Boltar Stormbreath

- Main Page; The Prax Adventure

A Character Sheet

Background and Story

It was a much voiced opinion around the clan that Yrsa's terrible wind, during her pregnancy, boded for an auspicious birth. Boltar did indeed make his appearance in the depths of Dark Season, on Windsday of Stasis week, which is Extinguish Day, holy to Urox, marking when the Storm Bull defeated Lodril. As an infant, the boy spoke his first words, his first phrases even, in Stormspeech, something that marked him out, for the rest of his childhood, as something special. And there's the rub.

Yrsa, the boy's mother, was a humble stickpicker. Not very bright, pretty as a spring morning and, sad to say, the plaything of an old goat of a godtalker. Had her Boltar not been such a remarkable infant, things might have been different, simpler. The poor boy's adolescence was a nightmare, however, of uncertainty, of dashed expectations, and of little companionship. The year the old godi died, the year of Boltar's coming of age, he made the boy swear himself to Orlanth, promising him that he would act as his sponsor. Boltar, expecting a first act of kindness from the old goat, was crushed to find the old man in a drunken stupor, with only insults for the boy. One of the clan ring stepped in to sponsor Boltar but when, some weeks later, the godi died, Boltar fled from home and was not seen for a good two years.

Come Starbrow's Rebellion, Boltar had fallen in with an Uroxi gang. Thinking he had finally found his home, and hearing talk of war, he undertook the initiation rites. He barely survived and was sick, unable to find peace, for a full season afterwards. Now an initiate, or so he thought, he travelled to battle with his gang, but nothing seemed right. In the berserker charge that led to his gang's decimation, the fury did not descend upon Boltar. He merely stood, and watched the slaughter.

In the confusion after the rebellion's collapse, some base instinct led Boltar home. Yet here, he is even less certain of his future than when he first left.

Character Details

• Name: Boltar Stormbreath
• Cult: Storm Khan of Urox, Initiate Orlanth, Lay Zola Fel
• Race: Human
• Gender: Male
• Rune Associations: Air, Communication and Eternal Battle.
• One year marriage to Inyana who is currently pregnant

Characteristics

Str: 10, Con: 14, Siz: 17, Int: 16, Pow: 15, Dex: 10:, Cha: 18.

• Hit Points: 21
• Total Fatigue Points: 20
• Total Magic Points: 15 + (20 + 4) crystals = 39
• Damage Bonus: +1d4
• Current Fatigue: 0
• Current Magic Points: 15 + (20 + 4) crystals = 39

Skill Groups

• Communication: +13%
  • Bargain (5%):
  • Fast Talk (5%):
  • Orate (5%): 93%
  • Sing (15%):
  • Language [Sartarite] (INTx5%): 91%
  • Language [Trade] (INTx3%): 49%
  • Language [Stormspeech]: 69%
  • Language [Pavic]: 05%

• Manipulation:+3%
  • Conceal (5%):
  • Device (5%):
  • Sleight of Hand (5%):
  • Instrument [xxx] (0%)

• Knowledge: +12%
  • Evaluate (5%):
  • First Aid (10%):
  • Shiphandling (0%): 25%
  • Craft [xxxx] (10%):
  • Lore [xxxx] (5%):
  • Read/Write [xxxx](0%):

• Perception: +10%
  • Listen (25%): 56%
  • Scan (10%): 99%
  • Search (25%): 53%
  • Track (10%): 55%
  • Sense Chaos (0%): 94%

• Agility: -1%
  • Boat (5%): 58%
  • Climb (40%): 75%
  • Dodge (5%):
  • Jump (25%): 45%
  • Ride (5%): 63%
  • Swim (15%): 40%
  • Throw (25%):
  • Hide (10%): 62%
  • Sneak (10%): 67%

• Magic: +8%
  • Ceremony (5%): 89%

Magical Abilities

• Spirit Magic:
• In memory (16):
  • Bladesharp 5
  • Demoralize (2)
  • Fanaticism (1)
  • Heal 4 (3 in memory)
  • Protection 5

