TOM's Tarnished Tramp

[TheObsoleteMan]

Gnemnotymetheus, "Silent G" - Forlorn Philosopher
AGILITY	STRENGTH	TOUGHNESS	PRESENCE
+0	+0	+0	+3

HIT POINTS	OMENS	GOT BETTER
3/3	4/d4	0 time(s)

ADDITIONAL NOTES
Carrying Capacity: 8 (+6 w/Backpack) Exceedingly literate Ability modifier: Presence +3 ETC.
WEAPONS		ARMOR
Sword d6 A ceremonial blade of Südglans, used to execute those whose philosophies had been proven illogical. Inscribed with ancient runes that translate to "Logic Conquers the Flesh"		Mud-stained toga Protects one's modesty and nothing else
EQUIPMENT & GEAR		MONEY & VALUABLES
Metal file and lockpicks Food* 5 days worth Black lemons, stale bread, pickled turnips, dried rat meat, pemmican Lard* Makes for an unpleasant meal 5 days Sash of the Stylite The MIND controls the body! Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so including calories and protein. Wearing this belt means you feel no hunger and only need to drink water to regain HP when resting. Wearing it for more than d4 days causes you to collapse. It takes a day to regain its power. Blanket* Oil lamp* Lantern oil (9 hours worth)* Firesteel* Chalk Rope (30 ft)* Backpack (holds 7 regular-sized items, counts as 1) [Note: Items marked with * are stored in Backpack]		94 silver pieces A strange horse Has bright blue human eyes, and five thick toes on each foot, in place of hooves
SPECIAL ABILITY NAME or UNHEROIC FEATS
The More You Know... When without weapon, you wield parables and metaphors as sword and shield. Instead of an unarmed attack, test Presence DR14; on success you confuse a sentient enemy. Attacks and Defense against this enemy are -2 DR for one round. Ruthless Inquisition  Test Presence DR 14 to tear through others' deceptions and delusions. Enough of these LIES!
SKILLS
Skill name Category Effect(s)
POWERS
Memetic Cognitive Palpitation Ochre Tablet of Obscurity Near-imperceptible body shifts transmit a simple mind-plague which causes one creature to dance madly for d4 rounds. They may neither attack nor defend during this choreomania.

 

Traits: Shrewd, Lazy

Broken Body: Juddering and stuttering from nerve damage or stress

Bad Habit: You are clearly the leader of this group, some people may not realize it yet

Troubling Tale: Cursed unhealing wound

You were Südglans' most revered philosopher—which sank into the sea and now everyone ruthlessly mocks you

Raised by fanatical Theists in a temple beneath Grift’s bridges

Edited May 15, 2023 by TheObsoleteMan (see edit history)

[Malkavian Grin]

Looking good so far! I have some notes, but I realize you've only just begun. I'll hold off on that for now. (pretty good stats BTW!)

Can you list your Omens as 4 / d4? You roll Omens daily so we should know what your die is for that.

Edit: Just noticed you added your Toughness roll to your HP instead of your Toughness bonus. You only add what your score turns into. That 9 disappears from existence once you convert it.

[TheObsoleteMan]

I was actually going to ask about the HP, I was unsure if we used the Toughness value or the modifier. I guess our Philosopher is a bit more fragile than I thought!

I'll continue to add the salient details to the sheet, but I'm also wondering how much in terms of "backstory" you'd like us to write up. Should we just mark down the points detailed in our background rolls and let the finer points remain mysterious, or would you like us to develop and flesh them out a bit more?

[Malkavian Grin]

LOL everyone's more fragile than you would expect. I have a sneaky suspicion we'll get to use the "coming back from death" rules sooner than I anticipated...

You are free to come up with as much or little background as you like! Obviously your Troubling Tale will be a large influence on it, but if you want to write more, I won't stop you. Hell, it could all just be a lie you tell yourself to be able to sleep at night 😉

I like the name you chose; does it loosely translate to "them not me"? XD

[TheObsoleteMan]

Excellent, I'll see what sort of inspiration strikes me.

And I hadn't thought about the name like that, but as a Shrewd and Lazy failed philosopher, it makes sense! Honestly I just tried to come up with something vaguely in the vein of "ancient Greek philosopher," only super obnoxious and impossible to pronounce--hence the nickname.

