In reply to Herubrand (msg # 31):

Welcome!

I know my character has close ties to the Rohirrim, so if either you or Berthold want some sort of connection with Roclindhir, I'm down to talk ideas.

Since we're going into our build ideas, I'm trying to strike a balance with my gal that sort of says she used to be a ranger who roamed the wildlands and lived rough, but has evolved over time into a more straightforward heavy warrior now that she has a land to call home and protect. It's a tough needle to thread, because she's not a dedicated knight but she's not exactly a traditional ranger anymore, either. Strong fighter with a d8, heavy armor, and she's got a big honking long sword (a great sword in the game rules; IRL "long sword" and "great sword" are the same thing, but Savage Worlds uses it as a stand-in for arming swords), but still with some solid wilderness skills and a competent d6 Shooting. Like Falin, she's not really meant to 1v1 a boss, but she can get stuck-in with a lot of orc grunts and come out the other side alive.

Falin really hit the nail on the head, a d4 in something will make a player character perfectly alright at it and you shouldn't stress too much about leaving secondary skills (meaning skills that are important to your character idea but maybe not their main thing) in the d4-d6 range. It's tough sometimes to remember that because a d4 seems like such a small die, but that 1d6 wild die that Wild Cards roll alongside our main dice gives us a really solid chance to roll a 6 or better.

Another thing that can help flesh out an idea are professional edges. Woodsman, for instance, is a big boost for rangers like Adunaphel and Telric (I don't know if you're taking it, Telric, but as an example). It gives us a +2 in a couple of situations where you'd expect rangers to excel. Likewise, it sounds like Mercury might benefit from the Assassin edge, based on that description of her skillset.

Give those edges a look over and see if one suits the type of field you want Roc to excel in, is my two bits.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:40, Thu 10 Mar 2022.

In reply to Adunaphel (msg # 33):

I actually could not get Woodsman due to its prereq needs. I had my edges all mapped out.

In reply to Telric Traventor (msg # 34):

Really? Huh! Well, I guess I am the woodsiest of women! Kneel to my slightly above-average Spirit score and good Survival!

In reply to Adunaphel (msg # 35):

Yup, I spent all my time fighting giant spiders and orcs and not enough actually mastering woodcraft.

:P

In reply to Roclindhir (msg # 32):

It makes sense to have some connection.

Herubrand is the third son of a minor noble. Not famous, but perhaps noteworthy for having served in the rank and file as a scout rather than jumping right into command of a group of riders merely because of his noble birth.

Perhaps we have ridden together?

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In reply to Adunaphel (msg # 33):

Sounds like a good friend to have, especially in a fight. Herubrand is a bit of a rogue but not a scoundrel. Not afraid to fight dirty, deceive or snipe at an exposed enemy. How knightly is Adunphel? Has she adopted a strict code of conduct?

I could see that! If you'd want, maybe Herubrand is a cousin-in-law or something like that to Roclindhir?

In reply to Herubrand (msg # 37):

No, nothing so fancy! She's obsessively loyal to Aragorn (really idolizes the heck out of him), but her sensibilities are still mostly in line with the Dunedain's ranger roots: Help people, kill scary things, keep the lands of men safe from the things creeping at the edges they don't want to know about. But now she gets to have lands and nice, new boots!

Come to think of it, Adunaphel may be an easy connection for a lot of the group. She spent the first 30 years of her adult life wandering the wild places of the world and fighting servants of the enemy (which were everywhere by the end) which could have put her into contact with elves and dwarves doing the same; she fought in the final battles of the War of the Ring alongside probably any of the human characters' fathers and mothers; and for the last 24 years she's been bouncing between Gondor and the rebuilding of Arnor, free to meet nobles and travelers alike. About the only place she hasn't visited or come close to is the Shire because Elessar forbade men to go there, so unfortunately she'll have only had the chance to meet Hobbits when they travelled away from home.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:28, Thu 10 Mar 2022.

In reply to Roclindhir (msg # 38):

Sounds perfect cousin!

In reply to Adunaphel (msg # 39):

I would bet that we have shed blood in the same battles. We will need to swap stories over an ale or two!