• Not in memory:
  • Disruption (1)
  • Farsee 1
  • Mindspeech 1
  • Mobility 1

• Divine Magic:
  • Berserker
  • Command Spirit of Law (Waha)
  • Divination
  • Fear
  • Heal Wound I
  • Sanctify
  • Shield II
  • Spirit Block I
  • Strengthening Enchantment
  • Warding
  • Worship (ritual)

• Gifts/Geasa:

Hit Points and Armour

Location Name	Armour types	A.P.	H.P.	Enc.	Melee	Missile
Head	Ringmail hood + leather	7	6	1.6	19-20	20
Left Arm	Ringmail sleeve + soft leather	7	6	1.6	16-18	18-19
Right Arm	Ringmail sleeve + soft leather	7	6	1.6	13-15	16-17
Chest	Ringmail Byrnie +soft leather	7	9	3.2	12	11-15
Abdomen	Ringmail skirt+Leather skirt	7	7	1.6	09-11	07-10
Left Leg	Ringmail+leather	7	7	3.2	05-08	04-06
Right Leg	Ringmail+leather	7	7	3.2	01-04	01-03

• Total Hit Points: 21 HP (NB. 16 natural +5 strenghtening enhacement)
• Total Armor ENC: 16
• 1 AP Skin

Weapons and Shields

• Attack Bonus: +3%
• Parry Bonus: -1%
• Strik Rank: Siz 1 + Dex 3 = 4

Weapon/Shield Name	Damage	S.R.	A.P.	Attack %	Parry %	Range	Enc.
Great Axe (2H)	2d6+2+1d4	6	10	112%	100%	-	2
Short Sword (1H)	1d6+1+1d4	6	10	77%	27%	-	1
Javelin	1d8+1d2	3/9	8	93%	-	20/50	2x1.5=3
Sling	1d8	3	xx	39%	xx	100/100	20x0.1=2
Grapple	xx	xx	xx	35%	xx	xx	xx

• Total Weapon ENC: 8

Equipment

• Weapons:
  • Great axe, short sword, 3 javelins, sling and stones.
  • 4 javelins, not carried

• Magic
  • Crystal #1: 3 POW power enhancing stone. This one must be attuned. (Lose 1 point of permanent POW.) Then it allows you to double the power of variable spells up to the POW of the stone. It works for everything except Healing spells. You can only ever attune 1 powered crystal.
  • Crystal #2: 20 MP storage device.
  • Crystal #3: 4 MP storage device.

• Armour:

• Other:
  • Backpack (20 ENC) 2.0 + 4.5 = 6.5 (drop for combat)
    • Lightweight blanket 1.0
    • Straw Paliasse 1.0
    • Waterskin, 4.0 litre 4.5
    • Fishing Net, Small 0.5
    • 4 torches 2.0
    • 2 wax candles (1 hr) 0.2
    • Soap, plain 0.1
    • Crowbar 2.0
    • Rope, 10m 2.0
    • Wooden mallet 1.0
    • Cold chisel 1.0
    • Mutton 0.5
    • Dates 0.5
    • 1L worth of food

• Valuables:
  • 1992L
  • Lead amulet from troll sorcerors (spirit storage device)

