“That’s the thing about dwarves: we never give up. I’ve never quit a case yet, and this is not going to be my first. Some have taken me 75 years to solve, but I cracked it in the end. And that’s what it’s all about, right? Cracking the case.”
Gloin Sladehammer is an urbanized Dwarf who works as Private Investigator in Vampyr Point. He’s dealt with murders, kidnappings, fraud and undead infestations; it’s all in his line of work, and so long as the pay is good he’ll take pretty much any case. He prides himself on his faultless record – “No crime left unsolved!” – and raw tenacity. He’s never quit a case yet.
He rents a shabby apartment in the Warrens district of Vampyr Point, and has an apartment close by. As PIs go, he’s very organised with every case, suspect and victim filed in (dwarven) alphabetic order in a wall length block of filing cabinets. He’s fastiduous about his appearance and is always well suited and groomed, especially when money is good. Which ain’t often.
Dirty little secret: Gloin isn’t as clever as he thinks himself out to be, and he’s more likely to stumble through a case than actually solve it in a reasonable length of time. That 75 year old case he proudly boasts about, for example. If pressed, he’ll admit that it was a kidnapping. The victim was long dead, the crook long gone. Not good. But hey, he solved it in the end, and that’s what matters, right? That’s what he mutters to himself as he sleeps, the guilt gnawing at him from the inside.
Notes: While the Powers system is good, take the emphasis away from it and 4e D&D becomes better still. Here’s a Dwarven Fighter who specializes in unfighterly things, using his Skill choices and Feats to strengthen his out of combat abilities. When it comes to combat, Gloin has a .38 Remington service revolver bulging under his arm, and a pair of meaty fists that’ll knock the wind out of any Ogre mook. As per my Fantasy Noir house-rules, he has Unarmed Weapon Proficiency for free, granting a +2 prof. bonus with unarmed attacks and can use unarmed attacks with Powers that require a Weapon.
Gloin Sladehamer, Lawful Good Dwarf Fighter-3
STR 12, CON 18, DEX 10, INT 14, WIS 15, CHA 11
HP 45, bloodied 22, surges 11×13/day
AC 13 (Well tailored suit), Fort 17, Ref 13, Will 13, Init +1, Speed 5
Fists +4 vs AC, 1d4+1
.38 Remington (as per Shortbow) +3 vs AC, 1d8, range 15/20, Load free, small
Cleave/w +5 vs AC, Sure Strike/w +7 vs AC
Covering Attack/e +5 vs AC, Rain of Blows/e +5 vs AC
Boundless Endurance/d, Brute Strike/d +5 vs AC
Dungeoneering +5, Endurance +12, Insight +8, Intimidate +6, Perception +8, Streetwise +6
Common, Dwarven, Ogre
Skill Training (Insight & Perception), Low-light Vision, Cast Iron Stomach, Dwarven Resilience, Dwarven Weapon Proficiencies, Unarmed Weapon Proficiency, Stand Your Ground, Combat Challenge, Combat Superiority, One-handed Combat Style
Cool PC. :)
As a Dwarf fighter, though, wouldn’t “Slade Groinhammer” be a more fitting name? ;)
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