Pirate Persona creation: Part 1 San Zanita game

[Obadiah Jib]

Pirate Skills

I know that all of you rogues and scalawags are some of the most skillful and talented pirates to ever sail the seven seas.  However before you became the famous rascal you are today you must have had adventures.  This tale is one of them.

First let's for the sake of this story assumes that you can take 3 wounds in the story.  The first wound is considered a minor wound (cuts, bruises, sprains, cracked bones).  The second level of wounds is serious wounds (punctures, deep cuts, broken bones).  The final wound is a fatal wound that kills you.  Now I know this isn't completely accurate but it is a convention for making this story telling game work.

Below is a list of pirate skills.  Now I am going to assume that for the purpose of this game that you have a better than average use of ALL of these skills.  Let's say that you have a "5" or "6" out of a score of 1-10 in all of these.  A few of these skills you are Exceptional at, let's say a "7" or "8" out of a rating of 1-10.  Pick four of these skills as those you have at least a Journeyman level of proficiency at.  Just ask yourself what you think your pirate persona can succeed at most of the time but maybe not all of the time.  Of course there are a few skills that you have mastered with a blend of training, passion, and natural talent.  Pick 2 of these skills that you have Mastery over.  Just ask yourself what you think your pirate persona can teach and will succeed at all the time.  Lastly, every pirate has a weakness.  Perhaps hard to accept but true (come on mates, be honest with yourselves!)  Choose one skill from the list below that you just can't perform very well.  Maybe you have no training in this area or just lack the interest.  Your Weak skill will be considered a score of "2" out of 1-10.  You can rarely accomplish this task.  Post your choices!

If you have question see the example bellow.

Pirate Skills

Fighting skills
Bladed Weapons:  The use of daggers, knives, small swords, rapiers, and the cutlass
Firearms:  The use of all black powder hand held firearms
Fisticuffs:  The use of fighting without weapons often bare knuckled
Gunnery:  The use of all types of canons
Miscellaneous Weapons:  The use of grenades, boarding axes, belaying pins, pole arms, etc

Shipboard skills
Navigation:  The ability to plot and follow a course
Sailing:  The ability to work aboard any type of water craft
Shipwright:  The ability to build or repair any type of water craft


Miscellaneous skills
Acrobatic:  Tumbling, performing feats of balance, tricky escapes from tied ropes
Athletics:  Climbing, swimming, running, jumping
Charm/ Seduction:  Getting others to do what you want nicely
Deception:  Lies, tall tales, disguise
Drinking: The ability to consume vast quantities of fermented beverages
Equestrian:  The ability to ride a horse
Etiquette:  The knowledge and skill at dealing with polite society
Fortitude:  Healthy in body.  One extra level of health at Exceptional, two at Master
Gambling:  Playing and wining at games of chance
Intimidation:  Getting others to do what you want out of fear
Keen Senses:  Sharp eyes, ears, taste, and smell
Leadership:  The ability to command others
Performer:  Skill in entertainment often with music, dance, theater, or art
Religion:  The knowledge of various systems of belief
Stealth:  The ability to move about unseen
Streetwise:  The knowledge of life in an urban setting (including the underworld of crime)
Survival: The ability to live in the wild with minimal supplies
Thievery:  Criminal skills such as picking pockets, cutting purses, and opening locks
Trade/ Craft:  An occupation other than pirate (Butcher, Lawyer, Midwife, etc.)

NOTE:  If you choose to take Fortitude as your Exceptional Skill you gain a bonus level of health and can take 4 wounds instead of 3.  If you take Fortitude as your Master Skill you gain two bonus levels of health and can take 5 wounds instead of 3.  If you take Fortitude as your Weakness you loose a level of health and can take only 2 wounds.

By not choosing Trade/ Craft as an Exceptional or Master skill you are considered more of a generalist.  Perhaps you apprenticed in a craft but never completed the training.  If you choose the Trade/ Craft skill as your Weakness it is assumed that you never received any training in any other profession other than that of a criminal, sailor or soldier.  Either that or your pirate persona is a Gentlemen or member of the gentry.  Of course you could be just lazy.

EXAMPLE:

My Captain, Wycked Jack Bastard!  Also known as Redbeard, Captain Barbarossa, and Seamus.  Come meet him at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival!

Wycked Jack is a Master of Keen Senses (like a detective) and Firearms (a crack shot with a pistol!).  His Exceptional abilities are Leadership (as he leads the crew aboard the Portobello Rose), Performer (he is a very talented vocalist and drummer), Charm/ Seduction (if you meet him at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and you are female you will understand this within 2 minutes), and Etiquette (The crew of the Portobello Rose has a wealthy aristocratic patron and Jack is often in a courtly role).  His Weakness is Fortitude (Jack once fell from the rat lines and hit the deck during a storm.  His back has never healed and he is in constant pain).  Thus he can take but 2 wounds before death!

