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The Dresden Files => DFRPG => Topic started by: KnightFerrous on June 30, 2010, 07:58:54 AM

Title: Any mention of Redcaps in cannon?
Post by: KnightFerrous on June 30, 2010, 07:58:54 AM
So my group is finally getting to a Dresden files game. During an information session where we discussed character ideas and the world in general all four of my fleshed out character ideas where made impossible or useless to play by what my group is playing. What brings me here is that as a replacement idea I've come up with what I think is an interesting take on the Redcaps. For the life of me I cannot remember if they've ever been mentioned in the books or short stories. So I'm looking for someone to either show me where they are mentioned or enough people to tell me I'm in the clear. Thanks in advance for your help.


For anyone who is interested the idea I had was that being a Redcap was a job with supernatural perks like the Valkyrie, mortals who are imbued with bit of power to do the work. I picture them as being essentially muscle for hire, the blue collar killer of the NeverNever. The template I am working on is Inhuman strength and toughness(cold iron) and wizards constitution as base abilities, with two items of power: iron shod boots that grant supernatural speed, and a sling that shoots elf shot(breath weapon). Any thoughts on the template are also appreciated.
Title: Re: Any mention of Redcaps in cannon?
Post by: Deadmanwalking on June 30, 2010, 08:57:23 AM
Nope. They may be mentioned vaguely, but we've never seen one so you're good to go.

Personally, I'd handle 'em something like this to get the character you appear to want:

Inhuman Strength [-2]
Inhuman Toughness [-2]
Inhuman Recovery [-2]
The Catch is Cold Iron [+3]

Item of Power (Iron Boots) [+2]
Supernatural Speed [-4]

Item of Power (Elfshot Sling) [+0]
Is What It Is: Weapon: 2 using the Weapons skill [-0]
True Strike [-1]
Deadly: +2 Weapon Rating (for a total of Weapon: 4) [-1]

That totals out to a Weapon: 6 sling with Inhuman Strength, and costs -7 Refresh. And yes, a sling really is a base Weapon: 2, those things are deadly. If it's a Submerged game, I'd be tempted to add the Red Cap itself as an Item of Power granting something. Maybe Blood Drinker and Supernatural Recovery with Feeding Dependency (Blood).
Title: Re: Any mention of Redcaps in cannon?
Post by: Wyrdrune on June 30, 2010, 01:39:31 PM
aaahh, the redcaps...

i too was thinking about using them in my campaign, and i wanted to have scene like in the old wagner comic "mage: the hero discovered". ugly little nasties...
Title: Re: Any mention of Redcaps in cannon?
Post by: Nostri on June 30, 2010, 04:49:57 PM
Do all fae have to have "The Catch is Cold Iron" in the Dresdenverse? I wonder this because redcaps are most commonly described as wearing iron boots and wielding iron pikes, axes and hooks. I don't really know what to replace the catch with though something to do with the dyeing of their hats in fresh blood to maintain their power might be good.

They also are described as "Inescapable". Once a redcap begins to hunt you there isn't a way to avoid being found. Maybe model that as some kind of tracking power or even give them Inhuman Speed?
Title: Re: Any mention of Redcaps in cannon?
Post by: gaelvin on June 30, 2010, 05:11:52 PM
I posted this a while ago on another thread. Obviously I put this together as an NPC monster, but I did a bit of research so the basic information is there. My work-around for the cold iron thing is to say that their boots are "metal-shod." We know that there are faerie metals, and who's to say some of them don't appear to be iron even though they're actually something else?

