NEHWON CHARACTERS
FAFHRD
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 20 STR 10 13- Lift 400 kg; 4d6 HTH Damage [4] 18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6 20 CON 20 13- 15 BODY 10 12- 16 INT 6 12- PER Roll 14- 12 EGO 4 11- ECV: 4 18 PRE 8 13- PRE Attack: 3 1/2d6 14 COM 2 12- 8 PD 4 Total: 8 PD (0 rPD) 6 ED 2 Total: 6 ED (0 rED) 4 SPD 12 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 8 REC 0 50 END 5 35 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 107 Movement: Running: 7"/14" Gliding: 4"/4" Leaping: 5"/10" Swimming: 4"/8"" Cost Powers & Skills Martial Arts: Fencing/Swordplay Maneuver OCV DCV Damage 4 Cut +2 +0 Weapon +2 DC Strike 4 Disarm -1 +1 Disarm; 30 STR to Disarm roll 4 Evade -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 4 Parry +2 +2 Block, Abort 5 Slash -2 +1 Weapon +4 DC Strike 5 Thrust +1 +3 Weapon Strike 0 Weapon Element: Blades 5 "Knocked Aside The Weapon With A Swift Blow Of His Palm": Missile Deflection (Thrown Objects) 2 Snow Walking: Gliding 4"; Only On Snow And Ice (-1), Ground Gliding (-1/4), No Noncombat Movement (-1/4) 1 Acrobatic Leaping: Leaping +1" (5" forward, 2 1/2" upward); Requires An Acrobatics Roll (-1/2), END 1 2 Long Legs: Running +1" (7" total), END 1 2 Powerful Swimmer: Swimming +2" (4" total), END 1 6 Sharp Eyes And Ears: +2 PER with all Sense Groups Perks 7 Contact: Ningauble of the Seven Eyes (Contact has extremely useful Skills or resources, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Good relationship with Contact) 11- 4 Reputation: "[a] taste for strange adventure, mysterious comings and goings, odd sense of humor" (the world of Newhon) 11-, +2/+2d6 Talents 6 Ambidexterity (-1 Off Hand penalty) 20 Danger Sense (self only, out of combat) 14-/12- 7 Beast Slayer: Deadly Blow: +1d6 (Beasts) 1 Ice Walking: Environmental Movement (no penalties on ice and snow) Skills 32 "Handled [Graywand] Most Nimbly In Strife": +4 with All Combat 8 Penalty Skill Levels: +4 vs. Range Modifier with Ranged Attacks 24 Penalty Skill Levels: +8 vs. Hit Location modifiers with All Attacks 10 Woodcraft: +2 with all "outdoors" skills (Climbing, Concealment, Stealth, Survival, and so on) 3 Acrobatics 13- 1 Acting 8- 2 Animal Handler (Birds) 13- 5 Climbing 14- 2 "Stalk... Sightless [in] Forests]": Concealment 12-; Self Only (-1/2) 3 Fast Draw 13- 3 Feint 13- 3 Gambling (Dice Games, Backgammon) 12- 3 MIF (Chordophones) 13- 3 Navigation (Land, Marine) 12- 3 Oratory 13- 3 "Healing Is Part Of The Singing Skald's Art": Paramedics 12- 3 Riding 13- 3 Sleight Of Hand 13- 3 "Soundless [in] Forests": Stealth 13- 4 Survival (Arctic/Subarctic, Mountain) 12- 3 Tactics 12- 3 Tracking 12- 7 TF: Camels, Carts & Carriages, Equines, Large Rowed Boats, Large Wind-Powered Boats, Skiing (snow), Small Rowed Boats, Small Wind-Powered Boats 10 Two-Weapon Fighting (HTH) 8 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Bows, Lasso, Off Hand, Staffs, Thrown Knives, Axes, and Darts, Thrown Sword 3 Jack of All Trades 2 1) "I Can Sword Dance": PS: Dancing 13- 2 2) "Juggle Four Whirling Daggers": PS: Juggling 13- 2 3) PS: Knot-Tying 13- 2 4) PS: Leatherworker 13- 1 5) PS: Predict Weather 11- 1 6) PS: Priest Of Issek The Jug 8- 4 7) PS: Sailing 14- 2 8) PS: Singing Skald 13- 3 Linguist 3 1) Language: High Lankhmarese (completely fluent; literate) 3 2) Language: Ilthmarish (completely fluent; literate) 2 3) Language: Klesh (fluent conversation; literate) 3 4) Language: Low Lankhmarese (completely fluent; literate) 1 5) Language: Pidgin MIngol (fluent conversation) 3 6) Language: Quarmallian (completely fluent; literate) 1 7) Language: The Forest Tongue (fluent conversation) 3 Scholar 2 1) KS: Assorted Legends And Lore Of Newhon 12- 1 2) KS: Cold Waste Legends And Lore 11- 1 3) KS: Creed And History Of Issek The Jug 8- 2 4) KS: Snow Clan Legends And Lore 12- 1 5) KS: Who's Who In The Lankhmar Thieves Guild 11- 3 Traveler 2 1) AK: Cold Corner 12- 2 2) "The Cold Waste Was My Childhood Playground": AK: The Cold Waste 12- 1 3) AK: Ilthmar 11- 1 4) AK: Land Of The Eight Cities 11- 2 5) AK: Lands Of Lankhmar 12- 4 6) AK: Nehwon 14- 4 7) AK: The Inner Sea 14- 1 8) AK: The Outer Sea 11- 1 9) AK: The Western Continent 11- 1 10) AK: Trollstep Mountains 11- 1 11) CK: Illik-Ving 11- 1 12) CK: Kvarch Nar 11- 4 13) CK: Lankhmar 14- 1 14) CK: Ool Hrusp 11- 1 15) CK: Quarmall 11- 2 16) CuK: The Ways Of The Snow Clan 12- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 351 Total Cost: 458 100+ Disadvantages 5 Distinctive Features: Barbarian from the Cold Wastes (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures) 10 Hunted: Gods Of Nehwon (specifically Issek, Kos, and Mor) 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) 10 Hunted: People Of Stardock and/or Simorgya (among others) 8- (As Pow, Capture) 15 Hunted: Quarmall, Lord Of Quarmal 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 0 Normal Characteristic Maxima 15 Psychological Limitation: "Comradeship [with Grey Mouser] Firmer Than A Rock" (Common, Strong) 20 Psychological Limitation: Strong Love Of Freedom And Adventure (Very Common, Strong) 10 Reputation: "disreputable and mostly unprincipled", 11- 273 Experience 458 Total Disadvantage Points
