Coon the Cursed

[AdamLeisemann]

This character is intended primarily as a character for a series of stories. He is not yet fully developed as a character, as that will have to be handled by actually writing the stories. This is also my first attempt at a Fantasy Hero Character.

 

MASK

The Cursed

 

VAL...CHA...Cost...Total...Roll......Notes

13....STR.....3.......13......12-......HTH Damage 2 1/2d6 END [3]

14....DEX.... 12.....14......12-......OCV 5 DCV 5

12....CON.....4......12......11-

12....BODY...4......12......11-

15....INT..... 5......15......12-......PER Roll 12-

12....EGO.....4......12......11-......ECV: 4

10....PRE.....0.......10......11-......PRE Attack: 2d6

8.....COM.....-1.....8......11-

3.....PD.......0.......3/5................3/5 PD (0/2 rPD)

2.....ED.......0.......2..................2 ED (0 rED)

3.....SPD.....6.......3..................Phases: 4, 8, 12

5.....REC.....0.......5

24...END.....0.......24

25...STUN...0.......25

6.....RUN.....0.......6"................END [1]

2.....SWIM...0.......2"................END [1]

3.....LEAP....0.......2 1/2"................2 1/2" forward, 1" upward

 

CHA Cost: 37

 

Cost...POWERS

5.....Nightvision - END=0

5.....Freakish appearance: +10 PRE (10 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only to induce fear; -1) - END=0

5.....Discriminatory with Normal Smell - END=0

 

POWERS Cost: 15

 

Cost...SKILLS

0......AK: Bleakwood Forest 8-

3......Acrobatics 12-

3......Acting 11-

2......Animal Handler (Equines) 11-

3......Breakfall 12-

3......Bribery 11-

3......Climbing 12-

3......Concealment 12-

3......Conversation 11-

0......Deduction 8-

10....Defense Maneuver I-IV

3......Disguise 12-

2......Forgery (Documents) 12-

0......Language: Common (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)

3......Lockpicking 12-

0......Paramedics 8-

3......Persuasion 11-

2......PS: Theif 11-

3......Riding 12-

3......Shadowing 12-

3......Stealth 12-

3......Streetwise 11-

2......Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) 12-

3......Tracking 12-

4......WF: Blades, Crossbows, Garrote, Thrown Knives, Axes, and Darts

 

SKILLS Cost: 67

 

Cost...TALENTS

15....Danger Sense (self only, out of combat, Intuitional) 12-

7......Deadly Blow: +1d6 ([limited circumstances])

9......Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalty)

 

TALENTS Cost: 31

 

Value..DISADVANTAGES

0.....Normal Characteristic Maxima

15...Distinctive Features: Resembles a Humanoid Raccoon (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

10...Psychological Limitation: Drawn to "Shinies" (Common, Moderate)

10...Psychological Limitation: Tells it like he sees it (which is generally unflattering) (Common, Moderate)

5.....Psychological Limitation: Doesn't want to be the hero, but is pulled in by fate to be so anyways... (Uncommon, Moderate)

15...Reputation: Monster (rather undeserved thus far), 11- (Extreme)

20...Vulnerability: 2 x STUN Fire (Common)

 

DISADVANTAGES Points: 75

 

Base Pts: 75

Exp Required: 0

Total Exp Available: 0

Exp Unspent: 0

Total Character Cost: 150

 

Background/History: Mask was born the monstrous child of the thief Finnegan and his wife Sonja.

 

Long ago, Finnegan stole a gem called the Hellion's Soul. The sorcerer who had owned the gem laid a curse on Finnegan, declaring that his offspring's appearance will match the father's soul. Finnegan laughed off the curse as he fled the tower, thinking, like all folks do, that he was a good man who just found a quick way to get rich.

 

And rich Finnegan became. After he sold the Hellion's Soul, Finnegan bought a large plot of land and many slaves to work the land, establishing himself as a lord, becoming rich off the crops he sold. Then he married one of his slaves, a woman named Sonja.

 

Nine months past the wedding night, Sonja gave birth not to a boy, but to a beast. The infant looked like a mix of human and animal, specifically, human and raccoon. Finnegan panicked, for he knew that if the news of this came out, he would lose face before the other lords. Then it occurred to him. As Sonja was of a lower status then him, he could simply banish her from civilization, avoiding the loss of prestige. As Sonja was forced to leave, she had to take the child with her as well.

