Cool Player Choices Make Me Happy (sorta spoilers)

[FilmGuy]

I got the backstory for the healer of my new campaign yesterday, and I felt the need to share some DM happys. She is a Shoanti battle-healer (sort of a tribal field medic) using the Healer class from the Miniatures Handbook. The best part is, I gave my player a copy of the Shoanti article from A History of Ashes, and he ran long with it. His character is dark skinned, she shaves her head, and he’s given her all sorts of Shoanti runic tattoos. The best part is, he took the brief parable “And So it Was” to heart and one of the tattoos is the Seven Pointed Star “Victory” which she has tattooed on the top of her head.

I love it when players unwittingly play right into my hand – without any prompting from me, or from the adventure itself I have a player with the Sihedron Rune tattooed prominently on her body. I’m not planning to have it be anything other than a roleplaying hook – not a mystical connection to Karzoug or anything – it’s just likely to be darned inconvenient as the path progresses. I just can’t wait for the suspicion to start flying in Skinsaw :-D

[Guthwulf]

I had a similar thing happen when we started my campaign. I printed out the Sihehdron Star on the front of their binders, and the Shoanti barbarian in the party decided he liked one of the tattoos and wanted to have it tattooed on his forehead.

He chose the Wrath symbol. Then I could barely keep from smiling knowing how he typically plays his characters.

[Moonbeam]

That's really cool! :)

[Majuba]

FilmGuy wrote:

I have a player with the Sihedron Rune tattooed prominently on her body. I’m not planning to have it be anything other than a roleplaying hook ...

Hmm.. you know...

Spoiler:

should she have "greed on her soul" when dying, you could probably do a rather horrible visual for the players as her soul is sucked away into the far off runewell - forever dead.

"We cast Raise Dead" - "The Soul does not answer"

Seems unlikely given the character type, but yow.

[tbug]

I don't think that would work, Majuba. Doesn't it require a ritual in addition to the mark?

[FilmGuy]

tbug wrote:

I don't think that would work, Majuba. Doesn't it require a ritual in addition to the mark?

That was my feeling - without the ritual incantation or whatever, I think the tattoo is just ink. I don't think I'll have to worry about it though, she doesn't seem to be a greedy type. I'm just hoping that as the symbol starts showing up it totally freaks my player :-)

[Lord Magus]

tbug wrote:

I don't think that would work, Majuba. Doesn't it require a ritual in addition to the mark?

Not sure...

Spoiler:

In HMM, Lucrecia's plan is to flood the village and drown all the villagers marked with the rune, instantly feeding K's soul lens. No mention of any elaborate ritual there.

[FilmGuy]

Point noted, however

Spoiler:

It is implied that Lucrecia puts the tattoos on the poor saps herself. And nothing says it is an elaborate ritual - perhaps it is just an incantation that must be said as the mark is made. Lucrecia could say it under her breath while tattooing her patrons.

[Mikaze]

Yeah, I would strongly advise against it...

Spoiler:

...simply because it would be just downright cruel to take the player's character away permanently like that because of a fashion faux pas.

Of course, the way I interpreted the runewells was that the souls aren't lost forever, but they'd probably have to destroy the sinspawn made from it to free it up to be brought back. Even then it would be more than a bit much.

Awesome about the player's character though! Cool choice in appearance there.