The Power of One - A WFRP2e Solo Experience (OOC)

[MrAbdiel]

Oh! I forgot to mention the disguise kit in the sales breakdown. But it's a tricky one too - either actors, or criminals would consider it useful. Which may beg the question, what kind of person owned this chest that you found? But another possible sale for the big city.

[BananaPhone]

Indeed, perhaps a spy or an actor.

Someone who had to flee or fall before 4 goblins.

Oh yeah, Im not sure how much of this you're "winging", and how much is planned, but did you want to know the general paths I was thinking were feasible for her next career(s)?

[MrAbdiel]

Oo.. I scanned back through the OOC looking for them, but it might be easier if you give me the bullet options! I know Taalia has grown in interest of firearms, and that was manifesting either in perhaps doing a stint as a road warden under Bertuccio or, more academically, going into Tradesman with Signore Cestie, and taking Gunsmith as one of the trades therefrom. That's a pretty good start to justifying an out of career purchase for Weapon Training (Gunpowder).

Aside from livestock baroness, were there other trajectories I'm missing?

[BananaPhone]

Livestock Baroness does sound good hah.

A few I thought of:

- Apprentice Hedgecraft > Witch (pay the 100exp to take a non-listed career exit) > Apprentice Wizard (life) in Verezzo (she leaves the farm in the care of someone she trusts, she starts a Physician business while studying Life magic)

- Apprentice Hedgecraft > Militiaman > Roadwarden > Sergeant.

Those are two legit pathways I see her going down, both allowing her to embark on adventure in chapter 2 of her life. Militiaman has Trade (Any), which could be Gunsmith. That's quite a lot to learn: potions from Madre, tending to her livestock and learning how to make Guns from Cestie.

Buuuut she did mix a lot pf alchemical stuff and work on engineering tpys under Rashabang for years, and 39 base int means she's got an IQ thsts really up there and allows jer to grasp technical stuff pretty quick.

What are your thoughts?

[MrAbdiel]

Well, I think any career that's going to require you to spend most of your time away from the farm is going to require you to employ someone (Vittorio?) to do some minding of the farm while you're away. But I can definitely see that Taalia has a protective streak for the slice of peace she has found, and now has more acquaintance with a life of violence.

Witch requires two things. 1) some kind of story conceit to cover your spontaneous development of magical talent, and 2) someone witchlike to get you started. You'd have to bounch to Hedge Wizard from Apprentice before going to straight Witch (which might be worth it for extra stuff to pick up, or, as you noted, skip it with 100xp). This may require Taalia to develop a reasonable desire to become a witch; and then to succeed at finding one and bilking some tutelage out of him/her. I forbid nothing; it's just a longer leap from cheerful shepherd girl.

Militiaman would just require a little gold expended on equipment, and then to hang around with Bertuccio looking for trouble. That's a much smaller leap - and, for what it's worth, does not have such an easy route to catastrophy, as does dabbling in the dark arts.

That said, I am commited to ruling nothing out. If you want Taalia to become, first and foremost, a kicker of butts and a wearer of armor, go that way; but if the idea of being a secret eye-of-newt enjoyer is featuring high in your ambitions for Taalia, then that is a way you can go - she has, after all, the ambitions you imbue in her.

[BananaPhone]

Aye, the Witch angle seems to 'come out of nowhere', but the way I was thinking of it, she'd learn through Madre (who else better to know than the local Wise Woman) and Gossip about a "witch" in the woods/mountains. They aren't the dark arts type, but more a Druid, with mostly Beast, Life and Ice magic via witchcraft. It's an attunement with the land and life that can suit her, rather than the darker stuff. However, she'd soon see that more disciplines learning is of better benefit, so would put her farm stuff in order and would travel to Verezzo to become an Apprentice Wizard and set up a Physician business.

That was the thought along that avenue.

The militiaman/roadwarden/sergeant is pretty self explanatory and quite clear, becoming quite protective of her slice of idyllic rural life and those who took her in etc. She'd tend to her livestock, help Madre, make guns (and donate them to the town and sell them in Verezzo), be essentially a family GP and be a sergeant in the local militia.

[MrAbdiel]

Well, you're probably close to the end of Apprentice Hedgewise now. You could juke from there to Peasant or Farmer to get scraps/+10s from there if you like when that's over; or hold off a little and pull the trigger on a new opportunity soon. Still to resolve: the trip to town at the 6 month mark, and Signore Cestie's hiking trip.

