Varius Ironhand
Contents
Backstory and Description[edit]
Varius was born Bertran, in a small village about forty miles south of Codalet. His father was the village blacksmith and, thanks to the Dwarf Blood that Bertran also inherited, a very good one. Bertran spent his early years mostly in the nearby hills, occasionally interacting with the nearby Faeries there, though for the most part the Faerie lore ability reflects the intuitive understanding of them he gets from his blood.
As he grew, his Gift manifested. Bertran lost what friends he had, and began to gain a bad reputation, causing his father to keep him at home. Bertran spent much of his time watching his father work, until his father started to train him in the family business. Bertran picked it up with ease, a fact which did not particularly surprise his father who had, after all, been much the same. In addition to blacksmithing, Bertran picked up enough woodworking to fashion a hilt, enough leatherworking to fashion straps, and enough patience to keep at work. Bertran worked on these skills in his own time, improving them beyond the basics. He finds crafting fun, and in any case since his father never let him out of the house he had nothing really else to do. He seemed to be on track to becoming a reclusive village craftsman, unliked but at least respected, when a Veridutus maga named Clara, looking for apprentices from craftsmans' households, recognized his talents and took him away.
His talents and background made him a natural Veriditus, and Bertran took to magic like a duck to water. Clara (not a member of the Cotes-du-Vent Covenant, but not too far away) made sure to also increase his Crafting abilities, though, in true Veriditus fashion, and Bertran also took time to learn the intricacies of making things with magic. After his Gauntlet, he took the name Varius
Varius is a short but not diminutive man with close cropped brown hair and black eyes. His face is clean shaven but would probably benefit from a beard. Varius tends to hunch in on himself and does not easily open up to others, being too used to being by himself, but is well-spoken enough if you can get past that. His epithet comes from the open-fingered iron chainmail gauntlet he wears on his right hand at all times. Although it has leather padding, it is designed so that iron touches his skin directly at numerous points.
Basic Stats[edit]
Name: Varius Ironhand (born Bertran Ferrer)
Characteristics: Int +3, Per +2, Pre -3, Com +1, Str 0, Sta +3, Dex +2, Qik -3
Size: 0
Age: 24 (24)
Decrepitude: 0
Warping Score: 0 (0)Twilight Scars: None
Confidence Score: 1 (3)
Virtues and Flaws:Affinity for Rego, Affinity for Magic Theory, Apt Student, Faerie Blood (Dwarf), The Gift*, Hermetic Magus*, Inventive Genius, Puissant Craft:Blacksmith, Puissant Finesse, Puissant Magic Theory, Skilled Parens, Veriditus Magic*, Vulcan's Blessing(1), Deficient Technique (Perdo), Driven (major, pushing the boundaries of magical item crafting), Generous (minor), Restriction (must be touching iron)
Personality Traits: Curious +3, Organized +3, Helpful +2
Reputations: None
Combat Stats[edit]
Weapons: Gauntlet Init -4, Atk +4, Def +0, Dam +2
Soak: +3 (+1 vs animals, heat and cold, +2 vs wooden or metal weapons)
Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious
Wound Penalties: -1 (1-5), -3 (6-10), -5 (11-15), Incapacitated (16-20), Dead (21+)
Equipment: Wizardly Robes, Gauntlet, Crafting Tools
Encumbrance: 1 (1)
Abilities[edit]
Artes Liberales 1 (geometry)
Athletics 1 (endurance)
Awareness 2 (flaws in crafting)
Brawl 1 (gauntlet)
Catalan 5 (talking about crafting)
Catalonia Lore 1 (geography)
Concentration 2 (crafting)
Craft:Blacksmith 4+2 (tools)
Craft:Leatherworker 2 (armor)
Craft:Woodworker 2 (staves and wands)
Craft: Weaver 1 (clothes)
Craft:Glassblower 1 (Hermetic Equipment)
Faerie Lore 2 (dwarfs)
Finesse 3+2 (crafting spells)
Latin 4 (Hermetic usage)
Magic Theory 4+2 (enchanting items)
Parma Magica 1 (Mentem)
Philosophiae 1 (Veriditus Runes)
Survival 1 (hills)
Arts[edit]
Cr 7, In 3, Mu 5, Pe 0, Re 10
An 1, Aq 0, Au 0, Co 0, He 6, Ig 4, Im 0, Me 0, Te 6, Vi 1
Spells[edit]
Varius' sigil is that his spells are often accompanied by the sound of tools being used. This is typically hammers striking in the distance, but often modified by the spell. For instance, a ReAn spell that controls animals (not animal products) would likely be accompanied by the sound of a cracking whip.
