Ironclaw Fur and Fury/Xote
Xote d'Chauveau
Donkey Knight-Errant
Description
Background
Xote was born to peasants on Chauveau lands, but his parents died from disease when he was very young, too young to properly understand death. In a stroke of fortune alongside that tragedy, when the nobles overseeing that land arrived to assess damages and decide on what to do next, they brought along their son, Destin. The young lion had been sullen for months (his brother having died of the same illness that claimed Xote's parents), but meeting the young donkey helped to bring him out of his shell, the two getting on very well together. Seeing this change in their son and feeling for the poor orphan, the boy's parents adopted him into their household.
This caused grumbling in House Chauveau, but the house had fallen far since its glory days: adopting someone so lowborn barely registered as a scandal with their lowly finances and esteem. Still, while Destin and his adoptive parents grew to love Xote as family, he grew up acutely aware that many looked down their muzzles at him. Both within his house and at gatherings of other nobles, many regarded him as a novelty, a walking joke, or worse. Aside from giving him sympathy for other commonborn, on Chauveau lands and off, this sparked his burning desire to prove them all wrong -- to prove himself worthy of the noble legacy that had taken him in. He threw himself into his tutelage and training alongside his brother and the other leonine youths. While he never distinguished himself as a scholar (that was more Destin's specialty), he honed his skill with a blade to a very impressive degree.
One of the few who consistently matched him was Celeste, a young scion of a much more well-regarded noble house. At first, the two frustrated one another, each thinking from first impression that the other was arrogant and playing a frivolous game. If nothing else, a few clashes taught them to respect each other's skill in combat. Over the years, this rivalry gave way to warmth; the two came to better understand one another. Both felt somewhat out of their depth in familial circles and frustration at their circumstances, Xote from the casual disdain at his low birth and species and Celeste from the firm expectations that she comport herself as a proper lady. They began to enjoy their time together more and more. Perhaps too much: they've recently realized just how smitten with one another they've become. And painfully aware of how the gulf in social standing complicates any courtship.
But there are other pressing matters for Xote. While House Chauveau's finances have seen some improvements in the past few years,* there remains a lot of pressure on everyone in the household to find and earn additional revenue where they can. This past year, Destin has turned his mind to mercantile pursuits while Xote has taken up as a sell-sword, sometimes cycling in to support house efforts that need his strength of arms and blade.
- Xote's aunt, a jovial if somewhat ruthless lioness, has proven an especially deft hand with investments, contracts, and political wheeling-and-dealing.
Sheet
Basics
| Habitat | Plains |
| Cycle | Day |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Senses | Listen, Spot |
| Weapons | Hooves |
| Age | 19 |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | Average |
| Weight | |
| Eyes | Blue |
| Pelt | Light gray with white marks |
| Distinguishing Characteristic | Surprising grace |
| Distinguishing Characteristic | Cheerful disposition |
Personal Motto
Don't judge a book by its cover.
Goals
- Earn some respect.
Dice
| Species: Donkey | d6 |
| Career: Knight-Errant | d8 |
| Body | d10 |
| Speed | d8 |
| Mind | d4 |
| Will | d10 |
| Name | Favorite Use | Marks | Species | Career |
| Academics | Legends, Tales and Folklore | / d4 | ||
| Brawling | Hooves | / d4 | ||
| Climbing | ||||
| Craft | ||||
| Deceit | ||||
| Digging | ||||
| Dodge | Vs. Melee | //// d10 | d8 | |
| Endurance | d6 | |||
| Gossip | ||||
| Inquiry | ||||
| Jumping | d6 | |||
| Leadership | ||||
| Melee Combat | With Swords | ////(/) d12 | d8 | |
| Negotiation | With nobles | /// d8 | ||
| Observation | Hearing things | // d6 | ||
| Presence | ____ | // d6 | ||
| Ranged Combat | ||||
| Riding | ____ | / d4 | ||
| Searching | ||||
| Stealth | ||||
| Supernatural | ||||
| Swimming | ||||
| Tactics | d6 | d8 | ||
| Throwing | ||||
| Vehicles | ||||
| Weather Sense |
Gifts
| Type | Name | Exhausted | Refresh? | Description |
| Personality | Sanguine | [] | Respite | After any roll that is somehow relevant to the personality, exhaust this Gift to roll a bonus d12. |
| Language | Calabrese | Permits speaking this language (reading/writing requires Literacy). Without this, Gossip and Negotiation are impossible, Inquiry is limited, Presence is unaffected. | ||
| Local Knowledge | Bisclavret? | Bonus d12 to know where things are, gossip with the natives, elude pursuit, and otherwise apply knowledge of the area. | ||
| Initial | Combat Save | [] | Respite | After rolling Soak & Armor from a failed attack/defense, exhaust this gift to negate results of Unconscious, Dying, or Dead. Or reduce Overkilled to Dying. |
| Species | Hiking | Bonus d12 to Endurance when enduring long-distance travel on foot. | ||
| Species | Increased Trait (Body) | Increase Body by one die size. | ||
| Species | Increased Trait (Speed) | Increase Speed by one die size. | ||
| Career | Etiquette | Bonus d12 to rolls at formal functions, parties, or social events. | ||
| Career | Nobility | [] | Influence | Bonus d12 to rolls with Noble Matters, entitlement to "high justice," etc.; exhaust this gift for Influence. |
| Career | Veteran | Bonus d12 to Guarding and Aiming actions (instead of d8). | ||
| Standard | Literacy | Can read and write. | ||
| Standard | Resolve | Will Dice as bonus Soak Dice. | ||
| Standard | Knack for Melee | [] | Respite | +1 Melee Mark; exhaust this Gift to reroll a Melee roll. |
| Heroic | Strength | Bonus d8 with all Natural Attacks, Melee Attacks, and Thrown Attacks. (No benefit for Counter-Attacks or Parries.)