 

And so, it was in Bleakwood Forest that the child, named Mask, has to grow up in. He learned the lessons of survival from his mother and had to learn other things by watching the civilized people who would come around the lands surrounding the forest. Mask seemed to learn many things quite quickly over the years.

 

At the age of 12, Mask lost his mother to the elements and her weakening health. As she was dying, she told him about Finnegan and his betrayal of her when he was born, but no orders were given for vengeance. This was a painful moment for the creature, for after this, he had no one to turn to save for himself.

 

And now at 16, he is about to experience his first adventure.

 

Personality/Motivation: Mask's primary interest is survival, but somehow, there is always some kind of adventure waiting for him, whether he wants it or not (usually not). As such, Mask is generally one who tries to stay out of trouble as much as he can, even though he is brutally honest and somewhat attracted to anything that shines or sparkles.

 

Additionally, Mask is not usually someone who gives too much care for others, though he does have a soft spot for children who seem impoverished and alone in the world, for he can identify with them.

 

Powers/Tactics: Mask is a thief, but he can get by in a fight if he has to. He usually prefers not to do so, however.

 

If he must fight, Mask will try to do it from a distance with his handheld crossbow, but failing that; he will use a sword and a knife, one to parry and the other to strike with, depending on the circumstances. Often times, he'd strike for any spot that seems the least armored for the sake of taking a foe down fast.

 

Appearance: Mask resembles a humanoid raccoon standing at 5'9" and weighing in at 132 pounds. His legs are digitigrades, meaning that he stands on the balls of his feet and that his legs are canted like most animals' legs (I might revise this part once I finally figure out raccoon leg structure.) He dressed in a suit of leather armor, which he managed to find and adapted from a traveler who no longer had any use for the armor (as the traveler seemed to have a number of wounds occupied by insect life). Mask also wears a dark grey cloak.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Any suggestions aside from "Don't do my own formatting of the text"?

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Any suggestions aside from "Don't do my own formatting of the text"?

 

Yeah. What's a "Numanoid"?

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Yeah. What's a "Numanoid"?

 

A Typographical error of "Humanoid"

[braincraft]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

You could possibly think of changing the name. Aside from being, well, kind of silly, it's pretty offensive to anyone who is black, or who has a black friend, or who cares about racial slurs at all.

[Eosin]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

The name has to go...

[SSgt Baloo]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

"What did you call me?!? That's RACcoon, IF you don't mind! Hmph!"

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Okay. Let's take on the reasons for a name change.

 

Silliness: Actualy intentional. Although the background may be tragic (a common cliche of the S&S subgenre, as well as all fiction), we are talking about a character in a Sword & Sorcery parody.

 

Offensiveness: Two points.

 

One: It could be that I live in a small town, but I have never heard "Coon" used as a racial slur. I have only ever heard the term referring to an animal called the raccoon. Is such a coloquial term then racist? If so, then Maine Coon (a cat breed) must also then be a racial slur, and so then must be Coonhound (a type of dog). I am not denying that some folks use the term in a derisive manner, but it seems a rarely (if at all) used slur, one that most folks, even African-Americans, would overlook if they got the actual (non-slur related) context, which brings us to point two.

 

Two: As stated before, I have only used the term to refer to raccoons. That's all the folks around me use the term for, and all my target audience uses the term for (as far as I am aware). Also, given that the character resembles a raccoon, and that any published volume of it (Unlikely as that is to happen, to be honest) would be displaying our "hero", I'm sure that anyone would get the connection. It's a pretty obvious one.

[braincraft]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Okay. Let's take on the reasons for a name change.

 

Silliness: Actualy intentional. Although the background may be tragic (a common cliche of the S&S subgenre, as well as all fiction), we are talking about a character in a Sword & Sorcery parody.

 

Offensiveness: Two points.

