Jet Foundling

Background

Powers & Abilities

Jet is slowly gaining experience, and is hardening as a traveller and fighter.

Dies iræ

Ms. Foundling and her party have gotten into quite a few fights with wild animals, small parties of humanoid raiders, bandits, etc..

At first, it is violent death at her hand that gives Jet a surge of eldritch energy. Soon, she manages to produce this power as she *enters* a fight to the death.

These repeated surges affect her body, gradually making her an inch taller and making her muscles even harder. It also eats away at her physical awkwardness, making it easier to stand tall and move confidently without feeling ashamed.

Jet fights to kill. In a D&D environment that’s normal, and fighting to subdue is a tortuous proposition.

But beyond that, Ms. Foundling enters a deadly battle trance once her eyes catch fire. Eventually, fighting for sport or even sparring becomes infeasible.

(In-video-game, Jet relies on a berserker ability. It is downplayed here, since this video game ability’s cooldown will be closely managed. As a result, it’s always on during difficult battles. Thus, it is in practice her baseline state. Her non-berserk levels only occur during easy battles, where the difference is irrelevant.)

He demurred, “I choose death for my domain.”

The surges often include dark flames pouring out of Jet’s eyes. If the fight lasts the flames gradually rise and encircle her scalp, where they slowly form a crown of fire floating around her head.

Her hair may also catch fire, but this is a low-temperature flame which usually consumes the oxygen under her helmet then dies out.

Jet’s tissues aren’t damaged at all by this fire. And while it lasts she is faster, tougher, indefatigable and practically immune to mental assaults (such as spells of fear).

If a fight were to really, really last the crown of fire would be orbited by droplets of burning blood. The flame would also extend to cover her face and form a skull shape. But this would take unusual circumstances, like an extended battle between large armies.

(This fire thing is a cosmetic embellishment for this version of CHARNAME. It isn’t in the BG1 game.)

Soundtrack

That was part of the audial mood board for the character. The mood board was on the loud and noisy side, as we’ll see. Early 1990s low-fi wall of sound visceral garage rock, mated with some good poetry.

Of course, the latter is lost if you don’t speak foreign. But I’m told the public seems more ready for songs in foreignese these days, perhaps thanks to the success of Hispanophone music.

History

(This starts *right* where the previous entry ended. And by this points, we got for all sorts of S P O I L E R S everywhere.)

As the ecstatic sensation receded and her eyes stopped burning, the alarmed Jet sought Gorion  out. Whilst she tried one of his usual haunts, another amateur assassin tried to strike.

This time Foundling was armed and ready. The inept attacker had his skull smashed in without getting closer than four feet of his target. The wave of heat and pleasure was less overwhelming this time.

When Jet found Gorion, he immediately proceeded to the gate of Candlekeep. They hurriedly left in the evening rain.

The lass told her mentor what had happened as they briskly walked away from the keep. Gorion simply listened, his grave concerns growing.

Ambush !

In the darkness and rain, Gorion and Jet were ambushed by a party of five. It included some sort of dark knight and two ogres.

The knight demanded that Gorion surrender his ward. The sage refused, ordered Jet to run and started fighting the ambushers.

Though Gorion was mighty enough to fell most attackers by himself, he was killed by the knight. Meanwhile, Jet reflexively obeyed Gorion and fled into the night. She got lost, stopped running and realised she had to wait in hiding until morning.

Daylight allowed her to locate the road again. This in turn allowed Imoen to find her. Her sister had slipped out of Candlekeep to follow Gorion and Jet, and had witnessed the battle.

By that point, the sisters were all alone in the wilderness. Without Gorion, they couldn’t return to Candlekeep, which had stringent procedures for entry and little love for them.

But before he died, Gorion had ordered Jet to find his friends Jaheira and Khalid. They were waiting for Gorion at the Friendly Arms Inn, down the road to the East.

After burying their ward’s body, the girls left for the Inn.

The Friendly Arms fortified inn.

Sisters in (Friendly) Arms

There was a fourth assassination attempt within. Jet and Imoen but narrowly survived this attack.

Still, they found Gorion’s friends. Khalid and Jaheira had been sent to assess the situation in the Nashkel mines, to the South. This was where most of the local iron was produced.

