Character Sheet

[GM Craig]

Ok, here's the stuff we need.

Religion: British Pagan

Your lord is Roderick, Count of Salisbury.

Your father was not a knight, he served Count Salisbury as an Esquire. He performed great service to Count Salisbury (your choice: built a castle, served as a spy, etc. - whatever you like)

Your family has ordinary wealth. Since your father was not a landholder, but performed a great service for Count Roderick, you were made a squire, and will assume a role as a household knight. Count Roderick will pay your annual upkeep, and you have an income granted through your father of ?6-?8 (libre) per year.

Starting Equipment:
Cuirbouilli armor and helm (8 points)
Shield (6)
Sword
spear
dagger
War pony

Starting Traits: British Pagan

Cymric
(Pagan)
Chaste 7/13 Lustful
Energetic 13/7 Lazy
Forgiving 10/10 Vengeful
Generous 13/7 Selfish
Honest 13/7 Deceitful
Just 10/10 Arbitrary
Merciful 10/10 Cruel
Modest 7/13 Proud
Pious 10/10 Worldly
Prudent 10/10 Reckless
Temperate10/10 Indulgent
Trusting 10/10 Suspicious
Valorous 15/5 Cowardly

Also, as you are from Salisbury, you have a directed trait:

Suspicious of Silchester: 6

If you meet the requirements for Religion bonuses, you will receive +2 healing. More details on that later.

Passions:

Cymric
Loyalty (lord) 15
Love (family) 15
Hospitality 15
Honor 15

As you are Cymric, you also have a passion Hate (Saxons) of 15.

Attributes:

A. Standard & Shaped Characters
Distribute a total of 60 points among the five attributes.
Remember?
To get 4d6 damage, STR + SIZ must equal 21 to 26;
to get 5d6 damage, STR + SIZ must equal 27 to 32;
to get 6d6 damage, STR + SIZ must equal 33 to 38;
to have a decent chance of surviving wounds, CON should be at least 11.
These aren?t rules, but suggestions to increase the chances of survival for your knight

SIZe
STRength
DEXterity
APPearance
CONstitution

Derived Stats:

Damage: (SIZ + STR) / 6
Healing Rate: (CON + STR) / 10
Movement Rate: (STR + DEX) / 10
Total Hit Points: CON + SIZ
Unconscious: Total Hit Points / 4

You gain distinctive features based on your APP. More on that later.

Skills: Cymric

Skill
Awareness (7)
Boating (1)
Chirurgery ―
Compose (1)
Courtesy (5)
Dancing (2)
Faerie Lore (1)
Falconry (3)
Fashion ―
First Aid (10)
Flirting (3)
Folklore (2)
Gaming (3)
Heraldry (1)
Hunting (6)
Intrigue (3)
Orate (5)
Play (harp) (3)
Read (Latin) (0)
Recognize (3)
Religion (varies) (2)
Romance (0)
Singing (4)
Stewardship (2) Use Distaff
Swimming (2)
Tourney (0)
Combat Skills
Battle (10)
Siege (2)
Horsemanship (10)
Sword (10)
Lance - [Use Spear Expertise]
Spear - [Use Spear Expertise]
Great Spear - [Use Spear Expertise]
Dagger (5)
Spear Expertise (10)
Distaff ―

Customize Skills:

Add Individual Skill Choices
Helpful Hint: As you add points, write them in as +5 or +2, etc., as you go, and then at the end add them all up and write in the total.
Note the following limitations:
? No skill or combat skill may be raised above 15 by these individual skill points.
? No Trait can be raised above 19 by these individual skill points.
? No Passion can be raised above 20 by these individual skill points.
? No attribute (i.e., SIZ, DEX, STR, CON, APP) can ever be raised above racial limits.
? No skill with a beginning value of 0 or ?―? may be augmented, except for combat skills. Hence, for example, no male character can have a Fashion skill when starting play.
? Individual skills can be augmented by several of the several steps below. For example, a default Cymric knight in the Uther Period starts with a Hunting skill of 6, but at Step 3 this can be raised to 11, then at Step 4 it can receive 4 more points to bring it to 15.