 

One: It could be that I live in a small town, but I have never heard "Coon" used as a racial slur. I have only ever heard the term referring to an animal called the raccoon. Is such a coloquial term then racist? If so, then Maine Coon (a cat breed) must also then be a racial slur, and so then must be Coonhound (a type of dog). I am not denying that some folks use the term in a derisive manner, but it seems a rarely (if at all) used slur, one that most folks, even African-Americans, would overlook if they got the actual (non-slur related) context, which brings us to point two.

 

Two: As stated before, I have only used the term to refer to raccoons. That's all the folks around me use the term for, and all my target audience uses the term for (as far as I am aware). Also, given that the character resembles a raccoon, and that any published volume of it (Unlikely as that is to happen, to be honest) would be displaying our "hero", I'm sure that anyone would get the connection. It's a pretty obvious one.

 

It's more common in the south, and it's much, much less defensible when applied to a 'person', even if it's an imaginary furry person.

 

Just warning you. I'd give you the same advice if you made an asian character called Yellow Peril. It's still offensive even if you don't understand why.

[Eosin]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

It is the same as naming a character Capt N-word. It might fly in your home game ~if~ nobody gets the reference but this is the internet... And trust me, dozens of people who will be deeply offended get the reference even if you don't.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Okay. Let me explain something.

 

First off, YP (as used by braincraft) and "Capt N-Word" (by Eosin) are straw men. Seriously, they are. Let me explain why: The N-word only has one meaning, and it's a racist meaning. Same for YP. There are no non-racist meanings for those. Furthermore, there is literally no logical reason to give such characters those names.

 

Coon, on the other hand, is obviously referring to a raccoon. The only thing black about a raccoon is a few tail rings and a "mask" around the eyes. That is nothing to draw a racist connection on unless you are actively looking for something to offend you.

 

Though, if you are going to insist on a name change just because some eternal grumblers actively seek to be offended (and by "eternal grumblers," I am excluding the 99.999+% of the African-American population who will sooner draw the raccoon connection and not automatically assume racism when it is obviously something not racist at all), what alternative names can you come up with under the following conditions:

 

1: It must refer to the character's bestial appearance (that of a raccoon)

 

2: It must alliterate with "Cursed"

 

3: It must be logical as something people will call him.

 

Wait... I might have a solution. What if I used the juvenile approach of changing the C to a K, for "Koon." Will that keep you from being offended? Maybe I ought to try that.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Okay. I finally changed to a different name. One that sucks, but at least we won't have to worry now about complaints because of the [insert any string of profanities you please] Redneck South.

[nexus]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Okay. Let's take on the reasons for a name change.

 

Silliness: Actualy intentional. Although the background may be tragic (a common cliche of the S&S subgenre, as well as all fiction), we are talking about a character in a Sword & Sorcery parody.

 

Offensiveness: Two points.

 

One: It could be that I live in a small town, but I have never heard "Coon" used as a racial slur. I have only ever heard the term referring to an animal called the raccoon. Is such a coloquial term then racist? If so, then Maine Coon (a cat breed) must also then be a racial slur, and so then must be Coonhound (a type of dog). I am not denying that some folks use the term in a derisive manner, but it seems a rarely (if at all) used slur, one that most folks, even African-Americans, would overlook if they got the actual (non-slur related) context, which brings us to point two.

 

It is much more common in the south, particularly the rural south. I've heard it fairly regularly and I don't even live that "deep" in the South. So a fair amount of people might see it that way though it might be less so where you live.

[nexus]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Okay. Let me explain something.

 

First off, YP (as used by braincraft) and "Capt N-Word" (by Eosin) are straw men. Seriously, they are. Let me explain why: The N-word only has one meaning, and it's a racist meaning. Same for YP. There are no non-racist meanings for those. Furthermore, there is literally no logical reason to give such characters those names.

 

Coon, on the other hand, is obviously referring to a raccoon. The only thing black about a raccoon is a few tail rings and a "mask" around the eyes. That is nothing to draw a racist connection on unless you are actively looking for something to offend you.

 

Though, if you are going to insist on a name change just because some eternal grumblers actively seek to be offended (and by "eternal grumblers," I am excluding the 99.999+% of the African-American population who will sooner draw the raccoon connection and not automatically assume racism when it is obviously something not racist at all), what alternative names can you come up with under the following conditions:

 

I think you're over estimating your numbers when it comes how many black people will just "not get" the racial slur. Generally here, if someone (yes, particularly a white person) says "Coon" the assumption is that they're talking about a black person in a derogatory fashion, not a raccoon. It's not a matter of "actively seeking to be offended". Coon has a bad connotation in a large part of the country. Now if this just a character for your game in a region where it doesn't, fine but if it's meant for larger publication then that is something you should consider.

