Help with found hobbitling character

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robbmiller
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Help with found hobbitling character

Post by robbmiller » Sun Jan 04, 2015 11:34 pm

My gaming group is my family. My daughter wants to play a very young hobbit (7-8 y.o.) that was found south of Esgaroth. We used the online character generator to modify a Wild Hobbit.

Primrose has no memory (at least that which she has shared) about her past. She was found under an unusual Autumn snow by Vidar a far-trader from Erebor (another PC)

I am sure this character sheet (shared below) has some problems as I don't know how to us the online character generator to modify some defaults. For example, I'm not sure folk-lore makes sense as a specialty for Primrose.

Being new to the game, we are not sure how best to tweek the character. We intend her to have insight and awareness that is almost preternatural (think River from Firefly/Serenity comics without the creepyness).
Any discussion / advice would be appreciated.

Name: Primrose

Culture: Wild Hobbit Standard of Living: Poor
Cultural blessing: Shadow-Sight
Calling: Wanderer Shadow weakness: Wandering-madness
Specialties: Fishing, Tunnelling, Folk-lore
Distinctive features: Curious, Small
Body: 3 Heart: 7 Wits: 4
Body (favoured): 4 Heart (favoured): 10 Wits (favoured): 6

-Common Skills-
  • Awe: 0 Inspire: 1 Persuade: 1
  • Athletics: 0 Travel: 1 Stealth: 4
  • Awareness: 3 Insight: 2 Search: 2
  • Explore: 2 Healing: 1 Hunting: 2
  • Song: 2 Courtesy: 1 Riddle: 2
  • Craft: 0 Battle: 0 Lore: 0
-Weapon Skills-
  • Short sword: 1
  • Bow: 0
  • Dagger: 3
-Rewards-:
-Virtues-: Art of Disappearing
-Gear-
  • Dagger damage: 3 edge: G injury: 12 enc: 0
Endurance: 23 Starting Endurance: 23 Fatigue from Encumbrance: 0 Fatigue from Travel: 0 Total Fatigue: 0
Hope: 19 Starting Hope: 19 Temporary Shadow: 0 Permanent Shadow: 0 Total Shadow: 0
Armour: 0 Headgear: 0
Parry: 4 Shield: 0
Damage: 0 Ranged: 0
Wisdom: 2 Valour: 1
Experience: 0 Total Experience: 0
Fellowship: 0 Advancement: 0 Treasure: 0 Standing: 0

zedturtle
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Re: Help with found hobbitling character

Post by zedturtle » Mon Jan 05, 2015 12:31 am

Well, first off Hobbits mature a little slower than humans, so 12 or so might be a better number. I don't know the age of your daughter, but bear in mind most kids like to look up to characters (for example Avatar: The Last Airbender, with a Protagonist aged 12 was expected to capture 5-8 years old kids. Over its run, it skewed higher because of how darn good a show it was).

Of course, if your daughter is a teenager she might be wanting to play a younger character (wish fulfillment). Or you can ignore all of this.

My other suggestion might be to back off the Calling entirely. In other words, drop everything associated with the Calling. Then it could be a plot point that the young Hobbit lass has to find her Calling. I wouldn't go with this idea for more than a single Adventuring Phase, however.
Jacob Rodgers, occasional nitwit.

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robbmiller
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Re: Help with found hobbitling character

Post by robbmiller » Mon Jan 05, 2015 2:33 am

Good advice, thanks!

Anything wrong with the common skills or other numbers?

zedturtle
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Re: Help with found hobbitling character

Post by zedturtle » Mon Jan 05, 2015 3:24 am

robbmiller wrote:Good advice, thanks!

Anything wrong with the common skills or other numbers?
Well, she'd benefit tremendously if you gave her the +3 to Wits and then gave her Small Folk (also representing her unusually small size, being a child). That'd give her a Parry of 10. It would also move her highest Favoured attribute where it would have maximum benefit.

I'm not certain that spending the points to get Stealth 4 is really necessary, but if it's in concept, it's cool.

