Character Creation Challenge - 8: Dastalpolti [Runequest Glorantha]

 Second Runequest Glorantha character of the 2024 Challenge [Third overall]

The amount of work that each of these happens to be makes me question why I just don't make something a bit more lightweight to not burn out. But eh, they are also fun. And I learn something more about the game for every character I make...


Fundamentals/Concept

The random element has not been removed from the game all of a sudden. So the only "concept" here is to move down the homeland list, and try to go for another kind of cult. And get miffed if I start with a low POW stat.


Step 1: Homeland

After Sartar and Esrolia, the turn has come to the Grazelands. Coming from the Grazelands gives me the following passions:

  • Love (family): 60%
  • Loyalty (clan): 60%
  • Loyalty (Luminous Stallion King): 60%

 

Step 2: Family History

I will go for the male line again, having grandfather and father be the important grand parents. Typical occupations seems to be Herder, Noble and Warrior. Herder is a bit too close to Farmer, and I don't like the idea of a nomad noble very much, so the family will be in the Warrior business.

1561: Grandparents born this year.

1582: Parents born this year. Grandparent present at Battle of Grizzly Peak. Grandparent was killed by Lunar Spirits. Gain Hate (Lunar Empire) at 60%. [Well that was quick?]

1604: Character was born.

1608: Parent had a normal year.

1610: Parent killed by spirits. [Betting some silver on it being Lunar spirits!]

1622: Character survived The Great Winter, Year Two just fine.

1623: Fought and survived in the Siege of Nochet. Gain +5% Battle.

1624: Nearly killed in Battle of Pennel Ford. Gain +5% Battle and gain a distinctive scar.

1625: Nearly killed by Disease Spirits [sigh]. Gain Hate (Chaos) 60%.


Step 3: Rune Affinities

Typical Grazeland cults are Yelm, Ernalda, Humakt, Issaries and Orlanth. Having made an Ernalda and a Humakt character earlier those are dropped. That leaves Yelm, Issaries and Orlanth. Issaries seems a bit off. Orlanth wants Air and Movement. Yelm wants Fire/Sky, Death and Fertility. Wanting BOTH Death and Fertility is a tad weird? Makes a lot of sense for the god, but makes character generation a tad weird.

Grazeland Pony Breeders gains +10% in the Fire/Sky Rune.

 

Elemental Runes

Pick Air at 60%.

Pick Fire/Sky at 40%. [Which turns into 50% due to homeland]

Pick Earth at 20%.


Power | Form Runes

Movement 75% | Stasis 25%

Fertility 25% | Death 75%


Free additional points

Put 15 points into Air, for a total of 75%.

Put 25 points into Fire/Sky, for a total of 75%.

Put 10 points into Earth, for a total of 30%.


Step 4: Characteristics

Rolling

  • STR: 10
  • DEX: 9
  • CON: 11
  • POW: 13
  • CHA: 10
  • SIZ: 11
  • INT: 12

 Technically, the book says it's Perfectly All Right to discard any character who averages less than 12 in  their characteristics. This seems mildly weird if you are meant to roll 3d6 in order for 5 stats and 2d6+6 for 2 stats. I would get it if they meant after modifications but the book doesn't say. Anyway, I think these rolls are perfectly fine, if a tad boring.

 Modifications

Since the total is under 92, I get 3 free points to put somewhere. As this will be a warrior, I am mostly worried about being able to wield some weapon. The runes will fix the strength, and so the DEX of 9 is a bit iffy so put all 3 points into that. The luxury of not having garbage POW so I have to put points into that!

Then comes the modifications from Runes. Air and Fire/Sky has the same value (going trend, that bit). I pick Air to be the primary, and pick the +2 STR from that and pick +1 CHA from the Fire Rune.

