GCPDblue's page

I'm doing some traveling 8/10-8/14, so Cylus might be a bit quiet. Which is hard for him. He likes to talk. :)

Enjoy!

Okay cool. I will make sure to post today.

Just noticed the chat earlier in this thread about Tavern Keeper. Are we making the switch or sticking around here for a while? I'm all for trying the new hotness, but this works as well. :)

Volsung, do you know where I could find the alternative wizard playbook you've mentioned a few times?

I think this is it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3eN9t7beS_zSGNfdm8xSldKOE0/view

Moved over from Recruitment...

Suggestions welcome! I wrote out my bond prompts so we could start filling those in collaboratively.

[General]
Name: Cylus Windwhistle
Race: Halfling (Grim World)
Race Ability: When attempting to influence someone (Parley) with Social Status, 7-9 is the same as 10+
Playbook: Bard
Alignment: Chaotic (arching toward Neutral)
Level: 2
Armor: 1
Hit Points: 15
Damage: d6

[Look]
Cylus is a pale-skinned Halfling with a somewhat ruddy complexion. His hair is dark and carefully styled, and he wears finery representing the colors and adornments of the once mighty Halfling empire. He has intelligent eyes that are constantly seeking an angle in whatever conversation he happens to be in.

Cylus's presences ranges from jovial charmer to downtrodden curmudgeon. The former is his public face, that of an experienced politician and negotiator lending his charms and guile to bend situations in his favor. The former is the real Cylus, weighed heavy by an unfulfilled life and a curse that causes unexpected pain not unlike Arthritis.

[Personality]
As the Chaotic alignment implies, Cylus isn't classically heroic. He'll generally do the right thing, but at this stage in his progression, he's driven by greed and a thirst for relevance among his people and the greater world. He's a fierce patriot believing that his people have been lead astray, but that the great Halfling empire can and should return to prominence.

His cherubic attaché, Willem, is part-time protégé, part-time Jimmminy Cricket to Cylus. Try as he might, Cylus has a soft spot for the lad and will take risks to protect him.

[Stats]
STR: 8 (-1)
DEX: 12 (0)
CON: 9 (0)
INT: 15 (+1)
WIS: 13 (+1)
CHA: 16 (+2)

[Moves]
Arcane Art
Bardic Lore (Grande Histories of the Known World)
Charming & Open
A Port in the Storm
It Goes to Eleven

[Starting Gear]
* "Windwhistle" Pipes, a family heirloom that Cylus never bothered to learn how to play
* Leather Armor
* Dueling Rapier
* Halfling Pipeleaf

[Bonds]
* This is not my first adventure with ______.
* I sang stories of ______ long before I ever met them in person.
* Willem is often the butt of my jokes.
* I am writing a ballad about the adventures of _____.
* Tera trusted me with a secret (cold iron charms taken from the Wraiths, a Halfling gang).
* _____ does not trust me, and for good reason.

Alright great! How would you like me to do bonds?

Totally understood. I think the alternate playbook matches my background a bit better, BUT if we're expecting some semi-regular combat I'm happy to go with core. Do you think a versatile utility type character would be more useful than a social face type?

Haven't quite decided if I want to go this route, but would you allow this alternate Bard playbook from DriveThruRPG: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/137211/The-Bard--A-Dungeon-World-Playbo ok.

Here's a link to a PDF for your reference: https://www.dropbox.com/s/uyqn421h5pixrfp/theBard_playbook_normal.pdf?dl=0

Sure thing. I'll work on that tomorrow. Looking forward to it!

Am I good to go to make my character? Wasn't sure if I needed to tweak anything in my background before proceeding.

Alright, I think I've narrowed it down. Here are my background pitch. Those familiar with Babylon 5 might recognize the inspiration.

Cylus the Halfling (Grim World) Bard

Cylus is a squat Halfling with a soft body betraying a life of ease and luxury. He's clothed in finery, choosing styles and colors representing the old Halfling empire which is now in decline. Still he dreams of the days when Halflings were a force to be reckoned with.

