Saturday 22 October 2016

Example Allies & Antagonist Entry

Still working on various entries for the "Allies & Antagonist" section of the book. This is one of my personal favorites.

CHOSEN ONE

The hero of another story

Introduction

  • Occasionally, youths are given great powers and a quest by the whims of fate. Old legends are filled with tales of how these enterprising figures blossom to greatness - but the reality is much more messy.
  • Thanks to various cataclysms and arcane meddling, fate has long been out of sync with the Outer World. Chosen ones often meet inglorious ends pursuing poorly timed or misaimed quests that will do as much harm (if not more) than do good.

Menace Level

  • Boss

Rank

  • 6

Allegiance

  • (No Allegiance)

Home Region/Habitat

  • Chosen Ones are almost always from small rural villages, most commonly located in relatively peaceful places like the Kingdom of Shard, The Galvanus Archipelago or the Pride Coast. Their adventures mean they might be found wandering just about anywhere in the world.  

Aptitudes (Trait: Surprisingly Strong, Spirited, Silent Type (+1 Might, +1 Grit, -1 Aura)

Primary Aptitudes: Might, Grit, Aura
Secondary Aptitudes: Deftness, Insight
  • Might [11]
  • Deftness [9]
  • Grit [11]
  • Insight [9]
  • Aura [9]

Combat Values

  • Hearts [4]
  • Attack [+4]
  • Speed [Normal]
  • Defense Rating [14] (Medium Armor, 15 with a Standard or Cleary Shield]

Abilities

In addition to any items they might have from their Legendary Gear Ability, Chosen Ones are assumed to be wearing Medium Armor and carrying a Quick Melee Weapon, Drawn Missile Weapon or Standard Shield.


Legendary Gear
Chosen Ones generally find themselves in the possession of a handful of useful Imbued Items thanks to contrivance, questing, and older relatives with a habit of hoarding.
  • Chosen Ones have two or three of the following Imbued Items.
  • Red Edge - This empowered sword is crafted from Flame Brass. It is a Master Weapon that does an additional Heart of Fire Damage upon a successful Attack.
  • Cleary Shield - A lovely Standard Shield made of Sun Gold. The bearer may also use the Parry granted by this item to nullify a Magical Ability targeted at them.
  • Spring Heel Boots - These Sky-Steel Toe Boots are made of magical beast leather. They grant anyone wearing them Supernatural Leaping.
  • Mighty Mitten - A single right Mitten created from the paw of an extremely strong creature. Anyone wearing it is granted Supernatural Might.
  • Wooly Warm Tunic - This endearing Extreme Weather Outfit is said to have been weaved with the fluffy wool of the legendary Wisdom Bumpo, and ensures the wearer will always be comfortably warm. In addition, Attacks that deal Fire and Frost damage do one less Heart of damage to the bearer.


Favored by Fate
While destiny ain’t what it used to be, it can still help out it’s agents in a pinch.
  • Fate can struggle against circumstances and actions that would work against the Chosen One.
  • Once a session the Game Master can reroll (or force a player to reroll) once finding the result of any Roll that directly affects the Chosen One.
  • Please note that the Chosen One might not even be present when this reroll occurs. The result just has to be important to them.
  • For example, the Game Master might call for a reroll if the party might manage to discover and claim a key item before the Chosen One does.


Courageous Determination
It is easy for many adventurers to scoff at Chosen Ones, who wield a lot of borrowed power in lieu of actual experience or training. However, they are chosen for a reason: their indomitable spirit.
  • If a Chosen One is reduced to 0 Hearts or would be slain by another circumstance or effect, they may make a Grit Check.
  • Success means they manage to bear through it somehow and regain a single Heart.
  • This Ability cannot save a Chosen One from a situation where death is certain (such as being crushed by an immense, solid stone block) or inescapable (such as drowning at the bottom of an extremely deep body of water).

Communication Methods

  • Chosen Ones are able to speak Low Speech and another language based on their homeland.

Tactics

  • Chosen Ones are very bold combatants - they tend towards strategies that depend on Stunts and aiming for key points or an enemy leader. They often bet on their determination and spirit to carry them through obstacles, given that it’s their most outstanding quality.

Yield

  • Besides any items they might have on their person or from their Legendary Gear Ability, Chosen Ones always have a 2 Roll’s worth of coins on their person: usually collected from fallen foes or due to rewards from various smaller quests they’ve undertaken.

Miscellaneous

  • Indicators -  The sounding of a valorous battle cry, villages filled with people who have had small requests recently fulfilled, the slain bodies of dangerous beasts.
  • Roleplaying Notes - Most Chosen Ones earnestly believe they are doing the right thing, and will be friendly with the party as long as they aren’t actively in their way.
  • They are dangerously stubborn however, thanks to their innate attachment to their ultimate quest. Even calmly explaining that something they are doing might be dangerous or misguided will quickly put them on the defensive and may convince them that whoever is doing so is a true villain.
  • Customization  - The Chosen One here is assumed to a Native Outer World Human. If you wish to make a Chosen One of another Species, simply remove one of the Abilities here and switch it with the proper Species Ability.
  • Chosen Ones might also have Abilities from the Champion or Battle Princess Elective Ability lists. Some may travel with other adventuring types, especially Fairies.
  • Feel free to create your own Imbued Items and have the Chosen One have one of those instead of the options included with Legendary Gear.

Random Encounter Reaction

  • Friendly/Benign (1-5) - The Chosen One encountered is actually on a venture that parallels the one the party is on - they won’t be shy about it and explain it to them, jumping at the chance to work together whether the party shows interest or not.
  • Indifferent/Wary (6-13)  - The party stumbles on the Chosen One in the middle of an important quest that involves trading bizarre and innocuous items. They will eagerly engage the party in an attempt to trade a strange object (examples include a wooden ball, rare local fruit, or a terrifying looking mask) for something actually useful, and might actually get angry if they are refused outright.
  • Hostile/Bloodthirsty (14-20) - The Chosen One has identified one of the party members as a true villain (or someone destined to become one) and declares the party as their enemy. Whether this is a tragic case of mistaken identity or actually true depends on the party itself, but it will difficult convincing the Chosen One otherwise.

Variants and Related Entries

Swapping out some of the Chosen One’s Legendary Gear for more sinister Imbued Items or even Relics can be done to create a clearly villainous entity, rather than a sadly misguided heroic one.