 

Consider that b*tch has a perfect inoffensive meaning: A female dog. For that matter at one point calling a woman that was a compliment. But B*tch the Canine Amazon probably wouldn't go over well with allot of folks.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

The change was finally made once my brother found an okay alternative. If I were able to change the name of the thread, I would, but I don't think it's possible. Hopefully, we should be able to move on to other concerns.

[McCoy]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Okay. Let me explain something.

 

First off, YP (as used by braincraft) and "Capt N-Word" (by Eosin) are straw men. Seriously, they are. Let me explain why: The N-word only has one meaning, and it's a racist meaning. Same for YP. There are no non-racist meanings for those. Furthermore, there is literally no logical reason to give such characters those names.

 

Coon, on the other hand, is obviously referring to a raccoon. The only thing black about a raccoon is a few tail rings and a "mask" around the eyes. That is nothing to draw a racist connection on unless you are actively looking for something to offend you.

I SO SHOULD HAVE FOLLOWED MY ORIGINAL INSTINCT AND STAYED THE HELL OUT OF THIS THREAD ALL TOGETHER!

 

I know no offense was intended, lots was delivered by THAT post.

 

If you are going to ask for suggestions, do not defensive when they are given.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

I was looking for mechanical suggestions...

 

What I honestly beleived I had gotten was being called a Racist.

 

I am sorry for defending myself from what seemed to me like an attack.

 

Now. Can we please move on?

[nexus]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

I don't think anyone was calling you a racist. I can tell you that I wasn't. People were pointing out that the characters name could be taken that way and you should consider that if you're going to post the character especially online though on Furry oriented board it might be under the radar.

 

I can't say one or the other but you might consider that multiple people have mentioned it already in this relatively limited venue as some indication of the possible response. You might not find it offensive or racial due to your background but you'd be posting in front of a much wider audience.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

This thread reminds me of the John Walker Captain America some years ago. They took one of his former teammates when he was SuperPatriot, put him in a costume and called him "Bucky". The writer (and, presumably, the entire editorial staff) was unaware the term "Buck", applied to a black man (which the character was) was considered a derogatory term.

 

The writer had this issue pointed out to the character by an older man asking why he'd go by that name, and the character changed his name.

 

And, for what it's worth, my first thought on seeing the thread title was "I bet the poster doesn't know the common usage of that word", but someone else had covered it already. BTW, I'm about as far from "deep south" as you can get.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Okay guys. I am sorry about my ignorance. I made the change hours ago today. Now may I ask a favor of you guys?

 

Can we please move on? Or at least tell me how an author can remove a thread the author has started so as to get the whole deal over with, period?

[McCoy]

the Cursed

 

Ome more thing, raccoons are native to North America and were unknown on the European mainland until the 20th century, when enough escaped from fur farms to form a breeding population. There were no medieval European raccoons.

 

Is there any plot reason the character could not be known as Cat the Cursed?

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: Coon the Cursed

 

Background/History: Mask was born the monstrous child of the thief Finnegan and his wife Sonja.

 

Long ago, Finnegan stole a gem called the Hellion's Soul. The sorcerer who had owned the gem laid a curse on Finnegan, declaring that his offspring's appearance will match the father's soul. Finnegan laughed off the curse as he fled the tower, thinking, like all folks do, that he was a good man who just found a quick way to get rich.

 

And rich Finnegan became. After he sold the Hellion's Soul, Finnegan bought a large plot of land and many slaves to work the land, establishing himself as a lord, becoming rich off the crops he sold. Then he married one of his slaves, a woman named Sonja.

 

Nine months past the wedding night, Sonja gave birth not to a boy, but to a beast. The infant looked like a mix of human and animal, specifically, human and raccoon. Finnegan panicked, for he knew that if the news of this came out, he would lose face before the other lords. Then it occurred to him. As Sonja was of a lower status then him, he could simply banish her from civilization, avoiding the loss of prestige. As Sonja was forced to leave, she had to take the child with her as well.

