Character creation

Numenera character creation is pretty straightforward, but let's use this to hammer out details / relationships etc. Also would like to set the tone for the group whom I've named 'Goldguard's Blacktusks' but could be easily convinced to come up with another name (or rather to enable another name to be chosen -- that's about as good as I can come up with at the moment).

:)

For context:

I've asserted:

(a) you are all part of a semi-organized group called Goldguard's Blacktusks. You can be the entirety of that group or a subset of a larger group as you desire. What are your thoughts?

(b) you work for Holiva the First. There are rumors that he's quite mad (as in, crazy) but certainly no one has said as much to him directly. if you have the CRB, you can read the section on Thaemor. The net-net is that the Vizier for Thaemor is Holiva's hand, whom he walks around in the low light speaking to and using as a hand puppet to speak back. of course, it's possible he's not crazy -- it's possible he has some numenera thing afoot...

(c) Thaemor is kind of a poor, and put-upon place that people look down on. It's been roughly handled over the past generation or so even as it's been well defended. Its rulers have been monumentally terrible or potentially insane. Are you citizens of Thaemor? It would make some sense, but it's not required. If you are, are you proud of your country? Are you cynical about it?

some additional context:

(i) you have all spent /some/ time together. some of you may have been together for longer than the entire group. I leave this to your discretion entirely.

(ii) we will start the game nearing your first objective in the search for the shadow herd.

Do we know anything about the Shadow Herd?
I like Goldguard's Blacktusks.
How close to Holiva are we? How well known are we?

a) I could see my character coming on for his experience with tracking and love of the hunt.
b) He's probably not all that bad... I mean I get my fill of hunting so the fellow can't be all that bad.
c) I'm a wondering vagabond learning from experiences in life.

i) I'm ready to do connections when others are done with char gen.
ii) I'm hoping these are actual animals otherwise my character is going to be disappointed (although it will be comical possibly)

Not really. The Hand of Merch is indistinct in its details, or the details Holiva has released to you. This undertaking is as much an investigative journey as it is a snatch-and-grab (or whatever). You have a lead from Holiva and are welcome to check it out. But whether or not the herd is there, or in fact, the lead has anything to do with the herd remains to be determined. I'll make sure and re-state this in the game thread when we get going.
Cool. I'm not married to it, but it was what I could come up with as being suitably 9th World.
No one is terribly close to Holiva but the vizier, the Hand of Merch. Of course, given it's a shadow puppet on his hand.. that's kind of weird. All the same -- y'all aren't too close to him.

How well known you guys are is somewhat up to you when you define the size/scope of the group. Happy to banter this back and forth and flesh it out with you!

Wait so The Hand of Merch is the Vizier (our boss?) is a hand puppet or the shadow of his (Holvia) hand?

I think they're one in the same. It is the shadow of his hand puppet that is the Vizier.

(a. / i.) I would vote towards a larger organization and introduces factions, competitions, rivalries, and characters galore. Re: How/Why my PC joined. I am enjoying the Your parent (or parental/mentor figure) got you involved to give you something to do and maybe "teach you some sense." Initial Link. Perhaps an uncle or maybe a mentor's friend is a member of the Blacktusks and my PC is kinda a third wheel for the unit at the start.

(b.) The hand seems to play as an effective monster since we don't know what it looks like and what it wants. It is also a nice exercise to think of cyberpunk/post-apocalyptic dolls and puppets. Or maybe I'm too gungho about the hand...

I keep thinking about South Park -- but yes, the Hand of Merch is the Vizier who is the hand puppet or shadow puppet of Holivia the First (who is your boss). In short.. the guy is three seskiis shy of a pack, if you know what I mean.

Nice avatar

I'm going with Honorable(?) Glaive who Absorbs Energy. Not quite sold on Honorable as my descriptor. If anyone reads my backstory and has a better suggestion, I am all ears.Falryx, let me know if any of that does not jive with your setting.

To answer your questions, falryx:
Subset of a larger group sounds interesting!
Awesome!
My character is definitely a citizen of Thaemor. I think my character would have been proud of his country at one time, but his experience with the horror of war has left his patriotic bonds in tatters. He is probably suspicious of the government but aims to do good from within the system.
My character will be a member of the 'old guard' of Blacktusks, but hasn't seen service for years. If anyone else wants to play a veteran Blacktusk, we might know each other.

Not veteran but my character has seen some things. Not from war on the battlefield but through other means.

Are there any gun type ranged weapons. I would use it just like a bow but for flavor. I found a picture I really like, but can easily say its a bow on his back.

Yes -- you could have a numenera weapon (numenera being the catch-all word for things that use science or magic). So as not to unbalance you versus the other characters, we'd cap its damage to a 'medium weapon' for 4 points (equivalent to a bow).

EDIT:

WHOOPS -- that was Remnant's character.

Heya Remnant --

Here's some stuff I spotted. I'm posting it here so others can take advantage of it in case they're having any similar concerns or issues.

1. i see you have picked medium armor. your practiced in armor eliminates the might cost, but you'll take a -1 to your speed pool while you wear it. have you noted that down?
2. it doesn't look like you picked your 2 fighting moves? I see muscles of iron but that's just one.
3. you should be specialized in climbing, swimming and jumping (training from Rugged, and specialized from Hunts with Great Skill)
4. I don't see your training in training, riding or placating natural animals?
5. I don't see your training in identifying or using natural plants?
6. rugged grants an explorer pack, but since glaive does too you pick up 50' extra rope (to 100), 2 more days worth of rations and an extra ranged weapon if you like.
7. your inability should be around social graces (rugged) and not what you have (perhaps you changed your descriptor?)
8. I don't see where you get training in might defense and intellect defense -- is that left over from some other descriptor or focus?
9. lastly your stat pools seem too high to me. I think you should have a total of 34, but you have 38. again this may be due to a descriptor change that gave you +4 to a pool?

Phil:

Here's stuff I noted for Gaz:

1. clever: your intellect pool should be 15 or you have 2 more points to spend on might or speed (you start with 30 points in your pool and can spend 6 how you like for 36. but clever gives you another 2 so you should have a total pool of 38).

2. make sure to record your inability somewhere (the difficulty of any task involving lore, knowledge or understanding is increased by one step)

3. you also only picked one trick of the trade (trained without armor) rather than 2. unless i miss something. :)

4. you should note your Eyed Adjusted on your sheet (see in extremely dim light as though it were bright light, can see in total darkness as if it were extremely dim)

otherwise, i think Gaz looks good.

Submitted my PC and renamed him from Soos to Ped Xing.

@Len Resilient, Driven, and Passionate seems to gel well too.

JK: Ped looks generally good. I think you should have an armor of 1 though, right (rather than 0)? Everything else looks ship-shape.

Noted. Thank you.