Dee

Who Are They

Description

Back Story

• Magically sensitive youth
• Taken by Mage Guild and trained to be an assassin
• Fled the guild due to knowing they were expendable

Stats

Stat	Dice Count	Current Face	Max Face
Might	1	4	4
Finesse	2	6	6
Grit	1	4	4
Intellect	2	6	6
Wits	1	6	4
Presence	1	4	4

Exhausted Stats	Hindrance Applied
0	None
1	1d4
2	2d6
3	3d8
4+	Unconscious
Current	0

Skills

Skill	Dice Count	Current Face	Max Face	Used #	Improvements
Spellcasting	2	8	8
Investigation	1	4	4
Athletics	1	6	4
Fighting	2	6	6
Alchemy	2	6	6
Knowledge	1	6	6

Relationships

Relationship	Dice Count	Current Face	Max Face
Mage Guild	2	4	4
Jane	1	6	6
Birth Family	2	4	4

Equipment

Gear

Item Name	Dice Count	Current Face	Max Face
Daggers	2	6	6
Reagents Pouch	2	6	6
Almanac	2	6	6
Provisions	1	10	10

Buffs

Name/Source	Dice Pool

Debuffs

Name/Source	Dice Pool

Growing Debuffs

Name/Source	Current	Cadence

Progress

XP

Spent XP	0
Free XP	3

Arcs

Ongoing

Ingratiate Yourself to Nigel

• Started In 005. An Impromptu Audition

Complete the Mission of Nigel’s Group

• Started in 005. An Impromptu Audition

Completed

Spells & Spell-like Abilities

Short List

Name	Short Description	Complexity	Minimum Groups

Complete List

Template

Name
Description
Casting Stat
Casting Skill
Range
Complexity
Minimum Groups
Effect at 1 Group
Effect at 2 Groups
Effect at 3 Groups
Effect at 4 Groups
Effect at 5 groups
Used #
Improvements	0

Useful Tables

Spell Usage Progression

Milestone	Total Required Casts
1	10
2	20
3	40
4	80
5	160
6	320
7	640
8	1280
9	2560
10	5120

Skill Usage Progression

Milestone	Total Required Casts
1	20
2	60
3	180
4	540
5	1620

Ways to Use XP

Action	Cost
Add 1 die to a stat pool (max 3)	6
Increase face size of dice in stat pool	6
Learn a New Skill at 1d4	3
Add 1 die to a skill pool (max 3)	3
Increase face size of dice in skill pool	4
Add 1 die to relationship	2
Increase face size of dice in relationship pool	3
Begin Learning a new spell-like ability	2
Define a step in a character arc	1

Character Generation Exercise

North Star

Genre	Literary Fantasy Romance
Setting	Steampunk Fantasy
Vibe	Romantic & romantic Adventure
Theme	Vulnerability, Authenticity, Agency

Touchpoints / Comps

• Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura
• Kiki’s Delivery Service
• Porco Rosso

Log line

An exiled mage finds love and family on society’s margins. When danger threatens the life she’s built, she must risk reaching out to the world that rejected her to protect herself and those she loves.

The Character

Name	Dee (originally Dillon, then Delilah, then D, then Dee)
Description	Tall, blonde, buxom, graceful, good reflexes, not strong, clever, slow to trust and fiercely loyal
Cool Thing They Do	Cast magic funny, sacred geometry, rituals, ability to speak with the spirits of objects, plants, general concepts and bargain for favors

The Lie they believe

No one loves you for you; only for what you can do or provide

No one genuinely likes or loves anyone. People only use each other and convince themselves that any imbalance in the exchange is altruism or love.

Why they believe it / where it came from

Their parents surrendered them to the guild when their powers manifested.
The mages guild tried to beat their identity out of them, ultimately drummed them out, then hunted them for defection.

The Truth they’d be better off learning

Sometimes what you provide is “your presence” and “genuinely caring about the other person”, and that’s not a crass tit-for-tat exchange, that’s just some version of love, be it platonic, philial, or romantic.

