16 February 2016

Dougal MacConnor

Got him converted to 4e and reverted to a starting point value.

150/50/5.

Made a couple changes to match the character as I remember playing him rather than what was on his original sheet.

A quartermaster worth the confidence of the crew should have some points in accounting.  Thanks to forgetting the huge bonus Absolute Direction gives to Navigation/TL4 I had the points to spare.

Dougal was a Catholic Scot, along the way he's lost his Faith..  From the mid 1600's.  Not a popular fellow as the Scottish Reformation is going on.  He's educated and lettered, but had no place to run.

While trying to decide where he could hide his faith, he "fell asleep" in a Glasgow pub.  What happened when he woke up?  He was at sea!  And a sailor in the English Navy (don't call it Royal!).

Passing from ship to ship, learning all the while, and with captains of decreasing legitimacy... he eventually ended up in Port Royal and perfectly willing to fight for his own profit.  His natural dislike of The Sassanach has been carefully nurtured to a burning hatred under English captain after English captain.  He lives in a state of denial that Cap'n Rathburn is English, "Ain't Rathboorn some kinna Welsh name?"

Luckily, the Navigation Acts created a target rich environment and a ready supply of buyers for goods without tariffs attached to them.

On the approach he prefers to take pot-shots with a musket, but when boarding it's an edged rapier with a basket hilt and either a buckler or main-gauche depending on the level of resistance.  He carries no less than six pistols and three daggers (for throwing) when he goes over the rail and thinks of himself as unarmed if the number of weapons on his person drops below three.

Uncharacteristically for the age, he wears a jerkin of medium leather in combat; calculating he's a strong enough swimmer that the extra weight won't drown him should he go over the side.

He's trusted by both Captain Rathburn and the crew of The Reaver.

2 comments:

  1. Hmm. Ever read the Captain Alatriste novels of Arturo Perez-Reverte? Approximately the same time period (actually a little earlier). Alatriste and other swordsmen in the books wear Buff Coats, heavy leather jerkins which were some protection against sword and dagger blows. Good series of novels.

    A sword of the type you mention is the Bilbo, a straight-bladed short rapier with a cup hilt.

    Another choice for an offhand weapon on shipboard is the boarding axe, a sort of tomahawk.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's using the full length rapier, mostly just to be different.

      Delete

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