Money Reminder
1 gold crown (1GC) = 20 silver shillings (20/–) = 240 brass pennies (240d)
1 silver shilling (1/–) = 12 brass pennies (12d)
This is usually abbreviated to: 1 GC = 20/– = 240d
Injuries
* Scar over left eye: -10 perception Fluff: Before his injury his BS and Dex were far more normal. Lack of depth perception has made all of these tasks harder Basic skills
Art (Dex) = 33
Athletics (AG) = 20
Bribery (FEL) = 20
Charm (FEL) = 20
Charm Animal (WP) = 50
Climb (STR) = 40
Cool (WP) +10 = 60
Consume Alcohol (T) + 5 = 55
Dodge (AG) + 5 = 25
Drive (AG) = 20
Endurance (T) +5 = 60
Entertain (FEL) = 20
Gamble (INT) +5 = 35
Gossip (FEL) = 20
Haggle (FEL) = 20
Intimidate (STR) + 3 = 43
Intuition (I) = 30
Leadership (FEL) = 20
Melee (Basic) (WS) +10 = 61
Melee (Brawling) (WS) + 10 = 61
Navigation (I) = 30
Outdoor Survival (INT) = 30
Perception (I)= 30 (20 due to injury)
Ride (AG) = 20
Row (STR) = 40
Stealth (AG) = 20
Advanced Skills
Langage Khazalid +3 = 33
Talents
* Magic Resistance (You are resistant to magic. The SL of any spell affecting you is reduced by 2 per point you have in this Talent. The SL of a spell is only modified by the highest Magic Resistance Talent within its target area. Further, you may never learn the Arcane Magic, Bless, Invoke, Petty Magic, or Witch! Talents)
* Night Vision (You can see very well in natural darkness. Assuming you have at least a faint source of light (such as starlight, moonlight, or bio-luminescence) you can see clearly for 20 yards per level of Night Vision. Further, you can extend the effective illumination distance of any light sources by 20 yards per level of Night Vision.)
* Read/Write (Can read and write...)
* Sturdy (Increase the number of Encumbrance Points you can carry by your Sturdy level x 2.)
* In-Fighter (You are skilled at drawing in close to an opponent. You suffer no penalties for fighting against an opponent with a longer weapon than you. Further, if you use the optional rules for In-fighting (see page 297), gain a bonus of +10 to hit your opponent.)]
* Strong Minded (You are the epitome of determination and resolve. Add your level in Strong Minded to your maximum Resolve pool.)
* Iron Jaw (Whenever you gain one or more Stunned Conditions, you may make an immediate Challenging (+0) Endurance Test to not take one of them, with each SL removing an extra stunned conditions
Talents Available * Dirty Fighting (You have been taught all the dirty tricks of unarmed combat. You may choose to cause an extra +1 Damage for each level in Dirty Fighting with any successful Melee (Brawling) hit. Note: using this Talent will be seen as cheating in any formal bout.)
* Reversal (If you win an Opposed Melee Test, instead of gaining +1 Advantage, you may take all your opponent’s Current Advantage. If you do this, you do not cause any Damage, even if it is your Turn in the Round.)
Starting Skills
"You can choose which of these you are most proficient at. Allocate 40 advances to your eight starting skills, with no more than 10 advances allocated to any single skill at this stage."
* Melee Basic: 5
* Melee Brawling: 10
* Dodge: 5
* Athletics: 10
* Cool: 5
* Endurance: 5
XP Gained
* 0XP: Race
* 0XP: character creation stats
* 50xp: character creation class
* 50xp: For scar drawback
* 75xp: Survived flight through woods and into haunted tavern (with +1 Str as bonus, doesn’t count towards advances)
* 50xp: RP from coaching inn and travel towards Altdorf
XP spent
* Iron Jaw (100xp)
* +4 Str (100xp)
* +1 WS (25xp)
XP unspent
0
Background:
A dwarf is like a tree. Thick, sturdy, able to weather the storm. But when the trunk breaks? They fall. Usually, this leads to the slayer oath. For when a dwarf is shamed, or fails in a great task, they are psychologically unable to let it go. As a race, the slayer oath is a safety valve to allow those who live in such permanent shame to seek absolution through death. This, more than anything else, is what makes the dawi so different from mankind. Kardin is one of the unfortunate few who feel the siren call of the slayer oath, but who cannot take it.
From Clan Shieldshatter, this was one of the many warrior clans of Karak Norn who made the defending of kin and kith their trade. A young dwarf, he and his brother stood together in a shield wall against an assault of goblins, far beneath their holds. In the opening stages of the battle, Kardin took an arrow to the eye. Grievously injured, he was pulled from the front line and sent out of the fight. While recovering, he learned that the throng had been driven out, their new mine works taken by the grobi filth. His brother, who had been fighting by his side, was lost in the retreat.