 

And so, it was in Bleakwood Forest that the child, named Mask, has to grow up in. He learned the lessons of survival from his mother and had to learn other things by watching the civilized people who would come around the lands surrounding the forest. Mask seemed to learn many things quite quickly over the years.

 

At the age of 12, Mask lost his mother to the elements and her weakening health. As she was dying, she told him about Finnegan and his betrayal of her when he was born, but no orders were given for vengeance. This was a painful moment for the creature, for after this, he had no one to turn to save for himself.

 

And now at 16, he is about to experience his first adventure.

 

Personality/Motivation: Mask's primary interest is survival, but somehow, there is always some kind of adventure waiting for him, whether he wants it or not (usually not). As such, Mask is generally one who tries to stay out of trouble as much as he can, even though he is brutally honest and somewhat attracted to anything that shines or sparkles.

 

Additionally, Mask is not usually someone who gives too much care for others, though he does have a soft spot for children who seem impoverished and alone in the world, for he can identify with them.

 

Powers/Tactics: Mask is a thief, but he can get by in a fight if he has to. He usually prefers not to do so, however.

 

If he must fight, Mask will try to do it from a distance with his handheld crossbow, but failing that; he will use a sword and a knife, one to parry and the other to strike with, depending on the circumstances. Often times, he'd strike for any spot that seems the least armored for the sake of taking a foe down fast.

 

Appearance: Mask resembles a humanoid raccoon standing at 5'9" and weighing in at 132 pounds. His legs are digitigrades, meaning that he stands on the balls of his feet and that his legs are canted like most animals' legs (I might revise this part once I finally figure out raccoon leg structure.) He dressed in a suit of leather armor, which he managed to find and adapted from a traveler who no longer had any use for the armor (as the traveler seemed to have a number of wounds occupied by insect life). Mask also wears a dark grey cloak.

 

I like to start with who he is before moving in to what he is. That is, I expect the background to determine what I see on the character sheet. What strikes me first and foremost from the background is that the character is very young and has had extremely limited human contact. I would expect this to reflect in his skills especially. Now let's look at the character's stats.

 

MASK

The Cursed

 

VAL...CHA...Cost...Total...Roll......Notes

13....STR.....3.......13......12-......HTH Damage 2 1/2d6 END [3]

14....DEX.... 12.....14......12-......OCV 5 DCV 5

12....CON.....4......12......11-

12....BODY...4......12......11-

15....INT..... 5......15......12-......PER Roll 12-

12....EGO.....4......12......11-......ECV: 4

10....PRE.....0.......10......11-......PRE Attack: 2d6

8.....COM.....-1.....8......11-

3.....PD.......0.......3/5................3/5 PD (0/2 rPD)

2.....ED.......0.......2..................2 ED (0 rED)

3.....SPD.....6.......3..................Phases: 4, 8, 12

5.....REC.....0.......5

24...END.....0.......24

25...STUN...0.......25

6.....RUN.....0.......6"................END [1]

2.....SWIM...0.......2"................END [1]

3.....LEAP....0.......2 1/2"................2 1/2" forward, 1" upward

 

CHA Cost: 37

 

His monstrous appearance seems to grant no unusual physical attributes. Should it? I'd say his stats are pretty low for a fantasy hero warrior or rogue.

 

Cost...POWERS

5.....Nightvision - END=0

5.....Freakish appearance: +10 PRE (10 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only to induce fear; -1) - END=0

5.....Discriminatory with Normal Smell - END=0

 

POWERS Cost: 15

 

OK, a bit of ability from his unusual nature.

 

Cost...SKILLS

0......AK: Bleakwood Forest 8-

3......Acrobatics 12-

 

A trained acrobat?? Must have been a very agile child...

 

3......Acting 11-

2......Animal Handler (Equines) 11-

 

How would a person raised all alone in the woods living in poverty gain these skills? When would he even SEE a horse? Who would he need to fool with his acting?

 

3......Breakfall 12-

 

An active kid. OK.

 

3......Bribery 11-

 

Learned from his former slave mother, or practiced on the birds and squirrels in the forest? Would a character raised isolated from humanity in the forest even understand the concept of "money"?

