Lankhmar - Stating Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser as early characters...

[Helaman]

I am going to start when they are both meeting for the 1st time (in Lankhmar)

I think the Mouser should be Wizard 1 but am not sure on his 2nd level... I am gonna go Rogue but to be sure it could also be an Urban Ranger too. He wasnt a professional thief by training.

Fafhrd is a toughie... he was training as a Skald but he was also trained in longbow and was trained in artic survival... He was also a barbarian...

Bard seems to suit best for level 1 - he is heavily into language and 'civilisation'. Level 2 and fighter seems best as seems to defer to the Mouser of the issue of theivery.

I am looking from a E6 perspective BUT feel free to stat as if you were using the full 20 levels when do your early character assumptions...

[voodoo chili]

I agree with Wizard 1 for young Mouser and Rogue after that. Being a Rogue doesn't necessarily make you a thief, but Mouser definitely was even if he was taking on the Guild.

I'd go Barbarian for young Fafhrd for the reasons you mentioned with maybe the Cosmopolitan Feat to give him some Perform skill and reflect his interest in the city. He didn't really show any Bard class abilities (fascinate maybe) until "Lean Times in Lankhmar" which was somewhat later.
at least that I can think of at the moment...

[Brandon Hodge]

Helaman wrote:

I am going to start when they are both meeting for the 1st time (in Lankhmar)

The common misconception is that the duo first met on the streets of Lankhmar over the bodies of a couple of thieves in the eponymous story, but they didn't. They did meet before that when they were much younger, as mentioned in the same story, along a beach near the Mountains of Hunger, when Fafhrd was a "pirate's ship-boy" and Mouser a wizard's apprentice.

But I don't bring that up just to be an inconsolable nerd. =-) I do have a point. When the two meet again in Lankhmar years later, they are both already accomplished swordsmen and thieves, so if you really want to stick to the book for that time frame at an E6 level, they're already approaching the top of their game -probably level 4, at least. They do go on to raid an entire thieves guild by themselves shortly thereafter, so 1st-level probably wouldn't cut it. They're in their prime at that point, not just beginning adventurers. A 1st-level wizard who can't really cast spells and a 1st-level ranger or bard are going to get slaughtered at first flank.

But at this point I'm just being a geek, aren't I?

Of course your point is to portray them young, and Mouser's first levels would be in wizard, followed by rogue. In the old 1e Lankhmar by TSR, his youth levels were listed as fighter 3/magic-user 3/thief 5. (But remember that those old multiclassing rules were WAY different) He never rose above magic-user 3 (which would be generous in E6, of course. Level 1, tops), even when statted at 18th level, and he was always more thief than fighter. I'd say his eventual goal for E6 might be fighter 2/rogue 3/wizard 1. Just my take, anyway. He is one hell of a swordsman.

Fafhrd is harder. He's depicted as a barbarian, most certainly, but not exactly our game's current class version of that culture, concentrated as it is on rage powers. You don't see Fafhrd lose his cool much (except maybe when his beard gets shaved!) You might use the mechanic but re-flavor it. Otherwise, ranger is probably the way to go, and his early 1e write-ups were various combinations of ranger, thief, and bard, and I'd say for E6 that would hold true even these days. Start him off ranger to reflect his rural upbringing, then move into bard for when he seeks out culture and civilization, and close out with fighter. Bard 1/fighter 4/ranger 1 would let him score weapon specialization.

That's my take for E6. Sorry to geek out. =-)

[Helaman]

Thanks for the geek out...

Yeah I knew they'd met before hence I did specify Lankhmar as oppossed to first met :)

I'd say they were starting thieves/adventurers at the point they met... The Mouser had become the great carpet thief and Fafhrd and his girl had done a fair swack of dangerous travel to get to Lankhmar.

That they got in easily enough was mainly because they were bluffing level 1 NPC classes (warrior/Experts) and really only got in too deep to bluff (ie harder rolls) when they faced people with adventurer levels AND some classes under their belts.

I could say 2 but I see your point about 4 as well... Maybe I'll settle on 3. That would give Mouser access to a feat for level 3 and a rogue trick.

I remember the old TSR books but those where ridiculously over stated - the young Fafhd and mouser are stated at around about 8th-9th level.

Good stuff Brandon, thanks for that.

[LazarX]

In Pathfinder there is no need to give the Mouser wizard levels. He's a failed apprentice after all and his novel abilities can be adequately represented by his UMD skill and the minor (possibly major) as well magic talents.

[DM Wellard]

I'd agree with LazarX on this.Rogue/Ranger is the way to go with Mouse for PF

[Helaman]

LazarX wrote:

In Pathfinder there is no need to give the Mouser wizard levels. He's a failed apprentice after all and his novel abilities can be adequately represented by his UMD skill and the minor (possibly major) as well magic talents.

He did use magic and spells in the first story... havent got thru to the others but I think he did dabble there as well.

However you also have a point because a level 1 in E6 does reflect on a trained person.

With the right traits or a home brew feat allowing access to 0 level spells - The concept would work then...

[Thanael]

You could adapt the Arcane Talent feat and/or the Arcane Dabbler trait. There is of course also the Failed Apprentice trait

[Pendagast]

Thanael wrote:

You could adapt the Arcane Talent feat and/or the Arcane Dabbler trait. There is of course also the Failed Apprentice trait

+1 to this and throw in major/minor magic talents for mouser.

Lankhmar was a very magical place and almost everyone had magic of some sort.

I've seen mouser and his wild-eyed friend stated back in 1st edition.

I think rogue and barbarian with the proper feats talents and traits.