Hunting lifepaths, from poacher to Court Huntsman

Burning Empires Burning Empires Character Burner
1

EDIT: The stats in this thread are working drafts. Please see the final versions on the Burning Empires Wiki.

This will be my last set of these, I promise. Err, well, maybe one more. Anyway:

A while back, in another thread, I posted:

Backwoodsman
Time: 4 yrs
Resources: 0
Circles: 0
Stat bonus: none
Skills: 4 pts: Hunting (Per/Spd), Survival (Wil/For), Close Combat (Wil/Agi), Folklore (Per)
Traits: 1 pt: Proud, Undeterred, Tough, Casually Violent, Drunk
Requirements: Born to Freeman. “I ain’t no man’s serf.”

To which Johnstone replied:

Woodsman - this is the really idyllic one. If you’re gonna have something like this, it’s definitely Outcast. I dunno - I just have this image of the Merchant League getting the contract to rape-log the entire continental forest, and when they unleash the gigantic stripping machines, you think they’re gonna warn the people who live there? Nah, man. They get pulped just like the rest of the animals. Lucky birds - they can fly away.

Which got me thinking, and wondering if the lack of lifepaths about killing small animals was a significant omission in a game about a future medievalesque society – and given the opening scenes of Sheva’s War. In fact, not one Human lifepath in the book comes with “Hunting” as a skill, which would make Hardi’s father a hard character to burn up. So I came up with these:

Hillbilly
Outcast & Criminal
Time: 5 yrs
Resources: 0
Circles: 0
Stat bonus: none
Skills: 4 pts: Backwoods-wise (Per), Hunting (Per/Spd), Survival (Wil/For), Close Combat (Wil/Agi)
Traits: 2 pts: Suspicious, Family, Casually Violent, Drunk
Requirements: If chosen, this must be the second lifepath. It may be chosen more than once on later lifepaths as well.

Poacher
Outcast & Criminal
Time: 3 yrs
Resources: 0
Circles: 1
Stat bonus: +1 P
Skills: 4 pts: Hunting (Per/Spd), Infiltration (Spd), Survival (Wil/For), Gamekeeper-wise (Per)
Traits: 1 pt: Quiet, Alert
Requirements: Hillbilly, Gamekeeper, Outlaw, Soldier, Smuggler, or Tenant Labor

Gamekeeper
Servitude & Serfdom
Time: 6 yrs
Resources: 1
Circles: 0
Stat bonus: none
Skills: 4 pts: Estate-wise (Per), Hunting (Per/Spd), Observation (Per), Poacher-wise (Per)
Traits: 2 pts: My Feet Hurt
Requirements: Soldier or Tenant Labor

Huntsman
Stewardship & Court
Time: 5 yrs
Resources: 1
Circles: 1
Stat bonus: +1 P
Skills: 4 pts: Hunting grounds-wise (Per), Hunting (Per/Spd), Cooking (Per), Suspicious hunting accident-wise (Per)
Traits: 2 pts: Privileged Position, Sporting, Quiet
Requirements: Gamekeeper, Coeptir (Nobility Setting), Court Coeptir, Game Hunter, Sport Hunter, Man-at-Arms, or Scout

Sport Hunter
Stewardship & Court
Time: 3 yrs
Resources: 1
Circles: 1
Stat bonus: none
Skills: 4 pts: Formal hunt-wise (Per), Hunting (Per/Spd), Riding (Wil/Per), Conspicuous (Wil)
Traits: 1 pt: Tramples the crops, Sporting, Well Travelled, Overdressed
Requirements: Courtier, Lord-Pilot Anvil, Court Hussar, Ravilar, or Magnate

Game Hunter
Nobility
Time: 3 yrs
Resources: 1
Circles: 0
Stat bonus: +1 P
Skills: 4 pts: Countryside-wise (Per), Hunting (Per/Spd), Riding (Wil/Per), Survival (Wil/For)
Traits: 1 pt: Your land is my land, Sporting, Quiet, Merciless to Poachers
Requirements: Mark of Privilege Trait

Ranger
Commune
Time: 6 yrs
Resources: 0
Circles: 1
Stat bonus: +1 P
Skills: 6 pts: Nature Preserve-wise (Per), Wilderness Rescue-wise (Per), Survival (Wil/For), Instruction (Wil), Observation (Per), Poacher-wise (Per)
Traits: 1 pt: Tree Hugger, Public Servant
Requirements: Volunteer Soldier (not regular Soldier) or Student

New Traits:
Sporting (Dt) 3 pts
The character loves to hunt and can talk about it for hours. Grants a free 1D affiliation with other characters who have the Sporting trait and a 1D infamous reputation with characters who have the Tree Hugger trait.

Tree Hugger (Dt) 3 pts
The character loves nature and can talk about the importance of protecting it for hours. Grants a free 1D affiliation with other characters who have the Tree Hugger trait and a 1D infamous reputation with characters who have the Sporting trait.

2

Why, God, why?

3

Because it’s [not already] there.

4

Sydney, you really want to play BE dont ya. My group is trying once more to get together this sunday if you are interested…

else, I have to side with Luke here, it’s time to put the pencil down and get the dice out…

Althougth I really want to use that MP lifepath you burned up.

NicҠ

5

This is true. I suspect there’s a reason for that. I could be wrong, but I have strong suspicions.

6

So I’m obsessive-compulsive; I know. Any substantive comments besides “we don’t need these,” which I think is taken as read by this point?

7

That’s an awfully broad category of material to work through.

p.

8

Actually, the serious answer is “to get the Survival skill into more lifepaths.”

EDITED TO ADD: I originally started thinking of backwoodsman lifepaths because I wanted Mike Atlin’s Jaegers to come from a distinctive background with a different second lifepath that the standard “student” or “kid” that gave them some wilderness skills.

9

To which Johnstone replied:

Oh, so this is all my fault is it?

Obviously one reason for a certain something lacking in the book’s LPs is that the FoNs are supposed to be closer to, say, the Forged Lord, a Cotar Fomas and a leading Psychologist, and farther away from, say, a guy who lives alone in the woods, a crack whore,
and a schizophrenic dude locked up in an insane asylum (<---- hint, hint, Sydney!).

That said, I don’t think you can ever have too many LPs to choose from, as long as they are good.

10

[willfully ignoring every other part of what Johnstone said]Thank you![/willfully ignoring]

Hey, this is a game where “Matchstick Girl” is a viable background choice – and comes with some useful stuff, actually (Trait: The Story). The coolest idea I personally have had to date for a Figure of Note is 1. Born Noble, 2. Captive of War, 3. Prostitute, 4. Hive Thug, 5. Cotar, 6. Adjutant Inquisitor, 7. Inquisitor. Up and up is not the only interesting direction for a protagonist to have gone on the Wheel.

EDITED TO ADD: Besides, these are some useful wises. “Suspicious hunting accident-wise (Per)” – I’m frickin’ proud of that one.

That said, I don’t think you can ever have too many LPs to choose from, as long as they are good.

So does anyone have an actual suggestion as how to make these LPs good?

11

I was implying that they’re ALREADY good!

C’mon, do I have to write up my own Insane Asylum LP? hmm… Vaylen Conspiracy-wise…

12

Revised version now on the Wiki.

13

By the by, I’ve revised Redneck to make it fit my original purpose, as a prelude for the Anvil Scout lifepath… and thus, Hardi from “Sheva’s War”: Born Freeman, Redneck, Tenant Labor, Scout, with the required character traits “Working Class,” “Proud,” and “Earnest.”