Sir Conrad of Nodwich

[TimP]

Concept:
Knight Adventurous!

Name:
Sir Conrad of Nodwhich

Background:
Conrad is the youngest of the three sons of Baron Eldred of Nodwich. He led a happy childhood at the Barony, though he never seemed to attract quite the same amount of attention from his father that his elder brothers did. Conrad was destined to be sent to study for the priesthood in order to curry favor with the church of the all-father. Fortunately his boisterous nature and irrepressible love of riding and fighting made it obvious, even to his father, that he was totally unsuited for the cloth.

So it came to pass that he was sent to the court of the Count of Nordholm, where he served as page and squire and finally earned his golden spurs in the year of our Lord, 980.

Conrad has done well in the spring tourneys since becoming a knight, but is untested in real battle, having never faced an opponent in mortal combat. The lands of the Count of Nordholm have been without conflict for the five years that have passed since Conrad became a knight. Some would say that he has a chip on his shoulder about this, but only in private, for Conrad is a strapping young man.

The Count has recently given Conrad a great opportunity. He is to travel to Caewin Abbey and place himself in the Abbot's service. Caewin Abbey is one of the last bastions of godly civilization in the north and Conrad is certain that he will, at long last, be able to make his mark.

Lifepaths:
Born Noble, Page, Squire, Knight

Age: 25

Stats:
Pe: b4, Wi: b4, Ag: b5, Sp: b4, Po: b5, Fo: b5

Attributes:
He: b4, Ste: b4, Re: b4, MW: b11
Hesitation: b6

PTGS:
Su: b3, Li: b5, Mi: b7, Sev: b9, Tr: b10, Mo: b11

Skills:
Ride b4+1 (FoRK from Mtd. Cmbt.)
Mounted Combat (training skill)

Intimidate b2
Conspicuous b3
Etiquette b2

Read b2
Scribe b2

Animal Husbandry: b2
Farming b2
Vintner b2+1 (FoRK from Farming)

Sword b4
Lance b3
Knives b3
Mace b3
Axe b3
Brawl b4
Shield Training
Armor Training

Gear:
Chainmail Coif, Hauberk, and Leggings
Leather Boots and Gloves
Heater Shield
Broadsword, Dagger, and 3 Lances
War Horse, Riding Horse, and Pack Mule
'Normal' Clothing, Finery, Hooded Wool Cloak
Hardtack
Letter of introduction to Abbot Orison of Caewin Abbey bearing
the Count of Nordholm's seal.

Contacts:
County of Nordholm, liege lord, Nordholm
Baron Eldred of Nodwhich, father, Nodwhich

Traits:
Landlubber
Proud
Determined

Beliefs:
Never lessen the family's honor through my actions
Anything is possible with proper application
I will carve lands and a title for myself from the wilderness of the north.

Instincts:
Keep a keen edge on my sword.
Offense is the best defense. (always enter combat in aggressive stance)
Always assess my foes for possible weaknesses.


Notes: This is the second character I burned for a campaign I'm starting next weekend set around a remote abbey and village in the harsh wilderness of 'The North'. Conrad might be used as a pre-gen PC (time constraints), or could end up as an NPC. Though he's a bit old for it, I envisioned him as a brash untested knight. I can see a couple of his instincts changing as he brushes up against reality. I'm also not sure I'm doing the FoRKs in the right direction. Comments, criticisms, and suggestions are all welcome!

edited instincts, background, steel & shifted point from Sword to Conspicuous

[luke]

Hi Tim,

A nice solid character. Some comments:

I certainly don't think 25 is too young to be brash and untested. If you want him to be even younger, just drop the knight lifepath. He can be knighted as he enters the game, but hasn't tourneyed or campaigned yet as a knight. (The LP implies his done quite a bit of it already.)

A B5 skill for the untested is interesting. Funny how he manage to master the sword while never being sorely pushed to do so...

The Vintner/Farm FoRK is cool. Ride/MC I'm not so sure about. Anyway, you can decide and apply FoRKs on the fly where appropriate. Players will come up with all sorts of cool ways to integrate their skills.

Your Beliefs are cool, but I'd give him something a little tighter for his last Belief. Something that really plugs him into the situation at hand. A hatred, a loyalty, a vendetta, a vow, something that'll kick him into play and force him into action.

Your last two Instincts are Beliefs.

Read this:
http://burningwheel.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=700

and rethink them.

-L

[TimP]

argh, I thought I had a good grasp on the whole instinct thing.

Thanks for the advice and the link.

I changed Conrad's 'I am destined for greatness' belief to something not so nebulous in nature.

I dropped the 'first in, last out' instinct as I couldn't really translate it directly into immediate game terms (except for always charge, which would just be stupid).

I didn't really consider the whole tournament thing. Close enough to real war to get a b5 sword skill? Those general melees were pretty rough from what I've read. I bumped up his steel a notch on the same principle.

The entry for mounted combat skill in the CB suggests using it as a fork to riding. Makes sense to me. I'm sure it's a similar situation to a highly trained race car driver being a better driver than Joe Average.

I'm really excited about seeing how Burning Wheel affects the progress of a campaign over time. I am hoping the whole traits, instincts, beliefs thing is really going to make my group's roleplaying a lot more focused.

I helped two of my players burn characters a couple of days ago and they thought the whole process was super cool. We were going to run a test combat, but it was late and their eyes sort of glazed over when I put the 'advanced' scripting sheet in front of them, but they'll see the light eventually.

