Aster portrait by Jessica Kuczynski
Download Character Sheet: Aster Character Sheet
You can find the other premade characters here.
Who Aster Is
Player:
Gender: Man.
Manner: Quiet.
Goal: To help.
Backstory: Everyone in Aster’s village knows that he sees ghosts, but it still makes the other villagers uncomfortable when he talks to people they can’t see. Everyone tries to be nice about it, but their discomfort shows. So Aster would rather be out in the woods with his pet, Daisy the ghost donkey, by his side. That is why Aster transports supplies for the Crossroads Wilderness Keepers—he gets plenty of time out in the wilderness.
Behavior: Aster is a sensitive and kind soul who is good at listening. He knows how to be quiet and still, and is great with animals. Ghosts like talking to him too, because he treats them like any other person, greeting them when he sees them. People are always asking Aster for help, especially for problems that involves ghosts, and he is happy to do what he can.
Ghost Pet: In life, Daisy was guard donkey for a herd of sheep. She died defending her herd and she continued to defend it as a ghost. But Daisy the ghost was lonely and she regularly scared the sheep and shepherd. So Aster was asked to help and the two of them bonded. Now Daisy is Aster’s constant companion.
Daisy’s Personality: Daisy is loyal, affectionate, and playful. She can be mischievous and she especially loves knocking things over. As a guard donkey, she is alert to danger and whenever she perceives a threat she brays a warning. If the threat comes closer, she charges at it.
Appearance: Aster is a seven and a half foot tall troll with a bulky build. His skin looks like ancient sandstone, with horizontal bands of golds, oranges, and browns that arch in graceful swirls. He has deep brown eyes and shoulder-length brownish-green hair that looks like the branches and leaves of a hardy desert bush. Aster wears dark brown armor made of rectangular bronze plates that are laced together. The fabric showing under his armor is in shades of warm brown. Standing next to Aster is the translucent, silvery form of a spectral donkey.
Relationships:
What Aster Can Do
Class: Druid.
Body #: 3
Mind #: 5
Species: Troll.
Species Trait—Ghost Touched: You can perceive and interact with ghosts and other incorporeal beings. This means that you hear and see any incorporeal beings that are present in the same location as you. In addition, whenever you choose to, you can physically interact with incorporeal beings as if they were corporeal.
Physical Defense—Armor: You are trained to use armor for physical defense and you can use this training any time that you are wearing it. However you cannot sleep in your armor and it takes a significant amount of time to put on. Aster wears armor made of rectangular bronze plates that are laced together.
Mental Defense—Protective Outfit: You are trained to use a special protective outfit for mental defense and you can use this training any time that you are wearing it. However you are unable to sleep in this outfit (perhaps it is too delicate or lumpy to sleep in), and it takes a significant amount of time to put on. For Aster this is runes that have been stamped into the undersides of the metal plates of his armor.
Body Skills:
Combat Skills
Unarmed Fighting (Unarmed actions like punching, kicking, tripping, and wrestling)
Melee Combat (Using melee weapons like swords, spears, and axes)
Ranged Combat (Using ranged weapons like bows and throwing daggers)
Strength Skills
✔ Athletics (Strength and endurance activities like running, jumping, and throwing)
Climbing (Climbing up and down trees, rocks, and other steep surfaces)
✔ Flying (Doing complex maneuvers and flying in difficult conditions)
Riding (Caring for and riding mounts)
✔ Swimming (Doing complex maneuvers and swimming in difficult conditions)
Dexterity Skills
Acrobatics (Feats of agility, balance, and flexibility)
Manual Dexterity (Picking locks, disabling traps, pick-pocketing, etc.)
Mobility (Using agility and flexibility to keep moving)
Stealth (Hiding, moving silently, and generally being sneaky)
Mind Skills:
Knowledge Skills
Arcana (Magical knowledge)
Culture (Religions, customs, languages, and history)
✔ Nature (Knowing about animals, plants, weather, geography, and physiology)
Technology (The basics of math, engineering, and crafting)
Social Skills
✔ Communicating with Animals (Communication and interaction with animals)
Deception (Misleading others)
✔ Diplomacy (Honest communication)
Intimidation (Using fear and awe to get cooperation)
Performance (Getting and holding people’s attention, disguises)
Awareness Skills
✔ Insight (Reading people and assessing social situations)
Perception (Noticing subtle things in your environment)
✔ Survival (Navigating and sustaining life in different environments, first aid)
Natural Connection—Symbol of Nature: You connect to nature through a symbolic object. In order to cast spells, you must actively touch this symbolic object. Aster’s Symbol of Nature is a pendant made from a single woven willow branch.
