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Today, we’re taking another look at the Encounter section of the Blackwood Errantry Codex. Check out some info about the human characters you might encounter in your journeys under the boughs…
Friends and Foes
Clocksmith
The subtle workings of a lock and the setting of a wagon wheel on its axle are all within the expertise of the clocksmith. They can construct mechanical wonders, but they are familiar with the workings of all machines, both simple and complex. More experienced clocksmiths would have a few more gadgets, and may have the Gadgeteer or McGyver Edge.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d4, Investigation d6, Knowledge (Engineering) d8, Notice d6, Repair d8, Shooting d6, Throwing d4, Weird Science d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
Edges: Arcane Background (Weird Science)
Hindrances: Bad Eyes (Minor)
Powers: Clocksmiths have one gadget with 10 power points. This power is usually blast, bolt, burst, detect/conceal arcana, entangle, farsight, pummel, or stun. Clocksmiths use Weird Science (Smarts) for their spellcasting die.
Gear: Mallet (Str+d6), Leather Bib (Armor +1), Clockpicks, Clockwork Padlock, Gearworks, $100
Hunter
By a certain definition, a hunter is not an errant. Hunters venture out into the forest yes, but they do not roam far from their family homes. No, hunters go into the Wood to provide for their village. The average hunter can track a deer, dress a wound, and feed off the local plants if need be. More experienced hunters may have the Woodsman Edge, and three of their skills will be one rank higher.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Healing d6, Knowledge (Nature) d6, Notice d8, Shooting d8, Survival d6, Tracking d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6(1)
Edges: Blackwood Bowman
Hindrances: Pick 2
Gear: Bow (2d6, 12/24/48, Str d6), Hatchet (Str+d6, 3/6/12), Dagger (Str+d4, 2/4/8), Leather Gambeson (+1), Animal Trophy, Hearth Bread (7 days), Woodland Herbs
Ruffian
A life spent preying upon the forest roads hardens a man. Resigned to their misery, most outlaws are brutish and unrefined. These ruffians are willing to kill to get what they want. More experienced ruffians might have the Brawny or Brawler Edge, and might increase their Vigor by one die type.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d6
Charisma: -2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6(1)
Edges: Martial Artist
Hindrances: Mean, 1 other Minor Hindrance
Gear: Axe (Str+d8), Unarmed (Str+d4), Hide Armor (+1), Pouch of loot equivalent to no more than $50
Witch
In a pagan coven, women and men who broker pacts with the elves are called witches. Typically the leaders of a coven, witches are valued for their ability to twist elven pacts to their advantage. A witch is an especially tricky foe.
Witches always travel with a retinue of at least four pagans. More experienced witches may have the Arcane Resistance, Tactician, or Wizard Edge, and three of their skills will be one rank higher.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Healing d8, Knowledge (Elves) d8, Knowledge (Poison) d8, Notice d6, Notice, Pact d10, Persuasion d6, Taunt d6, Throwing d6
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Edges: Arcane Background (Elven Pact), Witch
Hindrances: Outlaw, 1 more Minor Hindrance
Powers: Witches have 20 power points and usually know any three of these powers: beast friend, confusion, disguise, fear, healing, mind reading, slumber, summon ally, or teleport. They use Pact (Spirit) for their spellcasting die. Each power is the result of one pact they’ve made with an elf.
Gear: Antler Knife (Str+d6, 3/6/12), Elven Totem x3 (Spell Foci), 2 poisons, Pouch of illegal loot equivalent to $100
Design Notes
Of all the possible Blackwood Encounters, humans are perhaps most likely to become recurring characters. Rivalries are common among the errantry, to say nothing of the friendships your party will cultivate over the course of their adventures. Errant, outlaw, or settled folk, all the human entries include ideas about how NPCs might grow and change as the party becomes more skilled and powerful.
One of the Blackwood setting rules, “In the Right Hands,” forgives penalties for using improvised weapons if the object you use is connected to your profession. A character’s profession is largely a cosmetic choice, but it means a scholar could use a book or scroll as a bludgeoning weapon about as effectively as a guard wields a cudgel. We want to provide examples of this setting rule in action, so (among other examples) the Clocksmith wields a crafter’s mallet. The same would be true of sailors armed with rope, cooks armed with pots and pans, and just about any other situation you could think of. This trope is present throughout martial arts stories, but our single biggest source of inspiration is a great fight from Kung Fu Hustle:
Check back this time next week for a look at some of the most feared creatures in the Blackwood… the elves! We’ll be showing off what makes them different from your typical fantasy elves, and talk about the inspiration that lead us down this particular path.
Until then: go forth, errants, and walk the Way’s Margin!