Lady May Chiltren

[yamamura]

Dear HerodomA Victorian character for viewing pleasure. Please be so kind to leave any remarks or criticism about her.Your Humble ServantGLady May ChilternPlayer:

Val	Char	Cost
8	STR	-2
18	DEX	24
15	CON	10
10	BODY	0
13	INT	3
14	EGO	8
15	PRE	5
16	COM	3
3	PD	1
3	ED	0
3	SPD	2
5	REC	0
30	END	0
25	STUN	3

6" RUN02" SWIM01 1/2" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 57

Cost	Power	END
22	Sense the Presence of Spirits: Detect A Class Of Things 12- (Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Range, Sense, Tracking	0
10	Medium: Retrocognitive Clairsentience (Hearing Group), Usable By Other (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (70 Active Points); Extra Time (5 Minutes, -2), Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (0 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; -1 1/2), Precognition/Retrocognition Only (-1), Only in Haunted Places (-1/2), Only Things that the spirit wishes to tell and know of (-1/2), Side Effects (Chance of Being Possessed by a powerful Spirit; -1/4)	0

Powers Cost: 32

Cost	Skill
5	+1 with DCV
4	+2 with Bows
1	Animal Handler (Equines) 8-
3	High Society 12-
2	KS: Ghostlore 11-
3	KS: Literature 12-
2	KS: Occult 11-
3	Language: French (completely fluent)
3	PS: Dancing 13-
0	PS: Household Management (Everyman Skill) 11-
2	PS: Piano 11-
1	PS: Sewing 8-
8	Penalty Skill Levels: +4 vs. Range Modifier with Bows
3	Persuasion 12-
3	Riding 13-
1	Seduction 8-
3	Shadowing 12-
3	Stealth 13-
2	WF: Bows, Handguns

Skills Cost: 52

Cost	Perk
5	Money: Well Off
2	Fringe Benefit: Courtesy Title: Lady (Daughter of an Earl)

Perks Cost: 7

Cost	Talent
2	Environmental Movement (no penalties in Skirts)

Talents Cost: 2

Val	Disadvantages
0	Normal Characteristic Maxima
5	Physical Limitation: Corseted (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)
15	Psychological Limitation: Loyal to Friends (Common, Strong)
10	Psychological Limitation: Aversion to Killing (Common, Moderate)
10	Reputation: As an Eccentric and Possibly Loose Woman, 14- (Known Only To the Social Elite)
10	Social Limitation: Female (Frequently, Minor)
5	Unluck: 1d6
20	Vulnerability: 2 x Effect Ghostly Possession (Common)

Disadvantage Points: 75

Base Points: 75Experience Required: 0Total Experience Available: 0Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 150

Height: 5' 4"	Hair: Blonde
Weight: 115 lbs	Eyes: Brown

Appearance: May is a 20 year old of slight build and attractive appearance. She tends to wear stylish clothes appropriate to one of her status.Personality: May is a straight forward type of girl. She will instantly dispense with the nicety of society if it allows her to get the heart of the problem. This of course has led to talk about her, from her being on the eccentric side to the fact that she has improper relations with men (not true, but people do talk). But May is bothered little by such talk and tries to live life on her terms. Once people get to know her, they realize what a good and loyal friend she can be.Quote:There are angry spirits here my friends, we must be very wary this time.Background: May was born the third child of the Earl of Thorndale. Her mother died soon after of a fever, leaving the young May to be raised by her father, brothers and the servants. It wasn’t until May’s 10th birthday that her father being prodded by sister, hired a governess to rein in the young girl. While the young May learned to be more Lady-like, she still maintains openness with men, one generally don’t find amongst young women.

 

Her life took a turn for the bizarre when she was 16 and came down with the same fever that killed her mother. Everyone feared that they would lose May the same way. But May’s mother, who was always watching her little girl, used the powers granted to her to save her daughter from her fate and was finally able to move on. All May remembers of this is a dream of her mother coming to her soothe her brow with water. After May recovers, she discovered that she could sense the presence of spirits and even allow them to talk through her.

 

It was during her coming out ball that, May met a group of men interested in the study of the occult (and dealing with it when necessary). May feeling this was what her life should be about took up with the group as their medium. Since then she has help in couple of cases of haunted houses.

Powers/Tactics: May can channel the spirits of dead and allow them to talk through her (i.e. A medium). She is quite talented with the bow and practices every chance she gets (and loves archery competitions). In a situation that calls for battle, she will stay in the background and use a pistol if she needs one or a bow if she can get her hands on one. She will try to keep out of the way of any front line fighter and will follow order of whoever is leading the mission.Campaign Use: May works best on a team. Her knowledge of the occult especially with Ghosts is invaluable to any team of supernatural hunters. She is also able to go and be at places where it would not be proper for a gentleman to be.

[Mentor]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

Cool, especially with the Wynona pics. Very period.

 

I almost expected Physical Disad: Subject to the vapors.

[Agemegos]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

She's too thin. Take her comeliness and constitution down.

 

Everyman skills are an 8-, not 11-, aren't they?

 

A nanny is the servant hired to look after babies and infants. I think you mean 'governess'.

 

I am impressed by 'corsetted' as physical limitation: that's ingenious.

[yamamura]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

Agemegos

1. What would you suggest for a weight?

 

2. You can have your profession skill as a everyman at 11- (See side bar on page 31 of the Green man book)

 

3. Don't know what I was thinking when I wrote nanny, of course you are right.

 

4. Thanks and I am still trying to figure out what it means in Game terms. I also figure there is an upper level version called tightly corseted that would have a greater chance of causing the vapor. (That is why I didn't have Vapors as a disadvantage Mentor).

