James Seabird/Avennorian/Seafaring Adventurer

[James Seabird]

Name: James Seabird

Gender: Male

Age:17

Race: Human

Tribe: Avennorian

Occupation: Deckhand

Title: The Runaway Pirate

Hair color: Wavy Eophran Brown Hair

Eye Color: Baveras Eye

Height: 1 Ped, 2 Fores, 1 Palmspan and 3 Nailbreadths

Weight: 1 Pygge, 5 Hebs, 2 Ods, and 4 Mut

Physical Appearance:
James is tanned from constant sun exposure on the deck of a ship, he has a lanky build, and he’s flexible, yet strong as any sailor should be. He has sharp features and an intelligent face with a bright smile placed in a sun kissed face. He also bears a tattoo of a gull, wings spread, on the back of his left hand near his wrist. On his back are scars from when he was beaten and whipped as a slave.

Clothing:
His clothing is simple; it’s made of cheap material and is made for maneuverability. It bears many signs of being worn on the sea. He has a pair of boots that have a hollowed out watertight heel, in which he stores his money and other belongings. He wears gloves that have the fingers cut off to hide his tattoo.

Personality:
James is mentally strong and clever young man, who likes an adventurous seafaring life.

He tries to act like he's several years older than he is, pretending to be a sea worn sailor with a cruel mind and temper, that doesn't care about anyone but himself. It's a thin shield, however, and his true colors often shine through. Anyone who talks to him, civilly, for a length of time will see what he’s truly like. He's quite witty and has a bright personality beneath the façade, and those who take time to get to know him, normally, take a liking to him.

He has no real desire for treasure or material goods but instead he desires adventure. He has more heart than he is normally willing to show to anyone. He puts the well being of others over his own, discreetly, so people will believe him to be tougher than he really is. He is a good actor and that's why he's still alive, despite the different crews he has worked with.  

He doesn't like people who don't pull their weight, as he's been forced to do all his life, but he is sympathetic to those who can't pull much weight at all, i.e. children, the elderly, sick or wounded people. If your not doing your fair share then he's scathing and rude with his comments. He's good at delegating work fairly among groups of people.

Strengths:
James is fast. In the rigging, on the ground, in the water, climbing up and down he moves as fast as possible. His speed is part of what keeps him alive in a fight. He can maneuver the rigging of any ship with great ease, seeming more to fly than to climb, which is where he got his name.

James can swim, a surprisingly rare gift among sailors, he is capable of swimming for up to an hour.

James is well versed in using the Hrkje Whip. He learned the basics when he sailed with pirates. It seemed to come naturally to him and he learned quickly becoming quite good at using it to disarm and incapacitate crews being raided. Since he ran away, he has become even better with the weapon by seeing and working with others who use it in other crews, as well as a lot of practice.

James can also use a sling with some proficiency and has decent accuracy from 12 peds away.

James has a bright personality that makes him quite likable after one gets to know him and he gets along well with others. He's a team player. He's learned from experience, if you don't act as a team on a ship then you won't be acting as anything for long.

James has a large amount of nautical knowledge and can manage almost any position on a ship with ease. Having spent his whole life at sea and having been raised by pirates, who taught him almost all he knows. He can navigate a ship, as well as haul the proper rigging and tie the proper knots. James has never been given much authority on a ship, has never led a crew himself or done some of the more responsible jobs, but those jobs which he has not done he still knows how to do. Though he also is aware that knowing how to do them and actually doing them are two very different things.

James is strong. His life at sea tugging ropes, hauling rigging, carrying barrels has left him as strong as any sailor should be.

James can read. As a man of the sea James doesn't have much use for reading, but he can read a little, though he's better at reading charts than books. Captain Gwinn taught him to read among many other things about sailing.

James has really good eyesight. Onboard a ship if you're sailing blind or if you cant see your quarry, then you're in big trouble, either with the sea herself or with the captain. James has often found himself in the crows nest because of his ability to see long distances, even by the dim torchlight aboard his vessel.

Weaknesses:
James is superstitious like most sailors, he can be either overly frightened or overly confident, bordering on foolhardy, because of his belief in sailors' yarns.

James is overly adventurous and curious, often getting himself into trouble because of his need to satisfy his curiosity.

James is very impatient, if something isn't happening as fast as he would like it to he'll often get irritable. The exception being that he is not impatient for voyages or adventures to end or for destinations to arrive.

