CC25 Character 21: Lady Artemis (Savage Worlds)

Character 21: Savage Worlds

We continue our street-level Savage Worlds superheroes for the CC25 Challenge. Today’s character, Lady Artemis, exists in the same universe as the White Owl.

The Process

Once again, this character was a lot of fun to make. I started with a pretty blank slate, just searching through pictures of miniatures until something inspired an idea. The miniature that grabbed me was a Female Archer figure from Dark Sword. There’s a long tradition in comic books of characters whose only power is being good with a bow, fighting right alongside universe-class heroes like Thor or the Hulk. Lady Artemis is in that same tradition, alongside the likes of Hawkeye or Green Arrow. She also has possesses enhanced visual senses and highly-trained acrobatics skills.

The Character: Lady Artemis

Born Ingrid Lark, the woman who became Lady Artemis grew up as a member of the Amazing Larks, a circus act featuring daring feats of archery and acrobatics. Her mother and father taught young Ingrid everything they knew, and together they lived an exciting life full of travel and performance.

And then the war broke out. Ingrid, still a teenager, was sent to stay with relatives in America while her parents returned to Europe to join the war effort. There, they joined the underground resistance and fought against the Axis with the same precision and daring that had once thrilled the circus crowds. When her parents returned from Europe, they returned as heroes, and that heroism inspired Ingrid to view her talent at archery not just as a skill, but as a calling.

Equipped with her mother’s bow and arrows, weapons she had used to fight tyranny during the war, Ingrid was inspired to create an underground resistance of her own. Rather than an invading army, Ingrid’s enemy would be the criminal underbelly of the city she called home. To protect her identity, Ingrid fashioned a mask and a new name. She became Lady Artemis, named for the mythical goddess of the hunt, a defender of the innocent and the wielder of the swift bow of justice.

Female Archer from Dark Sword

Lady Artemis
Real Name: Ingrid Lark
Power Level: I; Novice Human

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d10, Common Knowledge d4, Fighting d8, Language (English) d8, Notice d10, Persuasion d4, Shooting d12, Stealth d4
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 (+2 armor)
Languages: Danish (d8), English (d8)

Hindrances
Secret Identity (Major): Ingrid Lark
Heroic (Major): Lady Artemis constantly strives to live up to her parents' legacy. She cannot say no to a person in need.

Edges
Acrobat, Dodge, Marksman

Armor
Leather Jacket (Armor 2)

Weapons
Compound Bow (Range 12/24/48, Damage 3d6, ROF 1, AP 1)

Special Abilities
* Deadeye (2)
* Super Skill (5): Intense training. Shooting +3; Athletics +1; Notice +1
* Super Edge (2): Dodge
* Super Edge (2): Marksman
* Awareness (2)
* Heightened Senses (2): Eagle Eyes; Low Light Vision

CC25 Character 20: The White Owl (Savage Worlds)

Character 20: Savage Worlds

Today’s character is a street-level superhero for Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. Superheroes don’t exist in a vacuum, so I’ve crafted a quick setting for this character. I might share a longer version later, but for now it’s all just implied in the character’s backstory, below. Picture a 1940s, street-level noir setting with low-powered characters (The Shadow, early Batman, etc.).

The Process

Making Savage Worlds characters is actually a lot of fun. For this character, I used the Adventure Edition as well as the Super Powers Companion. Also, comic book supers are by definition a visual thing. There is very little out there in the way of generic comic book art, and I don’t want to use existing characters. My compromise is to use miniatures instead.

Oh, and a little backstory. The idea for a character called "The Invincible" White Owl actually came to me a long time ago when I was helping clean up my mom's basesment. She had an old cigar box full of miscellaneous screws and hardware. The brand was White Owl cigars, and the specific cigar was the Invincible. I thought The Invincible White Owl just sounded like superhero.

The Character: The White Owl

Harvey Ray was a low-level enforcer for the Castello, the secretive crime syndicate that rules the underworld of Centennial City. Framed for the murder of a fellow criminal, Harvey was gunned down and left for dead. Only, he didn’t die. Inexplicably, his wounds stitched themselves up and his bruises vanished. Somehow, Harvey’s brush with death awakened in a latent, preternatural healing factor.

