New lifepaths - strike up the band

Burning Empires Burning Empires Character Burner
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EDIT: The lifepaths in this thread are rough drafts only. Please see the final versions on the Wiki: Balladeer and Artiste and Minstrel.

The first two are my filling a gap in the “Noble House” array of lifepaths, the last their Dirty & Dangerous opposite. I think otherwise the -wises and traits tell the story best:

Artiste
Setting: Stewardship & Court
Time: 4 yrs
Resources: 1
Circles: 1
Stat Bonus: +1 M
Skills: 4 pts: Noble Patron-wise (Per), Conspicuous (Wil), Oratory (Wil), and any ONE of the following: Composition (Wil/Per), Musical instrument (Wil/Agi), Craft (Per/Agi), or Cooking (Per)
Traits: 2 pts: Temperamental, Genius, Under Pressure, Idealist, Clever Bastard
Requirements: Companion, Courtier, Courtesan, Ravilar, Clown, or Minstrel

Minstrel
Setting: Servitude & Serfdom
Time: 5 yrs
Resources: 1
Circles: 0
Stat Bonus: none
Skills: 5 pts: Musical instrument (Wil/Agi), Mummery (Wil/Per), Soothing Platitudes (Wil), Drunken Revelers-wise (Per), Ceremony-wise (Per)
Traits: 2 pts: Good Ear, Fine Voice, Pretty Face, Ruined
Requirements: none

Balladeer
Setting: Outcast & Criminal
Time: 6 yrs
Resources: 0
Circles: 1
Stat Bonus: +1 M
Skills: 6 pts: Musical instrument (Wil/Agi), Ugly Truth (Wil), Folklore (Per), Oratory (Wil), Censorship-wise (Per), Discontent-wise (Per)
Traits: 2 pts: Man of Constant Sorrow, Unwelcome, Blacklisted, Rabble-Rouser, Drunk
Requirements: previous lifepaths must grant at least one of the following skills: Back-Breaking Labor, Farming, Husbandry, Streetwise, or Soldiering

As always, I’m eager for criticism, the more incisive the better, before I post.

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I sharpened my incisors.

Artiste:
Clever Bastard? GTFO. You have a habit of cramming a whole gang of traits into your LPs - usually not a problem, but I’m not seeing that one at all. Under Pressure’s a bit suspect, too. Tantrum is more the artist style. Go ahead, though, gimme a reason!

Character Trait suggestions: Pretentious, Lapdog.

“and any ONE of the following” - just put them all in, and don’t up the skill points. If the player wants to throw other LP skill points into all four, let em!
You could make this LP a smidgen better - based on the reqs, this is an “advanced level” artist - obviously for successful types.

Balladeer:
I don’t think you need any reqs for this one.

Man of Constant Sorrow is pretty good. Could that be a Persona pt trait? Extra persona point when you let things fall apart so you can write a song about it?

Other trait suggestion: Ever listen to Fred Eaglesmith? “Alcohol and Pills.” Or maybe Hurt (which Johnny Cash even did a cover of!).

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For Artiste:Pretentious and Lapdog are nice character traits. “Clever Bastard” is in there for the Salieri types – the ones whose talent is not so much for outshining rival artists as for undermining them; but since even Courtiers and Court Lords don’t get it, it’s probably a bit much for the Artiste, you’re right. I stick with “Under Pressure” to to encourage the screaming tantrum at your incompetent assistants on the eve of the big unveiling/performance/banquest.

For Balladeer: “Hurt” is a great trait to add. And Man of Constant Sorrow does make a good persona point trait, something like:

Man of Constant Sorrow (Dt)
This character walks wide-eyed down the road to ruin and despair. Before using this trait, the player must define, in general terms, the self-defeating behavior that defines this character. (Drug addiction, sexual infidelity, compulsive wandering, and defiant stands against impossible odds are time-honored favorites). The player may define the behavior before play begins or during play after some memorable act of self-sabotage. Thereafter, the character gains a persona point every time he or she meets all four of these conditions: (1) repeating the behavior (2) at great personal cost (3) while commenting self-knowingly, ideally in song, about just why this is a bad idea and (4) shows no sign of reforming.

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And they’re posted. I kept the prerequisites for Balladeer, in the end, because I thought they really help define the character type – you can’t be a Born to Rule-Court Coeptir-Mandarin-Court Lord-Balladeer, really you can’t – and I didn’t improve Artiste much, because I thought giving access to skills like Oratory was pretty good. Otherwise I adopted most of Johnstone’s suggestions.