Ability #1—Shapeshifing Magic: You can temporarily alter the physical forms of yourself and others. This means that you can transform people into different sapient species, magical creatures, animals, plants, and even objects. However this transformation is never directly harmful. For example, a person who is transformed into an object will return to their normal form once the spell is over. This also means that people cannot be transformed into anything that would be immediately be harmed by their environment. For example, it is not be possible to turn someone into a fish on dry land.
For each transformation, the more significant and specific the change being made is, the harder it is to do. When magic is harder, the bigger the consequences of failed rolls will be. This means that it is easier to change someone’s appearance than it is to change what they are. So it is easier to make a person look like a statue than it is to turn them into a statue. This also means that mimicking the appearance of a specific person or thing is possible, but doing so is more risky. Shapeshifting magic can also be used to detect or undo others’ Shapeshifting Magic. This magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Ability #2—Earth Magic: You can create magical effects with earth and stone. Examples of effects that you can make are tremors, earthquakes, walls of stone, holes in the ground, blasts of gravel, and rock armor. You can also do things like animate a statue, stabilize a collapsing tunnel, still earth tremors, burrow through the earth, sense minerals in the ground, turn stone into mud, turn mud into stone, and reshape rock with your mind. Earth Magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Ability #3—Necromantic Magic: You can use your magic to interact with both dead and undead beings. An undead being is anything that is dead that continues to directly interact with the living world. This includes animated corpses (such as zombies), ghosts (such as will-o’-wisps), and full undead which have both bodies and souls (such as vampires). Examples of things that you can do with Necromantic Magic are perceive ghosts, locate nearby zombies, speak with undead beings, control animated corpses, influence the behavior of sapient undead, preserve corpses, temporarily create new undead, and heal or harm undead creatures. You can also communicate with the spirits of those who have passed on, but doing so is more difficult and requires the use of a ritual, such as a séance. Necromantic Magic can also be used to detect and interfere with the Necromantic Magic of others. This magic is used by rolling mind and you are trained in it.
Note that Aster’s access to Necromantic Magic comes from the Nature’s Magic ability which allows them to use one type of arcane magic.
Ability #4—Animal Companion: You have formed a strong bond with Daisy the ghost donkey. As long as you treat her well, she is loyal to you, follows your instructions, and accompanies you on your adventures.
- Directing Your Animal Companion: You have a strong bond with your companion, so it is assumed that you can communicate clearly with them using any mode of communication that they are able to perceive, such as touch, sound, and gestures.
- Daisy’s Ghost Abilities: As a ghost, Daisy can’t be harmed by ordinary physical objects or blocked by non-magical barriers. However, Daisy can only interact with physical objects in minor ways, such as small pushes and pulls, or picking up light objects. Within these limitations, Daisy can do all of the things that a well trained animal can do. This could include staying put, coming when called, following, retrieving, carrying things, guarding, attacking, and doing tricks. In addition, Daisy can do those behaviors that are normal for donkeys, such as nuzzling, rolling on the ground, kicking, and knocking things over. Because Aster is Ghost Touched, he can physically interact with Daisy as if she was corporeal.
- Ghost Signs: There is a perpetual chill in the air near Daisy. As a ghost, Daisy can be visible or invisible as she chooses, but because Aster is Ghost Touched, he can always see her. In addition, Daisy’s hoofbeats and the sound of her braying are always audible.
- Training: Daisy is trained in Unarmed Fighting, Athletics, Communicating with Animals, Intimidation, and Perception. Her physical defense is Dodging and her mental defense is Deflection.
- Body and Mind Numbers: Body 4 with Mind 4.
- When to Roll: When in a calm environment, no dice roll is needed for your animal companion to perform familiar tasks of average difficulty. Rolls are only needed when there is a distraction present, your companion is upset, the task is difficult, or you are attempting to get them to do something new.
- What to Roll: The dice roll for an animal companion is handled separately from the character they are bonded to. This roll uses the body and mind numbers of the animal with any training they have that applies to the roll. The character they are bonded to can do preparation for them, or help them if they share the same skill.
- Calming Your Companion: Any time you are physically present with your animal companion, you are prepared to help them calm them down and stay calm.
Equipment Aster Has
Special Item—Ring of Perception: Three times a day you can use the magic in this ring to be prepared when using the Perception skill.
Equipment for Abilities: Symbol of Nature that is a pendant made from a single woven willow branch.
Tools for Skills: First aid kit that is used for the Survival skill.
Defensive Equipment: Armor that has runes stamped into it that also makes it a Protective Outfit.
Standard Supplies:
- Everyday outfit
- Sturdy backpack
- Waterproof tarp
- Towel
- Bedroll
- Fire-starting kit
- Lantern with oil
- Portable cooking pot
- Wooden dishes and utensils
- Utility knife
- Waterskin
- Travel rations
- Rope
- Twine
- Chalk
- Soap
- One handful of coins