REDCAP

HIGH CONCEPT: Gruesome Faerie Killer

SKILLS
Alertness: Average +1
Athletics: Good +4
Deceit: Fair +2
Endurance: Fair +3
Fists: Average +1
Might: Good +3
Stealth: Fair +2
Weapons: Great +4

POWERS
Faerie Item (+2) Woolen Cap; Must be dyed in fresh blood; Tied to the following powers:
    Inhuman Strength (-2)
    Supernatural Speed (-4)
Glamours (-2)
Inhuman Recovery (-2)
Inhuman Toughness (-2)
The Catch (+3) is cold iron and such

STRESS
Physical OOO(OO), Armor 1
    Social OO  Mental OO

NOTES
Redcaps are solitary, goblin-like wildfae, who tend to haunt ruins in borderlands, like Northern England/Southern Scotland, where they prey upon travelers. They carry halberds and long knives, and they wear heavy, metal-shod boots, but they are swift and difficult to elude. The woolen caps, from which they get their name, are dyed in the blood of their victims. Rumor has it that if their bloody headgear ever dries out, they will die. This may or may not be true, but it is certain that they gain some power from their gruesome hats. If one were to snatch the cap from its head, a Redcap would be weakened, though it would still be far from harmless.

TOTAL REFRESH COST: -7

FAERIE ITEM
The Faerie Item power provides a base +1 refresh bonus. A number of powers are tied to the item, in much the same way as an Item of Power. As long as the Faerie Item is in the faerie's possession, it has access to the related powers. If the Item is lost or stolen, the related powers are lost until this Item is recovered.

If there is an action which the faerie must perform on a regular basis to empower the Item, apply an additional +1 refresh bonus.

Powers tied to a Faerie Item are usually not available to anyone but its rightful owner. However, if someone other than the rightful owner is in possession of a Faerie Item, they often gain a measure of control over the faerie owner. If a Faerie Item works in this way, apply an additional +1 refresh bonus.
Title: Re: Any mention of Redcaps in cannon?
Post by: theDwarf on July 03, 2010, 06:30:31 PM
One concept people don't seem to have considered ... Fae as are so far defined are those of the Summer and Winter Courts (Seelie & UnSeelie), so who says the Erlking and his type must have the same weaknesses?  Nevernever is very large and contains beings other than the Fae and so on.

But that is not the only possibility.  There are other mythologies besides Celtic/German/Britain.

Norse mythology is also very rich and tends to have different "banes".  A point to consider is that dwarves, goblins, gnomes, Redcaps, and even some trolls (possibly differentiated by calling them Trow) are of Norse origin and especially Norse dwarves (Dvergar) were known for working iron. Collectively they are referred to as Vaettir or "Wights" and include Alfar, Dvergar, Jotnar, Aesir, and Vanir. They could be arranged by "courts" of Svartalfar and Ljosalfar and correspond roughly to Autumn and Spring respectively (or vice versa, or be independent). Svartalfar are known for "problems" with sunlight and generally include Dvergar, Goblins, and Trolls (Trow) as well as actual Dark Elves (Black Elves ... skin the color of pooled blood ... which is why Hel is half "black" and half white ... aka she resembles a corpse that was laying on one side).

There is a lot that could be done with Norse Mythology and a number of others including Persian, African, Chinese, and so forth.
Title: Re: Any mention of Redcaps in cannon?
Post by: gaelvin on July 06, 2010, 11:13:16 PM
In the end, it comes down to how much you (and your group) want to hold to the mythology of the DF setting as designed by JB.

Harry states several times in the books that Faerie inhabits the parts of the Nevernever closest to our reality, and is inhabited by those beings with the strongest ties/interests in our world. I'd say there's evidence that any faerie-like beings from other folklore traditions are actually treated as faeries, with the same weaknesses, based on Harry's comments about the Svartalf smiths,
(click to show/hide)
in Changes. Also, I believe Harry used steel barbed-wire to make the circle he used to summon and bind the Erlking, specifically because it was "cold iron," and thus added another level of symbolic restraint. So far, it seems that only ghosts, gods, angels and demons (and Outsiders) are the only beings from the Nevernever to appear in the Books so far, which do not have Faerie weaknesses.

Having said that, there's no reason why anyone's game must adhere to these conventions.