James has a sharp tongue and can often talk his way into trouble with a smart remark. James is not aware of when he should stop speaking, and for once James is not quick…to apologize.
 
James knows nothing of inland routes. Having been raised on the sea James has never needed to go far inland and because of this, all he knows about roads and trails inland are only versions talked about by villagers on land.

James is very confused around women. As James grew up onboard a ship with a male captain and a nearly all man crew, as well as being a teenager he is very curious about women. He knows very little about them, aside from the fact that some of them might gut you. He's had many bad experiences with the one woman onboard crew with the pirates. James has no idea how to act and often comes across as just plain stupid around women. Women amaze and confuse him more than almost anything else. He holds no delusions of what they are capable of (i.e. stabbing you in the back, or in the front, with a knife) but is all the more confused when one appears kind.

James is scared of horses and other large creatures. James is rarely on land for long periods of time. Because of this, large land creatures make him curious and more than a little wary. James is scared of horses in particular, because they are large animals with strong legs and teeth that could easily kill you.

James fears large fires. Because he has spent his life on sea there normally aren't big fires, and if there are then there's normally trouble. Fire makes him careful if the flame is any bigger than a torch, and, given his reputation for leaping before he looks, being careful means he's probably scared.

History:
James was born to a family made up of a fisherman and his wife, who lived on the coast of the Adanian Sea, near Ciosa. From his father he learned how to sail and guide a ship, as well as swim, at an early age. James loved his life of the sea and took to it right away. By age five he knew everything there was to know about the small fishing vessel his father used, though he was too small to sail it himself. He just seemed to absorb any information about the sea and anything having to do with it. James loved his parents and his life but always seemed to be getting into trouble. He often wandered off alone, leaving his mother quite concerned as to where he was, but he would always return after a day of mischief and adventuring. The neighbors would often find, after these excursions, knots would appear in their fishing nets as if someone was practicing tying, as well as some fish or shells discovered on their doorsteps.

When James was 8, he was kidnapped by pirates, who killed his parents, and kept him to be forced labor aboard a ship. The captain he was captured by was named Captain Gwinn, a dreaded marauder of the coasts. James spent most of his life aboard the ship. Life as forced work, at first, was grueling, hard work with its fair share of beatings, but soon the captain came to realize James’ abilities and knowledge of the seas. Quickly, James became more than just cheap labor, and he became more of Gwinn's favorite pet. As he grew he came to be part of the crew and not just the captured boy. He learned how to use the whip from the different members of the crew and became quite skilled he also learned more about a life at sea and how all the different jobs work. When he turned thirteen, one of the crew members gave him his tattoo, as a sign of becoming a man. His years at sea made him strong and kept him in shape but as he is still a teenager, he is scrawny compared to his fellow sailors.

James got along well, with the rest of the crew, who eventually became used to his presence and put up with him. However there was one member of the crew who terrified him more than any other, Iris, the one female abord the vessel. A more cuthroat pirate would be impossible to meet. She took it as a personal offense that James became "part of the crew" just by being abducted. To James it felt as if she had made it her personal mission to make his life hell. Iris was the pirate that would cut you for looking at her wrong, especially at the wrong time of the month. She gave James many scars and wounds to prove it, it seemed to give her some savage pleasure to see James in pain. It would give Iris no greater pleasure than to see James tortured then painfully killed, however, Captain Gwinn was not going to have his favorite pet killed and made sure his crew understood that. Despite these warnings James learned, that there are many things one can sustain without dying or being killed.
Yet despite Captain Gwinn's "kindness" James knew he was still just a glorified servant and would never truly be free. So after turning sixteen, when the crew had landed under false colors, to replenish supplies and do a little shady business, James secretly jumped ship and joined another crew. Since then he has traveled with a few different crews, on a few different voyages always seeking adventure and on the run from his former master. Captain Gwinn has been searching for James ever since he ran.


Weapons: James fights with a Hrkje Whip that he made himself, for his 12th birthday, which carries with him at all times as sash around him. James also carries a sling, which was a gift from his father when he was a boy, that he ties around his neck so it appears to be a necklace.

Belongings: James does not carry many belongings with him, as he owns very little. He does have a small pouch in which he carries a few coins at all times, he also has a bracelet that belonged to his mother that he wears.

[Alexandre Scriabin]

Welcome to Santharia! You already look well along your way to approval (for not having had any comments so far), if I might say so.

