So, having taken a hiatus from solo play, I am in the mood to start another character.
This will be a male human Ranger. Normally I play Fighters in 5e solo games due to their resillience, but I like Rangers. I just need to get one to survive! His name is Pietr
4d6 drop 1: 13,15,15,15,17,16…well, that was astonishingly good!
Age, let’s go 15+3d6=27
Str 15
Dex 17+1
Con 16
Int 13
Wis 15+1
Cha 15
Human Variant:
Rolling a backstory on Kassoom, I first generated one I couldn’t quite figure out how to work with, so i rolled again and got:
Race: Human
Birthplace: Carriage, cart, or wagon
Current Age: 27
Charisma: 13 (1)
Parents: You know of your parents.
Mother: Avice Harphy, Neutral Human Paladin that works as a Farmer. Your relationship was friendly. She is alive, but doing poorly due to injury / finances / relationship.
Father: Frederick Harphy, Neutral Human Rogue that works as a Soldier. Your relationship was friendly. He is dead, killed by a wild animal.
Siblings: None
Family: You were raised by your mother. Your father died.
Lifestyle: Poor. Grew up in a small house
Childhood: You had several friends, and your childhood was generally a happy one.
Life
Background: Urchin
Motivation: Monsters wiped out your village, and you were the sole survivor. You had to find a way to survive.
Class: Ranger
Origin: You have seen what happens when the monsters come out from the dark. You took it upon yourself to become the first line of defense against the evils that lie beyond civilization’s borders.
Events: 2
You fought in a battle. You acquitted yourself well in battle and are remembered as a hero. You might have received a medal for your bravery. (3d6X10=100 xp)
You gained a bit of good fortune. You saved the life of a commoner, who now owes you a life debt. This individual accompanies you on your travels and performs mundane tasks for you, but will leave if neglected, abused, or imperiled. (Diced out a quick battle, killing a goblin and causing another to flee=50xp)
So I start weaving the story
Pietr grew up on the frontier of Ardeles near the AxBlight wilds. His father, Friedrich, was a Man-at-Arms under Sir Almead, one Baron Malthold’s vassals. Growing up in Almead, a small farming village, he helped his mother in the garden while his father, a hero to the young boy’s eyes, aided their landlord on patrols and tax collecting duties. On liesure days, and when the boy could get away from his own work, Freidrich would teach is son riding and fighting skills. Then one day, their lord’s patrol returned with Friedrich’s lifeless, mangled body draped over a horse. He had been mauled to death by worg…one of the great wolves known to prowl the Axblight.
Out of respect for her husband, Avice was allowed to remain in the manor, living in her tiny house with her son, but gardening alone does not provide wealth nor keep one’s belly full. Not without a full plot of farmland on which to grow wheat and barley, or the livestock to provide eggs and cheese. Times were hard the next few seasons, but as Pietr grew, he was able to help his mother more, and even hiring himself out as a shepherd to their landlord. Then things took a turn for the worse!
The Axblight is known for the fierce tribesmen who live there. Wild men who sometimes wage war against Adele, but more often battle orc, goblin and gnoll intruders to their lands, or who hire themselves off as mercenaries. But their greatest foes are the trolls of the deep woods. And sometimes, in the harshest of winters when game grows scarce,these trolls crawl out from the deepest woods and look for easy prey.
To a score of trolls, a frontier village like Almead is easy pickings. Wooden palisades are easily scaled, and while an Adelian knight is more than a match for one such fiend, even with half a dozen mailed soldiers at his back, the Sir Almead fell quickly and the village was laid to waste one moonless night. No signal fire was lit, but the screams of terror echoed for miles.
A shepherd boy with a stick fought to protect his mother, but cast aside like a doll by the sinewy claws of her killer. Clows soon covered in her blood.
The boy, his face torn, and blinded by the blood pouring from his scalp, crawled out into the night, where shadowy beasts ransacked the village as desperate men and women tried to protect themselves, and their children. Reaching the well in the middle of the village, Pietr climbed inside, and holding onto the rope, dropped down with a great splash.
He shivered in the cold water, holding on for dear life, and weeping until the morning sun crept into the sky overhead.
Two days later, the Baron’s men found Piotr, sitting next to the well. The sole survivor amidst the ruins. A few animal carcasses were scattered about, the crows enjoying their feast, but the villagers, and most of the livestock had been taken away.
Then the goblin war came.
Growing up alone on the streets of Maltholb was not easy. It is a small town. Begging from the poor rarely keeps one’s belly full, and a pickpocket is quickly known to his neighbors. Caravaners, though fine targets, aren’t common enough in the smaller towns, but the number of fighting men and barbarian mercenaries who came to Maltholb provided plenty of opportunity for a quick witted lad to filch a few coins.
Pietr took to following larger bodies of men, as a helper, a camp follower, and opportunistic thief, polishing boots and also helping with the livestock. After a pack of wolves savaged some cattle, an archery sergeant started teaching “the shepherd lad” how to use a bow. Old lessons were quickly remembered!