Tim

[luke]

looks fine now.

Remember to pile on the Ob mods to Perception for his helmet when making his "I assess for weaknesses" test.

-L

[Kublai]

I also think this is a fine Knight! Kudos to you for using some skill points on Farming and Vintner! My only criticism is his B5 sword skill. A B5 implies he is a Master, which doesn't quite jive with your intent. You could make it a B4 and still get a lot of dice if you start FoRKing in other martial skills. This'll allow you to put in an extra skill point into one of your social skills, like Conspicuous.

[TimP]

I also think this is a fine Knight! Kudos to you for using some skill points on Farming and Vintner! My only criticism is his B5 sword skill. A B5 implies he is a Master, which doesn't quite jive with your intent. You could make it a B4 and still get a lot of dice if you start FoRKing in other martial skills. This'll allow you to put in an extra skill point into one of your social skills, like Conspicuous.

Thanks Kublai! I can see a FoRK from brawling in certain instances (fighting dirty and such), but can you give me some other examples of FoRKing from martial skills? Under immense peer pressure, I'll drop his Sword to B4 (just kidding, makes a lot of sense).

Tim

[Kublai]

It's a pretty easy argument to use any or all of your other martial skills to FoRK with each other. You can FoRK in your mace, axe, and sword with each other and even your brawling. That would give you 7 dice without going into stance! :shock:

[Fourth Horseman]

Yet again Kublai offers the cheat's advice. I agree you can and should fork in brawling and dagger. Brawling would reflect the use of dirty fighting with the sword, like kneeing your opponents in a touch ala the three musketeers. Dagger, an edged weapon, would reflect your use of thrusting with what is primarily a cutting weapon, the broadsword.

But mace and hammer? Give me a break, they are fundamentally different weapons from your sword. Although I suppose on those pommel strikes an especially stu . . ., I mean generous GM might allow in such a fork.

BTW, I would up that lance skill of yours. How will you ever realize your ambitions of becoming a great magnate if you cannot impress (overcome)your social betters at the lists?

But all together a very nice Chevalier.

[TimP]

I think I'm going to have to go with The Fourth Horsemen here. I don't see the axe and mace having much to do with sword work. I can see axe and mace FoRKing with each other though, as they have a similar balance and technique.

My setting is loosely analagous to the early middle-ages technologically and if I'm not mistaken sharp pointy thrusting type swords came about in later times, so I probably won't allow the dagger FoRK either.

As far as the lance skill, Conrad should have plenty of opportunities to practice on orcs and bandits :twisted:

Thanks for making me think about this character on such an in-depth level guys. I wish I could actually play him :)

Tim

[Fourth Horseman]

I can see axe and mace FoRKing with each other though, as they have a similar balance and technique.Tim

Yeah I think you are correct with the axe and the mace. The dagger sword question is an open one though. You are correct that specialized thrusting swords did not appear, or rather reappear in Europe, until a much later period then the early middle ages. Many of the cutting swords of the early and high middle ages, however, did have some latent capability to thrust. There is a raging debate between scholars, arms & armor enthusiasts, LARPers, and the occasional orc though on just how warriors of the period exactly used their weapons. Purists maintain that people would have been constrained by custom, training, and the basic design concept behind the weapon in their fighting. Others maintain that such considerations would have fallen easy prey to the exingencies of combat and that anything would have gone. I think somewhere on these boards is a link to a book on the subject that has its own viewpoint to push. I'd give you a title, but I've forgotten it. Indeed, I should know it since I own this lovely hard-covered, illustrated work of art, but alas Abzu stole it from me--along with half my books and DVDs. OK, just to preempt Abzu's indignation that's an exageration--I leant them to him, and I'm usually too lazy to swing by and reclaim them. Although Abzu usually borrows stuff for a hell of a long time. :wink:

But I digress.

Like all things in roleplaying its up to your own judgment and tastes on what you think would fly. Anyhow, more power to you for limiting the forks, it will make it easier for you to advance the skill in the end.

[TimP]

The dagger sword question is an open one though. You are correct that specialized thrusting swords did not appear, or rather reappear in Europe, until a much later period then the early middle ages. Many of the cutting swords of the early and high middle ages, however, did have some latent capability to thrust. There is a raging debate between scholars, arms & armor enthusiasts, LARPers, and the occasional orc though on just how warriors of the period exactly used their weapons. Purists maintain that people would have been constrained by custom, training, and the basic design concept behind the weapon in their fighting. Others maintain that such considerations would have fallen easy prey to the exingencies of combat and that anything would have gone.

Hmmm.. Maybe allow the dagger/sword FoRK against unarmored opponents? Can't see a dull-tipped weapon doing much good against cuirboilla (sp?) or any sort of metal armor (except reynolds wrap). Then again it may be more trouble than it's worth.

usually borrows stuff for a hell of a long time.

I resemble that remark! <said as eyeballing copy of 'Dancer in the Dark' that I've borrowed for about 3 months>

[luke]

since we're talking about FoRKs with the sword and dagger: I always allow a Dagger FoRK when the player is willing to use the knife in the off-hand. It's not a thrusting technique then, but a viable fighting style.

-L

PS 4th Horseman often refers to his apartment as a "third world country". I just consider myself preserving his various national treasures until he's ready to take responsibility for them himself. I'm the British Museum to his Ethiopia.

:roll: