Er... standard fees for a healer to cast CLW on someone are 10 gold, and that's only if there's a cleric around. Paying a cleric to cast Neutralize Poison is around 280 gp—so Antitoxin is a bit of a better deal.
You're not offering potion services for nearly-free to everyone you meet—that would seriously upset local economies, and possibly change how medicine works across an entire county. The "idea of a witch seeing the sickness, and crafting the brew in an hour, then pouring it down poor Olaf's throat to bring him health" is one that would completely destroy a significant part of the game setting (healing magic is rare, as is magic period), and I'd leave that out of your "necessity" unless you're willing to throw in some spherecasting. Potions should be wondrous and rare, and alchemical items could account for that—but there's no reason you need Brew Potion at level 1 when you clearly wouldn't be able to afford it. (And even so—is there a reason Brew Potion couldn't work with Spheres of Power magic? You could base the cost on the number of spell points and/or talents involved)
As for gaining an investigator talent every level, that's pretty powerful—but you can also just duplicate the effect by taking "Additional Talent" every level. Most of the Alchemist discoveries an Investigator can't get are ones you don't want, because they apply to bombs, mutagens, or give you things like talking tumors and extra arms that aren't setting-appropriate.
Vagabond... I think you should consider things for a moment here.
Essentially, what you are asking is for me to allow you to take a class, and to take abilities in that class, that grants you access to a much larger list of magical effects than any other applicant in this game has been offered. Yes, you are generally limited to Sphere effects. That's intentional. That's the point. As a GM, I strive to be fair, and I could not say "Yes, take Alchemist and all of those effects" without also granting similar freedom to everyone else... and that completely invalidates my goal here, which is to run a Norse-themed game, complete with somewhat challenging restrictions on what's possible to play. MANY ideas do not work here.
I'm sorry you invested so much effort in your Alchemist idea, but I said in the very first post that Alchemy was unknown in the area, and that in general it was not a good idea for a character. Even reflavored, it would lose too much, and I don't think you'd ultimately enjoy playing it. I genuinely regret this, but I cannot accept that character idea.
You are, of course, welcome to work on a different character idea instead. ^^
@Thunderbeard: Brew Potion has a Spheres equivalent, and the book explains in detail how to make it work. It's totally possible.
Haraldr. That was all he knew about himself. Just a half-remembered voice calling that name over and over. Raised by a local tribe of the Bearsarkers, and devoting himself to Wotan, his life was filled with the hardships of living in the frozen wastes only broken by periods of battle against other tribes and invading monsters. Forsaking all familial relationships, his tribe became his family, the men and women he fought and bled with, lived and laughed with. It had been that way for many years, and even with all the difficulties, he enjoyed it.
That all changed when the Fire Nation attacked. That changed when a band of raiders from the Southlands attacked his tribe. It was chaos beyond everything he had ever seen. Wielding strange weapons and stranger magics, Haraldr knew he was going to die. Then it happened. A feeling of power welled beneath his chest, as though the hand of Wotan was thrust into him. It swelled, filling his entire being, before he found himself alone in the snow, the bodies of his friends and enemies as far as the eye can see and large bear tracks laying beneath his own feet.
For months after, he wandered the snows, a lone hermit with no home. He spent his time trying to understand his power, why it was he that Wotan blessed with this when his brothers and sisters were left to die. Finally, when his supplies became scarce and prey was far between, he found himself in the town of Silvermead Hall. He stayed for many days, taking a break from his wanderings. As he was deep in his drink, he was accosted by the younger son of a minor jarl. Forgetting himself, he lost control of his strength and slew the young man.
Originally given to the family of the man he killed, he was turned over to Jarl Olaf's service to make use of his skills on the field of battle. Keeping his god-given ability to himself, he eventually gained enough trust to be allowed his own weapon. Finally, he was sent back to Silvermead Hall by Jarl Olaf where this section of his life began, where he was to join with others.
Let me know what you think and if there's anything I need to work on.
I spent three weeks before the game started crafting a Dracomancer/Sorcerer character who focused on the ideas of Viking spirits and there creation myth involving the meeting of fire and ice, and who would be an Arcane thief with a geas compelling them to help out and would reform willingly as things progressed.
Boy, was I bummed when I twigged that wouldn't work.
Still, such is life, and the character has been tucked away for future use. Now I have a white-haired grapple monster possessed by a spirit of winter whose taken up a position as her familiar and mentor. I've even willingly dropped to a lower caster type because the concept didn't need high magic and it increased my chances of getting in.
Sometimes, we gotta bend to the game or find a different one.
@Thunderbeard: Well, it won't be entirely free- There'll be some tithes weekly or monthly to the local witch in the form of grain or food, but you don't see them handing over a handful of hacksilver, that isn't how a witch works- but it has to be that way if I want to craft stuff, due to how the crafting rules work.
As to offering it to people, generally, I'm not going to give them away to everyone. And, for the most part, I wouldn't really flavor it as healing magic- It would be more akin to drinking medicine to make you well again, or to bring a person back to health. I'm still, for the next two levels, limited to once per day. And, at least before the adventure begins, where I'm conscripted and/or trade my work for my life, I'm limited to a reletively small hut at the edge of the city. I'd grant them the potion if they ask, but the people are few and far between, and the potion is more useful to myself.
Not being able to afford it doesn't matter as much as not being able to do it in the first place. As for Brew Potion not working with spheres of magic, you have how they have their magic designed- Talent based system requires that you have the talent in question to make the magic item, which means that if I didn't want to focus my character on controling characters, I'd need to take two feats, called Artificery and Artificery (Greater) to not have to use them, and not have "Screw with minds" added to my witches abilities (Primarily focused on fate and life), and I'd rather not be stuck with that sphere on my list. A extract of, let's say, "Unnatural Lust" serves better than that, for the price of getting it cast, rather than an arm and a leg.
And while Poitions and healing are rare and excitable, so is a damn good herbalist- to the point where she, despite being fairly inexperienced, is one of the best.
As for a Investigator Talent every- dang, I said every level, huh? I intended to say every EVEN level. My apologies- That's far more balanced, and well worth the exchange of two class abilities. As for Alchemist Discoveries, Spontaneous healing and Healing Touch are two very nice ones, Malignant Poison and Poison Conversion are practically a must if I want to use poison effectively. Concentrate Poison is really nice if I go that route.
@GM Rednal: Well that makes me sad. As it is, I think a witch that brewed herbal remedies was perfectly setting appropriate, and it was merely the fact that it was a vatican caster that got in the way. As it was, she was a herbalist, not an alchemist, at her core, and I'm sorry to see her go.
If you have any recomendations for other classes that can help fufil the flavor I was looking for, feel free to recomend them, but, as it is, Alchemist was the only one I could find, and even that required significant refluffing.
My apologies if I seemed annoying- The concept was awesome, and I'm not one to give up easily when I have my mind set on something.
@JonGarrett: I know, and I am now bummed out. That doesn't mean I won't fight and reforge the idea until I can get the concept I wanted. As it is, I still can't see how a Herbalist would not mesh with the setting, especially with the changes I made.
@Vagabond: I just got my eyes on a bit of Spheres of Power, and there's a decent solution. Take Skilled Caster: Craft (alchemy), and Material Components (these are drawbacks that restrict the form of your spells in exchange for more spells per day). You're limited in your magic by the herbs you can find (generally similar to a spell component pouch—they don't cost anything, but you can only gather local herbs and things, so you might run out of spells in barren tundra), while Skilled Caster requires you to actively mix together/crush/chew etc. herbs in order to pull off a spell. Combine this with Life sphere, and you've effectively got a Chirurgeon—you could even use that for a "spherecasting" Alchemist or Investigator (I definitely recommend the latter).
@Vagabond: I just got my eyes on a bit of Spheres of Power, and there's a decent solution. Take Skilled Caster: Craft (alchemy), and Material Components (these are drawbacks that restrict the form of your spells in exchange for more spells per day). You're limited in your magic by the herbs you can find (generally similar to a spell component pouch—they don't cost anything, but you can only gather local herbs and things, so you might run out of spells in barren tundra), while Skilled Caster requires you to actively mix together/crush/chew etc. herbs in order to pull off a spell. Combine this with Life sphere, and you've effectively got a Chirurgeon—you could even use that for a "spherecasting" Alchemist or Investigator (I definitely recommend the latter).
Personally, I find the issue with that is that I can't just make them into a potion and hand them off to my allies, saying "Take one, chug it down."
If there was a feat, or a homebrew feat, which, I don't know, granted me the ability to that, it would go a long way, but probably not far enough. The best solution I can really think of, to make the perfect herbalist, is maybe trade bombs or the studied strike thing for maybe the Arcanists ability to trade spheres around, or something similar, for the Alchemist. Would go a long way to make a versatile character, and spellcrafting, if permitted to take less time, would go a bit further. Add in the homebrwe feat above, it's near perfect. But both of those are homebrew, and not likely to be accepted.
And I'm familiar with Spheres of Power, and I know the drawbacks one can take (I have taken them before.), as it is, I was hoping I wouldn't have to flavor the Witch abilities as herbalism, and more from her patron (I was trying to decide between Life or Death- Death seemed like the more interesting character to be bound to, and meshing the abilities of one who is bound by death would be neat).
Wait... is there any reason Brew Potion doesn't just get converted the way Scribe Scroll does? Limited number of spell points per potion, cost based on caster level, etc.?
If a creature has the Brew Potion feat, a heat source, and a few containers to mix liquids, they may expend magical components to create potions, oils, and dusts.
Like scrolls, a potion, oil, or dust is a magical effect stored in physical form. Unlike scrolls, any creature may use a potion, oil, or dust, a potion through drinking it, an oil by applying it to the target creature or object, or dust by throwing it over an area. Potions target the creature who drinks it (a range of personal), oils target the creature or object it is applied to (a range of touch), while dusts must be sprinkled (usually area affects).
Some abilities are impractical to make use of with a potion, oil, or dust (for example, a dust cannot have a range of Long, because it’s range would only extend as far as the person using it can throw). It is possible to place potion-like effects into other items as well (for example, a jewel that explodes when thrown or an apple that applies an effect when eaten, etc.).
Potions use the talent-based method of item creation. A potion’s base price is equal to 50 gp x the potion’s complexity x the potion’s caster level. The cost of materials to create a potion is 25 gp x the potion’s complexity x the potion’s caster level. If a potion, oil, or dust requires a saving throw, the DC is equal to 10 + 1/2 the caster level.
Potions also cost twice as much as scrolls (which is pretty prohibitively expensive in this set of resources), and max out at caster level 5. (The "maximum of level 3 spells" could be changed to "maximum of one spell point per potion," and if you can't get it until level 3, it's not that powerful). But definitely a GM call, and it doesn't affect me either way.
@Thunderbeard: Technically, Spheres' potion brewing doesn't have a max caster level... and honestly, it's less "you won't have the money to buy them" and more "nobody sells them". Crafting stuff yourself is a little more practical if you can get access to supplies (which may be possible if you can get trade agreements with someplace in the south...).
@Fury: Read the "How to Apply" section in the first post.
I did it! Here she is, hooray! tell me what you think.
Bio:
One the day Aada was born, there was a prevalent chill in the air. The morning frost had yet to shine in the rising sun as baby Aada was brought into the world.Her mother , a local Cunning Woman whom healed the sick in the villages had sadly passed away at from child birth, leaving only Aada's father Tiber a simple farmer to care of her.
Left alone, Tiber was to raise his baby daughter. As was tradition, he had not married Aada's mother. However difficult it was, life was simple. When Aada was old enough, she helped her father on the farm. A happy duo, young Aada would run along her father as he plowed the fields. At night Tiber would tell her tales of the gods, animals, and old heroes. But everyone in awhile, Tiber would sit her down by the fire and recount the times he had with her mother. It was those that she loved the most. It wasn't until her sixth winter that the taint her blood became apparent.
A light snow fall had turned into deadly blizzard, roaring with ferocity. Aada had been playing out there before it had hit and had not returned. Fearing for her, Tiber rushed out the door to find her. He searched and searched through the terrible storm yet was unable to find her. When all hope felt lost, a shimmer of light came to breach the darkness.
In the near distance, Tiber heard the laughter and giggling of his daughter. He rushed out to her, snow pelting his face like razors, fearing that he was going mad, but there she was. Aada wore only a gown as she danced in the snow, and no boats to adorn her feet. When she saw him, she gleefully ran to him, giving him a big hug.
"Papa," she cried. A faint shimmer of blue in her eye. She was perfectly fine, as if untouched by the snow and cold at all.
"Where is your coat?" Tiber questioned in disbelief.
Aada looked up to him, "It was too warm father."
He hurriedly took her back to their home. As he ran back, her in his arms, the snow seemed to slow, until when he finally reached the house, it stopped all together. Such a wasn't natural, and Tiber knew that well. As spring came, Tiber and Aada traveled to the nearest Cunning Woman to find answers for the strange occurrence. She told them that Aada was of the same blood as her mother, and had received the gift of power, but alone with her father spoke of powerful magics unnatural to even that of Cunning Women and that should be taken with his consent to train her so that Aada can control her power, for fear it may ruin her.
Tiber, with heavy heart, decided that such was necessary. So, after saying a final good bye, Aada left to learn of her abilities. Life had turned complex and hard for her as she became more and more aware of her power. With each day trained in the town of Silvermead to the local Cunning Women, she feared more and more. Aada did everything in her power not to learn, evading practice to fight straw dummies and learn how to fight. Yet no matter what she did, her power was always there in the back of her mind and there was no escape from it. She let them teach her, giving in, but still remained vigilant for the unnatural power inside her.
How she'll evolve:
What I'd like to do is her have her try to come to grip with her power as it slowly become more apart of her life. Not only will she feel more powerful, but also more unstable. He hair will turn white, she'll feel cold to the touch, with her skin having a more grayish white look to it. As the cross-blooded archetype mechanically takes a chunk of Will save from her, I'll try to reflect that, her mind trying to organize the power that she has.
Lots of discussion, two more posted characters!
@ Aada, Since you have a "Character Alias" It would be convenient if you put all the juice bits into it, so we can see everything on one page.