At the Battle of Bollrack’s Folly, where the Horned One was finally defeated, goblin raiders swept into the Adelian’ army’s rear while Pietr was helping guard the baggage train. One arrow after another found their mark causing the raiders to balk while a counterblow was organized. While others fled from danger, the “shepherd boy” stood his ground!
After the war ended, Pietr found himself wandering the frontier, taking whatever work he could find. He’d hunt game as opportunity arose, filch a purse if times were hard, track down lost animals, help chase down goblins or bandits. Whatever would put some food on his table, or allow him to share a meal with others in even greater need. Through all this time, his greatest joy was hunting goblin, orc or troll raiders as a scout for any nobleman’s troop.
Then he met Benton.
He was on patrol with some of Lord Estkap’s men near the village of Tellog, which is at the northern end of the AxBlight. The company was hunting trolls, as some of the villagers had reported finding tracks along the edge of their fields, and they were understandably nervous.
Days of fruitless searching turned up nothing, for trolls are crafty, and the band may have simply been passing by, rather than actively scouting the village. So the captain ordered his men to return to the keep.
Unsure the threat had truly passed, Pietr stayed in the village a few extra days before deciding to head “home”.
On the road alone, he heard a man yelling for help, the braying of a mule, and the barking taunts of goblins!
As the gang of the goblins dragged away the overburdened pack animal, two of their number chased a frightened man up a tree! An arrow through one’s head causes the otehr to flee, but it was too late to save man’s livelhood! Or is it?
Following the Story I make some updates to the character
So, skillwise,
Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand, Stealth
Tool Proficiencies: Disguise kit, thieves’ tools
Languages: None
Equipment: A small knife, a map of the city you grew up in, a pet mouse, a token to remember your parents by, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10gp
—
976, Pietr was born in a village in Malthold
982, Freidrich dies
985, There was a Goblin war n the frontier, Trolls from Axblight wipe out Pietr’s village, orphaning him. age 9
991, The Goblin War is over, Battle of Bollrock’s Folly. Pietr is Age 15.
1003, Campaign start. Pietr meets Benton, Pieter is age 27
Random Motivations: possess progress, guard alcohol, acquire contraband
Traits: Three broad scars across the right side of his face, from a troll’s claw!
Becomes quiet and guarded when drinking.
Bonds: Views young orphans as kindred spirits
Flaws: Doesn’t like to back down from danger. Considers it his right to steal from those who steal from others.
Ideals: I must protect those who cannot protect themselves.
And Detail Piotr’s Ally
Benton the Broke Peddlar-Age 55.
NPC Emulator motivations: prepare slavery,collaborate the populace, maintain poverty.
Hmmm, sounds more like a slaver, and a tax collector than a peddlar. Someone who throws people into debtor prison for sale to the galleys or mines. So…let’s redefine.
Benton is a peddlar who has never been very successful, wandering from one village to the next trading knicknacks and household goods to poor farmers, lumbermen, and even to the goblin mine slaves. He makes friends easily enough, and comforts people in trouble, especially those deep in debt, but his kind heart, bad luck, and fondness of strong drink have kept him poor. As luckless in love as in business, his mule is his only lifelong companion.
Finishing Touches and Refinement
As I finish putting the characters together, I realize that though Urchin was randomly generated, Folk Hero sounds like a better fit. I’ll miss the thieve’s tools and possibly the disguise kit, but “urchin” is a very urban background:
Folk Hero Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Survival
Tool Proficiencies: One type of artisan’s tools, vehicles (land)
Equipment: A set of artisan’s tools (one of your choice), a shovel, an iron pot, a set of common clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp
This switches things up so that as a ranger, I’ll add: Athletics,Stealth and Nature as my three skills.
As human variant, I’ll add the ever important: Perception.
And “Giant” (Trollish) as my bonus language. And Sharpshooter as my feat (Your ranged attacks ignore some cover, no disavantage at long range, and possibility to take -5 to hit for +10 on ranged damage.)
(a) scale mail or (b) leather armor
(a) two shortswords or (b) two simple melee weapons
(a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
A longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows
Favored Enemy: Goblinoids (Granting Goblin as a language)
Favored Terrain: Forest
Artisan tools would be “Woodcarver”. I’m thinking Survival covers skinning animals. Woodcarver might be good for a flether/bowmaker. Carpenter’s tools also makes sense, but I think of that more as construction and wagon building.
So my starting gear is actually: Leather Armor, two daggers, Longbow, quiver with 20 arrows, an Explorer Pack, Woodcutter’s tools, shovel, iron pot, common clothes, pouch with 10 gp. A long stem pipe (my father’s) and a bag of pipe weed (from 100 random starter items for 1st level characters), and a Red Velvet Armband with silver thread denoting my courage at the battle of Bradock’s Folly.
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