Grazelands gives no Homeland Characteristic Modifier, so starting characteristics become:

  • STR: 12
  • DEX: 12
  • CON: 11
  • POW: 13
  • CHA: 11
  • SIZ: 11
  • INT: 12

 Attributes

  • Magic Points: 13
  • Hit Points: 11
  • Healing Rate:2
  • Damage Bonus: -
  • Spirit Combat Damage: 1d6
  • Maximum ENC: 11,5
  • Dex Strike Rank: 3
  • SIZ Strike Rank:2
  • AGI Skill Modifier: +0%
  • COM Skill Modifier: +0%
  • KNO Skill Modifier: +0%
  • MAG Skill Modifier: +5%
  • MAN Skill Modifier: +0%
  • PER Skill Modifier: +0%
  • STE Skill Modifier: +0%

 As a side comment, while the MP/HP and damage bonuses obviously becomes better with the better stats the previous characters had, the total skill modifiers is actually better on this character since due to the SIZ score on the previous one was a hindrance. So my impression of stats not being THAT important in the game (besides POW and to an extent CHA) is reinforced.


Skill Base Chances

Grazelands adjusts some base skill chances:

  • Ride (Horse) +35%
  • Speak Own (Pure Horse Tongue) 50%
  • Speak Other (Tradetalk) +10%
  • Customs (Grazeland Pony Breeders) 25%
  • Herd +35%
  • Spirit Combat +15%
  • Dagger +10%
  • Lance +15%
  • Broadsword +10%
  • Composite Bow +15%
  • Small Shield +15%
  • Medium Shield +10%

 

Step 5: Occupation

Will stay in the family occupation and become a Warrior. Light Cavalry seems to be more on brand with the nomadic lifestyle and he is not a snobby noble. Not sure the character is beefy enough to wear all that armor and have the heavier weapons either... Looking up the stats for weapons, the character can't use a Composite Bow, but being Light Cav without missile weapons seems a bit shifty to me. So from the unit weapons options I pick Javelin, 1H Weapon (Broadsword) and Medium Shield.

Occupational Skills

  • Ride (Horse) +35%
  • Listen +10%
  • Sing +10%
  • Scan +10%
  • Battle +30%
  • Javelin +25%
  • Broadsword +25%
  • Medium Shield +25%
  • First Aid +10%
  • Lance +20%

Other Stuff

  • Standard of Living: Free
  • Base Income: 60 L
  • Honor +10%
  • Ransom: 500 L
  • Equipment: Linothorax, Cuirboilli Greaves and Vambraces, Open Helm, Horse (Pony?), Javelin, Broadsword, Medium Shield, Lance, 1 extra scar, sleeping roll, good clothing, war booty worth 82 L.
     

SLIGHTLY more valuable starting gear than the previous two characters. And much more narrow skill list...


Step 6: Cult

Time for the mexican standoff between Yelm and Orlanth. After reading the Runequest Mythology book, I feel a certain irony here.

As one of the players in the Runequest Glorantha game I run has a character that is in Orlanth's cult, and the chance of ending up with a later character that ends up being worshiping Orlanth, I pick Yelm.

Yelm Cult Bonuses and Spells 

  • Ride: +20%
  • Speak Other (Firespeech): +20%
  • Sing: +10%
  • Cult Lore (Yelm): +15%
  • Worship (Yelm): +20%
  • Meditate: +5%
  • Sing: 20% [First Bonus]
  • Speak Other (Firespeech): +15% [Second Bonus]
  • Rune Magic: Fight Disease, Shield, Sureshot
  • Spirit Magic: Heal (1 pt.), Disruption (1 pt.), Mobility (1 pt.), Speedart (1 pt.), Multimissile (1 pt.)
  • Devotion (Yelm): 60%


Step 7: Personal Skill Bonuses

Four skills gets +25% and five skills gets +10%. Them's the rules still. Out of the important skills, Ride is almost maxed out already so no point putting points in it. Due to the weapon skills being spread a bit, and the cult giving no bonuses, all of them are around 50% which isn't good. If I increase all of them, there are precious few increases left to increase other stuff. The warrior trap, as it were.