[BananaPhone]

Forgive my ignorance, but I couldn't find where Cestie mentions going on a hike IC. Do you remember where it was?

I remember he mentioned that there was a reason his telescopes weren't for sale, and Taalia asked why, but we moved onto the Trollslaying soon after that.

[BananaPhone]

If you don't mind, I'll make a few Search checks for the shrine.

Search 1: (1d100)[79] vs TN 49.
Search 2: (1d100)[39] vs TN 49
Search 3: (1d100)[40] vs TN 49.

I'll use 1 Fate point: (1d100)[4] vs TN 49. < can replace the first Search 1.

[MrAbdiel]

Sure! it's back from #125.

While you're there, you broach the question of your telescope with him. He's amazed that you have one; more so at the story of how you got it. "In the company of goblins? They certainly don't make such things. They must have killed some poor traveller, with an eye for travel and terrain. Awful, awful. But no, no; I wouldn't buy it, Taalia; I think you should keep it. Oh, but I suppose it's a lot of money, for a young person like yourself. You're not likely to find a buyer without traipsing all the way to the city. But before you sell it, perhaps you'll let me show you why the ones on my shelf aren't for sale." With that open ended invite for some kind of sight-seeing adventure, you head back to the cart, with Gaulfredo; with one more stop on the way.

I guess he didn't say it! I just buried it in the descriptive text, but that's his intention.

[BananaPhone]

Ahh, splendid, yes, she'd enjoy that.

[MrAbdiel]

If you don't mind, I'll make a few Search checks for the shrine.

Search 1: [roll0] vs TN 49.
Search 2: [roll1] vs TN 49
Search 3: [roll2] vs TN 49.

I'll use 1 Fate point: [roll3] vs TN 49. < can replace the first Search 1.

These are some very fine rolls - but unfortunately, there does not seem to be more to discover in the shrine - not without this protracted restoration effort!

You may, however, gain 150XP for excavating the Mysterious Shrine. Did you know only 7% of players choose to spend their time sifting through gunk in this manner? :)

Alright! Well, scenes to resolve in this 6 month period order:

- Progress report on shrine restoration
- Signore Cestie's Big Day Out
- The Lambening

Also, over this time, Corvo grows into his young-adult size. He now has the stats of a common dog; after a year, and with some training, he'll have the stats of a wardog.

[BananaPhone]

Sweet, 150xp means two more advances I'll deem necessary later today.

Corvo coming along is a nice touch ;). As the owner of a 54kg rottweiler IRL, I can appreciate the companionship of a large-headed dog. I did some google fu and came up with this approximation of a border collie x cane corso mix from a reddit post:

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[MrAbdiel]

Sweet, 150xp means two more advances I'll deem necessary later today.

Corvo coming along is a nice touch ;). As the owner of a 54kg rottweiler IRL, I can appreciate the companionship of a large-headed dog. I did some google fu and came up with this approximation of a border collie x cane corso mix from a reddit post:

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Hahaha, canon.

Yes; he will be a big boofer in time. Also, having a protagonist with a dog lends every danger the reedy tension of some just-unrealized John Wick-ism, so he's also good for that!

[MrAbdiel]

There! Signore Cestie's hiking motives revealed!

[BananaPhone]

A symbolic and encouraging pep talk!

I'll post.

I think for advancements:

Silent Move (100)
Rover (100)


She's now got 42% base for Concealment and Silent Move, with +10% to both whenever she's in a rural setting.

[MrAbdiel]

Woo! Now such a sneaky snake. Excellent.

Taalia is the hugest adorable person.

Edit: Next stop, the Lambening.

[BananaPhone]

As you said, she is the cheerful miss Bo-Peep Shepard hah.

An alternative for careers could be the 2nd half of the year (so the next 6 months) be Tradesman + Militiaman.

Then in her second year, that's when she goes either Witch>Apprentice Wizard or Roadwarden>Sergeant.

She's currently got Read/Write from Madre and Heal and Surgery, which is a lot. That is an incredibly fruitful education, even before apothecary/herbalism. Add into that Tradesman where she learns to make guns and sharpens her trading/haggling skills and militiaman to use her bow/fight with the local men, and that's a pretty well-rounded Year 1 base from which she could go in any direction.

And she can just about afford the Tradesmana trappings now.

What are your thoughts?

[MrAbdiel]

I have a weakness for the crafty careers, for sure; so that all sounds good to me!

[BananaPhone]

I have to head to bed, so no post from me tonight.