The “disease” making iron brittle was a major threat, since :

The Western road to Candlekeep remained safe-ish, since it wasn’t seeing much trade in metal. But the Southern and Northern roads were turning into war zones.

Forsooth, a quest !

Jet and Imoen joined Gorion’s friends on their mission. Being marked for death, they had little alternative.

Howbeit, Jet got into an incidental conversation with a crotchety old woman. This lady had recently lost a prized ring to a gang of hobgoblin mutton-mongering riff-raff. Of course, Foundling offered to help, dragging the brand-new party into (victorious) battle.

This was but the first of many, many similar incidents. Many, many.

This irritated Jaheira, who wanted to focus on their job. However, Jaheira was consistently outvoted by her bleeding heart companions. And everything irritates her, anyway.

Journey to the South

The party headed South, first reaching Beregost. Incidents in and around Beregost included :

During that span, no assassin caught up with them. But as Jet gloomily suspected, things were about to get worse.

The centre of Beregost, as it appears in-game.

Personality

After the first few incidents with the burning eyes, it has become obvious why Gorion ran Jet through so much training since she was a wee bairn.

But that doesn’t explain anything about her nature, who’s chasing her and what’s the tie with the iron crisis (if any).

Running scared

In the meanwhile Jet stays on the move to remain an elusive target. Yet she has to make compromises, since Jaheira and Khalid have a mission they’re not going to abandon.

Furthermore, Jet can’t help but to take the time to help people in need.

Moreover, Imoen pressures the crew into taking mercenary jobs to have money and buy stuff.

So, yes, okay. But *generally*, they’re on the move.

Jet’s earliest armour. Full chainmail hauberk with spaulders and a deer leather surcot, full helm, tower shield, stompy boots. The “tabard” is actually an old, discarded work dress from the inn hastily re-tailored to hide Candlekeep insignia.

Other traits

Jet’s gloomy, pessimistic nature is still evident despite Imoen’s efforts. However, Ms. Foundling takes genuine pleasure in helping people (particularly children). In this way, she’s finding a balance that eluded her in Candlekeep.

And though she prefers stability, she’s learning to like the freedom of the road and to be more assertive.

But in a gloomy and pessimistic way.

She’s also slowly realising that she’s no longer in a closed, small community. She and Imoen no longer are the local reprobates – they’re tough travellers in a dangerous land.

But though it is dawning on her that she no longer has to apologise for how she looks and sounds, Jet is at that point still too busy adapting to her new circumstances.

When will you rage ?

Early on, Jet struggles with her deadly battle trances, and the waves of pleasure that result from killing. Given her previously boring, timid and unpleasant life these come as a shock.

However, whatever temptation this violence may represent miserably fails. It goes splat against Jet’s spiritual resolve, lifelong training and discipline, and perhaps Gorion’s magical wards.

She quickly accepts these brutal in-the-zone moments as being part of her, but not defining who she is.

They’re just a tool, under her full control. Within a fortnight, Ms. Foundling learns to stop these killing trances cold, immediately regaining her full composure. This is impressive to see.

Though Gorion was mostly incompetent at parenting, the training and protections he gave Jet seem to be paying off.

Ambush ! But with added brightness, since you can’t see spit in night scenes in the game.

Quotes

Imoen (sickened after her first fight to the death): “I’m not going to vomit. I’m so not not not going to vomit. You’re okay sis ?”
Jet (in her natural, booming voice): “I am fine. Content. Satiated.”
Imoen: “Uuuuuuhh Jeeeet your eyes are… you knoooww… burning ?”
Jet (returning to her girl voice): “It looks a bit scary, but… I think it’s okay ?”
Imoen (frantically waving her hands at random): “‘A bit’ ?! JJEEEETT ! Your EYES are on FIRE ! With FLAMES big like my HANDS !”