But Harvey Ray did die that day, and someone new rose from his ashes. Renouncing his old ways, he swore revenge against the criminals he once served. But Harvey was still a fugitive, wanted by every cop in Centennial City, And the Castello, even if they couldn’t kill him, would certainly find a way to make his life a hell.

So, Harvey put on a mask and changed his name. He became the White Owl, a vigilante sworn to do whatever he can to bring down the Castello. In truth, the White Owl is just one man. It’s unlikely he can achieve his crusade all on his own. His power, which Harvey considers a curse rather than a blessing, doesn’t really prevent the While Owl from dying, it merely keeps him from staying dead. And so the Invincible White Owl returns, again and again, to face down the impossible odds.

The Black Mist by Reaper Miniatures

The Invincible White Owl
Real Name: Harvey Ray
Power Level: I; Novice Human

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d10
Skills: Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice d4, Persuasion d4, Shooting d8, Stealth d6
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 11
Languages: English (d8)

Hindrances
Enemy (major): The Castello
Wanted (major): Harvey Ray is a wanted felon in Centennial City.

Edges
Super Powers (I), Hard to Kill, Harder to Kill, Two-Gun Kid

Weapons
Colt 1911 (.45) (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6+1, ROF 1, AP 1)
Colt 1911 (.45) (Range 12/24/48, Damage 2d6+1, ROF 1, AP 1)

Special Abilities
* Regeneration (4): Incredible healing factor. Makes natural healing roll once per day. Regrowth.
* Toughness +4 (4): Resilient healing.
* Ageless (1): The White Owl is effectively immortal.
* Immune to Disease (1): The White Owl’s healing ability resists all disease.
* Immune to Poison (1): The White Owl’s healing ability negate toxins.
* Super Edge (2): Hard to Kill.
* Super Edge (2): Harder to Kill. The White Owl is very, very hard to kill.

CC25 Characters 18 and 19: Xerxes and Skerl (Gamma World)

Characters 18 and 19: Gamma World

This weekend’s pair of characters are a duo of adventurers for TSR’s Gamma World. Specifically, I used the Fourth Edition rules from 1992. This is my favorite version of Gamma World, and it was the version that I actually played back in the day. In fact, during my Middle School years, I definitely played more Gamma World than any version of D&D. 

I’m particularly a fan of how randomness of the rules leads to characters I never would have planned on my own (see Skerl, below) and forces me to really stretch my imagination to make these sometimes disparate mutations come together in a semi-coherent fashion.

The Process

I rolled both these characters as suggested in the rules, fudging nothing and taking the dice as they came. Xerxes ended up with all mental mutations. For one of their mutation rolls, I rolled the same one twice (Photokinesis), resulting in a big boost to that mutation’s power level. I also rolled Heightened Mental Attribute for Xerxes, further boosting their character’s Mental Strength.

Skerl, on the other hand, took a weird turn with his physical mutations. He started out as an anthropomorphic badger. Then he got wings and, thanks to his sonar mutation, a pair of antennae). I imagine him as a sort of moth-badger. He also absolutely cannot hold his alcohol thanks to his Chemical Susceptibility defect. I also rolled a natural 18 for his Intelligence score, marking him as a surprisingly ingenious Examiner.

The Characters: Xerxes and Skarl

Xerxes and Skerl are a pair of young mutants from a Tech III village called Erver Downs. Skarl, a mutated animal from a large family of Badger-folk, is somewhat famous among residents of the Downs as an explorer of Ancient ruins. His most treasured item is a hand-held artifact capable of detecting certain Ancient Artifacts and, sometimes, the presence of hidden Ancient buildings (it’s a portable Voltage detector).

Xerxes is the more enigmatic of the duo. Strongly psychic, with a host of mental powers, the people of the Downs view Xerxes with a level of suspicion. While they were treated as an outsider by the majority of the villagers, Xerxes found a warmer welcome among the clan of mutant Badgers living on the edge of town. Skarl, in particular, is quite impressed by the young Esper’s mental powers and believes they can be of great help exploring the Boneyard, the Ancient ruins that lie just beyond the Gavon Hills to the east of the village.

