BEYOND THE WALL - THE HALFLING OUTRIDER

ok, so i agreed to give the BEYOND THE WALL RPG a spin with a few other bloggers. basically, we've all agreed to make characters at a virtual table with certain blogs being "to the right" of other blogs for the purposes of character generation. i've chosen to use the HALFLING OUTRIDER playbook.  the mastermind behind all this is rob barrett from the blog VARGOLD: THE WOLF TIME. check out the original blog post here. i'm to the right of anthony and rob is to my right. 

basically, if you use the playbooks to generate a character you begin with base set of attributes and through character generation you gain points. i'm not sure that you can lose points in anything. part of the fun of making a character this way is that you also generate your starting village during the process - certain tables allow you to add NPCs and locations to the village. this way, when everyone has made a character they have a shared history and fleshed out starting base of operations (and some adventure hooks for the GM, to boot).  it's my understanding that we'll add all that stuff after our characters are fleshed out a bit.

probably not what he looks like - but hey, this is a cool pic.

here is the intro flavor text for the HALFLING OUTRIDER (a fighter/thief, basically): "back in the halfling lands you were one of the warriors of your people. you patrolled the borders of your homeland on your trusty pony, watching for bands of barbarians, goblins, and meddling big folk. now, you have journeyed far from home on adventures of your own.

you were the strongest and most athletic of your people. your CON begins at 12, your DEX begins at 10, your STR begins at 6 and all your other stats begin at 8".

the first few tables detail how i came to the land of men, and the first table is titled WHAT DID YOUR OLD GAFFER DO?  well, i rolled a 5...so my gaffer tended the fields around my ancestral home – we grew the finest smoking leaf for miles and miles around. (+2 CON/DEX; +1 CHA)

            ADD LOCATION TO VILLAGE

the next table asks me WHY I LEFT MY COMFORTABLE HOME...a 2 reveals that i left my comfortable home with a small band of dwarves. they had pressing business far from my home and i decided to help them out. (+2 CHA; +1 CON)

ok, so next up is a table that proclaims AFTER LEAVING YOUR PEOPLE YOU HAD A DIFFICULT TIME ADJUSTING TO LIVING WITH HUMANS. THE OTHER CHARACTERS BECAME YOUR FRIENDS - WHO ELSE BECAME YOUR FRIEND?  so, i guess that after helping the dwarves with their mission i settled in a local human village and I met the other player characters.  a roll of 8 tells me that the local humans found me a fair sort, and enough of a stranger to be impartial – hence, i was elected to be their judge. yikes. i’ve seen all the villagers on their worst days. (+2 WIS; +1 INT)

            ADD NPC TO VILLAGE

now, more flavor text: "you rode far from home and left behind the life you knew. you become a level 1 warrior-rogue. you gain the class abilities weapon specialization and fortune’s favor, and the skill direction sense. the tables below will give you all your bonus skills and further define your class abilities. what have you and your pony been through?"

this table asks WHAT DID YOU LEARN BEST ON THE ROAD? i rolled a 5 and so i've learned that my long traveling with the dwarves taught me the ins and outs of hard riding and long roads.  (+3 CON; gain RIDING skill)

WHAT DO YOUR ENEMIES FEAR MOST ABOUT YOU?  a 3 tells me that they fear a silent death from a knife in the back. dang - that's pretty hardcore. that'll keep a halfling safe on the road, i suppose.  

(+2 DEX; weapon specialization – DAGGER; shift to left)

            ADD LOCATION TO VILLAGE

now we get to the part where one of my previous adventures helps out the character to my right.  the table reads: WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU SINCE YOU SETTLED WITH THESE STRANGE HUMANS? THE PLAYER ON THE RIGHT WAS THERE WITH YOU.  i rolled a 2, so: not too long ago, the ghost of a long forgotten murder victim began haunting the village. i guess since i had access to various court records, some furious research and some assistance from the friend to my right (rob's dwarven adventurer) allowed me to crack the case and lure the ghost to rest in the graveyard. (+2 INT; friend to right gains +1 INT)

this is the last table. what's a halfling outrider without his trusty steed? the table asks me WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT MY PONY? my dice (with a result of 1) tell me that my pony is special because i can communicate with him as well as i can with any person. (+2 CHA; pony ally)

            ADD NPC TO VILLAGE

after that, i learn that the halfling outrider begins with the following equipment: dagger, your pony (counts as an ally), a very fine saddle, bags filled with food and rations, leather armor (+2 AC), a wooden shield (+1 AC), your favored weapon (which is a dagger, so i guess i have 2), and 4d6 silvers. i also have a +1 BAB.

my final stats are:
STR - 6
DEX - 14
CON - 18
INT - 11
WIS - 10
CHA - 13

cool! i have some ideas brewing about this guy - and i'm excited what else he's done. we'll learn that when anthony rolls up his YOUNG WOODSMAN.