Associated Characters

• Inyana - Yearwife, currently pregnant. Inyana was the daughter of a god (so is a goddess!), rescued from an island somewhere. She is currently at the Paps and has become an Earth priestess of some description.
• Firstborn - see Inyana, above.
• Yrsa - Boltar's mother, whom he recently brought from Sarter to come live in Pavis
• Alynx Probably adult by now
• Gang
  • You should have a regular posse of a dozen loyal followers around, probably the ones that followed you into Devil's Playground and then followed you out to the block. A mixture of backgrounds who follow you because they didn't connect with a Khan in their tribes for whatever reason: some from Dragon Pass, some Praxian, others from elsewhere. You can write up a little thing on them. They'll be in the background most of the time, but you can certainly call on them for some muscle when you need resources against things, especially chaos.
    • Minto Skybull - a durulz Uroxi with a reputation of his own, and quite a charismatic duck at that. Cunnning and seemingly a good reader of people, Boltar quickly took him on as a lieutenant of sorts when it came to planning the band's first action. Boltar secretly suspects that Minto is female, but has no way of finding out beyond asking (and he won't do that very soon).
    • Pug - a squat and ugly fellow, probably human, who seems to see himself as some sort of leader within the gang. No-one knows where he is from or is particularly interested. A reasonable fighter, on the face of it, but Boltar suspects he is more blather than action.
    • Longstick - an ungainly and unpromising youth of local stock. Everyone expects him to die very soon, but there is something about him that Boltar likes, though no-one else knows what that is. Boltar's mother, Yrsa, likes to mother the poor fellow.
    • Hel, Untar & Frim - a trio of brothers from the uplands of the Far Place, to the north of Sartar. With their blue-tattoed feet, they are great scouts, and they are the best javelin-throwers of the band, but they stick overly close to one another and Boltar has yet to work them out, despite his best efforts.
    • Alwal - a bear-like fellow from somewhere within the Lunar Empire (Sylila), he is perhaps the most enigmatic of the gang. Second only to Boltar in his prowess with an axe, yet seemingly far older, and quite silent about his origins or his desires. Boltar likes him but feels (secretly) a bit threatened by the man's age and presence, even though Alwal has yet to give Boltar any cause for concern..
    • Ordag - a Sartarite warrior who fought in Starbrow's rebellion and has on at least one occasion asked Boltar how he fought there. Boltar pretended he hadn't heard the question but knows that it will come back at some point and he will have to account for himself.
    • Venharl another Sartarite who fought in Starbrow's rebellion, this fellow seems to agree with everything Boltar says, almost to a fault.
    • Pimpim - a Praxian ostrich rider. Boltar has found him to be the fiercest of his warriors, despite his size.
    • Hertag - a Praxian bison rider who offers strange pronouncements before almost any action, but acquits himself reasonably.
    • Silfan - a second bison rider who at times seems to be Hertag's best friend, at times his enemy. Boltar suspects that they knew eachother beforehand and even that they may have been lovers, if such a thing is allowed in Praxian socety.
  • So far, Boltar has tried to unify his gang in their use of the axe and the javelin, in part as these are weapons whose use he can teach. But his gang is very disparate in their charcateristics and he is still unsure if that is a good idea or no, and quite how to use their variations to best advantage.

Political Plans (Rubble)

• Ally with Zorak Zorani Ogg clan - need to go bash Chaos with them
• Obtain permission from the Kaggroka clan to build a Storm Bull temple on Temple Hill
• Persuade Inyana then to come build an Earth temple on Temple Hill.

Notes

Improvement plans

• Strengthening enchantment - general hit points
• Ask rstites about Impede Chaos & Face Chaos divine magic
• Do something about Free Int (allied spirit once I can)
• Increase Str, then get a back-up ax and better armour (iron?)
• Enchant matrix to free up some of my memory - find out how it works.
• Repair matrix
• Sword parry!
• Back-up axe?
• Spell matrix enchantment? (Spirit magic)
• Iron axe - ha ha ha.
• Divine magic - Get next, something from: Command Sylph (1), Mindlink (1), Shield III
• Increase Con?

Divine Magic notes

Excommunication will become necessary if you end up an actual staff priest somewhere. There get easier to pick up as you get automatic POW increases for leading worship at that point.

Storm Bull Cult Spells: Berserker (2), Command Sylph (1), Face Chaos, Impede Chaos, Shield (1)

Common Divine Magic (available to Storm Bull): Dismiss Magic (1), Divination (1), Excommunication (ritual), Extension (1), Find Enemy (1), Find (substance) (1), Heal Wound (1), Mindlink(1), Sanctify (1), Soul Sight (1), Spirit Block (1), Warding (1), Worship (ritual), Armoring Enchantment (ritual), Binding Enchantment (ritual), Strengthening Enchantment (ritual), Spell Matrix Enchantment (ritual), Magic Point Matrix Enchantment (ritual)

Associated Cults: Cure Chaos Wound (Chalana Arroy), Understand Beast Speech (Eiritha), Earthpower (Ernalda), Increase Wind (Orlanth), Cloud Call (Valind) (not available here), Command Spirit of Law (Waha), Fear (Zorak Zoran)

