Another sample characters thread (Young Wardens)

[crusher_bob]

Since Deadmanwalking has said he doesn't want other people dumping into his Sample characters thread, I've started this one for my own.

There are several references to 'young wardens' that work for both Harry and Carlos, and how, while technically wardens, they aren't ready for the big time yet.  Here's my take on three of them.  They are made with refresh 10, but only 25 skill points to represent their inexperience.  While they technically have plenty of magical power, they don't really have the experience to take on some of the nastier things out there that usually swing in this weight class.  Also, the characters have problems that would probably have prevented they from being made wardens in less desperate times, but that's what you get when you start scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Here's the chronological order of the novels:
Unknown Perpetrators
Higher Education
Passing through Paradise
Thin Grey Line

And our first young warden:

Byron Hall

Background:
Byron was born to a single mom living in the housing projects.  Tired of a life of grinding poverty, he joined a gang as the only method of advancement open to him.  Of course, the glamour of being in a gang is just a mask for adding more violence to your life of grinding poverty.

Aspect: Being poor is knowing exactly how much everything costs

Rising Conflict:
After a series of events that Byron will take the Fifth Amendment on, he ended up with a large amount of cocaine, which he intended to use with his newly discovered magical abilities to really start going places.  The Wardens arrived a few minutes before the police did, and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Aspect: It’s better than prison

First Novel: Thin Grey Line
The young wardens are committed to their first major battle: a raid against a hive of ghouls.  When the ghouls use enchanted devices to split up the attacking force of Wardens, the trainees are left without the backing of the few more experienced wardens.  All three young wardens are seriously wounded.  Byron is able to protect Jing-Wei long enough for her to use her staff to tear apart the enchanted devices the ghouls used to split up the wardens.

Aspect: You can’t stop a man who knows he’s in the right, and just keeps a coming.

Guest Star: Unknown Perpetrators
Just out of training, Jing-Wei takes the time out to visit some of her old haunts with murder on her mind.  Concerned about her mental state, Bryon follows after her.  Byron is able to talk her out of breaking the first law, and shows her how wardens should deal with monsters protected by the law: by shooting them.

Aspect: Abashed the Devil stood and felt how awful goodness is.

Guest Star: Higher Education
Investigating the disappearance of several homeless people, Byron discovers that Matthew is working the same case from the other end: a college fraternity that seems to have added human sacrifice to its hazing rituals.  Byron becomes committed to protecting the poor and downtrodden from this kind of thing, with all the prejudice that is required.

Aspect: A shepherd among wolves

Aspects:
High Concept: Wizard from the ‘hood
Trouble: Power that can’t make the world a better place ain’t no kind of power at all
Other:
Being poor is knowing exactly how much everything costs
It’s better than prison
You can’t stop a man who knows he’s in the right, and just keeps a coming.
Abashed the Devil stood and felt how awful goodness is.
A shepherd among wolves

Skills:
Great:      Discipline
Good:      Contacts, Conviction, Intimidation
Fair:      Alertness, Guns, Investigation, Lore
Average:   Athletics, Burglary, Endurance, Presence

Stunts:
-1   Resilient Self-Image
-1   I Know Just the Guy

Powers
-1   The Sight
-0   Soulgaze
-0   Wizard’s Constitution
-3   Evocation
-3   Thaumaturgy

Refresh Penalty -9

Specializations:
Evocation (Fire, Earth, Spirit, +1 Fire Power)
Thaumaturgy (+1 Tracking Complexity)

Stuff:
Crystal Orb (Focus Item, +2 Offensive fire control)
Wrist Guard (Focus Item, +1 Defensive fire power and control)

Seriously sawed-off shotgun (Weapon: 3)

Stress:
Mental: OOOO (+1 Minor Mental Consequences)
Physical: OOO
Social: OOO
Armor:  Usually none

 

[Papa Gruff]

I don't know about your skill box...

Are you sure about putting Lore only up to Fair? This is a very important skill for a Wizard. In my opinion you should consider lowering Intimidation and/or Contacts in favor of Lore and Alertness. After all you want to play a Warden Wizard of the Wight Council. How will you know about the supernatural baddies when you are without a decent knowledge of the Lore? And how will you get the better of your opponents when they lie in ambush and you don't see them coming because of a low level of Alertness?

The idea behind Byron is, that he is powerful yet unexperienced, ye? If that is why the Lore is low, then never mind what I said before. But if my understanding of the character idea is true, then why is his Discipline higher than his Conviction? Shouldn't it be the other way around? As fare as I understand it: Conviction resembles power and Discipline resembles control. Imo what your sheet currently reflects is a PC with rather nice control of his powers but without a lot of juice to use that control.