Background/History: Fafhrd is a barbarian from the frigid northern “Cold Wastes.” He’s the son of Nalcron the Legendbreaker, who climbed many of the great peaks of the Cold Wastes, while his mother is Mor, a powerful snow sorceress. When his father died climbing the mountain White Fang, Fafhrd remained in his mother’s tent until he was 18, when he escaped the confines of his tribe to seek his fortune in the warmer climes to the south. He left behind his lover Mara, who was pregnant with his child, and joined the actress Vlana in her travels, to eventually fetch up in the city of Lankhmar.
Settling down, Fafhrd soon encountered the Gray Mouser, whom he’d met years before at the Mountains of Hunger. The two became fast friends, but suffered the loss of their lovers to the dark magics of the Thieves’ Guild. Although they killed the magician responsible, the deed was done, and the pair struck out to crisscross Nehwon in an effort to forget their loss. Eventually, they ended up in Lankhmar again, and settled down to live a life of adventure as thieves and swords-for-hire.
Although a great deal of their time is spent in Lankhmar, both Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser journey to other lands (and even other times courtesy of the tunnels of Ningauble of the Seven Eyes). They climb Mount Stardock, cross the oceans, and venture to strange and different places, sometimes of their own accord, sometimes due to geas, or sometimes on request. Eventually, when both of them are in their late forties, they end up on Rime Isle, where they settle down, marry (or nearly so), and live out the rest of their days.
Personality/Motivation: Fafhrd, for the most part, is driven by wanderlust. He likes to travel, and often ventures into the unknown just to see what’s there. In The Price Of Pain-Ease it is stated that Fafhrd by nature is a loner and has no friends or companions other than the Gray Mouser. It also stated that he spends much of his time "adventuring, tramping, and exploring," and for much of his early life he traveled in an effort to forget about his first love, Vlana the actress. At the same time, a good deal of Fafhrd's desire for adventure can be traced to such practical considerations as spending money and food, although he and the Mouser do tend to steal whatever they need when they need it.
In some ways, Fafhrd is very much an anti-hero in the same manner as Mad Max, the Man With No Name, and even Conan. He has no use for such noble and lofty ideas as honor and fair play, and in The Circle Curse is said to have "lived by thievery, robbery, bodyguarding, couriers and agents—commissions they always—or almost always, fulfilled their punctiliously." Not exactly the loftiest of means. By the same token, he has a great deal of respect for women, and prefers to deal with them when possible. He also has no liking for torture.
Quote: "We are not dukes because we're no man's man. Even a duke must butter up a king, and demigods the gods. We butter no one. We go our own way, chasing our own adventures—and our own follies. Better freedom and a chilly road than a warm hearth and servitude."
Powers/Tactics: In a fight Fafhrd's main desire is to win, and do so by any means at hand. Skilled with the sword, dagger, axe, and bow, he's powerful warrior, and often uses Graywand in one hand and an axe in the other. A straight-forward combatant, he doesn't bother with Mouser's fancy and showy tricks and settles for putting down foes as quickly and simply as possible. However, make no mistake, he's very skilled with the blade, and can hold his own in most any clash of weapons. Unarmed, Fafhrd is nearly as capable, and is strong enough to lift two grown men and once and smash them together hard enough to render them unconscious.
Appearance: Fafhrd is extremely tall, standing “near seven-foot” in height with a “limber-looking ranginess.” According to his description in The Snow Women, Fafhrd is handsome, fair of skin, with a wide head and a long jaw. He has long reddish-blond hair, green eyes, and tends to go bearded. By his dress (which includes hammered ornaments and wide leather belts) and mannerisms he’s “clearly a barbarian from the Cold Waste.” Regardless of what he’s wearing, Fafhrd will always be armed with a long sword he names “Graywand” and a poniard named "Heartseeker."
Designer's Notes: This character sheet took a long time for me to develop. Personally, while there's much to like about the Lankhmar stories, Leiber's writing style doesn't always hold my attention and it took me far longer to read the Lankhmar stories then it did to read Howard's Conan writings. In any case, I'm fairly certain I've managed to capture at least the basic essence of Fafhrd here, no easy task when you consider the breadth of his knowledge and skills.
(Fafhrd created by Fritz Leiber, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)
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