He is rather young, so it is acceptable for him to have a short history section. However, what was life like before slavery? What was slavery like as well? Please be descriptive, as this is important pertaining to his personality.

[James Seabird]

Thank you for your comments. I made some edits to the history section as well as give his weight and height more accurately. It's kind of a rough edit but I think it will suffice nicely. If you have any ideas on how to change it, or thoughts on another spot, or even general ideas for the character please let me know.

[Tervild Jorek]

Good afternoon James,

Being a fellow Avennorian I'd like to provide you with some comments considering you've been waiting for a while now. I'll be making comments and suggestions in light blue and corrections in gold.

Name: James Seabird

Gender: Male

Age:17 I believe this to be real young, nothing wrong with that but it IS a very short amount of time in which your character can learn his skills. Starting young is one thing, but having good reliable skills takes a while to build up.

Race: Human

Tribe: Avennorian

Occupation: Deckhand

Title: The Runaway Pirate

Hair color: Wavy Eophran Brown Hair

Eye Color: Baveras’ eye

Clothing: His clothing is simple; it’s made of cheap material and is made for maneuverability. It bears many signs of being worn on the sea. He has a pair of boots that have a hollowed out watertight heel, in which he stores his money and other belongings. He's worn gloves with the fingers cut off ever since he ran away from pirates to hide his tattoo.

Personality: James is mentally strong and clever who likes an adventurous seaward life. He has more heart than he is normally willing to show to anyone. He puts the well being of others over his own, discreetly, so people will believe him to be tougher than he really is. He has no real desire for treasure or material goods but instead for adventure. He is a good actor and that’s why he’s still alive, despite the different crews he’s worked with. He’s quick on his feet and has a bright personality beneath the façade, those who know him, normally, take a quick liking to him. He doesn't like people who don't pull their weight, as he's been forced to do all his life, but he is sympathetic to those who can't pull much weight at all, i.e. children, the elderly, sick or wounded people. He's good at delegating work fairly among groups of people.

Your strengths appear to be alright and balanced, but I don't think all of them could be found in a boy who is seventeen years of age. Also you should definetly combine similar skills into one paragraph.

Weaknesses:
James is superstitious like most sailors, he can be either overly frightened because of simple wives tales or overly confident bordering on foolhardy because of his desire for adventure and belief of these tales.

James is very adventurous and curious often getting himself into trouble because of his need to satisfy his curiosity.

James is impatient, if something isn’t happening as fast as he would like it to he’ll often get irritable. The exception being that he is not impatient for voyages or adventures to end or for destinations to arrive.

James has a snappy tongue and can often talk his way into trouble with a smart remark. And for once James is not quick…to apologize.

My only comment about your Weaknesses is that I find them to be a lot less than the strengths that you have. Try to add some more weaknesses to your character to balance out his strengths.

History: James was born to a family made up of a fisherman and his wife, who lived on the coast of the Adanian Sea, near Ciosa. From his father he learned how to sail and guide a ship, as well as swim, at an early age. James loved his life of the sea and took to it right away. By age five he knew everything there was to know about the small fishing vessel his father used, though he was too small to sail it himself. He just seemed to absorb any information about the sea and anything having to do with it. James loved his parents and his life but always seemed to be getting into trouble. He often wandered off alone, leaving his mother quite concerned as to where he was, but he would always return after a day of mischief and adventuring. The neighbors would often find, after these excursions, knots would appear in their fishing nets as if someone was practicing tying, as well as some fish or shells discovered on their doorsteps.

When James was 6, he was kidnapped by pirates who killed his parents and sold him to be a slave aboard a ship. The captain he was sold to was named Captain Gwinn, a dreaded marauder of the coasts. James spent most of his life aboard the ship. Life as a slave, at first was grueling, hard work with its fair share of beatings and forced labor, but soon the captain came to realize James’ abilities and knowledge of the seas. Quickly, James became more than just a slave for cheap labor, and he gained more of a direct purpose. As he grew he came to be part of the crew and not just a slave boy. He learned how to use the cutlass from the different members of the crew and became quite skilled. His years at sea made him strong and kept him in shape but due to his teenage years his is a very scrawny person.

 Yet despite all his good treatment James knew he was still just a glorified slave and would never truly be free. So after turning sixteen, James secretly jumped ship at a port, and joined another crew. Since then he has traveled with many different crews, on multiple different voyages always seeking adventure and on the run from his former master. Captain Gwinn has been searching for James ever since he ran.

So some questions about your history. Tieing knots is all good and well, but how much about seafaring can you really understand before the age of five. I'd imagine it to be difficult to learn how to be really good at swimming given just four years. As for becoming a slave, there doesn't seem to be a real reason for the captain to make you part of his crew even if your character has a good knowledge of the sea. How is it that the cook gives your a character a cutlass and yet is never mentioned in the history? Also if your character is still being hunted by this pirate than shouldn't that be one of your weaknesses?

Weapons: James fights with a cutlass that he got for his 12th birthday, from the cook on Captain Gwinn’s crew, which carries with him at all times in a sheath. James also carries a sling, which was a gift from his father when he was a boy, that he ties around his neck so it appears to be a necklace.

All around a pretty good CD, but still in need of a little more work. Try to make him as realistic as possible, and take your time. Read over your own work a couple of times, maybe read it out loud and check to make sure there is some kind of fluidity in how you've written. I've noticed some small places where the wording is a little strange in my opinion, but I think you've got the gist of how to make a good CD. Take your time and enjoy writing your character up

[Loralon Starstruck]

Dude you've got a great cd man keep working at it and it will be approved in no time 

[Ceriwyn]

Hello, James!

I'm also fond of your CD. I glanced over some of the comments you received, including the comment about needing more weaknesses. I think there are a lot of weaknesses your character has that you don't mention simply because they're assumed. I'm not very good at this, and I don't know if these would count, but perhaps these might be considered weaknesses:

1. Being unfamiliar with land roads: i.e. being uncertain as to common geographical and road markings (sign posts and whatnot) and traveling on foot across land. Deklitch mentioned on my CD that the weaknesses are in comparison to a common peasants: most common peasants would know how to travel by road and what roads might be unsafe (i.e. roads easily or commonly patrolled by bandits and the like). However, given your character has spent most his life of the sea, he probably would not.

2. I wonder if, being at sea most of the while and not being accustomed to land, your character might have a certain nervousness for large animals. I knew a fellow once who was nervous around horses and refused to ride them because they were such large, powerful, and occasionally capricious creatures that he feared getting bucked off, bit, or kicked.

3. I'm not sure of the gender of Captain Gwinn, but I wonder about the gender make-up of your ship. If ship crews to which your character in generally accustomed are primarily male, you might consider a weaknesses related to females--perhaps his minimal contact yet overwhelming curiosity with regards to women makes him easily disarmed by them.

4. I realize fear of fire is a fairly common weakness (even my character has it!), but on a ship, if something catches fire, it's not enough just to get out, because the see is right beyond the hull. If a fire gets too massive, it's all the crew's lives. Perhaps a fear of fire might also plague your sailor lad?

Just a few ideas! Good luck with your CD.

-Ceriwyn

[James Seabird]

Thank you very much for your suggestions. Sorry it took me so long to respond, I was a little busy these last few days. I welcome any commentary anyone is willing to give. Please keep commenting.

[Fu Luft]

Hi James, and welcome to Santharia from me! You’ve done a lot right here, have sown some seeds for suspenseful roleplay (those strangers entering the tavern, looking at James and whispering amongst themselves – are they Gwinn’s henchmen, out to catch the fugitive?), and your character is quite rounded. I’ve got only one major concern: James’s weaknesses, although numerous, all sound rather mild to me, and at present I’m not convinced they balance out his considerable strengths. I think you either need to tone down some of the strengths, add a severely limiting weakness, or make one or three of the existing weaknesses stronger. I’ll have a few suggestions below, among the more minor comments, so bear with me.

Name: James Seabird

Gender: Male

Age:17

Race: Human

Tribe: Avennorian

Occupation: Deckhand

Title: The Runaway Pirate

Hair color: Wavy Eophran Brown Hair

Eye Color: Baveras’ eye

(Please add here James’s height and weight in tabular format also, like the hair colour, eye colour, etc. It makes the information easier to find for players who will roleplay with you and just want to have a quick look – eg to check whether their character is taller or shorter than yours, etc.)

Physical Appearance: James is tall for his age, about one ped, two fores, 1 palmspan and 3 nailbreadths tall. He’s tanned from constant sun exposure on the deck of a ship, lanky build, and he’s flexible, yet strong as any sailor should be. He weighs 1 Pygge, 5 Hebs, 2 Ods, and 4 Mut. He has sharp features and an intelligent face. He has a bright smile placed in a sun kissed face. He also bears a tattoo of a gull, wings spread, on the back of his left hand near his wrist. On his back are scars from when he was beaten and whipped as a slave.