  • Broadsword: +25%
  • Javelin: +25%
  • Charm: +25%
  • Intimidate: +25%
  • Dodge: +10%
  • Medium Shield: +10%
  • Lance: +10%
  • Scan: 10%
  • Worship (Yelm): +10%

Got some social and perception skills in, and won't be the worst cult member showing up at the temple during sacred time.


Step 8: Other Info

Name: Dastalpolti

Clan and Tribe: The Four Gifts Clan. Tribe unknown.

Birthday: Fire Season, Movement Week, Windsday

Family Heirloom: An awakened small animal with 10 INT and 17 (!!!!) POW. Knows Heal (2 pts.) and Light (1 pt.)

Starting Reputation: 10% (Base 5, Free 5).


Character Summary

Dastalpolti, Grazelands Light Cavalryman

Characteristics

  • STR: 12
  • DEX: 12
  • CON: 11
  • POW: 13
  • CHA: 11
  • SIZ: 11
  • INT: 12

Runes

  • Fire/Sky: 75%
  • Air: 75%
  • Earth: 30%
  • Fertility 25% | Death 75%
  • Movement 75% | Stasis 25%

Skills

  • Ride (Horse): +90%
  • Speak Own (Pure Horse Tongue): 50%
  • Speak Other (Tradetalk): +10%
  • Customs (Grazeland Pony Breeders): 25%
  • Herd: +35%
  • Spirit Combat: +15%
  • Dagger: +10%
  • Lance: +45%
  • Broadsword: +60%
  • Composite Bow: +15%
  • Small Shield: +15%
  • Medium Shield: +45%
  • Listen: +10%
  • Sing: +40%
  • Scan: +20%
  • Battle: +40%
  • Javelin: +50%
  • First Aid: +10%
  • Speak Other (Firespeech): +35%
  • Cult Lore (Yelm): +15%
  • Worship (Yelm): +30%
  • Meditate: +5%
  • Charm: +25%
  • Intimidate: +25%
  • Dodge: +10%

Passions

  • Love (family): 60%
  • Loyalty (The Four Gifts Clan): 60%
  • Loyalty (Luminous Stallion King): 60%
  • Honor: 70%
  • Hate (Lunar Empire): 60%
  • Hate (Chaos): 60%
  • Devotion (Yelm): 60%

Equipment

  • Linothorax, Cuirboilli Greaves and Vambraces, Open Helm
  • Horse (Pony?)
  • Javelin, Broadsword, Medium Shield, Lance
  • sleeping roll
  • good clothing
  • war booty worth 82 L
  • An awakened small animal with 10 INT and 17 (!!!!) POW. Knows Heal (2 pts.) and Light (1 pt.)

 

Opinions

There's just something that makes Runequest character more like people than any other character generation system I've used in this challenge so far. They are more broad, even with a narrow occupation and lopsided personal skill bonus usage like I've done this time. That being said, I think I liked the previous two characters more simply because they have more strings to play on.

Playing

Everything has to go fast. Fast and loud. Fast and mumbly. Drink 2 beers fast to have another 2. Resolve everything fast, if not having a fight would prolly fix it.

In combat use one of the missile spirit magic spells on the javelin (multi if bad armor, speedart if armored) and use the Shield Rune Magic spell if it looks like things are going to be rough.

Augmenting is a bit iffy here. Using the Air Rune to augment Broadsword can be bad if failed as there is no backup. Getting more javelins is most likely going to be a good idea, or start working on another sword as a failsafe.

Development

Learning some Bladesharp and Protection would be good use of downtime/money. POW training if I can't get checks from Disruption. Might even train Strength since one point is needed to use Composite Longbows. Should maybe even have swapped a DEX to STR during character creation, or checked during character creation what stat requirements are for some important weapons. Free checks on magic skills and perception.


End note

Even having cut some chargen time for the Runequest character, this is just so time consuming compared to the others. The payoff is good, but this is not a game anyone would be happy to lose a character to random shit.

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