Traveller: Character Challenge 2023: 17/31 Delve Witch

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Character Challenge 2023: 17/31 Delve Witch

Delve is a fun game - the GM running it has an interesting take on character development. While stats are the basis, it calculates percentages from those for the various skills and abilities. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but the character sheet gives pretty much all you need mechanically.

Which, if you don't mind a slight divergence, I think I need to do more than just give the mechanical aspects of the characters. I've been trying to give a bit more of the backstory and character of the characters. I may have to poke around a bit more for some random characteristics generating systems, either on-line or buried in those PDFs and books I have.

Anyway, back to basic stats. You have 5 attributes, and they all start at 10. Then you have another 10 points to spread, very similar to TFT. Take those results and multiply them by 3 each to get a percentage for each attribute. For instance, a straight 10 dexterity gives you a 30% chance for dexterity things. Where it gets more interesting is that skills are based on one of the 5 stats, and give you additional percentages based on how well you know that skill. Unknown subtracts 20%, meaning you should always at least have a chance at something. Of course, you can also trust the dice gods, and roll 3d6 per attribute. This time around I'll pick & choose though.

Having an old Ral Partha (I think) enamal-painted mini (hey, it was what I had back in the 80s!) I have a nice magic using mini. There are some differences between the two, mostly along the spells available.

We'll start with a high learning and vitality as those will help with casting spells and recovery.

Dexterity +1 => 11, for 33%
Endurance => 10, for 30%
Learning +4 => 14, for 42%
Vitality +3 => 13, for 39%
Empath +2 => 12, for 36%

The Witch gets Brew, Casting and Herbology at trained, giving her an extra 10% chance. She gets 2 general skills, and I'll add Awareness and Ranged at trained. We get an additional 3 skills at known, which adds 5%. We'll take Survival and stealth: I want a sneaky witch who can survive on her own. She also gets an ability at 1st level, and I'll pick poison resistance, giving her a +20% chance to resist poison. She gets a d6 (basic) +d8 (witch for magic points and starts with 10 at level.

Rolling my d4 for level, she is a level 3 witch, meaning she gets a +d10 on 2 attributes at level 2 and 2 skill rank increases. A +4 and a +2 (the dice gods really hate me) and we'll boost her endurance by the 4 for 14, giving her a base 42%, and her learning gets bumped to 16 for 48% base chance (if I am reading the rules and we bump the base and not just add the percentage. For a longer game [this game only goes to 10 levels] I would think it would just add to the percentage like a known skill but hey, we'll go this way. Though now I am wondering if in the current game I did not do the leveling up correctly - will have to ask the GM). She also gains 2 skill increases, and I'll bump the casting to expert, and actually take Arcane at known. 3d6 hit points for 10 hit points.

Finally, armor, weapons and whatnot. She has a staff in which she has imbued 2 magic points and will do 2d6 damage. It is also blessed. She wears no armor, and her pack contains a bedroll, blanket, 2 bottles, 4 candles, clothing, fishing gear, 5 rations, a tinderbox and a couple of small books.

She has 2 level 1 spells, and 1 level 2 spell. She has Cure Wounds and witch bolt at level 1, and Ward at level 2.

Twiggen Morde is a young witch, almost 30, who has spent a few years on the road. Her green and grey robes blend easily into the woods and caverns she frequents, and she can take care of herself for the most part. Rarely smiling, she often hums quietly to herself as she ponders various things in her travels. She has ventured into deserts, mountains, deep woods and comes out with deeper thoughts than her travels. She calls no place home the last few years, though she often frequents Windemere Crossing. She is no nursemaid though she does know cure light wounds. She'd rather blast the enemy with her witch bolt than sit in the back as support.