Clothing: His clothing is simple; it’s made of cheap material and is made for maneuverability. It bears many signs of being worn on the sea. He has a pair of boots that have a hollowed out watertight heel, in which he stores his money and other belongings. He's worn gloves with the fingers cut off ever since he ran away from pirates to hide his tattoo.

Personality: James is mentally strong and clever who likes an adventurous seaward life. (Either say: “James is mentally strong and clever and likes an adventurous life at sea.” or: "James is a mentally strong and clever young lad, who likes an adventurous life at sea.") He has more heart than he is normally willing to show to anyone. He puts the well being of others over his own, discreetly, so people will believe him to be tougher than he really is. He has no real desire for treasure or material goods but instead for adventure. He is a good actor and that’s why he’s still alive, despite the different crews he’s worked with. He’s quick on his feet and has a bright personality beneath the façade, those who know him, normally, take a quick liking to him. He doesn't like people who don't pull their weight, as he's been forced to do all his life, but he is sympathetic to those who can't pull much weight at all, i.e. children, the elderly, sick or wounded people. He's good at delegating work fairly among groups of people. (From your description, I understand what James is like ‘beneath the façade’, but I don’t actually understand what the façade is. Misanthropic? Pugnacious? Aloof? The only hint you provide, as far as I can see, is that James wants others to see him as tough. Maybe you could expand on that a bit? It’s also important for you yourself to get this aspect clear in your head, because you’ll have to play this façade in roleplay.)

(About Strengths and Weaknesses: I quite like it when CD writers provide a short headline term for each strength and weakness, e.g. your first three could be Fast in the rigging,  Swimming,  Cutlass. Most approved CDs do that, and I think it’s good practice. That way, a reader can get a quick overview, or even, if one has read your CD before, one can just quickly remind themselves of the key points.)

Strengths:
James is fast. In the rigging, on the ground, in the water, climbing up and down he moves as fast as possible. His speed is part of what keeps him alive in a fight. He can maneuver the rigging of any ship with great ease, seeming more to fly than to climb, which is where he got his name.

James can swim, a surprisingly rare gift among sailors. (Well done for thinking of that! One shouldn’t take the ability for swim for granted, quite right!)

James is well versed in using the cutlass. He learned how to use it while at sea and, having sailed with pirates, has learned how to use it extremely well/effectively, much better than your average sailor. (… but not as good as a fully adult pirate, maybe? This could be an opportunity to limit a strength.) James can also use a sling with some proficiency and has pinpoint accuracy from up to 18 peds. (Two points: 1. The skill with the sling is a separate strength, and should have its own paragraph.   2. Pinpoint accuracy on 18 peds is hard to achieve with a bow, but with a sling it’s a rare feat, I’d say. You could say something like: “… He has a good chance of hitting an object the size of a dog from a distance of 12 (? - suggestion) ped.” … Incidentally, what does he use as ammunition for his sling? There are not so many stones to be found on a ship … Does he keep a collection, replenishing when he goes on land?)

James has a bright personality that makes him quite likable and he gets along well with others. He’s learned from experience, if you don’t act as a team on a ship then you won’t be acting as anything for long.

James has a large amount of nautical knowledge and can manage just about any position on a ship with ease. … (I think you need to specify this. At present, this could be interpreted to mean that he could, for example, command a ship like a captain, or steer a ship through a storm. Both are unlikely given his age and the sort of positions he would have been allowed to take on board so far. Also, these would be rather big strengths. I suggest you specify more clearly what he can and can’t do. (It’s a good idea to write a sentence or two about the limits  of a strength sometimes) Can he navigate? Does he know the right sail to set in each kind of wind? Or is his knowledge more to do with the different types of knots and when to apply them, which fish are edible and which aren’t, what the weather is going to be like tomorrow when the sky is purple in the east tonight, etc….).

James is strong. His life at sea tugging ropes, hauling rigging, carrying barrels has left him as strong as any sailor should be.

James can read. As a man of the sea James doesn't have much use for reading, but he can read a little, though he's better at reading charts than books.

James can see really well in the dark. Onboard a ship if you’re sailing blind then you’re  in big trouble. So James has trained himself in a way to see long distances even by the dim torchlight aboard his vessel. (Can you train the ability to see in the dark? I genuinely don’t know!)

Weaknesses:
James is superstitious like most sailors, he can be either overly frightened because of simple wives’ tales (or sailors’ yarn?) or overly confident bordering on foolhardy because of his desire for adventure and belief of these tales. (There is an opportunity to make this weakness more severe. Maybe he believes that a woman on board means bad luck, and maybe this superstition would extend to adventures undertaken on land, which should make for interesting roleplay with female characters? Or he has other concrete superstitions (a cloud shaped like a shark means there is danger ahead, and you shouldn’t start a new adventure that day?). Feel free to make up some concrete detail, so that we can imagine how this weakness would limit James.)

James is very adventurous and curious (add comma) often getting himself into trouble because of his need to satisfy his curiosity.

James is impatient, if something isn’t happening as fast as he would like it to he’ll often get irritable. The exception being that he is not impatient for voyages or adventures to end or for destinations to arrive.

James has a snappy tongue and can often talk his way into trouble with a smart remark. And for once James is not quick…to apologize.
 
James knows nothing of inland routes. Having been raised on the sea James has never needed to go far inland and because of this, all he knows about roads and trails inland are only versions talked about by villagers on land (add comma) normally in fishing villages.

As James grew up onboard a ship with a male captain and a nearly all man crew, as well as being a teenager he is very curious about women. He knows very little about them aside from some of them might gut you. (bad experience with the woman onboard with pirates) (This sentence in brackets is not a full sentence. I believe you meant to spell this out in more detail? I’d be interested to know more!) He can easily find himself in a very awkward situation when it comes to his experiences with women. (I’m not quite sure how this weakness affects him, and how exactly he reacts to women. Is he shy? Buffoonish? Alternatingly reserved and too forthright? Superstitious? Again, you also have an opportunity here to make this weakness more severe.)

James is rarely on land for long periods of time so large, land creatures have (‘make’ instead of ‘have’?) him curious and more than a little wary. James is a little (if you cut out ‘a little’, this would make the weakness more severe, and get you a bit closer to being balanced!) scared of horses in particular, as they are large animals with strong legs and teeth that could easily step on and kill you.

James fears large fires. Because he has spent his life on sea there normally aren't big fires, and if there are then there's normally trouble. Fire makes him careful if it’s much bigger than a torch, and given his reputation for looking before he leaps, being careful means he's more than a little scared.

History: James was born to a family made up of a fisherman and his wife, who lived on the coast of the Adanian Sea, near Ciosa. From his father he learned how to sail and guide a ship, as well as swim, at an early age. James loved his life of the sea and took to it right away. By age five he knew everything there was to know about the small fishing vessel his father used, though he was too small to sail it himself. He just seemed to absorb any information about the sea and anything having to do with it. James loved his parents and his life but always seemed to be getting into trouble. He often wandered off alone, leaving his mother quite concerned as to where he was, but he would always return after a day of mischief and adventuring. The neighbors would often find, after these excursions, knots would appear in their fishing nets as if someone was practicing tying, as well as some fish or shells discovered on their doorsteps.

When James was 6, he was kidnapped by pirates who killed his parents and sold him to be a slave aboard a ship. The captain he was sold to was named Captain Gwinn, a dreaded marauder of the coasts. James spent most of his life aboard the ship. Life as a slave, at first was grueling, hard work with its fair share of beatings and forced labor, but soon the captain came to realize James’ abilities and knowledge of the seas. Quickly, James became more than just a slave for cheap labor, and he gained more of a direct purpose. As he grew he came to be part of the crew and not just a slave boy. He learned how to use the cutlass from the different members of the crew and became quite skilled. His years at sea made him strong and kept him in shape (add comma) but due to his teenage years his is a very scrawny person. (Maybe clearer:  “… but as he is still a teenager, he is scrawny compared to his fellow sailors.”)

Yet despite all his good treatment James knew he was still just a glorified slave and would never truly be free. So after turning sixteen, James secretly jumped ship at a port, and joined another crew. (Wait a minute. The pirate ship just docked at any old port next to merchant ships? That’s a strange kind of pirate, and a strange kind of harbour authority to let this happen. Or did the pirates conceal their identity? Maybe give us some detail?) Since then he has traveled with many different crews, on multiple different voyages always seeking adventure and on the run from his former master. Captain Gwinn has been searching for James ever since he ran.

Weapons: James fights with a cutlass that he got for his 12th birthday, from the cook on Captain Gwinn’s crew, which carries with him at all times in a sheath. James also carries a sling, which was a gift from his father when he was a boy, that he ties around his neck so it appears to be a necklace.