Nobody blamed Kardin, for this was a reality of war. He had done nothing wrong, and many said that if he had refused to fall back he would have been a liability to the shield wall. They told him that he had done the right thing. But deep down, he could not accept that. Intellectually he knew they were right, but deep down he felt as if though he had failed. That his brother and his kinsmen had fallen and he should have been there with them. That he should have put a bandage over his eye and went back to the fight. In his mind, being a warrior was his *trade*. And this was more than what it could ever mean to a human. It was his reason for being. It was his purpose in the hold. To fail at his trade was like a smith making a weapon that broke. It was shameful, and he could not let go.
Driven to the bring by an inner shame that he, as a dwarf, could not let go of, and feeling unable to take the slayer oath out of fear that it would shame his kinsmen and his superiors...he decided to leave. Unable to handle the mental stress of staying with his clan, he traveled to Altdorf, a city so large that anyone could lose be lost. There, he became a pit fighter, turning his trade to a new use. No longer did he fight to defend clan or hold, he fought only to punish himself. Every time he stepped into the ring, it felt like he was back in the tunnels beneath Karak Norn. Only it never mattered if he won or loss, because the past never changed, and neither did his pain.
No longer did he fight for Clan, Hold, or Kin. Nor did he even truly fight for money, for there were more lucrative ways to earn coin. No, he fought to punish himself. Unable to seek a worthy death, he instead turned to the pain of the pits. There, he earned a reputation as a wall, upon which other combatants would crash upon and break. Or, as it sometimes happened, more experienced fighters would break through him. Either way, he would inevitably nurse his wounds and spend his silver on drink and food. Kardin is a dwarf who lacks purpose. He lacks a direction. He does not know if he wants to find absolution through some great task, through death, or at the bottom of a mug. What he does know, however, is that he cannot go home, and he cannot sit still...
GM Questions:
All: Please, give me if you can a few more informations on your character by answering a few questions:”
*Where are you from? The Empire (most of you) or another country (Estalia, Kislev, Bretonnia, Border Princes..)? Big town or small village?
Karak Norn
*What is your family status? Parents, siblings, spouse maybe? What are your current relationship with them?
Clan Shieldshatter is a warrior clan, meaning that the defense of the hold is their trade. Kardin was ordered out of a shield wall when an arrow took his eye. The battle was lost and his brother died. Kardin blames himself, but cannot take the slayer oath as it would disgrace his elders who ordered him to fall back. He has an extended family back home, all of whom worry about him and hope that he returns.
*Any known enemy, friend, or hate/ love?
Nobody in particular. He is a pit fighter as a way of unconsciously punishing himself for his perceived failure. If others hate him, he hasn’t noticed. In this profession he has won enough to be recognized, but has lost enough to not have earned real prize money. His closest shot thus far ended when he lost to Karl Lieberman, a spear fighter who managed to keep Kardin at bay and slowly wear him down with superior reach and skill. That, and by always staying on his bad side, where his eye injury was most telling. The fight ended when Kardin went all in for an attack and was knocked unconscious when the more experienced duelist exploited the opening. The win or lose, though, he has never taken it personally.
He does, however, carry a personal Book of Grudges. The fact that it is empty at the moment (aside from grobi, urks and Thagorraki) doesn’t mean that others can’t or won’t be added to it.
*What please you the most? What are you afraid of?
Success. Martial success in something that matters. Fighting is Kardin’s trade. He can’t return home until he convinces himself that he is worthy of doing so. But he fears doing the opposite. He can’t tell if he failed in battle or if he was just the victim of bad luck. His long term goal is proving the former to himself by accomplishing a deed worthy of remembrance.
*Is there someone in the group you could already know and why?
Doubtful. But perhaps Carrot? Not all Pit Fighting is lawful. Chances are he has had to answer to the Watch before.
Physical Description:
Kardin has dirty blonde hair, with his hair usually tied back so that in the pit it is harder to grab. His beard, though, is immaculately maintained. When fighting it tends to be tucked into his leather jerkin, though it hangs freely otherwise.
Squat, even for a dwarf, what is most distinguishable are his facial features. His left eye bears a prominent scar, running down the length of this face; his nose has obviously been broken far too many times; and both ears are cauliflowered. Looking at him makes it clear that he is a brawler, who has taken enough damage to leave permanent marks upon him.
One detail that only noticeable on close inspection is that half of his pinky on his right hand is missing. This was lost early in his career as a pit fighter, when a parry was poorly timed. It was a lesson earned in blood, and the loss is a reminder of what he has endured. While many of his other fingers have been broken before, they have healed. This has left him with calloused and rough hands, forged by the experiences that have made him into the dwarf that he is.
Grudge Rules:
"New Grudges
At the end of each session, you can choose to gain a new Grudge. Choose an individual that insulted you during the session and record the Grudge you bear against them per the usual process.
Unlike Ambiitions, you do not need to swap a Grudge for an existing Grudge that you have completed or abandoned. For this reason, it is possible for your book of grudges to grow over the course of a campaign.
If the entire session passes without an insult previous enough to be entered into your bike, you may still choose to enter a historic grievance as a Grudge. This refers to an incident that occurred off-screen, during downtime, or before play started, which has until this point not been relevant."