Why the truth is hard to believe (the hurdle)

Old wounds and the unfortunate nature of a rapidly industrializing society. With capitalism comes the commodification of labor and individuals. Dee has repeated experience that she is tolerated so long as she is useful and doesn’t disturb the status quo too much, and little trust that all relationships aren’t transactional.

The Three Scenes

Play these out however your game likes, in your head, in a journal, or with dice on the table. They run longer than there’s room for here, so the worksheet only holds the tee-up and what you carry out. For each scene: answer the three prompts to light it, play it, then note the one skill it put on display and the people and factions worth keeping.

Scene 1, The Origin of the Lie

The moment it first looked true.

Set it up:

1. What was going on that made the lie relevant at all?
   1. Their parents surrendered them to the guild when their powers manifested.
   2. The guild tests potentials to decide if & where to take them.
   3. They hold the aspirants separately, because untrained mages are dangerous
2. Where did it happen, and who was there to make it seem true?
   1. In their home town, in the local jail
   2. Not their parents
   3. “Chandler”, the guild’s term for their version of a crimp
3. What did the character do about it?
   1. Took the test
   2. Swore off their family

journal/actual_play/001. Finding the Tallow

Coming out of it:

• Skill it revealed: Spell Casting, Investigation
• Someone worth keeping: Wick, Chandler
• A faction now in play: Mage Guild

Scene 2, Reinforcing the Lie

The moment it became part of who they are

Set it up:

1. What event made the lie click in as part of who they are?
   1. On a mission to do some wet work, they make the decision to burn Dee
   2. Dee refuses, manages an escape
   3. Partner was told they were burnt, moves to kill them
   4. Dee prevails
2. Who encouraged or rewarded it, and what did they get out of it?
   1. The guild
   2. They get the best, loyal killers out of it
3. What did the character lean on the lie to do?
   1. She anticipates the betrayal and acts first. A spell that should kill her is reflected.
   2. She finishes the friend off so they can’t talk and returns to the guild

journal/actual_play/002. Burning at Both Ends

Coming out of it:

• Skill it revealed: Fighting, Spell Casting, Athletics
• Someone worth keeping: Cici, drawn to, trouble
• A faction now in play: Guild of the dead merchant (porters?)

Scene 3, A Consequence of the Lie

The first time it cost them something, even if they shrugged it off.

Dee’s peculiar abilities are needed to know if a relic within a convent truly belongs to the claimed dead saint. Unfortunately, Dee appears to be a man. In training to craft and maintain their disguise, a sympathetic person notices how affecting presenting as a woman is for Dee. They try to forge a bond, Dee refuses to be vulnerable with them and loses out on a friend and a chance at transition.

Set it up:

1. What went wrong because of the lie, and who did it hurt?
   1. Dee delays her ability to transition and live authentically
   2. She misses out on a friend and ally
2. How did the character rationalize or dodge the truth?
   1. Having this known about me is dangerous
   2. Even if they will help for the mission, helping me personally will be leverage
3. Did anyone reinforce the lie afterward, and how?
   1. Their teacher is forced to divulge the observed transness
   2. After return from the convent, the guild cuts Dee’s hair short (the hair was natural)

Coming out of it:

• Skill it revealed: Alchemy, Spell casting, Wits
• Someone worth keeping: Jane drawn to, trouble
• A faction now in play: Church of Arriheleus

Hypothetical Stat Block

Stat	Dice Count	Current Face	Max Face
Might	1	4	4
Finesse	2	6	6
Grit	1	4	4
Intellect	2	6	6
Wits	1	6	4
Presence	1	4	4

Skill	Dice Count	Current Face	Max Face	Used #	Improvements
Spellcasting	2	8	8
Investigation	1	4	4
Athletics	1	6	4
Fighting	2	6	6
Alchemy	2	6	6
Knowledge	1	6	6

Relationship	Dice Count	Current Face	Max Face
Mage Guild	2	4	4
Jane	1	6	6
Birth Family	2	4	4