Artur the Knight [187 points]

Oh, you really don’t want to piss this guy off. Here’s another example from the Delvers to Grow kickstarter.

After the 125-point eldhuð swashbuckler, now we’re going to walk through a 187-point knight. Any physical resemblance to my Viking martial arts instructor is purely intentional.

Step 1: Pick a Category and Point Level

Obviously we’ve already done this: 187-points, Strong Delver.

That gives us the basic template:

Excellent.

We’ll jump to the end and do skills first. We nab two points in Brawling, four in a secondary weapon, which is almost always “hit things from far away.” Never throw a thrust weapon when you can throw a swung one: we choose Thrown Weapon (Axe/Mace) because throwing axes is awesome.

I’m really tempted to go with a dane axe. But axe and shield is also really cool. I’ll go with that in this case, because y’all know I love my shields. That’s 12 points in Axe/Mace and four points in Shield (Buckler).

Step 2: Disadvantage Modules

Picking the disads first, we’ll make Artur an old veteran soldier from the wars in the south (which south? Who cares!). Also, he finds that the kind of enemy that makes for the least trouble is, well, a dead one.

So basically an honorable chap, if a bit grizzly and with an old wound that can be targeted in a fight if the bad guys know of it.

Step 3: Basic and Advanced Modules

As we already know where we’re going here, we slap down both the basic and advanced knight modules.

Despite the recommendations (and sword is the best overall thing for the knight – you get cut and thrust, a one-point damage boost, and no issues on the parries), the knight really is a master of weapons. I’m going to deliberately go sub-optimal for my main weapon choice and do Axe/Mace…but with the recognition that I will need to use a hatchet rather than an axe or even a small axe, because hatchets have Parry 0 insted of Parry 0U for either of the other axes. Also that this is a deliberately sub-optimal choice for a beginner (both a player and a character, as it turns out), because I’m taking the stance that this character will spend time hooking and grappling with the axe in a way not encouraged/possible with the sword, and just trying to be a bit different.

Interestingly enough, this axe that I use in real life for my martial arts training parries just fine and has a somewhat credible thrust mode (though this one less so than others I’ve used, whose pointy bits are pretty impressive) … but also only weighs 2 lbs, making it a hatchet in the Dungeon Fantasy RPG.

As noted, I’m actually going to go with Axe/Mace as a primary, because why not? I will also see about diversifying into other weapons. I’ll drop 8 points into Broadsword, giving me some diversification and an impaling attack as the “new weapon” from the basic module. Two more points on a ranged weapon skill is six points in Thrown Weapon (Axe/Mace) so I do two points in Thrown Weapon (Spear) instead. I could also use quirk points to push up Thrown Weapon (Axe/Mace) but I suspect I’ll want that money for armor later.

Step 4: Upgrades

The Master template gets two upgrade picks. Juicy.

Armsmaster is too fun to pass up. I take that. I’ll also pick up Spear for 2 points as part of it, put three points into Wrestling, and the last in Knife.

Also, the whole point of battle is to kill the other guy and not die. I pick up Stalwart for the sweet, sweet defensive boosts.

Step 5: Write it Down

ST 13 [30] HP 13 [0] Basic Speed 6.00 [0]

DX 13 [60] Will 10 [0] Basic Move 6 [0]

IQ 10 [0] Per 10 [0]

HT 12 [20] FP 13 [0]

Advantages: Born War Leader 2, Combat Reflexes, Enhanced Block 2, Enhanced Parry 2 (Axe/Mace), Fevered Defense, High Pain Threshold, Master at Arms, Rapid Switch.

Disadvantages: Bloodlust, Code of Honor (Chivalry), Code of Honor (Soldier’s), Sense of Duty (Nation/Realm), Wounded.

Skills: Armoury (Melee Weapons)-10 [2], Axe/Mace-18 [20], Brawling-14 [2], Broadsword-16 [8], Fast-Draw (Sword)-13, [1], Knife-14 [2], Shield (Buckler)-16 [8], Spear-13 [2], Thrown Weapon (Axe/Mace)-15 [4], Thrown Weapon (Spear)-14 [2], Wrestling-14 [4].

As always, writing it down takes longer than making the choices. When GCA and GCS support appear for this after the project is closed…this will take zero time and really guard against mistakes.

A few notes: Combat Reflexes stacks with the defense bonuses to give Parry-15 even without a shield; a DB +2 medium shield means base defenses without a retreat are at Parry-17, Block-16.

You can Armed Grapple with the hatchet (which is why I took it) at a skill-16 to hook foe’s shields and limbs. He’s strong enough and has Wrestling at DX+1, giving 1d+1 control points on a grapple, so not wrestler-level awesome (but what is?) but credible.

This character is fearsome on defense and decent on attack, but doesn’t rack up the raw damage that a character with Extra Attack or Weapon Master would do. The strategy here is not to one-shot foes, but to stand firm and not get hit while one does steady damage. If you need The Big Hit, you may need a barbarian friend with a two-handed axe. But that, of course, is what friends are for!

Step 6: Loadout

With $1000 in base funds available and not having consumed any quirk points for skills, Artur could theoretically spend up to $3,500 in gear.

We slap down the Basic Kit because of course we do.

We’ll want weapons: a hatchet ($40, 2 lbs), broadsword ($600, 3 lbs), and medium buckler ($60, 15 lbs) for the shield. (That really ought to be about 7 lbs…but it’s a game, not a reality simulator).

The Huskarl’s Armor package looks really good here. Just over $1,900 and under 48 lbs for solid protection, mostly mail. The Guard’s Armor is almost $1,000 cheaper and 15 lbs lighter if you go that way. You get such great parry and block from the Stalwart Package and Combat Reflexes that being a lighter, more mobile fighter might be worthwhile.

Now play!

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