Caleb Breckson
Just about 6 foot tall with average build, brown hair and blue eyes, Caleb looks rugged but kempt, a working man. At first glance one might mistake him for nobility with his trimmed appearance but his demeanor and simple clothes belies this.
Description
Fighter (Myrmidon kit)
STR 14 DEX 12 CON 17 INT 10 WIS 14 CHA 13 – AC 7 (6 w/shield) HP 11 – 5’11" 173 lbs. 20 yrs.
Non Weapon Proficiencies: Hunting(wis -1), Endurance(con 0), Direction sense(wis +1), Animal handling(wis -1), Fire-building(wis-1), Ancient (Military) History(int-1)
Weapon Proficiencies: Steady Hand (AD&D combat at tactics book. hadda dig and look for it but i found it, lol. Uses weapon proficiency slot to fill. “Characters with this talent are excellent shots with bows or crossbows. They have an unusually good eye for distance, a knack for judging a tricky shot, and a smooth and easy aim and release. If the character takes a full round to aim his shot (i.e., voluntarily holds his action until last in the round) he suffers no penalty for a medium-range shot and only a -2 penalty for a long-range shot. If the character would normally receive multiple attacks with his weapon, he has to forfeit them in order to use this talent-he can make only one shot per round”.)
Short Bow
Spec. Hvy. X-bow
Spear ‘tight group’ (spear, javelin, long spear, harpoon, trident)
Gear:
Warm set of cloting including hat, vest, cloak, gloves (spent 10 gp on this to simulate extra lining because of cold climate) nothing expensive, just warm.
Studded Lthr. + Sm. Shield (usually slung over shoulder or on pack mule if travelling)
Lg. Beltpouch (empty)
Sm. Beltpouch (under vest, for coins and valuables) 5gp 10sp 5cp
Short Sword & scabbard
Dagger & sheath
Backpack (whetstone, flint/steel, Hemp rope, torch (x2), Lg. Sack, 10 quarrels)
Waterskin
Spear
Lgt. X-bow
(using AD&D combat and tactics book as source, lgt x-bow does 1d6+1 S-M, 1d8+1 L; hvy x-bow does 1b8+1/1d10+1 respectively. all other stats are the same incl. wgt/ROF/rng etc. makes the weapon somewhat worthwhile in comparison to a bow. If you are OK with it, kewl. If not, that’s fine also. Using the weapon to fit my character background and because it’s something different)
Puts me at about 80 lbs. including clothing. Don’t know if you adhere to encumbrance. This keeps me somewhere around light with my strength. If travelling, backpack, waterskin, and all wpns without a sheath are kept on pack mule.
Pack Mule w/ halter and pack saddle
additional Spear
Javelin (x2)
Club
additional quarrels (x10)
Buckler
Leather Armor
Hooded lantern w/5 flasks of oil
Lg. sack
additional torches (x3)
Winter blanket (x2) (ones fer the mule)
additional waterskin and wineskin (gotta have alcohol)
…and man’s best friend, a dog. Nothing special at all. Trained enuff to sit when i say sit or heel but by no means a hunting/guard/war dog. like a typical dog, growls or barks at danger (so don’t bring it adventuring), likes to chase game (so don’t bring it hunting). Just there to add character depth and show that although Caleb is fairly militant in action because of his background, there’s still a boy in there.
Bio
Caleb was born to a typical peasant family on the outskirts of a small community. His father, an excellent hunter, and his mother, a fine tanner and leatherworker, complemented each other perfectly. Caleb jokes that the union was one of convinience and for prosper but he and his siblings were loved and cared for. Caleb had his father’s talent for the hunt and spent most of his youth learning and developing those skills.
The fiefdom his family resided in was that of a duke or noble whom had been granted the lands for his services as a knight in the war from years past. Having spent his life as a soldier, the noble continued with this practice and maintained a standing militia/military for his lord. At age 14, Caleb left with his older brother to serve their term. There was only the rare border skirmish with outlaws and Caleb’s parents thought it the best time to ‘get it over with’. Unfortunately for Caleb, he was deemed too small in stature for training and used to help with secondary tasks such as a teamster and ‘gopher’ for the weaponsmiths and a fitting dummy for the armorers. After a half year or so of manual labor Caleb was put into the rank and file of the lowly spearman. Despite all of this, Caleb loved the social aspect of so many people and chose to stay in the militia after his term expired. Eventually his skills with a bow were realized and he was trained as a crossbowman. The weapon had shown greater potential versus heavily armored foes and the lord, always military minded, has adopted the weapon.
Over time, Caleb was promoted to a man-at-arms and trained the new recruits in the basic rank and file that he was so familiar with. It was during this time he also was introduced to the more individualistic weapons of war such as the sword, axe, and mace and was used to assist in the training of the knights where he experienced the heavier types of armor.
Unfortunately for the Duke of the realm, a standing army costs money, and with no war or spoils to support it, the army was eventually disbanded. Without all of the regimentation, the fire of youth in Caleb drove him to exploration and the desire of adventure. Having spent years talking with the old armorers and weaponsmiths whom had seen wars past and heard about the homelands of countless soldiers he decided to go north towards the borderlands where it was said the world was still wild.