Knights
1. Choose any one combat or non-combat skill at which you excel. Make it 15. (A weapon skill is a popular and useful choice.)
2. Choose any 3 non-combat skills, and make each of them 10.
3. Raise any four scores from among the Traits, Passions, or Skills.
 - If you raise a skill or combat skill, then it increases it by up to 5 points.
 - If you raise an attribute, trait, or passion, then it increases by 1 point.
4. Add 10 more discretionary points, to be divided in any amount among any number of non-combat skills of your choice.
5. All other skills start at the default values.


Family Characteristic:

Select or roll a family characteristic. This is a trait your family is known for.

d20
Roll Characteristic
1 Keen on Status (+5 Courtesy)
2 Spiritual Bent (+5 Religion)
3 Know the Commoners (+5 Folklore)
4 Know Faerie Ways (+5 Faerie Lore)
5 Good with Horses (+5 Horsemanship)
6 Excellent Voice (+10 Singing)
7 Keen-sighted (+5 Awareness)
8 At Home in Nature (+5 Hunting)
9 Sprightly (+10 Dancing)
10 Natural Healer (+5 First Aid)
11 Naturally Lovable (+10 Flirting)
12 Never Forgets a Face (+10 Recognize)
13 Surprisingly Deductive (+5 Intrigue)
14 Like an Otter (+10 Swimming)
15 Natural Storyteller (+10 Orate)
16 Natural Musician (+10 Play (all instruments))
17 Good with Words (+10 Compose)
18 Grew Up with Books (+5 Reading)
19 Good with Birds (+10 Falconry)
20 Clever at Games (+10 Gaming)

Additional Equipment:

Enchanted Sword belt: Grants automatic success at DEX rolls to stay on your feet.
Heirloom ? decorated saddle, worth ?1

[Gwyn]

Thanks.

[Gwyn]

Here's where I end up:
SIZ - 11
DEX - 14
STR - 13
CON - 14
APP - 12 (this is one of the four adds/attributes +1)

Personality Traits - (second of four adds/traits +1 to Merciful (now 11/10))

Non-Combat Skill (third of the four adds/skills +5 to Awareness (now 12?))

Non-Combat Skill (fourth of the four adds/skills +5 to Stewardship (now 7?))

Combat Skill (Knights) Spear Expertise (now 15)

Distributed 10 points among non-Combat skills:
+2 to Courtesy (now 7?)
+1 to First Aid (now 11?)
+3 to Folklore (now 5?)
+2 to Hunting (now 8?)
+2 to Singing (now 6?)

Is that it? On the character sheet, I named my squire Dafyd (pronounced "David") and my Charger is named Tryg. Dafyd's "other" Skill is Gaming, if that's permitted.
I gave my father the name "Cai" but that can be changed if you need it changed.

[Gwyn]

ON distinguishing features, I rolled a "6" and that's for Limbs...
I will be short and stocky - except my arms' reach is exceptional. Possibly due to my long practice throwing a spear.
I really am short.

[GM Craig]

1. Choose any one combat or non-combat skill at which you excel. Make it 15. (A weapon skill is a popular and useful choice.)
2. Choose any 3 non-combat skills, and make each of them 10.
3. Raise any four scores from among the Traits, Passions, or Skills.
 - If you raise a skill or combat skill, then it increases it by up to 5 points.
 - If you raise an attribute, trait, or passion, then it increases by 1 point.
4. Add 10 more discretionary points, to be divided in any amount among any number of non-combat skills of your choice.
5. All other skills start at the default values.

Items 1, 2 and 4 were done.

For item #3, you raised Merciful (which also reduces Cruel); You added 5 to awareness; You added 5 to Stewardship; and you said you added 5 to spear expertise. However, Spear Expertise was covered under item #1. Do you want to put those points into Sword instead?

