Str 8 (-1); Dex 15 (+1); Con 12 (0); Int 16 (+2); Wis 9 (0); Cha 13 (+1)
Damage 1d8
Starting Moves
Arcane Bladework
When you attempt to incorporate magic into a melee attack, roll +int.
On a 10+, deal your damage and apply 1 technique.
On a 7-9, deal your damage and apply 1 technique, and your opponent attacks you.
Throw Down the Gauntlet
When you challenge someone to a duel, roll +cha.
On a 10+, they choose 2 if they do not accept.
On a 7-9, they choose 1 if they do not accept.
• You take +1 ongoing against them until they defeat you
• They lose the respect of their peers and underlings
• They retreat
The Riddle of Steel
When you cross swords with a humanoid opponent, gain +1 forward to discern realities about them. In addition, you may add the following to the list of questions you can ask:
• What is this person about to do?
• What emotion drives this person?
• What is this person trying to hide?
Student of the Blade
Begin play with 4 techniques:
Mirage - You create illusions of yourself that strike additional enemies near your target. Illusions deal your damage but do not apply any techniques.
Quicksilver - Your blade cuts faster than the eye can see, preventing your opponent from mounting a proper defense. Gain 2 piercing on your attack.
Soul-Siphoning - Your attack heals you for 1d4. Heal 1d8 instead if this attack kills your target.
Warding - Your attack creates a ring of light around you and your target that other creatures (and their projectiles) cannot cross.
Bonds Adishana broke up a fight I was involved in. I was probably going to lose, but they don’t need to know that part.
Gregor and I are regular training partners.
I may have killed a relative of Mark at some point in the past.
Vanessa seems like she would fold at the first sign of trouble. I don’t trust her.
Background:
Born to ordinary people Caleb's only luck in life was the village's relative proximity to a small elven enclave and Ravencroft, the enclave's illustrious dueling school. Caleb was smaller and weaker than the other children in town which led him to jobs and chores where he did not have to exert himself too much, physically, but this also made him a target for bullies. One of these chores was to help out in the tavern whenever Caleb's father owed the barkeep favors. There he would listen to the stories told by the bards and the patrons, hopeful prospects, curious veterans, and rejected dropouts alike, all they did was serve to ignite a curiousity and passion for the art of magic and blade that young Caled could not douse in any way he tried. As soon as he was old enough he snuck away and followed the next batch of people trying to gain entrance into the school via the tryouts. Somehow passing by the skin of his teeth, Caleb chose to leave everything behind and work til he bled so that he could become a famous duelist like the headmaster, Rodriguez. Along the way, as he laid the foundations to his lone path of martial mastery, he picked up the habit of diving headlong into danger, irregardless of the odds, trusting in his skill with blade-magic to see himself through.
Motivation - Martial Scholar:
A mediocre person from Caleb's dueling school, Thelian, stole the Grandmaster's Tome, a compendium of the secret techniques of their school usually only distributed sparingly and to those talented enough to attain the rank of Swordscion. Caleb was sent after him and this caused Thelian to flee, eventually ending up here. Caleb will risk harm to recover the tome or otherwise find more secrets regarding arcane bladework, whether through battle, manuals, or powerful weapons.
Flaw - Battle Tendency:
Caleb can get carried away in battle and has a tendency to get in too deep, finding himself surrounded when others do not back him up is something that has happened and will happen to him quite often.
RP sample:
Standing before the entrance of the Caverns of Chiesa the Unspeakable, a grim sense of determination swept through Caleb. Thelian had supposedly fled down here when Caleb began to catch up with him, whatever had possessed the fool to think he could get away after stealing the Grandmaster's Tome. The young man looked around, hands resting on his daggers, and considered the group that had gathered here. They all had their own reasons for being here, the fact that they had bumped into each other in the closest town and then again on the way here was about as close to coincidence as it could get, but from what Caleb knew about this place coincidences are rare and fickle things.
Looking back towards the mouth of a vast cavern-system-come-dungeon-come-temple-to-a-fallen-god Caleb's pulse quickened. Perhaps Thelian would finally pose a challenge now that the elf had spent two weeks on the run with unrestricted access to the Grandmaster's Tome. Caleb felt the rush of blood as his adrenaline began to surge at the thought of finally proving himself worthy of the Swordscion rank and the virtual world of martial contests this would open up for him. He almost felt like laughing, for if the honor of the school wasn't on the line he might've felt inclined to wait another week or two before descending on this place. But now he had to calm and pace himself, the Caverns of Chiesa the Unspeakable would be a vast and beutiful canvas for his red painting, and he had brought his two favourite brushes!