Character Ideas
Grani Bardur Runesson fighter/rogue (no info yet)
El Ronza shapeshifter/hedgewitch
electricjokecascase Hakon Olafson fighter/rogue
mimesyne ful caseter or hedgewitch
Thecooldudenextdoor Destin, viking
Fighting Chicken female berserker or a male hunter or a retired Skald
The Pale King Sigvald a Jarls heir
Harakhty Suntooth Haskell Half elf ranger/Incanter
JonGarrett witch/ranger or martial artist
Sir Longears fighter/bard
Vagabond? skald/brawler
Fury of the Tempest Outsider Swashbuckler/Investigator
Fury of the Tempest Ranger/Hunter
CommandoDude monk/cleric
@Robert Henry
Yes i've got it on Mythweavers and will provide a link to it on top of starting the fun process of putting it on the alias for ease of use.. She has the Boreal and Cunning Woman Bloodlines for her Cross-Blooded Archetype.
@Thunderbeard: Technically, Spheres' potion brewing doesn't have a max caster level... and honestly, it's less "you won't have the money to buy them" and more "nobody sells them". Crafting stuff yourself is a little more practical if you can get access to supplies (which may be possible if you can get trade agreements with someplace in the south...).
Huh, I missed that there was already a way to do it. Neat.
So, I know I'm a bit late to the party. (Better late than never, right?) I've been reading the thread since it was first posted, and some of the initial submissions were definitely a little intimidating. But I have been thinking about it and I haven't seen a whole lot of "pure" martial characters.
I had a concept of a Ranger (trapper, warden)//Fighter (unbreakable), basically just a really tough outdoorsman. He's a hunter that spends a large amount of time out in the wilds, trapping for food and furs. Returning to civilization to sell his goods and trade for gear and food. Also, he guards the jarl's borders. Keeping out minor encroachment and wild animals, or quickly bringing word of larger threats to the jarl.
I had been thinking of the Huscarl trait, but I don't know how well that would work. Alternately, maybe Merchant could work. He should start with some decent armor and weapons, but the idea of actually owning land doesn't really fit. So Bondi or Hirdman don't really make sense.
I think it's best to work on an idea you enjoy. ^^ Don't forget to carefully review the first post for setting information, and consider how your choices might interact with the world.
Magic is magic. But some magic is more equal than other magic more accepted by society as a whole.
Bearsarkers? Mainly supernatural (not that most people recognize the difference), and widely feared, but accepted in society. Oracles? Totally accepted, because "chosen messenger from the Gods" is a thing. Bards? Welcome and popular, though they often disguise what they're doing.
Actual wizards who sit in towers and study magic? Almost nonexistent, and not someone who'd be a PC anyway. XD
Remember, you don't necessarily have to flavor your powers as pure magic, either. For example, if you want to go the traditional heroic route, you could flavor the Enhancement sphere's primary ability as 'focusing' your energy, calling upon the gods, or a number of other things besides waving your hands, speaking some mumbo-jumbo, and tossing bat guano onto the weapon. (Not that any of those are normally necessary with Spheres...)
Casting Traditions are good. Flavoring things to fit your character is great. ^^ You have options, so don't be afraid to consider them, and look for a way to integrate all of your abilities into one complete, holistic character idea.
Also, While the backstory for Eirik stays(and will be put in writing on the weekend), I would like to state that I have two variants of him.
The one staying linked is the Sorcerer(Boreal)/Skald Variant
(Arcanist is not relevant if we use Spheres of Power)...but there will also be a Sorcerer(Boreal)/Brawler(Snakebite Striker) version available, for the "martial class" requirement.
The second submission(dual-wielding throwing axes), which I am working on still, will also have 2 variants, with Fighter/Slayer, and Fighter/Skald.
In both cases, the backstory and skill-sets will be almost identical, and just some mechanic aspects would change. But if either character is picked, I can "flesh" them out in the preferred loadout. I intend to hand them in within ~48 hours.
I think you've still got a few days, yes. ^^ I'm hoping to pick characters by the 15th or so, and kick this into gear as winter really gets started. XD
...Also, I'm hoping my physical copy comes soon. That'd be nice to have for the start.
Not right now. I'm largely trying to avoid critiquing them - one of the things I'm testing is how well you can make a fitting backstory based on the information provided. XD
No problem, just thought I'd ask. Just hope I got everything right for the setting. Almost had him wearing armor before I remembered that bearsarkers don't wear any lol
So should Valda's story continue to hanging out with the Jarl, or is being a part of the community enough? Will there be a 'thing' we are invited too or some kind of meeting?
At the very least, backstories should establish your place in the Jarl's household and how you came to be there. Note that at the beginning of the story, you are untested members - young and/or newcomers, who have not yet proven themselves.
The closest thing in the setting information is Cunning Woman lineages (it tends to run in families). Other than that, not particularly. Even many godi (priests) have no divine spells. XD Spellcasting in general is rare in the North.