• Q: How much does a (ritual) spell cost? I couldn't find the text on that. A: As battle magic (see p136-)
• Command Spirit of Law is a spirit that attacts Chaos creatures in spirit combat. If it wins, they die.
• Cure Chaos Wound is not that great: you stack it with a regular (spirit magic) heal and it provides all the MP for the spell.
• Face Chaos keeps someone fighting a chaos monster they would otherwise flee. It's pointless to cast on Storm Bulls, but allows you to keep other warriors around. Mechanically, it's a little weak IMO.
• Impede Chaos makes it so that chaos creatures have their attack reduced by 30% against the recipient of the spell. Mechanically, this strikes me as a bit weak to on first read.
• Strengthening Enchantment spell (1 point of POW to learn). You can do the ritual, spend 1 point of POW and gain 1d6 additional hit points: choose at time whether to apply it to general hit points or a specific hit location. Houserule: you can only double your natural hit points. (This go silly RAW as there's no upper limit.)
• Armoring Enchantment spell (1 point of POW to learn). Do the ritual, spend 1 point of POW, boost a hit location of armor 1d6 AP. Houserule: you can only double natural armor of a location, for the same reason. It might be best to hold off on this until you've found a nice set of iron armor. (You'll probably need to quest for that specifically at some point. It won't just show up as random loot.)
• Magic Point Matrix spell (1 point of POW to learn). Ritual places 1d6 MP storage into a device. You can only do this once on a device, so probably want to go with multiple POW to get a decent one when you build it.
• Binding Matrix spell (1 point of POW to learn). Ritual builds a binding enchantment. You still have to summon and command the creature into the binding.

Matrices

I was looking at my spells and I realize that it would be good to have some of my spells as matrices. I looked at the rules and while I didn't understand them well, it seems I could get the Spell Matrix Enchantment spell. I would need an inscription skill of 30% too. This would effectively allow me to create matrices of some of my spells in exchange for POW - so it would only really make sense if and when I become a priest I reckon. It then becomes a choice between expending POW to gain divine magic [I]versus [/I] doing so to free up some room for (spirit magic) spells. Depending on how POW gain goes, I can see where it might be valid; I could even pass round some matrices like Disrupt to free others' Int's up.

Just thinking about this really. I think it would be very good to have Protection 5 (=8 when boosted) but with Bladesharp 5, Heal 4 and Fanaticism as essentials, it leaves me only one point left for Disrupt.

Cult advancement notes

Q: In RQ, how does that Urox overlap into shamanism (Storm Bull) work in Prax? I understood it in HW/HQ but my guess is that it kinda means little in RQ as shamans already have a role in what would be divine cults in HQ. A: Good question that I don't have an immediate answer for. You worship Storm Bull as a god and treat him that way, but get access to associated spirits (summoning) through that. A shaman might see him as a massive spirit of some sort and could worship him and gain a point or two of his specialized divine magic (Berserk most readily, Impede Chaos next). From a modern perspective, you see the same entity through different lenses and thus are able to extract different things from it due to your own personal preconceptions of how he works. From a Gloranthan POV, it might be not be too different, given nobody is going to deny that a shaman, rune lord, or priest actually gained displayable power from the encounter. Anyone else?

Training notes

Did I give you training rules before? I know I mentioned that I just have you pay X amount to train so many hours. Then you get a normal skill check (not automatic). It works nicely and is far less fiddly than the official RQ3 rules.

Let's just say that one training session costs 10 L for skills 0-25%, 20 L for skills 25-50%, 40 L for skills 51-75%. Most skills can't be trained above 75%, but use base skill to determine this (and Lore etc are exceptions).

You can train 1 skill while carrying a full-time job per week. You can train 3 skills if you aren't working. Alternatively, you can replace on of those skills with stat training. After a season if training you get a single check for that stat.

Most likely, you'll need multiple sessions to get an actual increase, so plan accordingly.

Attributes: spend a season training and attribute (replaces 1 skill slot) and you can an attribute increase roll: just like a POW gain roll.

Training: 10 L for skills 0-25%, 20 L for skills 25-50%, 40 L for skills 51-75%

XP Checks: if d100 > current skill*, add 1d4+1. You always have your INT chance of succeeding.

- Main Page; The Prax Adventure