 

3......Climbing 12-

3......Concealment 12-

 

grew up in the forest. Got it!

 

3......Conversation 11-

 

Again, practiced on whom? The only person he's had contact with growing up seems to be his mother. I would expect a character with that background to be lacking in social graces, and lucky to have Everyman interaction skills.

 

0......Deduction 8-

10....Defense Maneuver I-IV

 

That's a pretty trained combatant for a kid raised all alone in the forest.

 

3......Disguise 12-

2......Forgery (Documents) 12-

 

Taught, no doubt, by the talented fish swimming in the local brook? Are we perhaps missing a portion of this character's life story after he left the woods? Did he inherit his father's thieving skills by virtue of his heritage? His background doesn't support all of these skills that would require formal training, or at least contact with the civilized world. Why would a character raised in the woods by a slave even be literate?

 

0......Language: Common (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)

3......Lockpicking 12-

 

Practiced on what? Acorns?

 

0......Paramedics 8-

3......Persuasion 11-

 

Another interaction skill...

 

2......PS: Theif 11-

 

With what experience? Stealing eggs from birds' nests?

 

3......Riding 12-

 

I again come back to that "when would he meet a horse" question...

 

3......Shadowing 12-

3......Stealth 12-

 

Natural skills seem reasonable from the background.

 

3......Streetwise 11-

 

When did he see a street? The background suggests to me the opposite of streetwise, if anything.

 

2......Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) 12-

3......Tracking 12-

4......WF: Blades, Crossbows, Garrote, Thrown Knives, Axes, and Darts

 

Wow - he sure had a lot of weapons training for a guy raised in the forest by a slave! And none of them could be constructed from natural parts found in a forest - like, say, spears, bows, etc. Is there a lot of call for garroting in the forest?

 

He seems to have a lot of city skills and very few skills related to surviving in the forest (can he hunt? fish? forage? make a spear, a bow or an arrow? - you're asking an awful lot from 2 points in Survival, I think). The skills seem not at all consistent with the background.

 

Cost...TALENTS

15....Danger Sense (self only, out of combat, Intuitional) 12-

7......Deadly Blow: +1d6 ([limited circumstances])

9......Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalty)

 

OK, two of these I can see as natural. Deadly Blow?? Where did he learn that potent skill? And what are the "limited circumstances"?

 

Notably lacking are small claws and sharp teeth. I assume he lacks these.

 

Value..DISADVANTAGES

0.....Normal Characteristic Maxima

15...Distinctive Features: Resembles a Humanoid Raccoon (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

 

One would think this would prevent the development of interaction skills such as those he has purchased. When does he get extended opportunities to converse and persuade?

 

10...Psychological Limitation: Drawn to "Shinies" (Common, Moderate)

10...Psychological Limitation: Tells it like he sees it (which is generally unflattering) (Common, Moderate)

5.....Psychological Limitation: Doesn't want to be the hero, but is pulled in by fate to be so anyways... (Uncommon, Moderate)

 

That last one sounds like plot, not disadvantage.

 

15...Reputation: Monster (rather undeserved thus far)' date=' 11- (Extreme)[/quote']

 

That seems unlikely if he's lived in an isolated forest all his life. To the extent this issue exists, it seems more likely to be a reaction on seeing him, which is covered by his Distinctive Features.

 

20...Vulnerability: 2 x STUN Fire (Common)

 

My simplistic question is "why"?

 

It looks like you're struggling for disadvantages. In that regard:

 

- perhaps his nightvision provides drawbacks in bright light

- would he not be Watched by the local watch wherever he goes?

- it seems he would be quite naive and unfamiliar with civilization

- his body structure may prevent using many types of equipment

- penalties to interaction skills seem more likely that expertise with them

- he might logically be vulnerable to PRE attacks, having lead a life to date of such limited experience

- does he understand he is freakish in appearance, or did his mother shelter him from that knowledge?

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Mask the Cursed

 

I want to go forth saying that there are some very good points. And some places where I must explain. Any reactions are explanation, not defensiveness. I just want to get that out of the way.