If you are going for that everything is cool.

[crusher_bob]

Here's the second of the three young wardens:

Xiao Jing-Wei

Background:
What happens to a teenaged girl sold to the local crime syndicate to cover her father’s gambling debts?  Nothing good.  It seems like a most unlikely string of coincidences that she survived until her 16th birthday.  And when you start getting visions of all the bad things that could be happening to you in the next few moments, It doesn’t help matters.

Aspect: My life has killed the dream I dreamed

Rising Conflict:
A wizard who just happened to be passing down the street where Jing-Wei was selling herself happened to notice her talents.  After an awkward conversation on the wizard’s part, Jing-Wei was shown a whole different world, where hope might exist after all.

Aspect: Even the impossible happens sometimes

First Novel: Unknown Perpetrators
After completing her training, Jing-Wei completed her training, she returned to her old haunts to… take out some garbage.  Byron, guessing what she had in mind followed her.  A series of shouting matches between them climaxes in the loudest shouting match yet, where Jing-Wei is preparing to execute judgment on several human monsters.  The Wardens are there to kill the monsters aren’t they?  Byron convinces her that her life is worth something beyond what her past has made her.  And then he shows her how wardens deal with that kind of monster.  Solution so simple, why didn’t I think of that?

Aspect: I am who I choose to be

Guest Star: Passing through Paradise
While patrolling one of the marked ways though the nevernever, she and Matthew are forced off the path, and into a realm where your nightmares and fears are made real.  Some clues indicate to Jing-Wei that her future self may be interfering in early events in her life.  But is that because she fears that this is so, or because it’s the truth?  Near the end the novel, Jing-Wei catches a bolt of lightning, turning it into an item of power.

Aspect: You’ve caught the lightning, aye.  What now?

Guest Star: Thin Grey Line
The junior wardens are committed to their first major combat operation against ghouls.  Jing-Wei is seriously wounded because she makes herself a target for several ghouls, after all she is much better protected than many of her compatriots.  Despite her wounds, Jing-Wei is able to counter the magic of the ghouls, allowing for the wardens to link back up and win the battle.

Aspect: Miles to go before I sleep

Aspects:
High Concept: Warden Enchantress
Trouble: What is sold too cheap is esteemed too lightly
Other:
My life has killed the dream I dreamed
Even the impossible happens sometimes
I am who I choose to be
You’ve caught the lightning, aye.  What now?
Miles to go before I sleep

Skills:
Great:      Lore
Good:      Deceit, Discipline, Presence
Fair:      Conviction, Investigation, Rapport, Scholarship
Average:   Alertness, Athletics, Endurance, Resources

Powers
-1   The Sight
-0   Soulgaze
-0   Wizard’s Constitution
-1   2 seconds into the future
Jing-Wei can use her Lore skill to get a reasonably accurate picture of events 1-2 seconds ahead of now (limited to what she will personally experience in those moments). She may roll her Lore skill to defend against physical or social attacks or maneuvers.
-3   Evocation
-3   Thaumaturgy

Chained Lightning (Item of Power, staff)
You’d think that a lightning bolt would have been trapped with air or earth magic.  Nope, raw force is what holds this lightning bolt in staff form.  You can also fly around on it like the classical witch's broom.
+2   Item of Power
-1   Flight
-2   Refinement

Refresh Penalty -9

Specializations:
Evocation (Spirit, Air, Water) +1 Spirit Power (additional +1 Spirit Power, +1 Spirit Control w/ Chained Lightning)
Thaumaturgy (+1 Crafting Complexity)

Stuff:
Chained Lightning, magical Abilities
Spell Breaker (2 slots, 7 counterspell, 3 times/session)
Blinding Radiance (2 slots, Area 1, power 5 maneuver, 3 times/session)
--
Lucky Dictionary (Enchanted Item, 2 Slots, 7 block or 3 armor, 3 times/session)
Enchanter’s Loupe (Focus Item, +2 crafting complexity)
2 Potion Slots

Stress:
Mental: OOO
Physical: OOO
Social: OOOO
Armor:  Lucky Dictionary, armor 3 sometimes.

[crusher_bob]

I don't know about your skill box...

Are you sure about putting Lore only up to Fair? This is a very important skill for a Wizard. In my opinion you should consider lowering Intimidation and/or Contacts in favor of Lore and Alertness. After all you want to play a Warden Wizard of the Wight Council. How will you know about the supernatural baddies when you are without a decent knowledge of the Lore? And how will you get the better of your opponents when they lie in ambush and you don't see them coming because of a low level of Alertness?