I wasn't sure what supplement books we could draw from so I looked for alternatives to Assassin.  I can still fit it in, but at a significant cost to Notice skill functionality.  So the question is more of style for the party do we need more scouting or a slight chance of more effective surprise attacks?

In reply to Mercury Fleetfoot (msg # 41):

We're a pretty enormous fellowship at the moment, so that's really hard to say. I almost wonder if we'll be able to cover certain bases with sheer volume of rolls.

That is possible, but some rolls like stealth work the other way around.  So if I am off on a stealth mission but can't see my target there is a strong chance that nobody is there to help with that.

But on the flip side if I can't take out the target in one hit no amount of stealth is going to stop it from yelling for it's friends, or at least screaming something about the dagger in it's gut.

In reply to Mercury Fleetfoot (msg # 43):

Herubrand and Mercury should work well together. Brand also excels at stealth and long range.

And Adu is okay at stealth, at least in the wilderness, so she may be able to bring up the rear of a scouting team in the right circumstances. But you make a good point, and that's a tough choice to make. Do you have anything else that's increasing your stabby power?

Just about everything else increases some kind of stealth or ambush power, but it is a bit of a one and done kind of deal.  It is entirely likely that it will be more effective to break contact and circle back for another ambush if the first one doesn't work than to try and slug it out in a 'fair' fight.

In a fully tactical situation that is always a good plan, but in a game with multiple characters, viewpoints, and objectives I don't want to be dictating to much of the overall plan I just want to keep people aware that my combat effectiveness drops sharply in extended fights to the point that I will likely be focusing on secondary combatants and or support in the rear ranks rather than engaging anything wearing any kind of armor.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:27, Thu 10 Mar 2022.

In reply to Mercury Fleetfoot (msg # 46):

That makes sense. There's not much in the way of armor-piercing in the medieval weapons, so it really will come down to aimed shots and brute force to punch through hard targets. Is there any way for you, personally, to disengage from a fight and go back into stealth for another sneak attack, or does the whole combat have to end?

It is likely to be a lot of moving parts, some of which work in some situations and others are more particular, but most of the effect will just need me to disengage myself and avoid getting in close if at all possible.

In reply to Mercury Fleetfoot (msg # 48):

I will do my best to be a big, shiny target so that they don't chase the tiny.

Well my character isn't supposed to be much of a warrior, but.... I'm struggling right now.

Str d6
Dex d6
Smart d6
Spirit d8
Vigor d6

6 advances

Skills
Athletic d4 he is a Hobbit and farmer still
Fighting d4 his parents insisted, after the battle of bywater
Driving d4 pony and cart
Shooting d4 The Thane instituted a practice of archery
Stealth d4 "hobbits are remarkably light on their feet"

Common Knowledge d4
Healing d4
Notice d4
Survival d4

Performance d4 "if more people valued cheer and song, it would be a merrier world"
Persuasion d4 "it is the way if my people to use light words, and say less than they mean"

Question on Common Knowledge; could I use CK Hobbit and or Shire to represent normal shire pursuits like farming and cooking,not would they have to be individual skills?

In reply to Wort Halffield (msg # 50):

I guess you have not seen some skills begin at d4 without spending points...


This page https://savaged.us/tools/character-creator/ may help (though see some skills are not used, as it's more generic)...

BEWARE: each time I try to add increases that reach seasoned level (so more tan 3) it fails.

I did miss that.. which probably means I'm using the wrong copy of the rules. Please could you tell me which ones start at d4, and I will adjust.

In reply to Wort Halffield (msg # 52):

Athletics, Common Knowledge, Notice, Pursuasion, Stealth start at d4 by default.

Thanks!

In reply to Falin (msg # 53):

Oh? I did not see that. I have Explorer Edition so might need to confirm a few things for character generation.

All attributes start at d4?
5 points for attribute by ups?
15 points for skill buy ups?
Two points if you take a major hindrance?
One point for a minor hindrance?

In reply to Herubrand (msg # 55):

I'm pretty sure this is right but someone correct me if it's not:

All start at d4
5 for attribute buy-ups
12 for Skill buy-ups
2 for Major, 1 for Minor, and you can take any combination of Major and Minor you want up to 4 points total (4 Minor, 2 Major, 1 Major and 2 Minor)