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Sunday, April 29, 2012

T&T 7.5 Creature Feature # 27


A new kindred by your humble host here at TROLL HAMMER...

Kindred: Boglyn

Attribute Modifiers:
STR      .50
CON      .50
DEX      2
INT       2
LK        1.5
CHR      .50
WIZ      1.5
HT        .40
WT       .40

Type: Boglyns are their own Type and Kindred
Level Attributes: Dex, Int, Wiz, Lk

Special Damage: Normal Spite Damage; Extra Attack: Tail Whip (4 dice).
Special Abilities: Magic use (see below); may have Talents; tough, thick skin absorbs 5 hits.

History and Description:
Boglyn history is a complete mystery, and they are loathe to speak of their past. Some say they come from another world, others say another dimension. Only solitary males have ever been encountered, and of those, virtually all are hermits living in caves, towers, or woodland cabins. They often dwell in bogs, swamps, woodlands, or broken lands to facilitate their love of privacy. Despite their seemingly xenophobic nature, they do like to establish their dwelling within a few days journey of some sort of settlement where they may trade for or purchase supplies and equipment. Boglyns do not get along with one another, and will always act with hostility when encountering their own kind. They will occasionally leave their solitude to search for and acquire magic and treasure, most often solo, but very rarely they will join a party of delvers. Boglyns are usually NPCs, but player characters are possible, with a strict limit of one per delving party.

Boglyns are slightly less than half the size and weight of a human. They appear as short, old human men, but twisted and gnarled. They have thick, tough leathery skin (absorbs 5 hits as armor) that ranges from a creamy tan to a deep chocolate brown in color. They never wear armor, but rather dress in normal or magical clothing. They have stiff, wiry grey, white, or black hair. Eye color ranges from a pale yellow to a piercing, fiery golden. They have tiny, jagged teeth, bony fingers, and large, long noses. They also have thin tails that are as long as they are tall, which they can use as a whip (4 dice). This whip attack acts as an extra attack each combat round during melee and is in addition to any other missile or melee attack. Boglyns favor daggers or staves for melee and hand crossbows, blowpipes, chakram, and especially gunnes/pistols (when they can get them) for missile weapons.

Due to their lives of solitude, intense magical study and practice, and deep attunement with kremm, Boglyns automatically learn 1 level of spells per level they have attained, cumulative. For example, a 3rd level Boglyn would receive 1 level of spells for 1st level, 2 for 2nd, and 3 for 3rd, for a total of 6 levels of spells. So, he may choose six 1st level spells, or four 1st and a 2nd, or three 2nd, or a 3rd and a 2nd and a 1st (they may not choose spells at levels higher than their Type Level), etc. This applies even for a starting character. Selections may not be changed, when a spell is selected, it is forever. Boglyns may not use foci.

Boglyns have a deep love of all things magical, and of mechanical gadgets of all types. They are obsessed with acquiring such items, and will go to great lengths to do so. Their choice of Talents often reflects this: Alchemy, Magic Lore, History, Tinkering, Engineering, and Scribe, to name a few. They are also very fond of missile weapons, and many have a Talent for Marksmanship. As any other character, a starting Boglyn receives one Talent, and they may gain additional Talents when gaining levels. Higher level Boglyns may create magic items as wizards.

As mentioned, Boglyns are generally solitary hermits, and most have a fairly gruff and rude personality. While they will sometimes ally themselves with others, there must be some clear cut benefit to the Boglyn, and when the usefulness of the alliance has expired, the Boglyn will quickly move on. Developing a true friendship with a Boglyn is an extremely rare event, but, conversely, Boglyns are known for some level of loyalty to former allies they parted with peacefully.


Sample Boglyn

Name: Morug Invan Dulin
2nd Level Boglyn

Str: 5
Con: 8
Dex: 18
Spd: 12
Int: 24
Wiz: 20
Luck: 18
Cha: 4
Ht: 2’6”
Wt: 60 lbs.

Adds: +8

Talent: Magic Lore (Int + 5)
Spells (3 levels total): Detect Magic, Omnipotent Eye

Weapons: Staff, Dagger, Blowpipe (darts laced with Hellfire juice), Fire stick pistol

Notes: Morug has recently ‘acquired’ a small cabin in a thick stretch of forest less than 10 days walk to a large town. He has been studying magical items and their history and usage for a long time, and is now ready to begin accumulating his own collection. He recently began studying Alchemy as well, and is on the lookout for further texts and manuscripts to aid in his studies. His tiny cabin is relatively neat, but is crammed full of books, scrolls, and ancient manuscripts, as well as a small set of Alchemical equipment he is using in his self-education. Morug also wishes for a familiar, some sort of beastie that can act as a companion and guardian, so he is always on the lookout for an opportunity to get one.

Copyright © 2012, Paul Ingrassia
Artwork is free for use 
clip art

2 comments:

  1. What a great new kindred!!

    The Boglyn silhoutte is reminicent of the old 80's micro-games or my favorite strategy game Divine Right. What a wonderful way to kickstart the imagination.

    I will have to try a boglyn character.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Brian. The Boglyn is a kindred I have had kicking around in my head for a while. I ran across the silhouette at a free clip art site and knew I had found my Boglyn.

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