Peer Review: The Fideal

[vikingmonkey]

Concept: A faery who lives on the edge of lakes, singing a sad seductive song of her lost lover to temp lonely travelers. She lures men into the water with her caress and holds them down in the cold water, leaving them to drown.

Stats:

Will G4; Per B5; Ag B4; Sp B3; Pw B3; Fo B4

MW B10; Hea B5; Ref B4; Ste B5; Hes 6 (does a Grey Will factor into Hesitation at all?); Speed Muli.: Swim: W:1x; J: 3x; S: 5.5x, Walk: W: 1x; J2x; S: 3.5x
PTGS: Su: B3, Li: B5; Mi: B7, Se: B8; Tr: B9; MW B10

IMS: Bare-Fisted I: B2; M: B3; S: B4

Skills:

Siren Song* G5; Persuasion B4; Seduction G4; Lake-wise B4; Swimming B5, Brawling B3

Traits:

Charming (C-O), Pitiful (DT), Haunting Voice (CT), Amphibean (DT), Grasping Hands (DT)

- Pitiful: The creature just looks sad. You just have to feel sorry for it. After hearing the Fideals sad song, any opponent has his BoA reduced by 1D for any DoW.

- Amphibean (why did I not see something like this in the MonBu? Am I blind?): This creature can breath on both land and water.

- Grasping Hands: The Fideal gains +2D to Locks when underwater.

*Siren Song: This sad song tells a tale of the Fideal's lost love. Ob5^; Actions: 15. Anyone within earshot is forced to make a Steel test. If the person hesitates, they must move toward the sound of the voice. Character must make a Steel test for each exchange they remain within the sound of the Song. The roll is open-ended.

Beliefs:

1. My song will bring forth my lover
2. I grow lonesome and cold
3. The water is my home, my love shall share it with me.

Instincts:

1. Always take my love down into the seaweed
2. Always stay near well traveled roads
3. Always sing at twilight

The concept for this one comes from Brian Froud's Good Faeries/Bad Faeries book. I'm having fun looking over these fey creatures and thinking of them in terms of BW. My Beliefs seems weak to me, but I suppose they're simple and straight forward enough. I'll be doing some more of these over the next few days, hopefully. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[vikingmonkey]

Adjusted the Power to be lower. She's not all-around powerful, she's just really good at Locking so I need a trait that adds +1D or +2D to Locks. Any ideas? I haven't found anything in the books like that, though I seem to remember something like that.

[Verrain]

The Spider's Eight Legged trait adds to Locks as I recall. If she is going to be Locking primarily, shouldn't she have the Brawling skill?

Was your intent to have her use Duel of Wits to convince men to enter the water? I was expecting a trait that gave her voice a siren like quality.

[vikingmonkey]

Ok, I'll just change the name of the Spider trait to fit, thanks.

I don't know, I didn't really see any need to giving her Brawling, since Lock only tests Power. She basically just gets men where she wants them (yes, primarily with Seduction/DoW) and holds them down. I can see a case for adding Brawling though - she might you rocks or weeds to help her drown her victims. I don't see her being terribly good with it though, relying mostly on her Locks.

You know, I figured a Heroic Singing and Heroic Seduction would be enough, I hadn't even thought about any kind of "Siren Song" trait. I actually looked in the Paths of Spite for a spell song to give her, but nothing really fit without modification (which I still could do). But what about the Pitiful trait I gave her? Isn't that enough? Not enough? Or perhaps her song could also cause Wonderment, as the Elves songs?

[Verrain]

I don't have my books with me, but I am pretty sure that without the Brawling skill, she would be Locking untrained and thus at double obstacle penalty.

Well as written, a PC would hear someone singing a really sad song in a haunting voice in the forest. You are counting on that being intriguing enough for them to investigate closer as opposed to it being a fine reason to walk quickly in the other direction. I think a Wonderment kind of effect makes sense. I was thinking of a Steel check actually only failure means they must move toward the sound.

Now once they are close enough to talk to her, taking it to a Duel of Wits makes a lot of sense but you always run the risk of that one player that refuses to Duel and then its a versus check against his will score. Of course I am looking at this creature as a monster and killer only when I say that. If the PC in question needs something from this creature, i.e. has a reason to bargain, then I think it makes for a rather chilling DoW. Bargaining with the faerie is always a tricky proposition after all.

[vikingmonkey]

I don't have my books with me, but I am pretty sure that without the Brawling skill, she would be Locking untrained and thus at double obstacle penalty.

No kidding, did not know that.


Well as written, a PC would hear someone singing a really sad song in a haunting voice in the forest. You are counting on that being intriguing enough for them to investigate closer as opposed to it being a fine reason to walk quickly in the other direction. I think a Wonderment kind of effect makes sense. I was thinking of a Steel check actually only failure means they must move toward the sound.

I'll stick with Wonderment and err on the side of caution. Forcing the players to make a move they don't want to just gives me a prickly feeling. Unless the song has some kind of magical "Force of Will" type effect. That's something for me to think on. That may be the direction I go in - instead of the Singing skill, she gets a new skill similar to an Elf song that causes wonderment with a "Force of Will" type effect. Though maybe not quite as harsh as that spell, but something similar, like what you said, either a Steel or Will test or be drawn to the Fideals presence.


Now once they are close enough to talk to her, taking it to a Duel of Wits makes a lot of sense but you always run the risk of that one player that refuses to Duel and then its a versus check against his will score. Of course I am looking at this creature as a monster and killer only when I say that. If the PC in question needs something from this creature, i.e. has a reason to bargain, then I think it makes for a rather chilling DoW. Bargaining with the faerie is always a tricky proposition after all.

See, I saw her as a straight killer monster too, at first, then I read a little deeper into the admittedly small amount of text on this creature I've found, and I think she's more just a sad creature that thinks that every man she ensnares with her song is her "lost love" and drags him down into the water to be with her forever. Only, the men tend to drown more often than not, so then it's on to the next "victim".

[vikingmonkey]

Added Siren Song. Chose to make the Ob Will instead of forcing a Steel test, both because I felt Steel wasn't the most appropriate and keeps the rolls down.

[Kublai]

Isn't there a Spider Spell that draws people into its web? Its mechanic might be perfect for Siren Song.

[vikingmonkey]

Do you mean Wyrd Call? Yeah, that'll work just nicely. And no need to reinvent the wheel.