Mind Touch built in.

See the Planning thread for details on the Kindler role. I've changed the powers to Medium, Narrow and his skills to 6 + Int per level - he needed more skills. So the Kindler is now basically the Dino-Pirates Generalist, only with Fearless instead of Ultimate Trait.

Since Fearless is a core ability of somewhat limited use, I'm putting my trust in the Narrator to give opportunities to let it shine.

[The Shadow]

Darnit. I just realized that in switching to 6 skills per rank and changing Int to 0, he doesn't have additional starting languages any more. I really hate building 1st level characters... :)

[Kendermage]

Everything looks good thus far. In order to get your bonus languages my suggestion is take a rank each off two skills and use them to purchase the langauges. I'm pretty flexible.

[Kendermage]

Okay now here is the big question. I am going to assume that the two characters know each other. I'll leave it to the two of you to decide what the exact relationship is.

[The Shadow]

Okay now here is the big question. I am going to assume that the two characters know each other. I'll leave it to the two of you to decide what the exact relationship is.

OK, well... Clearly elf23's dwarf is heavily involved in technological research. That makes him almost a holy figure in Jacob's eyes, especially if he's a decent fellow on top of that. (And he seems to be, with a virtue of "Noble".) Meanwhile, Kindlers are not an everyday sight anywhere, and are fairly respected. So if they're in the same area, it would seem likely that they'd know each other by reputation at least.

I don't know the dwarf's history or motivations, but if he has any leanings toward Techne at all, they'd be off to a fine start. It may be that they've run into each other here and there and had a grand old time talking shop. (Jacob isn't explicitly trained in the sciences, but he follows tech news, shall we say, religiously. :) Perhaps they got interrupted one time by a tavern brawl and had a satisfying evening knocking heads together... then sat back down to continue their talk? :) That might well have spawned a minor legend in that town.

P.S. Zoing! This is an idea that simply wouldn't work at 1st level, but at some point, if Jacob makes a sufficient name for himself as a Kindler, I could see him becoming a Wild West James Bond - going back to base for Q-Division to give him new "high"-tech gear. :) Heck, maybe elf23's dwarf evolves someday into *being* Q!

EDIT: How about your soldier NPC, Kendermage? Should we have history with him too?