So, last time we did a bit of world building. This time, character.
- Envision – Our hero is a member of a freewarden order
known as the Overwatch. She’s a younger warrior, mentored by several of the senior members. She’s a classic kind of armored warrior: heavy sheild, at least chainmail armor, whatever weapons come to hand, and a knack for improvising.
(Basically, Kaylee and I made up a character based on Brigitte from Overwatch for our World of Dungeons game, and I enjoyed the character a lot, so we’re sticking with that. It’s cheesy. I do not care.)
- Name – usually I’d wait til the end of chargen for this, but in this case, I already know it’s Brigitte (bri-GEE-tah).
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Set your stats by arranging these bonuses across edge, heart, iron, shadow, and wits in any order: 3, 2, 2, 1, 1 (page 33).
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- Edge is quickness, agility, and prowess in ranged combat.
- Heart is courage, willpower, empathy, sociability, and loyalty.
- Iron is physical strength, endurance, aggressiveness, and prowess in close combat.
- Shadow is sneakiness, deceptiveness, and cunning.
- Wits mean expertise, knowledge, and observation.
This is not going to take me long. Heart is definitely going to be Brig’s best stat (+3) – she is loyal, brave, friendly, and tough-minded. But she is also physically tough and smart, which asks for a +2 in both Iron and Wits. That leaves a +1 for Edge and Shadow, and that’s fine: none of her go-to tactics rely on these stats.
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Health, Spirit, and Supply are automatically set to 5. Done.
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Momentum is set to 2, automatically. Done.
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Mark up to 3 background bonds.
Bonds provide narrative texture to your world by fleshing out other characters and communities. They give you places to return to, and people to reconnect with, when life has taken its toll. Bonds also provide mechanical benefits when you act within a community or interact with someone with whom you share a bond.
I’m taking two bonds initially, and leaving one as a freebie once the story gets going.
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- Reinhardt – my old mentor and sort of father/uncle-figure. Currently missing.
- The order – I am, in many ways, a fresh-faced recruit to the cause of the wardens, and believe all the best about them.
- Pick three assets. Assets represent your background, skills, and traits. They give you additional options and bonuses when making a move, or sometimes act as their own self-contained moves. Assets, almost more than stats, is really where you define the mechanical bits of a character. There are four types of assets: Companions, paths, combat talents, and rituals. You can mix-and-match assets as you like.
If I didn’t have a clear picture in mind for Brigitte, this would probably take me a long while, because they’re a LOT of assets, and they are all really need and tempting. Luckily, I pretty much know how this is going to go.
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- Shield-bearer: the core of Brigitte’s approach to combat is her shield. Weapons come and go, but a shield is life (and, in the right hands, death).
- Ironclad: even traveling light, Brigitte (as one of the wardens) is more heavily armored than most, and can strap on heavier gear when the situation calls for it.
- Honorbound. This one I’m waffling on the most. I sort of want something that gives Brigitte that paladin-y feeling of a knight with a cause, and this works well, giving her that extra bit of hard-edged will when things get tough. But I’m torn.
- If she were a leeettle more religious, I’ve had grabbed Devotant.
- If I lean more toward her Overwatch inspiration, Wright or Improviser would give a sort of Macgyver-y crafting touch.
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… but no. I’ll stick with Honorbound, keep Devotant out there as an option, and pine longingly for Thunderbringer.
- Finally, make a background vow. I’m going with “Find or Avenge the missing Wardens,” which is background I’ll get into later. Next time, we play!