"When interacting with an individual you bear a Grudge against, apple yeti animosity psychology trait. When interacting with an individual you bear a Blood Grudge against, apply the Hatred psychology trait instead."
"Resolving Grudges
Grudges are resolved when you receive the restitution listed in your book. Update the Grudge by noting the date it was satisfied in your book. If you learn the Grudge's perpetrator has died without making recompense, the Grudge is inherited...
...a satisfied grudge awards 25xp. A satisfied Blood Grudge awards an additional +25xp, for a total of 50xp."
"Unresolved grudges
If a Dwarf character dies their new character starts with additional XP equal to half the XP the deceased character acquired in play. However, this bonus is reduced by 25xp for every outstanding Grudge the deceased character had upon death, and reduced by an additional 25xp for outstanding Blood Grudge. If the player's new character considers the deceased character to be kin, any outstanding Grudges fo the deceased character are transferred directly into the new character's book of grudges."
"Starting Grudges
Instead of choosing a Short term ambition and long term ambition...a dwarf character can start with three Grudges. Record them in your book."
Animosity
Animosity (Target)
You harbour an enmity for the Target, which will normally be a group of people or creatures, such as ‘Nordlanders’, ‘Beastmen’, or ‘Nobles’. You must attempt a Psychology Test whenever you encounter the group. If you pass, you may grumble and spit, but only suffer a penalty of –20 to all Fellowship Tests towards that group. Should you fail you are subject to Animosity.
At the end of every subsequent Round, you may attempt another Psychology test to bring the Animosity to an end. If you do not, the effects of Animosity naturally come to an end when all members of the specified group in your line of sight are utterly pacified or gone, or you gain the Stunned or Unconscious Condition, or you become subject to another Psychology.
When subject to Animosity, you must immediately attack the disagreeable creatures, either socially (insults, jibes, and similar) or physically (most commonly with fists), as appropriate. You also gain a bonus of +1 SL on any attempts to socially or mentally attack the group. Animosity is over-ridden by Fear and Terror.
Hatred
Hatred (Target)
You are consumed with Hatred for the Target, which is normally a group of people or creatures, such as ‘Hochlanders’, ‘Bog Octopuses’, or ‘Slavers’. You will never socially interact with someone or something you hate in this manner. On encountering the object of your Hatred, you must attempt a Psychology Test. If failed, you are subject to Hatred. At the end of every subsequent Round, you may attempt another Psychology Test to bring the Hatred to an end. If you do or not, the effects of Hatred naturally come to an end when all members of the specified group in your line of sight are dead or gone, or you gain the Unconscious condition. While subject to Hatred, you must immediately attempt to destroy the hated group by the fastest and most deadly means possible. You gain a bonus of +1 SL on all combat Tests against the specified group, and are immune to Fear and Intimidate (but not Terror) caused by your hated foe.
Grudges:
From GM: On ideas for grudges:no problem for the Clan grudges against Greenskins. Against humans, it can be merchants from Altdorf. Against Chaos, maybe one of the merchants from Altdorf was a servant of Chaos, and sold a weapon to use against orcs, which was unholy and corrupted one of your fellow dwarf?
Grudge #1: (Greenskins)
The Ironjaw tribe dared strike at dawi merchants journeying between Altdorf and Karak Norn. They have spilled the blood of kin, including guards of Clan Shieldshatter, and have defiled dwarven ale destined for the market, pouring it upon the earth and down their unworthy throats. This insult to our trade, our kin, and our honor shall not go unavenged. The debt in blood and ale must be paid.
Grudge Type: Clan Grudge
Target: Ironjaw Orcs (tribe)
Grudge Completion: Take part in an action that inflicts significant loss or dishonor upon the Ironjaw tribe — either through destruction of warriors, theft of assets, or otherwise striking at the tribe’s honor or operations.
Grudge #2: (Humans)
A thrice-damned umgi merchant from Altdorf believes the dawi to be weak of tongue and foolish of purse. Clan Shieldshatter provided protection for umgi merchants for the cost of fifteen gold. Upon return to Karak, it was discovered that one coin was made with false alloy! The coin, the pride, and the respect of Clan Shieldshatter must be restored.
Grudge Type: Clan Grudge
Target: [Up to GM on which town/consortium makes sense]
Grudge Completion: Restitution, or vengeance. Must be worth 1 gold either way.
Grudge #3: (Chaos)
A treacherous servant of Chaos deceived our kin, the stalwart dwarves of Clan Shieldshatter, into accepting a foul and tainted artifact. Dorn Shieldshatter, by the handling of the cursed blade, was forced into taking the slayer oath, following a mutation of the flesh. While our kinsman has earned his honor in glorious death, this insult is not merely to him, nor to just our clan, but to the very honor our Karak. It is the duty of every dawi to see this wrong righted, by destroying the cult, undoing their schemes, or such vengeance as to deliver a message to the Dark Gods.
Grudge Type: Blood Grudge
Target: [Up to GM on which forces of chaos apply]
Grudge Completion: Vengeance in blood or effect. Must be enough to harm the cult in question.
