Hi, I’m Arvin

[Jhaeman]

Venture-Captain Arvin appears in more scenarios than probably any other NPC, but I can’t find a whiff of a personality in him to RP. Naiaj loves multi-tasking with her datapad and Ziggy is weirdly casual for a battle leader, but Arvin just falls flat on the page. What do you guys do to make him come alive?

[BigNorseWolf]

Use a box of bran flakes for his picture?

[AtlasSniperman]

Use a picture of Torial from Undertale for his picture?

[Hmm]

We have a picture, and it's cute and very young. So I always play him as an earnest and competent intern that has been promoted too soon. He has energy and he'll get the job done, but inside he's worried that he's given the PCs enough resources: tools, information to be okay.

Note, I have no basis for this other than working with other young interns. I came up with this because I was also going crazy with how little information we've been given on his personality and motivations.

Hmm

[Ascalaphus]

He spends a lot of time worrying about the PCs' safety and sending them to nice restaurants when a mission succeeds.

[Hmm]

Yep, he's kind of mothering and nervous. That was what made me decide that he's a former intern who got promoted too soon because of the Scoured Stars Incident. I am amused by the restaurant thing. Maybe I should concentrate a bit on Arvin the foodie?

Hmm

[pithica42]

I always play him as a bit nervous and effete. Maybe like an intern, but probably one that rode his way into position with a number of desk jobs and never having actually been on a 'real' mission. He spends the first interaction trying to calmly provide mission parameters without messing things up, but being overjoyed when the PC's succeed.

The only scenario I found where it looked like he had characterization was 1-10 with his interactions with Julzakama. That's where I got the impression that he was a desk jockey.

[Thurston Hillman]

Arvin's intended on being presented as something of a "business up front" followed by "rewarding the PCs for successful missions" style of NPC. Unlike a lot of our faction leaders, Arvin doesn't have a major quirk or personality hook beyond this. That being said, it's OK as a GM to embellish a bit and come up with your own spins.

[Elinnea]

You mean... business up front, party in the back?

Can I change canon to give him a mullet instead of a mohawk?

[Arc Riley]

How do you know he doesn't have a mullet-hawk?

[John Mangrum]

In my home campaign, because we chose to kick off with Into the Unknown before running The Commencement, Arvin is the guy who personally assembled a team of cadets in an emergency situation to investigate the event that kicks off ItU. Since they came back alive, he's very proud and protective of the team, acting a bit as their counselor on top of being their dispatcher.

(Also, a female player, whose character has started dating Orsis, an NPC from The Commencement, has recently noticed that Arvin's lips are pretty hot. What can I say, she likes those lashunta boys.)

[Ascalaphus]

I like HMM's take on it, Arvin as the intern who got promoted when there was this big personnel shortage after the Scoured Stars Incident. And now he's there, doing reasonably well and popular with the field agents because he cares about their well-being and rewards accomplishment.

I hope we'll see some vignettes showcasing his development. Because he might be nice and popular, but what happens if he gets in over his head with a mission that's harder than he thought?

[John Mangrum]

For the record I really enjoyed reading the recent scenario that gets Arvin out from behind the desk for a bit.

[Nefreet]

I play him as excited, and caring.

Pretty much the opposite of early season Pathfinder VCs.

[eddv]

There is this nice bit of personality that peaks out during Half Alive Streets where he is a bit up tight and put off by boorish behavior so I have been playing him as a stuffy sort of young professor who grew up with a silver spoon - soft and efete.

I like HMM's spin too based on later outings like Siege of Enlightenment and Dreaming of the Future.

[The Masked Ferret]

Also, he is a Mystic - which is why he keeps dealing with missions involving magic.

[Nefreet]

Oh that's a good point.

[Dracomicron]

Arvin always seemed a little long-suffering to me, like he can't believe the BS that he has to deal with when wrangling starfinders. ESPECIALLY in 1-10.

[Gamerskum]

Arvin is the Anti-Drandle Dreng.

[Hmm]

Wait.... How do we know he isn't Drandle Dreng?!

Cue time-travelling portal theory. Arvin, fascinated with magic, discovers a portal to the past... He joins the Pathfinder Society, learns to act and spy. Becomes a decorated Lion Blade, actor and master of disguise. The crazy wigs and frumpy clothes are to hide his lashunta antennae. The continual knowledge about what was going on in the Grand Lodge? Lashunta telepathy. This also leaves him with a permanently off circadian clock, forcing him to wake up Pathfinders at 2 am.

Oh my gosh. Why didn't I see this before?

[BigNorseWolf]

Hilary Moon Murphy wrote:

Wait.... How do we know he isn't Drandle Dreng?!

Cue time-travelling portal theory. Arvin, fascinated with magic, discovers a portal to the past... He joins the Pathfinder Society, learns to act and spy. Becomes a decorated Lion Blade, actor and master of disguise. The crazy wigs and frumpy clothes are to hide his lashunta antennae. The continual knowledge about what was going on in the Grand Lodge? Lashunta telepathy. This also leaves him with a permanently off circadian clock, forcing him to wake up Pathfinders at 2 am.

Oh my gosh. Why didn't I see this before?

I'm going to guess insufficient supplies of drengs "cough syrupc"

[Gamerskum]

On a side note I hope Starfinder never get the " well we are stuck with you incompetents" mission briefings that pathfinder seemed to get too frequently.

[Nefreet]

I think Leadership knows that players hated that about Pathfinder Society.

I still get a warm and fuzzy feeling inside when I give a briefing and the mission giver is ecstatic for whoever shows up.

[AtlasSniperman]

Nefreet wrote:

I think Leadership knows that players hated that about Pathfinder Society.

I still get a warm and fuzzy feeling inside when I give a briefing and the mission giver is ecstatic for whoever shows up.

After the Scoured Stars incident, they're ecstatic that anyone shows up.

[BigNorseWolf]

Historia 7: My records indicate that this group is the best suited for this diplomactic mission

Looks around the table at 5 vesk soldier and a ysoki mechanic

Historia 7: .. available on short notice. The scoured stars was rough on humanid resources. *doffs hat*

[CptJames]

I too like Arvin a lot, sure, there isn't much to go on with fleshing out, but even running demos (which I do a lot), people who aren't familiar with roleplaying always get a kick out of the fact that Arvin sends you to a restaurant in Dreaming of the Future, or a few other things if we get past Quest 1 with brand new players - which is very important!

I like what they did in the newer scenario, getting him out from behind his desk, to stop him getting overworked and not ever leaving it!

[Dracomicron]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

Historia 7: My records indicate that this group is the best suited for this diplomactic mission

Looks around the table at 5 vesk soldier and a ysoki mechanic

Historia 7: .. available on short notice. The scoured stars was rough on humanid resources. *doffs hat*

3 vesk soldiers, a human soldier, and a ysoki operative.

Quest Giver: "This is a diplomatic mission; we're not expecting trouble."

ME [to the GM]: "Did she wink? She winked, right?"

GM: "Uh, no... why?

ME: "Because, if they're not expecting trouble, why are they sending US? We are a walking disaster wherever we go; the Starfinder Society knows that our idea of 'diplomacy' is diplomatically walking away from multiple explosions in slo-mo."

GM: "Fine, she winked."