Belongings: James does not carry many belongings with him, as he owns very little. He does have a small pouch in which he carries a few coins at all times, he also has a bracelet that belonged to his mother that he wears.

Overall, a good CD with some well thought-through detail. Most things I pointed out shouldn’t be difficult to fix. But as I said, you’ll need to do some work to get your character balanced in terms of strengths and weaknesses, I think.

Good luck!

Fu

[Deklitch Hardin]

James,

Fu has made many great points here. I've changed your icon to pencil for you until you've done so. When you've finished making your changes, please make a brief note in this thread to that effect. Don't forget to colour your changes.

Dek

[Leif Terskun]

Hi James,

I'm aware that you have a pencil, but I would just like to second Fu's comment about the cutlass - it is quite an expensive object, there is no reason in your history for the cook to give one to a slave, and he was 12?! I wouldn't do that...or would I ... Anyway, I would say that, considering that, you can cut the cutlass, make him fight only with a sling, and thus remove:
- An implausibility in the history - why would the cook give him it?
- A tricky point of how he was trained - who would let him keep it, a slave?
- And a strength from your, by all accounts unbalanced, list - a sword is quite a useful addition to a character's arsenal.

If you really want a weapon skill, might I suggest he get the cutlass later (as in after he jumps ship) or even uses a different weapon? Avennorians use knives (which would be cheaper), or even the Hrkje Whip, which is cheap and non-lethal and he could have made one himself, and with his strength he would be great with it.

So anyway, just some ideas. And if you keep it as it is, you should probably explain in the history.

Leif

[James Seabird]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions they're extremely helpful. I think I have addressed most if not all of the comments given. If I have missed any please let me know. Thank you for the suggestion of the whip I think it works much better than the cutlass.

Does anyone know if there's a spot on Santharia for common superstitions? Or will I have to look more online for those?

Please continue to give comments and suggestions.

[Leif Terskun]

The whip was no problem, glad to promote my little pets amongs the RP community. I'm glad it works.

As for superstitions, you could try the Site Search, but almost anything will do. Make it up, if you must. No-one can document every superstition, and if push comes to shove you can make one a superstition that he "picked up from one of his crews" and is found no-where else, I suppose. Or of course a Google Search for Superstition is your best friend. A list may be good, however.

[Fu Luft]

Hi James,

it would be helpful if you could colour all  your changes, not just some. But I've read through your Strength & Weaknesses section, and your changes are definitely in the right direction. I'll leave it to the mods to judge whether you're balanced now, or not.

Regarding superstitions: we have surprisingly little specific descriptions of superstitions in the compendium. One idea that could fit for your character would be the gobbleswap-lore. It's a belief about a strange sort of 'curse' one can acquire by eating an animal that has itself been cursed by eating a smaller animal that has itself been cursed by eating ... (etc.). If it interests you, have a read.

Being paranoid about gobbleswaps could mean, for example, that James refuses to eat certain kinds of fish, or may, when the fear hits him, refuse to eat any fish or any animals at all. (Or maybe all land animals are suspicious to him, and he fears that they're all possessed by gobbleswaps?)

In any case, feel free to make up superstitions yourself, as Leif has said while I was writing this post. Not everything in your CD has to be based on a compendium entry.

Good luck,

Fu

[Leif Terskun]

Hey James,

Just a small thing. In personality you imply that it takes time to get to know James, but then say that people "like him quickly"? Would it not be better to say that "people who know him usually like him", not quickly? Maybe I'm being hypersensitive.

Leif

[James Seabird]

Thank you for your advice. I don't think I'll use the gobbleswaps idea though, it seems too crippling of a weakness. James would wind up starving. Though I am having trouble coming up with a good superstitions. Though I've found some that I'll use (i.e. avoid redheads and flatfoots when starting a voyage.) Most superstitions are not crippling but just sort of side things, like no whistling, take care of cats.
I was thinking about adding a fear of rabbits. If one is found near or in/on a ship you should not sail that day but it seems to apply more to his animal fear weaknesses.

I think I will leave the superstitions weakness description where it is for now, and hope it provides enough detail. Any comments and/or suggestions are very much welcomed, whether about superstitions or something totally different.




EDIT: I did find one superstition that could lead to some great lines, and interesting dialogue. It's bad luck to kill a seabird.

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