[Malkavian Grin]

Super obnoxious? ✔

Impossible to pronounce? ✔

Vaguely Greek? ✔

I actually thought you went around telling people that the G was silent, not that it was your nickname. I like it :)

[TheObsoleteMan]

3 minutes ago, Malkavian Grin said:

 

I actually thought you went around telling people that the G was silent, not that it was your nickname. I like it 🙂

Actually you hit the nail on the head there! It's more of a begrudging nickname than a desired one.

 

"No, no, no, you've pronounced it wrong again! The G is silent you ignominious buffoon!"

"Yeah yeah, awright Mr. Silent G, get back in your cell..."

[Malkavian Grin]

Hehe! Very fun indeed. Looking forward to the antics.

[Malkavian Grin]

So, looks like you're almost set.

Don't forget your metal file and lockpicks as well as your strange-looking horse (though the adventure start is gonna make it grumpy lol).

I recommend buying some extra gear to bring with you. I've decided these characters need all the help they can get, so you get to keep all your starting stuff (even a horse... somehow). Incidentally, if you buy a bag or something, make sure to adjust your Carrying Capacity and also please list what's in said bag (since bags only count as a single item).

[TheObsoleteMan]

I think I've got the relevant crunch more or less sorted, including some extra purchased equipment. Let me know if you spot anything out of place.

I've also included a rough outline of a background below. I'm still trying to figure out how to integrate the Troubling Tale into it. Is that something we can re-roll, or would you prefer if we stick with the original result?

 

Background: 

The man who would become known as Gnemnotymetheus–and later as Silent G–has always believed he was born to the wrong parents. His family consisted of a small cult of god-fearing recluses, who lived in a decrepit temple carved into the cliffside beneath one of the great bridges of Grift. They knew not what sort of god the ancient place had been built to worship, only that it must have been one of great import. Thus, each generation grew more and more ignorant of their roots, yet more and more fanatical in their dedication to this unknown entity.

 

Everyone except Silent G. By some stroke of foul luck, he was cursed with a shrewd and discerning mind, as well as a penchant for arguing ceaselessly. From childhood, he questioned the pointless rituals and nonsensical sermons of his kin, often earning a good lashing for his lack of faith. As soon as he was old enough to fend for himself (or perhaps a bit earlier, depending on who you ask), he was banished from the temple and made to wander the lands alone.

 

In all his life, Silent G was afforded but one moment of serendipity. Philosopher-pilgrims from the island of Südglans stumbled upon the lost and starving boy, and took him back to their homeland. There, he was educated in the manners of philosophy, debate, the metaphysical transmutations of esoteric cognition, and flower arranging. Silent G took to the life of a philosopher like a goblin to a dung pile (the flower arranging, not so much). Eventually, he became one of the foremost philosophers of Südglans, with his dialectics being carried far and wide.

 

But all good things are destined to die. Silent G will never admit why–perhaps he truly does not know–Südglans abruptly sank into the Endless Sea, taking an entire civilization with it. Silent G was one of the few survivors, destined once more to wander the lands, a living reminder of the fall of the “Philosopher Nobles” of Südglans–now relegated to philosophizing in brothels and fleecing dimwits for coin or food.

[Malkavian Grin]

Love this background!

Thank you for labeling what is in your backpack. Your Carrying Capacity is intuitive, however the backpack holds 7 and counts as 1, so really it's a net +6 not +7. Otherwise, I don't see any other issues at the moment.

A wound that never heals could be anything from a rash that you mindlessly itch, to a stigmata-type-deal, to really bad bruising across your body, to a swollen burn.

However, if you really can't jive with your Troubling Tale, I'm okay if you want to reroll it and pick between the two.

[TheObsoleteMan]

I actually kind of love the idea of this terrible, itchy rash all over him that he's constantly scratching at, opening up scabs and whatnot. I'll roll with that!

And I think I'll pass on the secret background, can't really find a way to work it into the character. Interesting idea though!

[Malkavian Grin]

Sounds great (and gross) 😉

No worries on the secret background. I figured only a couple people would go for it--they're kinda all bad.

[Malkavian Grin]

I just double checked and I don't see anything out of order at the moment. I'll mark you as complete.