Thanks, though I'm basically limited to devout worship of Wotan due to my bearsarker heritage. Was more interested in information about the gods in this setting, or can I basically just use the actual legends on the Norse gods for them?
I'll be providing more info once the campaign starts. ^^ For now, all you really need to know is that they're broadly similar to what appears in Norse myths. I wouldn't reference any specific legends or tales, but the overall themes are the same.
At the very least, backstories should establish your place in the Jarl's household and how you came to be there. Note that at the beginning of the story, you are untested members - young and/or newcomers, who have not yet proven themselves.
I will write a final chapter for Valda going to the Jarl. I don't know if she would ask to go a-Viking with him, or to be one of his huscarls or just tell him that's she was told in a vision to help him. Since the characters are unproven should the fact she is an oracle come to light later or should her parents explain it to the jarl, how should it come to light? "I'm and oracle and I'm here to help" works for me, but it's not very theatrical.
at the beginning of the story, you are untested members
Did not realize this! I'll adjust my backstory as necessary, which shouldn't be too hard. Just makes Varik a bit younger and looking to prove himself to the jarl, rather than being a long-time huscarl.
Just one more question: With the extreme scarcity of magic items, it is highly unlikely to manage to come across something like a blinkback belt, right?
Mainly asking because I can only have so many throwing axes on my person before it becomes silly, so if my "ammunition" is heavily limited, I'd be focusing more feats on melee, and use the ranged attacks as opening/opportunity type hits, rather than full-attacking with them(and draining my available axes in a single round later).
(I do fully expect it to work that way, but it's still a world with magic, and by not focusing on other ranged weapons, things could be slightly silly if we're regulary up against things(like flyers) that require ranged attacks...so if during the course of the campaign, aquisition of minor magic items would be possible, it could slightly change the outlook on this. Right now, I'm not expecting availability.)
@Mordred, there's a lot of alternate ways to get weapons to return—though pure-throwing won't do nearly as well as switch hitting with a melee focus, or going axe/bow.
Throwing Magus can accomplish this (to some degree); the best way to hit full bab enhancement as a thrower without magic items is as a Card Caster magus or Shield Champion brawler.
But your most thematic option might be a Spell Warrior skald. You can trivially add Returning to all the weapons you want, as well as other magus-like enhancements to the rest of the party's weaons. It also does fun things with rage powers vs a normal skald.
@Mordred, there's a lot of alternate ways to get weapons to return—though pure-throwing won't do nearly as well as switch hitting with a melee focus, or going axe/bow.
Throwing Magus can accomplish this (to some degree); the best way to hit full bab enhancement as a thrower without magic items is as a Card Caster magus or Shield Champion brawler.
But your most thematic option might be a Spell Warrior skald. You can trivially add Returning to all the weapons you want, as well as other magus-like enhancements to the rest of the party's weaons. It also does fun things with rage powers vs a normal skald.
I know there are other options. I specifically don't want to optimize switch-hitting with melee/ranged by using a bow. My character is kind of convinced that close combat is the real thing, and only cravens use bows to fight other people(instead of hunting with them). If you are in range to throw an axe at someones face, you are also in range of him charging you and trying to return the favor, so short-ranged throwing weapons are "close enough", because you're basically already in melee range, just not adjancent. Plus if you wield those, you can't swing a two-handed greataxe at someone sundering through their shield and face, so things balance out.
Magus is right out, it's a casting class specified to be basically unknown in the north.
Skald is also not an option here. That contribution was first and foremost a pure martial, as requested, with the OPTION of being part Skald.
So I cannot depend on a casting class to work. Plus, magically returning weapons would be pretty damn creepy, I don't want to get slain by my own co-soldiers after a battle for invoking demonic powers.(In general, if either of my submissions is choosen with a caster aspect, magic would be handled in a very subtle way, never openly unless there is no other option to survive. As I understand Sphere's, there should be some options to make this work.)
If that power comes from a mighty passed-down artifact(like a blinkback belt) I won for myself in a mighty battle, thats a different story.
Shield champion would technically work, but I'm not opting for Xena's and Captain America's lovechild here. The fluff of throwing a shield, having it ricochet between targets, then catching it and throwing it again? Naaaa....that does definitely not fit this game type(which seems down-to-earth and gritty) for me(YMMV). Thanks for the mention, but I already decided against that beforehand.
As mentioned, I'm perfectly fine with not having "returning" weapons of any sort, and needing to pick up my axes from the skulls I lodged them in during battle. I was only asking if my understanding was correct, because I would probably slightly alter my planned build otherwise.
Plus, just as an extra, I only have 2 hands. With "returning" on the weapons, they come back to my space. It's a free action to catch them, but if I dual-wield and throw 6 axes, I could only catch 2 of them...unless I add a Juggler Bard in there, and then it just gets silly, with a axe-juggling thrower who's weapons return to go back into the juggle-cycle. While that could be FUN, this is not the game for such a build(again, in my opinion, I could be wrong of course)...plus, if I get repositioned/bullrushed/tripped/etc, I can't catch any of them when they return. So all "returning"-focused-builds have serious weaknesses anyway that would not make me want to depend on them.
In fairness, most Northlanders are close-combat specialists. XD That's how the Shieldwall works, after all. I'm not sure about the Blinkback Belt or not, but you probably shouldn't expect to have access to any specific item unless you're willing to make it yourself.
This sounds interesting, though I have yet to come up with a suitable character. Would probably be an outlander though. Possibly a wisewomen caster type of character.
Though I do have a masterless familiar if any of the few casters here ever have familiars. Would be funny to follow the PCs around helping them while they are none the wiser to my powers, at least not at first. :)
As mentioned, Slayer/Fighter.
(Alternative variant Skald/Fighter, with a slight background alteration where he doesn't woodwork, but learns "music" from a Skald, and the power of song-=> craft(wood)/knowledge(engineering)/intimidate => performance(oratory))
Background:
Snorri was born as a middle son of a farmer family.
He had 2 older brothers, an older sister, one younger brother and 3 younger sisters, one of which died as an infant. Their parents, as his older siblings, worked hard to keep the family fed. Snorri was a strong and agile child. Finding he was good at it, he challenged himself to climb ever higher trees(climb), and would spend hours doing so. Yet he had no patience for the work of a farmer, and as much as he tried(and his elders tried to teach him), he was not made for this profession...the only thing he was good at as farmer was tending to the animals(handle animal), but that alone would not be sufficient to succeed in this line of work.
One day, his father and older brothers were called upon by their Jarl to serve in the Shieldwall, and went to war. Snorri wished to accompany them, but was still too young to do so. And that was well, for that war was lost, and only one older brother returned from it. With their father and one elder brother dead, their whole family would have been in peril...if not this winter, then the next.
A local hirdman was willing to help them...at a price. His wife had passed on a year ago, and he took a liking to Snorri's elder sister, despite an age difference by which he could have been her grandfather. She was not keen on the union...but desparation drives a hard bargain, and reluctantly, she agreed. The hirdman provided for her family, and in the spring, they celebrated the wedding.
All seemed well for the next few years, and Snorri came of age. Not good at being a farmer, he tried his hand at other jobs...he attempted to become a hunter, to track prey in the wilderness(survival+perception), but he was only moderately successful in that...not bad by any means, but not good enough to provide for a family.
He also attempted to become a woodchuck and craftsman...he definitely had the strenght, and while he was quite good at working with wood(craft(wood)+knowledge(engineering)) and bringing down the trees, he had little knowledge of nature, of how to keep a forest healthy, which trees to pick...and on top of all that, it was BORING work. He may have been good at it, but he found little joy at the repetitive tasks...and there was simply not enough demand for him to only work with wood, having someone else bring it in. But if nothing else, he definitely learned how to use an axe during his season felling the very trees he climbed on as a child.
And that was well, as the very next year, he was called to war. He was to fight with a spear, in a shieldwall, but was bold enough to request permission to use an axe. His wish was granted, on condition of being placed in an exposed unit that would try to circle around and flank the main battle line, but be exposed to a lethal counterattack if anything went wrong. Snorri agreed, and went into battle with a number of seasoned veterans...these people were not farmers fighting in a shield wall, these were warriors...people who lived for battle. Everything went well this day, and when they came clashing into the enemy's rear, exchanging strikes, risking their lives to take their enemies, Snorri very much knew what it was to BE alive. He had never felt so full of life before than in this moment. In a trance, he dodged blows, and brought his axe down on enemies...at the end of the battle, they had won, and he had killed 3 man. He had not known them, and for a moment, he remembered his own father and brother...wondered about the family of these men.
But that feeling he had...he could not forget it. when they celebrated the victory, he felt an urge to ask to join the Huskarls. Their leader, a bear of a man with scars all over, smiled and laughed at him:"Welp, you may have done well enough today...you draw breathe, still. But a Huskarl, you are not. A woodsman's axe, and cheap leather armor? I take it this was your first battle? Don't tempt fate, you will not always be lucky...learn what it means to be a warrior...and if you still want to be one then, be ready to prove it. Now, drink and celebrate!"
Snorri was disappointed, but he would not give up his dream so shortly after having found it. After returning home, he trained...alone, with veterans of fights past, he sparred with his younger brothers when there was time, and eventually with a huskarl in the service of his sisters husband.
While he had wielded the heavy axe quite successfully during his first battle, he found that it was too slow...it was too easy to dodge, and he was wide open. He tried to fight with weapon and shield, but found himself trying to push forward too aggressively, wanting to decide the pace of the battle, and using his shield as a weapon...leaving himself open again. Finally, he attempted to wield two smaller weapons, and it felt just right. While other people had difficulty coordinating, using both hands to attack seemed natural to Snorri. He remained fast enough to dodge, and the fact he could abuse openings from his opponent with either hand meant he could press forward. Another advantage was that these smaller weapons weren't as heavy...he could throw them at a enemy, too.