 

G

[ShelleyCM]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

Fun character! The weight is on the rail-thin side, but not completely unrealistic. It's the write-ups that have the women at 5'7 and 105 pounds that crack me up.

 

-Shelley

[DocMan]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

A more realistic weight would be between 120 and 140 pounds. 135 is pretty good.

 

I used to work guessing people's weight. Our rule of thumb was to start at 135 for PYT's and adjust accordingly for height and build.

 

Doc

[Agemegos]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

Agemegos

1. What would you suggest for a weight?

 

Never mind, I was teasing. The character has a BMI of 19, which matches her description. That is unhealthily thin and looks it, but it is where leading ladies and models aim at weighing.

 

4. Thanks and I am still trying to figure out what it means in Game terms.

 

Penalties to REC, End, and athletic activity until she unties her corsets, I'd say.

 

I'd make 'Tightly-corsetted' make a character unable to take recoveries until the corset was untied. That'll bring on the vapours.

[yamamura]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

Shelley thanks for your comment, I would like to take this chance to compliment you on your Regency site. And if I had made her the wife of an Earl, I would of used your status chart, but I came up with the Courtsey title to refect that fact that daughters and any sons of the after the first, while of the proper lineage were considered legally as commoners and generally were given the title as courtsey:)

 

G

[yamamura]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

I still raised her weight a little Agemegos.

 

What I was thinking for Corseted was this;

-1 to Recovery durning any strenous activity (such as combat).

-1 to any skill requiring flexability (Good Idea Agemegos).

If a corseted lady takes a phase to catch her breath she would still get her full recovery. (according to one book I looked at, a corseted woman uses her accessory respiratory muscles (ie. the upper diaphragm) to breathe. This is also how pregant women and obese people breathe. So I think a corseted lady if she took a moment out of combat to have a recovery, can get it at full).

 

For Tightly Corseted;

This version uses the optional LTE Rules.

All endurance is considered to be long term endurance and thus can only be recovered at her recovery rate per 5 hours of rest.

-2 to any skill requiring flexability.

 

Just some Ideas

G

 

P.s. I have noticed you using Corsetted as oppose to Corseted. Is the former the correct way? MS Word says it is the latter, but I am not about to take MS word for it:)

[ShelleyCM]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

Shelley thanks for your comment, I would like to take this chance to compliment you on your Regency site. And if I had made her the wife of an Earl, I would of used your status chart, but I came up with the Courtsey title to refect that fact that daughters and any sons of the after the first, while of the proper lineage were considered legally as commoners and generally were given the title as courtsey:)

 

G

 

G -

 

Thank you! You made my morning. Now that the second year of law school is nearly behind me (yeah! One more paper!) I'm settling down to work on RH before the last year starts in August.

 

Actually -- technically -- everyone but the titled lord himself was a commoner. Even the son-and-heir was until he ascended to the title!

 

-Shelley

[yamamura]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

It always make me happy to make someone's morning. Glad I could be of service Shelley.

 

G

[Agemegos]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

P.s. I have noticed you using Corsetted as oppose to Corseted. Is the former the correct way? MS Word says it is the latter' date=' but I am not about to take MS word for it:)[/quote']

 

Dunno. We Australians double final letters before suffixes rather more profusely and haphazardly than Americans. By American rules the final consonant is doubled only in a stressed syllable, but by Australian and English rules final 'l', 'r', or 't' is doubled even in an unstressed syllable.

 

M$ Word tries to impose American spelling rules on everyone. I tell it to go fly a kite.

[Koshka]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

I'm not sure about allowing clothing (her corset) as a Phys Lim, but maybe at half value to reflect the fact that it's removable?

 

I haven't done any costuming that would require a corset, but IIRC in periods where women wore them they wore them starting from early teens. I would expect that anyone who's that used to wearing something would be able to get around any mobility issues -- much the way that someone who wears high heels a lot (not me ) can walk at normal speed while wearing them.

 

(The last time there was a corset discussion on a historical costume list I'm on, one person mentioned being able to touch her toes while corseted. And while you can't legally get whalebone stays any more, I believe the modern fake whalebones are just as stiff as the "original".)

[yamamura]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

Koshka I have heard arguement for and against the flexibility issue and given that the data from the time period is incomplete and often biased against the corset (numerous Dress reform pamplets), I would say it is up to any GM whether to charge the flexability issue. Also people vary on regard to flexability and not wearing a corset may or may not matter. Also, the person on your list probably doesn't wear a corset 24/7/365 (After all taking someone who is flexible and having her wear a corset an afternoon is different then someone who always wearing one). But I would err on the side of caution and not add the penalty to agility, just for your arguement of being used to it (After all there are accounts of women mountain hiking in full victorian garb).

 

Yes, if a woman took off the corset, she would no longer have the problem beathing and all. But a woman who had been wearing a corset since her early teen, would have weakened back muscles. So not wearing a corset would be highly uncomfortable to her. In fact by all appearances corsets help relieve back pain but at a cost. This is why I would consider it a full value disadvantage.

 

G

[Agemegos]

Re: Lady May Chiltren

 

In fact by all appearances corsets help relieve back pain but at a cost.

 

Indeed. I understand that corsets were first introduced by light cavalry officers, who wore them to provide body support and thus reduce the fatigue of heavy day's riding. (Light cavalry used to be responsible for scouting and patrolling, so they rode around more than heavy cavalry (who were shock troops)).

 

Of course I expect that cavalry corsets were not as tight as the ones worn to winch a woman's waist from a healthy and attractive 24 inches down to a groteque seventeen.