XERXES
Altered Human Esper
Level: 1
Hit Points: 23
AC: 16

PS 13 (+1)
DX 13 (+1)
CN 8 (0)
MS 18 (+3)
IN 9 (0)
CH 13 (+1)
SN 13 (+1)

Class Skills
Hypnosis 1
ID Mental Power 4
Photographic Memory 3
Sense Mental Powers 8

Mental Mutations
Telekinetic Flight 16 (+2)
Displacement 16 (+2)
Photokinesis 19 (+4)
Psychometry 8 (0)
Heightened Mental Attribute: MS

Equipment
Chain Mail Armor (+5 AC)
Flintlock Pistol (x2) +1; 2d8; ROF: 1/2; Range: 5
150 Donars

Pictured: A Badger without wings

SKURL
Mutated Animal (Badger) Examiner
Level: 1
Hit Points: 49
AC: 10

PS 13 (+1)
DX 11 (0)
CN 12 (0)
MS 10 (0)
IN 18 (+3)
CH 11 (0)
SN 13 (+1)

Class Skills
Avoid Artifact Disaster 5
Jury-Rig 4
Read Schematics 2
Repair Artifact 5

Physical Mutations
Night Vision (from genotype)
Chemical Susceptibility (d)
Vocal Imitation
Wings 16 (+2)
Sonar (antennae)

Mental Mutations
Life Leech 13 (+1)

Other
2 claw attacks; +1; 1d6

Equipment
Battle Axe +1; 1d8+1
Voltmeter
290 Domars

CC25 Character 17: Findemir (The One Ring RPG)

Character 17: The One Ring RPG

It’s day 18 of the CC25 challenge. I couldn’t post yesterday, so this is character 17. Since it’s the weekend, expect a pair of characters for numbers 18 and 19.

The Lord of the Rings

I’ve been on a bit of a Lord of the Rings kick lately. I’ve been listening to the fantastic audiobook version of the Fellowship of the Ring, read by Andy Serkis. Serkis does a fantastic job narrating Tolkien’s prose. While I love the Lord of the Rings books and movies, I can admit that reading the books can be a bit slow. Hearing them narrated, however, is a wonderful experience and I strongly recommend checking them out if you haven’t. Your local library probably has a copy to borrow via Libby or a similar service. That’s where I got my copy!

The Character: Findemir the Ranger

From Rangers of the North for MERP

 

Findemir is a Ranger of the North, one of the descendants of the Dunedain who patrol the lands of Middle Earth to keep its free peoples safe from the dark powers of the world. Findemir is an experienced warrior, trained in fighting with a spear and shield in the manner of an infantry soldier. Indeed, he personally feels that the spear is a superior weapon to the sword. This opinion is partially inspired by Findemir’s experience battling trolls and similar dangers in the Trollshaws.

Compared to some of his fellow rangers, Findemir is less secretive and more open. He often hires himself out to travelers, acting as a guide through the wildlands east of Rivendell, and makes no secret of his name or wilderness skills. He’s rather bold, sometimes to the point of overconfidence, and sticks strongly to his personal code of honor.

CC25 Character 16: Rebus Febbleboots (AD&D 2E)

Character 16: AD&D 2E

For today's entry in the Character Challenge, we round out the party for the Lost Road campaign with the first non-dwarf member of the group: a gnome illusionist. Once again, we're using AD&D 2E.

The Character: Rebus Febbleboots

Rebus is a close personal friend of the dwarf Gammah Belgard. It was Rebus who helped Gammah make sense of her discovery of the possible location of the Lost Road. It was also Rebus who suggested a journey to the Gray Mountains to see for themselves if their theory held any truth. He suspects his knowledge of ancient languages will be helpful in their mission. So too will his magic, though he knows the dwarves would never admit it.

Clan Belgard

Rebus is a close personal friend of the dwarf Gammah Belgard. While obviously not a member of the dwarf clan, he's a family friend and quite welcome in their homes.

Click to Enlargen

 

Spells Known
Detect Magic
Read Magic
Audible Glamer
Change Self
Light
Spook

CC25 Character 15: Gamah Belgard (AD&D 2E)

Character 15: AD&D 2E

Our third member of the Lost Road party for today's entry in the Character Challenge is the leader of the party.

As with the other characters, I'm using AD&D 2E as the ruleset.

The Character: Gammah Belgard

Gammah is a trained gem-cutter and mechanical engineer, but her passion is history. It was Gammah who, while looking through old family records, discovered a possible clue to the whereabouts of the Lost Road. Together with her cousin, the priest Umlin, she planned the expedition to the city of Dallenstone in search of the Silver Mount.