 

I like to start with who he is before moving in to what he is. That is' date=' I expect the background to determine what I see on the character sheet. What strikes me first and foremost from the background is that the character is very young and has had extremely limited human contact. I would expect this to reflect in his skills especially. Now let's look at the character's stats.[/quote']

 

I will admit, a lot of the background Info was written after the stats.

 

His monstrous appearance seems to grant no unusual physical attributes. Should it? I'd say his stats are pretty low for a fantasy hero warrior or rogue.

 

I stayed fairly conservative with the stats because it's Fantasy Hero, and I wanted to work within the normal Fantasy Hero Parameters. Admittedly, I do not know much about Fantasy Hero as for a long time, I thought Hero System was only good for Champions

 

OK, a bit of ability from his unusual nature.

 

I considerred more, but I only had so many points and I wanted to fit the Playable character guidelines (read; no experience points for a starting character).

 

A trained acrobat?? Must have been a very agile child...

 

I blame D&D. I couldn't imagine a rogue-type without agility. Also, a lot of the skills come from talent an observation rather than training.

 

How would a person raised all alone in the woods living in poverty gain these skills? When would he even SEE a horse?

 

Mostly from observation. Sometimes, folks do travel through forests, sometimes even on horseback (a fantasy conceit). Though admittedly, seeing folks ride through on horseback does not really mean he'd learn the handling. I'll be sure to make the revision.

 

Who would he need to fool with his acting?

 

 

 

An active kid. OK.

 

Old habits die hard. Rougues get lots of skills when I work with them because of my D&D days.

 

Other skill comments were removed for the purpose of not repeating myself on that adnauseum. I will work on reviding the skill list to reflect the background better.

 

Notably lacking are small claws and sharp teeth. I assume he lacks these.

 

I went with my brother's idea of "Reason from effect." Weapons are far more efficient than claws and teeth, and so if the option presents itself, like it usually does, why use the claws and teeth?

 

That last one sounds like plot, not disadvantage.

 

Admittedly, it seemed like a good idea at the time. One of the prevalent gags is that this guy is always pulled into the role of hero in one way or another, whether he likes it or not. An alternative would be nice.

 

That seems unlikely if he's lived in an isolated forest all his life. To the extent this issue exists, it seems more likely to be a reaction on seeing him, which is covered by his Distinctive Features.

 

Yeah. That's me milking it for all it was worth.

 

My simplistic question is "why"?

 

To me, it seemed to be the best way to reflect the fact that fur + fire = FWOOSH!

 

It looks like you're struggling for disadvantages. In that regard:

 

- perhaps his nightvision provides drawbacks in bright light

- would he not be Watched by the local watch wherever he goes?

- it seems he would be quite naive and unfamiliar with civilization

- his body structure may prevent using many types of equipment

- penalties to interaction skills seem more likely that expertise with them

- he might logically be vulnerable to PRE attacks, having lead a life to date of such limited experience

- does he understand he is freakish in appearance, or did his mother shelter him from that knowledge?

 

I will consider these.

 

Thank you for your critique. I will proceed to make the revisions.

[AdamLeisemann]

Re: Mask the Cursed

 

Ome more thing' date=' raccoons are native to North America and were unknown on the European mainland until the 20th century, when enough escaped from fur farms to form a breeding population. There were no medieval European raccoons.[/quote']

 

There were also no tigers, yet Conan is often compared to them. Admittedly, that's a convention of fantasy fiction to place animals where they aren't from time to time.

 

Is there any plot reason the character could not be known as Cat the Cursed?

 

I hadn't thought to use a cat appearance. I'll admit raccoons seemed more interesting. In my experience, cat's aren't really theives so much as bums anyway. But then, we already went over that my experience is pretty much invalid anyway.

[braincraft]

Re: Mask the Cursed

 

There were also no tigers' date=' yet Conan is often compared to them. Admittedly, that's a convention of fantasy fiction to place animals where they aren't from time to time.[/quote']

 

Conan isn't European, he's Cimmerian. He was also written by an American author for a primarily American audience, and the character himself frequently traveled to exotic places where he probably wrestled tigers.

 

I imagine you're probably not using an actual historical setting for your fantasy game, so if you want tigers or raccoons or whatever in your (presumably) coniferous forests, go buck wild.