Charles, a Galley Slave turned Savior

[DaGreatJL]

Name: Charles Fisherson

Life has not been easy on Charles. Born a poor peasant boy in a village, Charles would probably have been a fisherman like his father had he not been conscripted by an unsrupulous ship captain and chained to an oar as a galley slave. Charles accepted this as his fate, and worked diligently as a slave for many, many years. His captor eventually saw a spark of determination or some other quality in Charles, for he was unchained and brought above deck, where he was trained as a sailor. Charles enjoyed life in the fresh air, and gave thanks that he was so blessed.
Then, now no longer a young man, Charles took his leave in a large port city. It was when visiting the church there to worship that he was identified by his uncle, who was the archpriest of the church. His uncle was furious upon seeing Charles, telling him that, as a sailor, he had led a life of vice, and that he had to take penace for his sins. Charles then became an acolyte in his uncle's church, such that he might spend his remaining years dedicated to the church and make up for his supposed crimes.
Unknown to either Charles or his uncle, however, is that Charles was guided to the church by another's hand, and that he is meant for a special task...

Lifepaths: Born Peasant, Lead to Seafaring, Galley Slave, Galley Slave, Sailor, Sailor, lead to City, Temple Acolyte

Age: 37 years

Will: B4, Per: B4, Pow:B4, Forte: B4, Speed: B3, Ag: B4
Health:B4, MW:B10, Reflex:B3, Steel:B4, Faith:G5

Skills:Rowing, Sing B4, Seamanship B4, Rigging B3, Doctorine B4, Knots B3, Sea-wise B3, Read B3, Write B3, Temple-wise B4, Conspicious B2, Suasion B2

Traits: Tasting the Lash, Eating Maggots, Sailor's Oath, Sworn to the Order, Faithful, Chosen One, Aura of Martyrdom

Gear: Clothes

Affiliations: Large church in a trading port city, 2D

Relationships: Uncle, archpriest of church, significant, hated

Beliefs:
- God will forgive all who ask for it, for he is a loving God.
- Let the beat flow through you, like the voice of God.
- My uncle is kind for giving me a second chance.

Instincts:
- Always test the knot once it's tied down.
- Always pray at sunrise and sunset.
- Always obey my elders in the church immediately.

So, yeah, this is me minmaxing, because when trying a new system, I always like to see how far it can stretch.

Lifepaths:Born Peasant, Lead to Seafaring, Galley Slave, Galley Slave

[luke]

this is sweeeet, but I'm craving a more purposeful, messianic Belief. Either something that makes him a victim or something that makes him evangelical.

-L

[Manicrack]

Cool concept,
but why is the relationship with the uncle 'hated' ?
Doesn't quiet fit in with the belief and background story, i think.

-Crack

[Thor Olavsrud]

Beliefs:
- God will forgive all who ask for it, for he is a loving God.
- Let the beat flow through you, like the voice of God.
- My uncle is kind for giving me a second chance.

For the first two, where is the player in this? Beliefs are about action. Action that the player is responsible for. I think you can get away with one Belief like this if you really want to, but not two.

How about:
- All who ask God for forgiveness through me shall receive it, for he is a loving God.
or
- God will forgive all who ask for it, for he is a loving God, and it falls upon me to make the Church understand this!

Do you see what these accomplish? Now your character is firmly in the center of these Beliefs. They can be TESTED in play. With the first one, I can toss really vile sinners at you and see how far you're willing to go to ask for forgiveness before you can't take any more. Or, with the second one, I thrust you into a world of religious politics and possibly war as you fight to bring about a reformation and possibly a schism.

By placing your character into the center of the Belief, you guide the story and make the Belief playable.

The last Belief is workable, although if I were your GM, I'd see if you were willing to tweak it a bit. How about:
- I owe my uncle a debt for giving me a second chance.

Now I, as the GM, can take that third Belief and put it into conflict with the other two. Your uncle can try to get you to do something that is against your vows. Maybe he'll ask you not to intercede with God for his enemy. Now we're talking story!