You can carry more weight. (+2 Stone for Burdened, +3 Stone for Overburdened. See "Encumbrance", page 90.) | ||
| Heroic | Bravery | [] | Battle | Exhaust this Gift to negate the Afraid condition. No effect on the Terrified condition. |
Gear and cash
Cash: 8 Denarii
Weapons
| Weapon | Hand | Range | Roll | Effect | Notes | Carried | Price | Weight |
| Longsword | Good hand | Close | Body, Melee Combat Vs. Defense | Damage+2 | Blade | Carried at waist | Average (3D) | 1/4 Stone |
| Shortbow | 2 hands | Medium | Speed, Ranged Combat Vs. Defense | Damage +0 Critical | Bow, Reload/1 | Carried on back | Cheap (2/3D) | 1/8 Stone |
| Knife | Good hand | Close | Body, Melee combat Vs Defense | Damage +1 | Blade, Concealable | Carried at waist | Cheap (1/2D) | 1/8 Stone |
Total: 1 Stone
Shields
| Shield | Use | Cover Dice | Carried | Price | Weight |
| Wooden Shield | Strapped to arm | d8 | Carried on back | Average (6D) | 1/2 Stone |
Total: 1/2 Stone
Armor
| Armour | effect | Notes | Carried | Price | Weight |
| Leather Armor | Soak d6 | On Body | 12 D | 1/2 Stone |
Total: 1/2 Stone
Sundries
Common Arrows 1/8
| Item | Notes | Carried | Price | Weight |
| Signet Ring (Chauveau) | Pewter (a tree in fruit, with a sword crossed before it) | Worn | Extravagant, Proscribed (100D or more) | 1/32 Stone |
| Travel Grub (Plants) | 5 days; Salted and dried vegetables and herbs | In pack | 1/2 D per day | 2 1/2 Stone |
| Water | 6 days | In pack | 1/4 D per day | 1 1/2 Stone |
| Backpack | Worn | Free | 1/4 Stone | |
| Blanket, travel | In pack | 1/2 D | 1/8 Stone | |
| Tent (2 man) | In pack | 2 D | 1 Stone | |
| Commoner’s clothes | Worn | 3 D | 1/4 Stone | |
| Lantern, hooded | In pack | 1 1/2 D | 1/8 Stone | |
| Oil, Lantern | 24 hours' worth | In pack | 1 1/2 D | 1/8 Stone |
| Book, chap | In pack | 1/6 D | 1/16 Stone | |
| Book, chap | In pack | 1/6 D | 1/16 Stone | |
| Whetstone | In pack | 1/2 D | 1/8 Stone | |
| Dice (fair) | In pack | 3/4 D | 1/16 Stone |
Total: 6 7/32 Stone
Burden
Total 7 31/32 Stone
Pack 5 28/32 Stone
On Body 2 3/32 Stone
"None" at 5 Stone.
Burdened at 11 Stone.
Overburdened at 17 Stone.
Battle
Initiative: d8, d4
Movement
| Quality | Value | Calculation |
| Stride | 1 | Normal |
| Dash | 5 | 1/2 Max Speed +1 if Body>speed |
| Sprint | d8 | Speed die |
| Run | 23 | Max body + Max speed + Dash |
Attack
| Attack | Hand | Range | Attack Dice | Effect |
| Generic | (Varies by brawling attack) | Close | 1d4, 1d10, 1d8 Vs defense | (Varies by brawling attack) |
| Attack | Hand | Range | Attack Dice | Effect |
| Hooves | Foot | Close | 1d4, 1d10, 1d6, 1d8 Vs defense | Damage +1 Critical |
| Attack | Hand | Range | Attack Dice | Effect |
| Longsword | Good-hand | Close | 1d10, 1d12, 2d8 Vs defense | Damage +2 |
| Shortbow | 2 hand | Medium | 1d8 Vs Defense | Damage +0 Critical; Reload/1 |
| Knife | Good-hand | Close | 1d10, 1d12, 2d8 Vs defense | Damage +1 |
Magic
Defense
| Type | Defense Dice | Effect/Notes | Calculation |
| Dodge | 3d8, d10 | Prevents damage if successful; no range constraint; CAN retreat to break a tie | Speed, Dodge (DO include Range and Cover such as Shields) |
| Parry (Melee) | 1d10, 1d12, 2d8 | Prevents damage if successful; only Brawling/Melee attacks; CAN retreat to break a tie | Body, Melee (do NOT include Strength; DO include Range and Cover such as Shields) |
| Counter (Melee) | 1d10, 1d12, 1d8 | Prevents damage if successful; only Close attacks; CANNOT retreat to break a tie | Body, Melee (do NOT include Strength; do NOT include Range or Cover) |
Soak and armor
Soak d10, d10 (Body, Will) and Armor d6 (Leather)