Mattchstick

The Band of Fools

@Dziady It sounds like they have both been a member of the Fools for the same amount of time, and they're about the same age. I don't really want them to have known each other through childhood, but we may have both been in the same place and joined at the same time. I'm working on Cedric also being a rover of some sort, so I'm thinking he saw you with them and said to himself "I want to get in on that too."

The Band of Fools

@Dziady I get the sense that our characters will be either good friends due to similar skills/roles or total strangers due to personality.

Also, thank you for accepting character after the changes are made.

The Band of Fools

@Iuniper Well that depends on where we draw the line between "total historical accuracy" and "role-play liberty." I'm not saying that adhering to realism is not fun, obviously. But there is a point where you should be able to say "Okay, don't worry about that" to make the RP, I dunno, easier or more playable.

For example, it would be simpler to excuse the explosion of deer for the sake of not having to carry, string, maintain, and store two bows, when I'm already toting an axe and a knife. It would also be less fun to say I was an excellent marksman with two types of bow, used for different jobs with different training (hunting requires extreme accuracy, ranged combat does not). I spent my life hunting, so I would be used to that particular bow, and since we have never been in an actual war, my character would logically not have experience with a longbow, except that a longbow is far more useful in combat.

So i COULD write in that Cedric is just also really good with a longbow, or we could provide enough liberty to say that, in this roleplay, the longbow is also a practical hunting weapon. I mean, I'll leave it up to @Kassarock, but I somewhat doubt he wants me to either increase my skill (and inventory) or remove a pretty important element of my character (longbow skill or hunting skill).

Same for quivers. Rather that figure out where I'm going to stick the arrows in the ground, or limit myself to wedging them into my belt, it would be better to delegate arrows to a quiver. I don't know if I'll need to count my arrows or not. That's also the GM's call.

Endurance makes a good longbowman, not being a sharpshooter.

I'm sorry, are you suggesting that my character is NOT Legolas? /s

The Band of Fools

@Kassarock

The first issue with your C.S. is that you only gave me a picture, when I said that written descriptions were mandatory.

Tactical written description inbound. ETA: this evening.

Regardless of whether or not his family life was something you wanted to keep vague, there were areas you could have expanded upon - what was he doing in the time between leaving home and joining the Band? What were circumstances in which he joined the Band?

Yeah, I had planned to explain that. It does need another paragraph. As for his family, initially it was going to be an orphan situation, but that was too cliche for me. I have a better explanation for him now, which I plan to keep secret.

The other issue I have is with your equipment section. The longbow you've linked in there is extremely light draw weight, we're talking almost 4x that for a medieval war bow.

That was just for visual reference. Can I just write in its draw weight in the description?

I'd like for you to have a proper side arm, and little more armour than just what I presume is supposed to be gambeson?

How about the one-handed ax pictured at his side? It's not a particularly effective melee weapon, but appears to have a hook on the back, which would be useful. As for armor, he's wearing a steel-plated brigandine, leather gauntlets (the left one being a shooting glove instead), and steel greaves. I'm not sure what could be more practical for an archer. Maybe I'll have a steel helmet on hand for combat. I'll look up a picture.

I am unsure as to historicity of that quiver design, but I'll let it fly.

Quickdraw quiver it is, then.

In answer to your question, after 3 years of work with the band it is likely you could afford a horse.

Her name is Horsey McHorseFace. Or not. Probably not.

Christmas Gift Game

A belt sander to take the edge off that post.

Men vs. Women Race to 1000

580

Mattchstick's CS Matchbook

Cedric Amberstone

Name: Cedric Amberstone

Gender: M

Age: 25

Role/Position: Longbowman

Appearance:

My Hider

Cedric stands at 5'11" and weighs 190 lbs, much of which is lean upper-body muscle. He is surprisingly pale for someone who should have spent so much time outdoors. His hair, which is straight and nearly shoulder-length, is a dark brown, with equally dark eyes and furrowed eyebrows that suggest he is constantly in thought. Though he bears no blatant scars, there is an ugly red burn along his left forearm, reminding him of the time he gripped his bow incorrectly and the bowstring raked a good six inches of his skin. The mark is now covered by a long glove (see Equipment) that he refuses to take off.