Snorri learned about all the things he could regarding life as a warrior(profession, heal, intimidate, ride), and eventually, felt ready. He journeyed to his Jarls homestead, and asked to try out as a Huskarl...but he had no need for more retainers, no openings to fill. Determined to make the best of it, Snorri journeyed onwards, to Halfstead, where Jarl Olaf Henriksson ruled.
Again, he expressed his wish to join his household as a Huskarl, and was given a chance to prove himself. Snorri would have to fight against one of his Huskarls in a mock battle, and would be judged. Several volunteered, and Snorri was allowed to choose freely from among those who did. Not wanting to be seen as a craven, he choose the biggest and meanest-looking of the bunch.
As the battle started, he intended to use his speed to his advantage, dart in and out of battle, and bring down this giant. A short half minute later, Snorri found himself face down in the mud, his ears ringing and unable to get up. He was not sure if any of his strikes managed to connect. In fact, he wasn't sure where exactly he was or why, before everything went black.
He was all the more surprised when he woke in a bed, with a elder woman of the household helping him sit up, offered him a skin of mead to drink, and complimenting him:"You choose poorly, but you did well. Young people are so predictable...the last farmer boy who tried to fight against that man didn't last longer than a couple seconds."
After drinking hastily, Snorri was led into a hall by the woman, where the other huskarls he had seen earlier sat at a table and ate dinner. He found himself gestured towards the table, and found a place for him to sit at, with a plate and drinking horn. When he sat, he felt a hand on his shoulder...the scarred man who had lead his unit during his first real battle:"Snorri Arnorsson, it would seem you trained well to make your wish come true. Let today be a lesson that there's plenty in this line of work who are your betters. Be brave, but be on guard. Most of us don't grow old, and that is well. But there is no reason to hurry it up, because death patiently waits for all of us!"
And that is how Snorri became a Huskarl in the service of Olaf...only a few days later...
Personality:
A child of farmers, with family members lost to war and illness, Snorri is familiar with the harsh realities of life. He found his calling in becoming a Huskarl, and takes pride in it. He feels joy in battle, but not in killing, and would help wounded and dying of both sides. Bows are weapons to hunt with for him, not for shooting people...only Cravens would do that.
He had no experiences whatsoever with any form of magic, and would not be very welcoming of it.not to the point of outright causing problems for a casting party member
As newest member of the Huskarls in this household, he seeks to distinguish himself, and finding himself in a line of work that allows him to provide, he may be interested in finding a wife in the near future.
Appearance:
A tall man, but not very broadly built. His normal frame betrays both the strenght he can muster, and the speed with which he can move. His brown hair grows long, and is only braided up if there will be battle. He shaves, because he finds himself unable to grow a proper full beard(some spots on his cheeks don't seem to grow much hair), and no beard looks better than THAT. His shaving is irregular, though, with a few days with stubbles passing easily. He travelled lightly, from home, and usually wears the armor provided for him and the cold weather clothes he brought.
Here, posted Sorcerer(Boreal)/Brawler(Snakebite Striker), as one full martial class was specifically requested.
The original variant was Sorcerer(Boreal)/Skald
If full caster is not desired, can also be fused Skald/Brawler(Snakebite Striker)(and pick up Boreal aspects via Eldritch Heritage)
Background:
Eirik's story begins quite some time before he was even born. Let me tell you about his father, Koshchey the Deathless. Some would tell you he is a madman living in the wilds...and they would be wrong. Hard as that may be to believe, but he's a embodiment of the north...a spirit of cold, storms and harshness. As some of the stories go, a mighty hero once tried to slay him...and when he struck Koshchey down, he turned into a whirlwind, a blizzard, and flew away.
He is wild and untamed, and as such, can be a problem. But usually, he is content to roaming in the untamed hinterlands, not keen on most kinds of company. I say most, because he's quite fond of beautiful young woman, and he's said to have stolen a few away...the question is, of course, if he really did, or those girls just eloped with other lovers.