Post/ share your characters!  Let's meet our players!

[Welsh Wench]

Captain Wench

Mastery

  Etiquette--She knows what to wear and accessorize it beautifully.
  Fortitude--No cramps or PMS for this cookie!

Exceptional

   Bladed Weapons--She likes to play with sharp, pointy things
   Navigation--She doesn't need to stop and ask for directions
   Charm/ Seduction--Nothing like a wink and a smile to get you what you want!
   Gambling--she can read a marked deck and fake like she is drunk

Weakness

  Intimidation--It's hard to get people to be afraid of you when your blouse keeps slipping off your shoulder, your feathers in your hat droop and get in your face and sometimes you break a boot heel!

[Obadiah Jib]

Excellent job Wenchie!  Thanks for being first!  Now how about the rest of you freebooters?  See how easy this is!  Post your characters!

[Captain Jack Wolfe]

Captain Jack Wolfe

Mastery

Bladed Weapons - If it's long, sharp, and pointy, he knows just how to use it!
Equestrian - He knows how to ride it like he stole it, because that's usually the case!
Leadership - He can talk his crew into virtually any hairbrained scheme he comes up with.
Deception - How many of those stories were the truth?  All of them.  Especially the lies.
Shipwright - His father was a master shipwright, and taught Jack everything he knew.

Exceptional

Charm/ Seduction: He's the original silver-tongued devil.  He can talk his way out of a fight or a wench out of her dress.
Navigation - He doesn't need to ask for directions, because he knows how to steal the best maps.
Fortitude - He can go for days without eating as long as he can get hold of alcohol.  Empty calories burn just as well as any others.
Intimidation - Force of will can overcome so many obstacles.

Weakness

Gambling - He's lost his shirt (and pants) to many a wench over cards and dice.
Performer - He can't carry a tune in a bucket, but he has excellent projection!

[Blue66669]

Mastery
Miscellaneous Weapons: She uses a LOT of fire. And throws things on fire. Like bricks... bricks on fire. Oh, and she likes to throw shoes, and can do so with deadly accuracy.
Navigation: She can find her way anywhere, and OUT of anywhere.
Deception: Don't believe a thing she says, unless she's got one hand behind her back, the other in her bodice, and her toes crossed. She's also extremely persuasive.


Exceptional
Gunnery: She knows her way around the cannons, in all sorts of ways.
Bladed Weapons: She plays well with daggers.
Performer: Even though she's cranky and drunk a lot of the time, she has the voice of an angel, and can soften even the hardest of hearts with a song.
Acrobatic: She's like Houdini, and can escape almost any trap, especially ropes.
Stealth: If she weren't a pirate, she'd be a ninja.


Weakness
Ettiquette: She's not much of a lady, and refuses to say please for anything. She also doesn't eat very neatly.
Drinking: She loves the drink, but is a VERY cheap date. While she can hold her liquor, a little bit will cause her to stumble around and light random things on fire.
Athletics: Most of her skills involve things that don't require her to leave the setee...

[Obadiah Jib]

Well done one and all!

[Gibbet Jones]

Gibbet Jones

Mastery

Navigation:  Multitude of navigational techniques including Moorish ones.

Bladed Weapons: Knows a thing or two but can bluff you into thinking he doesn't.

Athletics: As a child, climbed the edges of rock cliffs to collect puffin eggs. Spent plenty of time swimming.



Exceptional

Etiquette: Knows enough about polite society to gain thier trust and fleece them for everything they own.

Shipwright: Extensive knowledge in carpentry and sewing.

Survival: Was marooned once. Survived through knowledge gained from island natives.

Stealth: Once sneaked onto a Spanish merchant vessel at night cutting it's anchor rope and grounding the vessel ashore.

Streetwise: Every where he goes ashore he seems to have a connection with men in low places.



Weakness

Drinking: Not much of a drinker due to having a father who was a slothen drunk. Some of his ship mates see it as a weakness. Prefers to be sober when conflict arises.

Equestrian: Couldn't ride a horse if his life depended on it.

