“Why is my brother still ALIVE!?”, the Baron threw the parchment into the flames, watching as the ashes fluttered into the night.
“He was at the Fall of Narcissus. He probably caused the rout at Midringham. He was the only survivor of the Massacre of Purvin Fields. He’s a total coward, a hopeless leader and should not, by my reckoning, have lived beyond the teat. Yet here he still is, and I cannot claim my rightful place at court because he lives!”
The Grey Baron turned as if noticing his Captain for the first time.
“My friend, it’s time for more troop movements to leak to the enemy. Here is what I need………”
Sir Rodrig Phillippe de Guys Mas’beilla is, in all likelihood, the worst Warlord in history. He is a coward who hates violence (especially when it’s done to him), and would much prefer to curl up with a good book than organise troop movements. Unfortunately his younger brother, the self-styled Grey Baron (though the Baronial title rightly belongs to Sir Rodrig) has the favour of his military superiors and he’s constantly sent to the worst, most hopeless locations.
Somehow though, Sir Rodrig has managed to survive despite the best efforts of his brother. His troops have learnt that the safest place on any battlefield is by his side, and when he puts his considerable intellect toward tactics (usually tactical withdrawal), he does show a remarkable aptitude.
Dirty little secret: Sir Rodrig is lucky because the ghost of his father is watching over him. When the time is right he will reveal that he was horribly murdered by Sir Rodrig’s younger brother, and demand vengeance. It might take a while.
Sir Rodrig Lawful Good Male Human Warlord-1
Str 14, Con 13, Dex 11, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 12
HP 25, bloodied 12, surges 6 x 8/day
AC 16 (chainmail), Fort 14, Ref 15, Will 13, Squares 5, Fast Runner, Inspired Recovery
Longsword: +5 vs AC,1d8+2, versatile
Commander’s Strike/at-will, Viper’s Strike/at-will +5 vs AC, Wolfpack Tactics/at-will +5 vs AC
Inspiring Word/enc, Hammer and Anvil/enc +5 vs reflex, Pin the Foe/day +5 vs AC
Combat Leader
Athletics +6, Diplomacy +6, Endurance +5, Heal +5, History +9
I’m loving these Characters du Jour. I think the concept would be a good writing/creative exercise for me, or anyone really. Though I don’t think I’d be applying to the RPG Bloggers Network anytime soon.
What really makes these characters are their Dirty Little Secrets. Is this a character generation trope for your local gaming group? It’s an exceptional useful one, in my opinion, and I think I’ll introduce it into my group. It will probably help the newbies with character generation, though I don’t know if this would help them along speed-wise. ;)
Yours is one of the few blogs I check regularly, partly thanks to Twitter (and you seem to be the only RPG blogger that I know to have one). Thanks again!
Glad you like these posts; I’m doing them partly to get myself more familiar with the 4e generation rules, and also to build up a decent collection of PC pre-gens. Some of them are existing PCs, but I’m tellin’ nobody which is which :)
Giving each character their own personal plot twist is something I’ve done for ages – that helps to make the character unique, and also helps the lazy GM in me come up with scenario ideas. Perhaps the sworn enemies of two of the PCs have joined forces, or the wizardess’ tattoo has started to glow. Either way, it’s a plot hook waiting to happen. Not every character fits having a Dirty Little Secret (some characters wear their lives on their sleeves, like my Star Pact Cultist), but it’s fun when they work.
Twitter is grand, isn’t it? :) For other twittering RPG bloggers, check out @ChattyDM, @unclebear, @criticalhits and @gamefiend.
Thanks for the comment!
I agree with you Greywulf – the story behind the thought is where the depth comes from. I’ve designed areas on some text muds and I can’t do it without building a story world that I then map. Odd I know, but as a player I want to LIVE in that world, and how can I do that without the DM/creator doing that as well. Now I’m going to have to get me a 4e book so I can start playing with making chars of my own!