[GM Craig]

I still need to know a little about your father. As you father was a commoner elevated to the rank of Esquire, he must have performed some worthy service to the Count. A skilled architect, a master mason, a spy, a soldier who helped turn a battle, or something else that the Count found worthy enough that he made him an Esquire (the lowest rank of noble), which opened the door for you to become a knight.

[Gwyn]

I added a +1 to Appearance as part of the four adds.

I did what you asked for combat (knightly, auto 15) for spear expertise.

I think it's covered?

[Gwyn]

I have two options for my father's aid to Salisbury...

The Night of the Long Knives story...somehow he hears of it early and enables Salisbury to take political and physical cover from the situation. Perhaps Salisbury is able to chase after the Saxon miscreants, chase them back over their border into Silchester.

Or if that Night is not in the history of the Pendragon game, perhaps simply there was a Saxon incursion through the woods near Cai's traditional spring hunting grounds. He overheard a raiding party progressing through the forest towards a village, and raced to advise Salisbury of the danger. In thanks, Salisbury gave him a decorated saddle, and a horse.

In my time, the horse is long sold off/gone. But the saddle remains a family heirloom. Either situation would merit the saddle gift. The nobility situation - would arise due to my father's quick-action and awareness/alertness to protecting the county.
Officially, perhaps it was for my father's work as a leather craftsman of note in the county. You wouldn't want to signal to people that an esteemed intriguist is living at such and such a place, plying his subterfuge trade...would you? Nah.

[Gwyn]

c.456 - St. Patrick leaves Britain once more to evangelise Ireland. The Saxons call the British nobles to a peace conference at Stonehenge, then turn on them and massacre almost everyone. This is the original 'Night of the Long Knives'.

and for more details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Long_Knives_(Arthurian)

The Night of the Long Knives is the name Geoffrey of Monmouth gave to the (possibly apocryphal) treacherous killing of native British chieftains by Anglo-Saxon mercenaries on Salisbury Plain in the 5th century. The event came to be known as Brad y Cyllyll Hirion ("The Treachery of the Long Knives") in Welsh and became a prominent symbol of Saxon treachery.

The Night of the Long Knives is also described in Book 6 of the Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth, who wrote during the early 12th century and presumably used Nennius as his main source for the story. According to him, the incident took place at a banquet in modern-day Wiltshire, ostensibly arranged to seal a peace treaty, which may have been the cession of Essex and Sussex in exchange for intermarriage between Rowena, the daughter of Saxon chieftain Hengest, and Vortigern. The story claims that the "Saxons" ? which probably includes Angles and Jutes ? arrived at the banquet armed with their long knives (seaxes) hidden on their persons. During the feast, on a given word of command, they pulled their knives and killed the unarmed Britons sitting next to them. Vortigern himself was spared, but all his men were butchered, except Eldol, Earl of Gloucester, who escaped. The historical existence of any of these events or persons is conjectural. However ancient bardic songs, which were purposed for the recording of history and telling of tales, all testify of the accuracy of this hellish event.

[GM Craig]

The Night of the Long Knives story...somehow he hears of it early and enables Salisbury to take political and physical cover from the situation. Perhaps Salisbury is able to chase after the Saxon miscreants, chase them back over their border into Silchester.

I like this, let's work with that. It is a matter of historical record that Count Salisbury (Roderick's father) died at the Night of Long Knives. His son, Roderick, was supposed to be at the peace conference as well. Your father learned of the coming betrayal, but was too late to stop it. Seeking to do some good with the knowledge, he intercepted Roderick and warned him of the impending betrayal. This secured Roderick's place as Count, and kept the county in his family. He thus owed your father a great debt, and made him an Esquire for his service. The saddle, pension and your rise to knighthood would all be part of the rewards Roderick bestowed on your father.

That was in the year 463, 2 years before you were born.

[Gwyn]

Sounds good.