But, I think the general plan will be that Taalia goes to Verezzo on her own. She'll take the telescope, the book, the clothe items she didnt sell, and she'll take of the ram-lambs for sale. She'll keep the biggest, strongest, heaviest one under the assumption he's a chip off the old block.

I'll roll an Animal Care roll to see if she can identify the best quality ram-lamb to keep: (1d100)[6] vs TN 49.

Fate re-roll: (1d100)[96]


Yeah, 6 vs TN 49 should do it hah. Might even qualify to identify which other ram-lambs are potential good studs, get more gc for selling them young to other breeders.

So yeah, that's her plan. She'll take along her quarterstaff and some extra food, waterskin etc.

[MrAbdiel]

I have to head to bed, so no post from me tonight.

But, I think the general plan will be that Taalia goes to Verezzo on her own. She'll take the telescope, the book, the clothe items she didnt sell, and she'll take of the ram-lambs for sale. She'll keep the biggest, strongest, heaviest one under the assumption he's a chip off the old block.

I'll roll an Animal Care roll to see if she can identify the best quality ram-lamb to keep: [roll0] vs TN 49.

Fate re-roll: [roll1]


Yeah, 6 vs TN 49 should do it hah. Might even qualify to identify which other ram-a-lambs are potential good studs, get more gc for selling them young to other breeders.

So yeah, that's her plan. She'll take along her quarterstaff and some extra food, waterskin etc.

Oh, excellent. Roll me 4d5, for these little lambos. Any 5's are good quality ram-a-lambs.

[BananaPhone]

Ram Quality:
Ram 1: (1D5)[1]
Ram 2: (1D5)[5]
Ram 3: (1D5)[5]
Ram 4: (1D5)[4]

Oh nice, so she'll keep 2 of them as future studs to sell or stud out to other farmers, and the other two "lesser" little rams are off to the glue factory.

[BananaPhone]

Or maybe keep 1 of the best studly ram-lambs, and sell the other as a 'good quality' sheep for 6gc, and the other two for 2gc each as normal, for 10gc total.

As a sign of her emerging dark and playful sense of humor, she'll call one of the lesser rams Rack and the other one Chops, because that's what they're going to be soon enough.

[MrAbdiel]

Or maybe keep 1 of the best studly ram-lambs, and sell the other as a 'good quality' sheep for 6gc, and the other two for 2gc each as normal, for 10gc total.

As a sign of her emerging dark and playful sense of humor, she'll call one of the lesser rams Rack and the other one Chops, because that's what they're going to be soon enough.

Mmm, grim.

That's a plan, then; three rams to market. They follow you and each other when not in the cart, displaying absolute trust and, from time to time, bleating with distress because they miss their mothers. And Corvo is there, to help keep order. That reminds me. Time to make a few training rolls, for him.

Vs39 - (1d100)[65]
Vs39 - (1d100)[36]
Vs39 - (1d100)[20]
Vs39 - (1d100)[65]
Vs39 - (1d100)[47]
Vs39 - (1d100)[71]

I'll call that three successes, given that you've managed to maintain a good relationship with Adolpho and Viletta, and they can be 'tapped' for a +10 to that 47 roll, there. So Corvo is learning tricks, to become a good sheepdog right now. He knows: Sit, Stay, and Come. Next on the block are more advanced tricks: Attack, Restrain, Fetch. I won't count the his work tricks, like rounding up sheep and driving them towards an open gate, in his training. He'll have that down by the time he's one year old. He'll just gain the Trade (Sheepdog) Skill.

[BananaPhone]

Marvelous! Corvo will be the goodest boy ever.

Did you want Haggle rolls from me for selling the fleece and lambs in the first town?

+10 from Gaulfredos help like last time? Would the +10 for reputation/troll slaying reach this far?

[MrAbdiel]

Hmm.

Yes, I will be kind with that bonus because I'm about to withdraw it from you. But! We're not at Paesa di Silo yet, so hold those dice. But you will have that +10 celebrity bonus for this round of sales even out there. It's a small town, as towns go; and gossip of that kind still travels.

Let me just roll some NO REASON AT ALL DICE.

(1d100)[96]
(1d100)[64]

[BananaPhone]

[MrAbdiel]

The age old question: is it more righteous to strive for law, or to stand with solidarity against the perfidious elf?

[BananaPhone]

A Charm roll: (1d100)[87] vs TN 34.

[BananaPhone]

Fate point: (1d100)[16] vs TN 34.