Clan Belgard

Gammah is the cousing of Umlin and Ivor, the daughter of the wealthy gem-cutter Renna Belgard and the jeweler Harl Belgard. Her parents are (reluctantly) financing the party's expedition to the faraway Gray Mountains. Gammah is under a lot of pressure to make sure the mission yields some sort of measurable success. It's not that her parents will be angry with her, but they desperately want her to focus on her trade, and will certainly not support her on any future foolish adventures if she comes back empty handed.

Click to Embiggen

Thief Skills

Pick Pockets 15%
Open Locks 40%
Find/Remove Traps 30%
Move Silently 10%
Hide in Shadows 10%
Detect Noise 15%
Climb Walls 50%
Read Languages 25%
 

Mini Campaign Idea: The Lost Road

The Lost Road (A Mini Campaign Seed)

Summary: A group of dwarves seeks a legendary path beneath the mountains. One whose discovery could have profound political ramifications.

For a long time, I have wanted to run some kind of D&D campaign featuring a party made up entirely of dwarves. While working on characters for the 31 Day Character Challenge (2025), I decided to devote one week to making a party of AD&D dwarves. To help inspire me, and to give these characters a bit of context, I thought it would be useful to imagine what sort of campaign I might run for them.

The following is just the sketch of an idea. It’s perhaps a bit verbose, but it sets the groundwork nicely. There are a lot of references here, to locations mostly, which don’t actually exist in my campaign notes or my imagination. The hard part of worldbuilding, for me at least, is coming up with names. What I’ve done here is at least a good start. Were I to run it for real, I’d start by mapping things out and giving some detail to the places and events mentioned below.

Background

The history of the dwarves tells of an ancient road that once ran beneath the Gray Mountains. Made by the dwarves of the antique kingdom of Dharavon, who carved it from the living rock of the deep earth, this subterranean tunnel once connected the lands on either side of the mountains, allowing trade and travel to flourish between the otherwise divided nations of the east and west. The dwarves called this path the Visirhelt, or the Path of Gold. It was a great feat of dwarven engineering and an architectural wonder of the ancient world.

Rul Velgar

No living soul, dwarf or otherwise, knows what become of the Visirhelt. Today, it is known as Rul Velgar which, in the dwarven language, means the Lost Road. It is less the study of serious scholars than the focus of treasure-hunters and adventurers. And there are many guesses and theories about what became of the now lost road.

Some say Rul Velgar became overrun by goblins and other creatures of the deep earth and had to be destroyed by the dwarves of Dharavon. Others believe that a dragon built its lair there, demanding a heavy toll from anyone who dared travel the road, and it eventually fell into disuse and disrepair. Still others claim that a now forgotten dwarven king, overcome with pride in the marvel of the road’s design, sealed it up so that none but he could ever look upon it again.

Legends aside, a trade route beneath the Gray Mountains would be of great economic and political worth to whoever controlled it.

The Silver Mount

Tradition holds that Rul Velgar’s eastern edge began somewhere along Gray Mountains, at a place called the Silver Mount. No modern location bears that name, however, and many believe that the Silver Mount, like much of the legend, is simply a storyteller’s fabrication.

A few years ago, however, a dwarven scholar named Gamah Belgard discovered a strange reference in an old family letter. This letter, a record of accounts written by Gamah’s ancestor on her father’s side, made reference to a “hall of records, much like the ancient archives at the Temple of the Gods in Mennock, which was known to certain scholars as the Silver Mount.”

Mennock is the old name for a city that once stood in what is now modern Gallenstone, a city on the eastern edge of the Gray Mountains. Could a lost archives in Gallenstone somehow hold the key to the mystery of The Lost Road?

The Adventuring Party

In the months after her discovery, Gamah Belgard began to plan a journey to visit Gallenstone herself and see if it truly is the location of Rul Velgar. She is accompanied by three others, two her cousins from Clan Belgard, and one an old friend. Gamah is not sure if she’ll find anything at all Gallenstone, but she is hopeful. If her hunch is correct, and she’s able to somehow find evidence of the old road, then she’ll not only unravel one of the great mysteries of the ancient world but also secure her own place in history.