If you go with Small Folk, she'll be nearly impossible to hit. But she's got no Armour, so she's likely Wounded on the first successful hit. And with only a Dagger, she's not much good in a fight... but that could change, especially if she gets a King's Blade.

Of course, ignore all of that if you're not looking for optimisation... I've been spending too much time trying to make characters that work well for one shots, instead of long campaigns.
Jacob Rodgers, occasional nitwit.

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Fundin
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Re: Help with found hobbitling character

Post by Fundin » Mon Jan 05, 2015 12:35 pm

One might argue that such a small child might not need to follow the rules for engagement, but instead be able to fight alongside another hero, or simply stand back and use her turn to actively 'Rally companions' in thematic ways and thus act as a healer, lifting the spirit of her companions.

In Lord of the Rings Online, minstrels act as healers in such a way.

Stormcrow
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Re: Help with found hobbitling character

Post by Stormcrow » Mon Jan 05, 2015 4:22 pm

zedturtle wrote:Well, first off Hobbits mature a little slower than humans, so 12 or so might be a better number.
Is it that hobbits mature slower than men, or that hobbits' notions of maturity are more stringent? 33 years is one's coming of age, but could this be because hobbits don't particularly trust someone in his tweens rather than because their tweens are like our teens?

Otaku-sempai
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Re: Help with found hobbitling character

Post by Otaku-sempai » Mon Jan 05, 2015 4:52 pm

Stormcrow wrote:Is it that hobbits mature slower than men, or that hobbits' notions of maturity are more stringent? 33 years is one's coming of age, but could this be because hobbits don't particularly trust someone in his tweens rather than because their tweens are like our teens?
Hobbits do age more slowly. Their 'tweens' are their 20s and early 30s--the period between 20 years old and adulthood (acknowledged at 33 years old). A Hobbit under 20 years old is still considered to be a child.
"Far, far below the deepest delvings of the Dwarves, the world is gnawed by nameless things. Even Sauron knows them not. They are older than he."

Stormcrow
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Re: Help with found hobbitling character

Post by Stormcrow » Mon Jan 05, 2015 6:55 pm

Otaku-sempai wrote:Hobbits do age more slowly. Their 'tweens' are their 20s and early 30s--the period between 20 years old and adulthood (acknowledged at 33 years old). A Hobbit under 20 years old is still considered to be a child.
You've missed my point. Hobbits may age at exactly the same rate as we do, but culturally they may consider anything younger than 33 to be juvenile and irresponsible.

zedturtle
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Re: Help with found hobbitling character

Post by zedturtle » Mon Jan 05, 2015 7:13 pm

Stormcrow wrote:
Otaku-sempai wrote:Hobbits do age more slowly. Their 'tweens' are their 20s and early 30s--the period between 20 years old and adulthood (acknowledged at 33 years old). A Hobbit under 20 years old is still considered to be a child.
You've missed my point. Hobbits may age at exactly the same rate as we do, but culturally they may consider anything younger than 33 to be juvenile and irresponsible.
Hmmm. I think, comparing Bilbo and the Old Took to mortality rates at the time Tolkien was writing and acknowledging them as outliers we can still see the hobbit lifespan as being intended to be longer than most men.

And in any case the point still stands, a 12 or even 15 year old Hobbit is (culturally at least, for sure) a juvenile.
Jacob Rodgers, occasional nitwit.

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Stormcrow
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Re: Help with found hobbitling character

Post by Stormcrow » Mon Jan 05, 2015 8:02 pm

zedturtle wrote:Hmmm. I think, comparing Bilbo and the Old Took to mortality rates at the time Tolkien was writing and acknowledging them as outliers we can still see the hobbit lifespan as being intended to be longer than most men.
Yes, the average age of all hobbits listed with ages in the family trees in Appendix C, excluding Drogo Baggins, Primula Brandybuck, and Lotho Baggins, who all met untimely deaths, is 96 years.

However, longer life does not necessarily equal longer maturation. Aragorn surely wasn't a boy until he was 50! (His sword and birthright were revealed to him at age 20.)

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