One thing, though, is certain...where he does not care about northlanders, he is fiercely hostile to southerners. And our story begins with one such expedition of southerners, who travelled north by ship. They intended to travel to some ancient ruin they thought to be here, and anchored at the closest village, home to a handful of fishers and farmers. They produced just enough for themselves, and the surplus was sent to their jarl...as such, they refused when the southerners wanted to buy rations and supplies. Those grew angry, not willing to abandon their plans, and took the supplies by force, before setting of towards the ruin. The villagers sent a rider to inform their Jarl, and he, in turn, rode out with his Huskarls, to deal with these foreigners. Since it was a heavy-ladden expedition and no snow had fallen, it was easy enough to track them...until suddenly, the tracks all but vanished below massive amounts of snow. The Jarl sent out scouts, and sure enough, a couple 100 feet from where the tracks had ended, the remains of the expedition were found...the carts covered in ice, and the southerners frozen solid, some on the ground, some gathered around a fireplace. In the middle of the camp, a naked man slept, snoring heavily. The Jarl had him woken, and after a long yawn and some stretching, the man was found to be in a good mood, and introduced himself as Koshchey. The Jarl had heard of him, and wanted to be careful in dealing with him, but also felt he could not simply ignore what happened. He asked if he could repay him in some way, and Koshchey requested drink and a woman. The Jarl told him that he was unwilling to force a woman to lie with him, but would try to find one, and would meet him again in a month.
He did not have to search long, however. A young woman, gifted in magics, from one of the lineages, volunteered herself, hoping to learn from this force of nature. She went to meet him, drank with him, and stayed with him for a full month. He happily thought her, and she happily learned, and pretended to happily pay the price he asked. When she returned to the service of the Jarl, she found herself with Child.
And that is when Eirik's story begins...
Having been born from the union of a woman mage and a spirit of winter, his mother had little hope that he would be just a normal child...and rightfully so. From a young age, he showed some ability with magic, and with the cold.
She took great care to teach him how to use it(KN Arcana, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device) and the necessity of hiding his "gift" from others, and he did. He learned from a Skald his mother contacted for that purpose, and thaught himself to hide his magics in the words and gestures of their practises(Perform: Oratory, KN History). At least the more subtle magics.
But not only magic came from his heritage. As other young man, Eirik too got into Fights with his friends. Mock battles of youth...but the punches Eirik threw somehow had strenght one would not have expected...he was no weakling, but the force between his attacks was more than just muscles and training. And more often than not, he would strike just the most vulnerable spot. When he accidently killed another young man in a bar brawl, without wanting to, he knew he could not stay any longer. His mother would have wanted to protect him, but knew there was nothing she could do. Even if the witnesses agreed that is was not murder, just an accident, he would be tainted in everybody's eyes. They would talk behind his back, and they would avoid him. He was charismatic, and had a way with words, but what happened could not be undone. He moved away from his home, and ever on, farther than he ever travelled before. When he knew he was gone so far no one would recognize him for who he was, he changed his last name to that of his father...to protect his mother, who had, in part thanks to what she learned, become a well-known woman.
He moved from place to place, working as a travelling skald, a storyteller. At times, what he earned was not enough, but he found he had an intuitive understanding of the wilderness between the villages, maybe a inheritance from his father...and that understanding helped quite a bit with foraging for supplies.(Survival, KN Nature)
He would not dishonor his upbringing by stealing, but some trickery was not beyond him(bluff). At times, he would challenge people to a match of fisticuffs, for minor things like a meal or his tab at an inn. Usually he won, other times, he found himself doing menial tasks to repay his debts. Sometimes, he stayed longer in a place...knowing some of the history of his people and having a way with words, and bringing tidings from the places he travelled, he was sometimes asked to stay as a tutor for the children of a household, teaching them about their forefathers, about Nature, and about proper diplomatic behaiviour(one good thing about his upbringing with an mother at a Jarls household)(diplomacy)...and it was one such position, as a travelling teacher and Skald that he held in the household of Jarl Olaf Henriksson, when...
Personality:
Eirik grew up learning to hide his magics. He also grew up without a father figure. From his father, he inherited his passion and a temper, as well as fondness for women- but his mother did her best to bring him up as a proper young man regardless. As such, he means well, but could act impulsive at times. He always relied on his unusually strong punches to help him out of tight spots, and never really trained much with weapons, nor is he used to wearing armor, preferring more extravagant garnments that are likely to draw the attention of women.
Appearance:
A tall man, with long limbs, and bright blue eyes, a well-groomed beard and long hair, he opts to bathe and wash significantly more often than many of his brethren. He does not care if that is seen as a feminine trait, he knows he looks well and wants a hygiene to go with that.(of course, one big reason is that many girls like that, in his experience)
PS: I wanted both submissions somewhat ready and with a background today because I'll have a few busy days ahead of me again, but it's quite...early in the morning here, and I'm rather sleepy. I will have to review parts, and wanted to extend on some aspects, which mayhaps I'll find time to do before recruitment closes. Still, the "raw" versions are posted, now ^_^
GM, may I take the One Leg as a normal drawback? It looses something of it's drawback when you're a Monk and start getting faster and makes it kinda minor, so I figure a normal drawback should work.
Hmm... were drawbacks an option? I assumed we were just capped at two traits.
If not, adding Provincial for Savant works well story-wise, and makes Spellsinger tradition a lot more practical, which is neat (since the bonuses/penalties cancel out via versatile performance, but effectively just give the same bonuses as a masterwork performance tool).