[AM118] Doublet of Impenetrable Silk (MuAn 15) +9
[AM140, Powered up Variant] Heat of the Glowing Forge (CrIg 15) +14
R: Voice; D: Mom; T: Ind
Heats a piece of metal so that it glows red hot. Varius mostly uses this as part of his crafting, as a substitute for the, you know, actual heat of an actual forge. The fact that it can also target metal armor (as the Heat of the Searing Forge spell, except with +10 damage instead of +5) is actually mostly incidental. No, really. If cast multiple times on the same piece of metal, it is likely to melt: again, for Varius that is often the point.
(Base 5, +2 Voice)
[AM186, powered up variant] Unseen Servant (ReTe 15) +19, but Requisites can push that down to as low as +13
This spell functions like Unseen Porter, but is more precise. It can move small objects quite quickly, and the Finesse stress rolls for delicate work are easier (typically 9+).
(Base 3, +2 Voice, +1 Conc, +1 precision)
[Custom] The Instant Cavern (ReTe 25) +19
R: Voice; D: Mom; T: Part
This spell excavates about ten cubic paces worth of earth and stone and stacks it in crude blocks next to the created pit or cavern. If you use it to create a ten yard deep pit under someone's feet they get a Quickness roll of 9+ to avoid it, and take +10 damage if they fall. Creating a wider pit can catch two or more people and increases the Quickness roll Ease Factor to 12+, but reduces the damage to +5 and makes the pit easy to climb out of. The created blocks are simply stacks of dirt and/or crudely quarried stone. A Perception+Finesse roll of 6+ can produce blocks suitable for building.
(Base 3, +1 affects stone, +2 Voice, +1 Part, +1 Size, +1 sculptable)
[HoH:Soc38, powered up variant] Invisible Catapult of Vilano (ReTe 20) +19
R: Voice; D: Mom; T:Ind
This spell picks up a nearby rock (from a pebble up to the size of a fist) and flings it at a designated target as though it were shot from a sling or a tiny catapult. It does up to +10 Damage. The rock is fired as though it was a projectile, so only it's initial motion is magical. Thus, while it needs to be aimed (Per+Finesse roll, Range increment of 20 paces), it does not need to Penetrate Magical Resistance. Of course, it is of little use if there are no convenient pebbles nearby.
(Base 10, +2 Voice)
[Cov51] The Phantom Blacksmith (ReTe 20) +19
R:Touch; D:Mom; T:Group
This spell transforms iron bars (or other ready iron) into a crafted result, as though a blacksmith had worked on it. A Per+Finesse roll is substituted for the Craft:Blacksmith roll, and the Ease Factor is increased by three over what it would normally be. Failure results in a product that doesn't function or is useless at its intended purpose (eg. A blunt and unwieldy sword), while a botch results in an item that looks fine but has hidden flaws.
(Base 2, +2 Metal, +1 Touch, +2 Group, +1 Flexibility)
[Cov51] The Mystical Carpenter (ReHe 25) +19
R:Touch; D:Mom; T:Group
This spell transforms a pile of wood into a final form, splitting, carving and joining the wood as necessary. Any nails needed must be provided (adding a Terram requisite), but wooden dowels can be formed from the supplied wood. Usual magical crafting rules apply: Finesse instead of Craft, +3 to Ease Factor, etc.
(Base 5, +1 Touch, +2 Group, +1 Flexibility)
[Custom] The Ghostly Leatherworker (ReAn 15) +14
R:Touch; D:Mom: T:Group
This spell transforms cured and prepared hide or leather into a finished crafted result, rules as above.
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Group, +1 Flexibility)
Notes[edit]
1: Vulcan's Blessing (Minor, General)
The character is adept at all forms of Craft. All Study totals for any Craft are increased by a quarter, as are all experience points spent at character creation.