Personality: Cheerful and optimistic, Cedric tries his hardest to find some good in whatever the situation. He has a great deal of respect for those older than him, as they are more experienced and hardened than he is, and trusts them to make the difficult decisions. He never shows a great deal of enthusiasm or excitement, as his time with the Fools has taught him that the world is a bit dimmer than he had initially believed, but he does his best to enjoy his work, and will always manage at least a grin.

History: If one were to look up the definition of "common peasant," they would find an excellent description of the first twenty years of Cedric's life. He was a farm boy, raised on a small farm on the western outskirts of the woods between Forlinger and Greenwick, that provided just enough of a profit to keep him from severe poverty. He took to archery at a young age, since wild game was a major source of food. He learning how to string, unstring, draw, and maintain a bow, as well as craft and carve arrow shafts and forge arrowheads (given the proper tools, of course). Survival was nearly as critical, since wild animals did not have a habit of sitting about, waiting for you to shoot them, and no one else was going to clean and cook your kill for you.

Two days after his 20th birthday, Cedric left home, travelling west and taking only his equipment with him. The reasons for this are an absolute mystery to anyone else, since it is the one and only subject Cedric refuses to expound on. The location and health of his parents and siblings (if he had any) are well-guarded secrets to him. All that is known for sure is that he has not returned to his home since he left five years ago.

Cedric had never much liked the idea of roving, moving from town to city and taking anything a stranger would hand out, but that is what he found himself. It was not a pleasant life, but there were always farmers looking for a good set of hands to help with work, so he always managed to find a reasonable place to sleep. He worked any odd job he could find, including a few months as a blacksmith (from which he learnt almost nothing and enjoyed none of it). He saved up a good bit of money by choosing to hunt rather than buy food and sleep at his place of employment rather than an inn.

His luck expired during the second winter, at which point the work seemed to dry up and he found himself paying out of pocket to stay somewhere warm. Desperate, he took a try at gambling, where he discovered that he was absolutely incapable of bluffing and lost every coin within an hour. One of the gamblers felt a faint tug of remorse and return a single gold coin to Cedric before he left. It was a hard lesson, one that he would never forget.

On his way out, he encountered another archer who looked surprisingly similar to him. Cedric recognized the other man's longbow and kit and struck up a loose conversation. Cedric asked if he was some sort of guardsman, as he had seen no other guards armed with such a weapon. It was here that he learnt of the existed of the Band of Fortune and the benefits that came with it. Cedric had never dealt with mercenaries before, though he had heard both good and bad stories of their behavior, but any decent source of food merited investigation. Curious, and completely out of other things to do, Cedric asked around the town for information.

"Oh, I've heard of them," a stranger said, whom Cedric later realized was an existing member. "But these days, they're called the Band of Fools."

Cedric couldn't resist a smile as he tossed the man his sole remaining coin and asked if they could use one more fool.

Skills and Abilities: Many years hunting wild game has given him tremendous skill with a longbow, though a normal bow will do if he has no other option. He is an excellent hunter, a skill that includes tracking, cleaning, and cooking. His strongest trait is his eyesight, and he has the ability to see small movements at a considerable distance, though his sense of hearing is nearly as sharp. He has a peculiar habit of cocking his head to the left and narrowing his eyes when he hears something.

Weakness(es): Though he has some skill with a hand ax, Cedric is completely untrained in using his fists or his knife as anything but a tool. He does not have poor endurance and stamina and cannot run at full speed for very long. In the realm of war and death, he is still very ignorant, having never set foot on a front line. He is also incapable of bluffing or lying in the sense that he just cannot keep a straight face.

Equipment: A steel-plate brigandine, steel greaves, and a studded leather bracer on his right forearm, with the left sporting a leather arm guard shooting glove. He totes along a steel sallet on a leather strap for actual combat. He carries a longbow (120-lb draw weight) and reverse-draw quiver for combat, along with a small one-hand ax with a hook on the opposite side. For cleaning and skinning animals, he carries a large hunting knife in a sheath on the back of his belt.

His horse, Maggie, is a red-brown thoroughbred mare with a black mane and tail, a wide white blaze, and a white sock on the front left leg.

The Band of Fools

Eh, ignore this post.

Why is life so mean????

I'm 25, and I'm fairly certain that adults were just pretending to know what they were doing all along.

there are people who are actually allergic to dogs. Trust me, no one wants that curse.

I have a Golden Retriever, and I'm going to use this as a reminder the next time I'm sad.

Christmas Gift Game

The most amazing ugly Christmas sweater you've ever seen.