The idea behind Byron is, that he is powerful yet unexperienced, ye? If that is why the Lore is low, then never mind what I said before. But if my understanding of the character idea is true, then why is his Discipline higher than his Conviction? Shouldn't it be the other way around? As fare as I understand it: Conviction resembles power and Discipline resembles control. Imo what your sheet currently reflects is a PC with rather nice control of his powers but without a lot of juice to use that control.

If you are going for that everything is cool.

Remember that the young wardens were probably picked up at 14-16, and officially completed their training at around 19 or 20.  So they've had only a few years to actually learn wizard related stuff, and most of their training seemed to have been focused on combat evocation.  The assumption is that most members of the white council aren't very good at combat evocations at all, so anyone with reasonable ability is drafter, trained, and thrown into the meat grinder.

Also, since the characters are all wizards, they need to be set up so they highlight different strengths and weaknesses of wizards.  Byron is discipline primary, Jing-Wei is Lore primary, and Matthew is Conviction primary.

[Deadmanwalking]

Personally, I think normal Chest Deep or maybe even Submerged characters are more than inexperienced enough (at least compared to Harry and Carlos) without adding in new power levels. To do these characters specifically, I'd likely go Submerged (and note that they're quite good for their age), since Refrsh 10 seems fairly vital to certain concepts. Really they're likely to be one level better at all magic skills and have a few more supporting ones, it wouldn't be that different.

Molly, even pre-Full Wizard status is a Chest Deep character around Small Favor, and she's almost certainly had less training and experience than even baby Wardens.

That said, aside from that issue these look really good, though (as a pure terminology issue) you have Crafting Strength not Crafting Complexity.

[crusher_bob]

Here's the last of the young wardens:

Matthew Rhodes

Background:
Mathew had everything the American dream promises loving parents, good looks, skill at football, you name it.  And for someone who was so obviously blessed, how could you not have strong faith in providence?

Aspect: All American Kid

Rising Conflict:
When Matthew’s high school sweetheart is nabbed by a black court vampire, Matthew garlics up to go after it.  After all, Dracula tells you everything you need to know, right?  And how can you fail with God on your side?  Gods lends a hand by having a warden show up to help out a young guy in way over his head. 

Aspect: I do not come to bring peace, but a sword

First Novel:  Higher Education
One of Matthew’s friends from high, who is starting college, starts acting oddly.  Matthew investigates the fraternity his friend has joined, seems something bad is going on there.  Byron, who has been investigating several disappearances in the city’s homeless also follows the clues to the fraternity.  They fraternity brothers had cut a deal with some sort of demon, 1 human sacrifice in exchange for 4 years of smooth sailing and it’s not like those homeless guys were worth anything anyway, right?  Matthew gives his dream of going to college to play football to fight the good fight.

Aspect: Made mighty by sacrifice

Guest Star: Passing through Paradise
While Matthew and Jing-Wei are patrolling a way through the nevernever, they are forced off the path into a realm of nightmares, where your fears are made real.  Matthew gives into his fears and doubts his faith, until Jing-Wei reminds him that the lord helps those who help themselves.

Aspect: It is fear, not death that slays

Guest Star: Thin Grey Line
The young wardens are committed to their first major battle, against ghouls.  The ghouls use enchanted objects to split the warden war party.  Matthew is trapped in a magical maze, with several things chasing him.  Wizards of a less straightforward frame of mind might have been defeated by the mazes complexity.  Instead, Mathew notices that the maze’s walls are made of stone…  After knocking down several walls to escape the maze, Matthew is able to arrive just in time to supply Jing-Wei with some needed first aid.

Aspect: It's not that I'm smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer

Aspects:
High Concept: Faithful Wizard
Trouble: To whom much is given, much is expected
Other:
All American Kid
I do not come to bring peace, but a sword
Made mighty by sacrifice
It is fear, not death that slays
It's not that I'm smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer

Skills:
Great:      Conviction
Good:      Athletics, Discipline, Endurance
Fair:      Empathy, Lore, Rapport, Weapons
Average:   Alertness, Investigation, Presence, Stealth

Powers
-1   The Sight
-0   Soulgaze
-0   Wizard’s Constitution
-3   Evocation
-2   Ritual
-1   Refinement

-1   Bless This House
-1   Guide my Hand

Refresh Penalty -9

Specializations:
Evocation (Earth, Water, Spirit, +1 Earth Power, +2 Earth Control)
Ritual (Wards)

Stuff:
Holy Water Sprinkler (Focus Item, +1 warding complexity)
Mail Glove (Focus Item, +1 Defensive Earth power and control)

Tire Iron (or similar) (Weapon: 2)

Stress:
Mental: OOOO
Physical: OOOO
Social: OOO
Armor:  usually none

[crusher_bob]

My problem with chest deep is that if you have an expensive template, like wizard, then that is all you can afford.  There's no real room for any customization there.  At 10 refresh, you can have a few stunts, or some refinement, or something, or you can just have a higher refresh if you want to.  But at submerged, you have a very high skill total.  If I made the young wardens up with 35 skill points, but still limited them to 1 or 2 great level skills for thematic reasons, they each end up having the majority of the skills in the game!  (2 greats, 4 goods, 5 fairs, 5 average they'd each have 16 of the 25? skills in the game)  Otherwise, some drafted teenagers just happened to be totally awesome at the skills needed by wizards.

If I can come up with some concepts in the next few days, I'll try to get some low refresh, high skill characters posted up too.

[horvagab]

I have a character idea, another Young Warden, could I post it up here?

[crusher_bob]

Sure, just remember to mention the skill total you are using.

[TheMouse]

Byron Hall

I'm sorry that I cannot at this moment comment on the rest of your work, as I'm driven to distraction by the fact that you've named your first dude after the author of FATAL. *shudder*

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, consider yourselves blessed. Don't try to find out. Seriously. Go about your lives knowing that you're saner and happier without this bit of knowledge seared into your brain.

[Deadmanwalking]

I'm sorry that I cannot at this moment comment on the rest of your work, as I'm driven to distraction by the fact that you've named your first dude after the author of FATAL. *shudder*

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, consider yourselves blessed. Don't try to find out. Seriously. Go about your lives knowing that you're saner and happier without this bit of knowledge seared into your brain.

Oooh, good point.

And it's not so bad knowing of it's existence if you find the review they did on RPGnet. The humor softens the blow of the game's horror. On the other hand, there's no reson to actually read the game and it will scar you. Permanently. I speak from bitter personal experience.

[crusher_bob]

Stunt
Author of FATAL
Against those who are aware of the darkness you have brought forth, your social attacks inflict mental, rather than social stress.

 

But I just picked the names out of the hat, the references I did put in there are all in aspects or book titles.

[SaintAndSinner]

Personally, I think normal Chest Deep or maybe even Submerged characters are more than inexperienced enough (at least compared to Harry and Carlos) without adding in new power levels. To do these characters specifically, I'd likely go Submerged (and note that they're quite good for their age), since Refrsh 10 seems fairly vital to certain concepts. Really they're likely to be one level better at all magic skills and have a few more supporting ones, it wouldn't be that different.

Molly, even pre-Full Wizard status is a Chest Deep character around Small Favor, and she's almost certainly had less training and experience than even baby Wardens.

That said, aside from that issue these look really good, though (as a pure terminology issue) you have Crafting Strength not Crafting Complexity.

This is my impression also.  I'd let them go this far since without it they'll have a lot of trouble filling out a wizard template. 

[JosephKell]

Here's the second of the three young wardens:
Xiao Jing-Wei
...
Powers
...
-1   2 seconds into the future
Jing-Wei can use her Lore skill to get a reasonably accurate picture of events 1-2 seconds ahead of now (limited to what she will personally experience in those moments). She may roll her Lore skill to defend against physical or social attacks or maneuvers.
...

You just put three trappings onto 1 skill.  That is the equivalent of 3 mortal stunts.  There has to be a major downside to be getting a 2 refresh discount.  Maybe each time you decide to defend with Lore, you suffer a (stacking) -1 penalty to your actions on your next exchange (due to sorting the distractions).

A Trouble Aspect I think would be perfect on a newbie Warden being too "textbook" about things.  Like Ilyana in the AAAA Wizards story asking if Kat was under surveillance because she suffered a traumatic event (constantly sensing her Uncle's psychic trauma from work), was young, and was a (doubly) talented mortal.  I just can't think of a way to phrase this idea.  Maybe "Protocol Impasse?"  "Ruled by Rules?"  "Warden (Morgan?) Tunnel Vision?"

[crusher_bob]

It one of the abilities that one of the Ordo Lebes women, Abby, has in 'Our World'.  It probably is slightly overpowered though.

Though it's 2 stunts not 3.  Skill substitution for defense x2.