[Charlotte Rowan]

Charlotte Rowan

Mastery
Trade/ Craft: She has a natural talent with languages and skill as a translator
Keen Senses: She ate a lot of carrots growing up

Exceptional
Performer: Raised as a daughter in a noble household, she was taught music and is quite a capable flute player
Bladed Weapons: She was allowed to learn fencing with her younger brothers as a child and was pretty evenly matched with them
Navigation: Given to intellectual pursuits, navigation is right up her alley
Etiquette: An inevitable consequence of being raised as a noblewoman

Weakness
Fisticuffs: She may have skillz with a blade, but when it comes to brute force she is at a disadvantage

[Lady Amy of York]

        
           Captain   Amy


  Mastery
 ____________

           
            Charm/ Seduction :   Some of  my male  crew  members  call me   quite  the  "  minx  "and  " charmer." I know how   to charm  and  seduce   to get  things  done, and  what  i  want.Has not failed me  yet. I have  been told   I have  a great  and  charming  personality.
             Equestrian  :   I know  how  to break  them  and  ride  them.  I was  born  a noble  lady ,  and  was taught how  to ride  at a young age.My family  breeds  and  raises horses  back at  the family estate.
         Leadership  :   I  know  how  to lead  a crew.  My  crew  never  seems  to complain. Of  course i  pay  them well, and  give  them  plenty  of  rum too  !

         

       Exceptional  
    _____________________

Navagation :  Along  with being the  captain on  my  ship,  I  am also  the  navigator  .I know  how  to use  a  compass.
 Etiquette :   Before turning pirate   i spent time  at  the  royal  court, although I  don't always  act  like   a lady.
 Bladed  weapons :   I  always  carry a  sword  and     I keep a   dagger or  two  hidden  um...somewhere on  my  body.
   Firearms : I'm  a pretty good shot.  I always  get  my  man.
Perfomer:  being raised in  a noble  family,  and  spending time  at  the  royal court, i was taught  how  to  sing  and  dance.
   Foritude : I manage  to  keep physically fit.


      Weaknesses
     __________________
           Drinking : I like beer and wine  and  rum, but i get silly  after  a couple  drinks, like  the  time..umm..never  mind  !!
Fisticuffs:   Don't  want  to break  my hand  or  fingers. Too messy.
  Shipwright :  that's  what i have  a crew  for.  They  handle  the  repairs.    
           
       

[Capt Spleen]

Yo Ho OJ!
             OK, I see that two playa's followed your example rightously per yer example, 2 Mastery, 4 Exceptional, and 1 Weakness. (Welsh Wench and Charlotte Rowan) Others added certain abilities And weaknesses. ??

Am i be amiss sumptin' 'ere mate?

Please 'splain, fer I be weekended by der drynk recerntleee.......

[Welsh Wench]

Jib, if I may....?

*grabs the bottle out of Spleen's hands and takes a deep drink, then throws it over her shoulder. Yanks Spleen down next to her on the grass*

OK Spleen, it's like this. Captain Wench and Charlotte followed what Jib laid out. A few may have thrown in one or two for good measure. It doesn't seem to really matter since we are in the formative stages of the game.

And next time, bring Moet et Chandon instead of this rotgut!  

At least I didn't have to explain the facts of life.....

[Capt Spleen]

Well if'n dat be der game: I be masterful at half, an exceptional at th' udder half, and when me rotgut has been tossed aside  i be weakened at all o dem!

I mean, der has ter be sum rules? Oh wait, I kin 'ear it naow.......

PIRATE!

No matter, I play by me real wits, no matter th' number or quality!

*DOn e'er take me drynk an toss it - ye know Ettiquette (one o yer mastery traits) idn't jus 'bout clothing an fazhion, luv!*

[Welsh Wench]

Etiquette:  The knowledge and skill at dealing with polite society

Scurviness don't qualify, babe.  

[Capt Spleen]

Thought i was doin' polite society by askin' the rules........ 'owe'er, Once in th' game, politeness will NOT be one o me better traits.  But i beleive that once IN the game, I am playin' against Yo Ho OJ. Not any o th' o'er players, right?

[Obadiah Jib]

You can always choose it as a weakness.

[Capt Spleen]

Guess I'd bettarr be erportin' me skillz:

Master of:
Bladed weapons: Dungeon had to fight alot as he was smaller than the rest growin up, so he took up
                       Weaponry of any he could get his hands on, an mastered many.
Stealth:           Hid n seek was a favorite game as a child and he soon discovered he could hide  
                     where he could in plain sight but his timing was such that other would just
                      pass by without noticing him. And he learned to move about right behind
                       his seekers without detection.

Exceptional at:
Acrobatics:         Has developed a knack for twisting and flinging his body in unusual ways. And
                       getting out of things as well as getting into them.
Athletics:           High degree of physicality developed with the other youngsters of the Clan.
Keen Senses:      Sharp eye, and uncanny sense of direction, detects scents like an animal, and
                       very good hearing.
Fisticuffs:           Developed as he was picked on as a youngster and roughhouse wrestle play was a
                      norm in his Clan.

Weakness :
Firearms:           Never had any desire to use firearms. He is strictly and old fashion steel and
                      Bare hands, and staff type weapons person.