Kessy (yelling and crying in the woods): “JUMPEEEER ! JUMMMPEEEEER ! Waaaahh !”
Jet: “Well met, child.”
(Kessy stares at Jet in dumbstruck terror).
Imoen (randomly waving her hands): “It’s okay it’s okay she’s my sister.”
Jet (crouching and extending her hand toward Kessy): “These are dangerous woods. You need to go home. Who is Jumper ?”
Kessy (hesitantly shaking Jet’s begauntleted pinky and sniffling a lot): “H-he’s my pet r-rabbit. He ran a-away into the woods.” (resumes crying)
Jet: “We’ll look for him, but first we’re taking you back to Beregost. What colour is Jumper ?”
(Behind Jet, Imoen looks at Jaheira, inclines her head to the side, rolls her eyes, lets her tongue hang out and makes a “hang me now” gesture behind her own neck. Jaheira sighs LOUDLY. Khalid looks around in case he spots a rabbit.)
Kessy (sniffling): “Dad says he’s blue but really his fur is grey.”
(Jet gets Kessy to sit on her shoulder, then rises and starts walking back toward Beregost in huge strides.)
Kessy (hanging on for dear life): “You are very tall.”
Imoen (trotting behind Jet): “She ate all my soup.”

D&D 5^th edition stats

Since the experience is halved (this is a *modded* version of BG1), the characters are remarkably well-equipped for their level. They have much more time to round up funds and loot during a given level, and there are a few magic items for sale here and there.

Which is good, since the lack of experience points means that they are fighting higher-level oppositions than they should.

Murder, she smote (part 1)

There’s no real RAW way to emulate the BG1 build in D&D Fifth Edition as of this writing. The Berserker Primal Path is close, but the Barbarian class it belongs to puts a lot of emphasis on not wearing heavy armour. And Jet is strongly established as wearing full plate.

It’d be possible to do some… exotic multi-classing things using Sorcerer or Paladin levels, but that leads to odd side-effects. And these take us further off-target.

The proposed solution is a new Martial Archetype for the Fighter class. What makes it tidy is that Jet will stop levelling in Fighter by level 6. So we only need to define the 3^rd Fighter level ability. Since she’ll never touch level 7+.

You can further decree that this Archetype is only available to someone of Jet’s… specific parentage (let’s keep avoiding overt spoilers).

Berserker’s surge

Beginning when you choose this archetype at 3^rd level, you can choose to experience a Berserker’s Surge when taking an Action Surge. The additional effects start on the round of the Action Surge. Like a Barbarian’s Rage they last for a minute.

Said additional effects are :

If an Action Surge is turned into a Berserker Surge, it cannot be recovered with a short rest. Only a long rest will do.

Murder, she smote (part 2)

The Cure Light Wound ability is part of the BG1 campaign. The Player Character gains “free” spell-like powers at the close of each game chapter.

The character will soon read a Tome of Leadership and Influence (from the BG1 Gnoll Stronghold zone), which is already worked in below. The effects have been assumed to be the same as the 5^th edition item, which also means that the maximum Charisma score is raised by 2.

BG1 has the full range of attributes-increasing manuals, further raising the attributes of most versions of CHARNAME to alarming levels.

Jet Foundling (Fighter 4)

Medium humanoid (human), Neutral Good

Armor Class 23 (Plate, shield +1, ring of protection, cloak of travel)
Hit Points 45 (Hit Dice 1d10)
Speed 30ft

Proficiencies (+2 proficiency bonus)
Saving Throws Strength +8, Constitution +5, others have a +1 from the ring.
Skills Arcana +4, Athletics +7, History +4, Perception +6.
Armor All, shields.
Weapons Simple, martial.
Tools Calligrapher’s supplies.
Senses Passive Perception 16.
Languages Common, Thorasta, Chondathan.

Flail +2 Melee Weapon Attack +9 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target, 1d8+7 bludgeoning damage.

Second wind Regains 1d10 +4 hit points. Recovered after a short+ rest.
Action surge One additional action during a round. Recovered after a short+ rest.
Berserker surge See above.
Cure light wound Cast as a spell-like power, recovered after a long rest.
Two-weapon fighting style Irrelevant for now, as Jet prefers to use a shield.

Shield +1.
Ring of protection +1.
Boots of the winterland Resistance to cold damage, ignore difficult terrain created by ice/snow, can tolerate very low temperatures. Attuned.
Cloak of travel +1 AC, half-resistance to cold and fire damage (i.e. reduce damage by 25%, rounding damage up).
Helm of infravision.

By Sébastien Andrivet.

Source of Character: Baldur’s Gate computer RPG.

Helper(s): Darci.

Writeup completed on the 28^th of August, 2017.