Now squarely in his middle age, Cylus's political career has stalled. Old fashioned values only take you so far in these uncertain times, but his family lineage keeps him within the circles of Halfling power. To do away with him, Cylus was made ambassador to a farswept corner of the world where he might be forgotten.

That corner was Baron's Hollow, a bustling city some week's journey from Conclave. Of little strategic and commercial worth to his people, Cylus's role as ambassador is little more than a joke. Indeed his gift for oratory serves him well in representing Halfling interests in the city, but a looming sense of uselessness pushes Cylus to other less productive endeavors.

Cylus spends much of his time enjoying Baron's Hollow's many distractions. He's well known in the city for his love of drinking, eating, gambling, and enjoying women and men alike. He's utterly undaunted in his leisures and able to avoid repercussions through his whit and guile. That is until the arrival of his new ambassadorial attaché, Willem, a portly Halfling barely into adulthood eager to please and to serve. Cylus knew is free ride was over.

Innocent and eager, Willem brought with him new orders from the settlement's leadership. Cylus was to engage the mages of the Enclave and win their trust so that their training and magical relics might benefit Halfling-kind. Naturally Willem was to join Cylus on this important diplomatic mission to observe and learn the art of diplomacy. Of course Cylus recognized him for an unwitting spy.

And observe he did as Cylus's life of eccentricity finally caught up with him. In Conclave, Cylus crossed a particularly humorless Warlock attempting to con him out of an heirloom of Halfling make claiming it belonged to Cylus's family. That wasn't quite true, and when Cylus accused the Warlock of thievery, arcane words were spoken leveling a particularly nasty curse on Cylus. Pain, chronic and sudden, would come upon Cylus when he least expected it until he repented for his repugnant lifestyle and used his gifts for good. The Warlock placed Willem in charge of determining when Cylus lived up to this condition, and so they are inextricably linked until the curse has been lifted.

Cylus considered whether killing the Warlock would work, but somehow thought the better of it. He was no murdered anyway. Instead he brooded for days, nursing headaches that might just as easily have come from alcohol consumption as from the Warlock's curse. Willem, desperate to set his master on the path to redemption, engaged a caravan of stout-hearted adventurers on Cylus's behalf. Loyal to a fault, he spoke only of diplomatic skill and bardic gifts, leaving out the less desirable traits.

Cylus's bardic tool of choice is oratory. He is a weaver of words and story, which are just as potent at confounding his opponents as they are at enrapturing an audience. He's a studied historian and lore-master, and will talk a man's ear off especially about his people's glory days. Those who know Cylus understand him to be selfish but ultimately well-meaning. Despite Willem's aggravating optimism, Cylus has developed a paternal fondness for the lad. Perhaps that's driven by desperation to lift the curse, but Willem chooses to think there's good in Cylus after all. Maybe this curse will be a blessing after all.

I have a couple of ideas, and I guess I'd throw it out to the group to provide some direction on where our gaps are (and what the nature of the campaign is with regards to how much combat and roleplaying is involved).

If we need a face/utility character, I'm liking Bard. The mix of healing and persuasion skills seems fun and useful, but given that we have a cleric, this might be a bit redundant.

For damage-dealing, I'm leaning toward a Channeler from Grim World. Very evocative class, and will add a bit of chaos to the proceedings. Not a replacement for a Wizard though.

Speaking of Wizards, I was just reading through the alternative Wizard playbook Volsung posted above (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3eN9t7beS_zSGNfdm8xSldKOE0/view). That's pretty neat, and so much more open than the core DW version. I dig it.

Playing off the narrative of how the vegetation grows so vigorously, a Druid would be interesting and fairly versatile. Seems that our potential new Ranger might be addressing the vegetation plot point though, which is great!

Thoughts? Opinions?

Hi all! Just coming over from Gauntlet Slack to check it out. Definitely interested in what I've been reading. I've never done a PbP before, so bear with me as I learn the ropes.

For now, I have some playbook reading to do. :)