What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis? Jembawhowhatnow?
I had the inspiration to create a mystic adept bard, the classical jack-of-all-trades of RPGs, but I wanted to give it a twist: Instead of the classic lute or earlier SR edition's "Rocker" archetype's electric guitar, I wanted to have him play the djembe. Thanks to the wonderful land known as Wikipedia, I embarked on a terrifically long and winding journey through the culture of West Africa. Here are some of the more relevant links:
Djembe - A hand drum originating in West AfricaGriot - French translation of traditional jeliTraditional African ReligionThe Mandinka People - The Mandinka are a branch of the Mande people, and their blacksmith class, known as the Numu, are credited with the creation of the DjembeTo save you the trouble of the wiki quest, I will try to summarize the concept: Jeli, the bards of West Africa, are responsible for passing down the oral tradition of their tribe, and serve their warrior-emperor, village chief, tribal elder, etc. They also perform the musical rituals sacred to their people. In traditional African religion, a drummer plays a rhythmic beat, differing between the various deities, traditions, or purposes of the rituals, to summon spirits to possess those dancing in the ritual. These dancers enter a trance state much like that seen in Vodou. While the jeli are not necessarily associated with religious rituals like these, I have lumped them together for background purposes. I also gathered some links from the Dumpshock Wiki about Africa in the Sixth World:
The Asante Nation - Encompasses our nation of Mali, home of the MandinkaLibya - Wasteland home of the Desert Wars until 2060As for the character, I want to make a young jeli Mystic Adept whose jatigi (aristocracy) was killed by Desert Wars soldiers as revenge for a fatal accident caused by the PC's Awakening: Possessed by a spirit of Fire, he unleashed a Screech spell (Sound Bolt) and killed one of their members.
His magical tradition would likely be a possession tradition like Vodou, but instead of having a spirit mount oneself, the summoner would have them possess other mundane metahumans. My character has a Sorcery Aspect, so the spirit side of the tradition won't have to be described in-depth too much, unless the GM requests it. I would probably just make it like Vodou but with Air spirits for combat (because there are no Sound spirits) and INT drain.
But anyway, here's the statistical rundown:
Metatype: Ork [20]
Attributes: [140+40]
BOD 4
AGI 3
REA 2
STR 3
CHA 3
INT 5 (6)
LOG 2
WIL 5
EDG 1
MAG 5
Positive Qualities: [25+2]
Mystic Adept
The Artist's Way
Martial Arts (Something African that provides +1 Gymnastics Dodge dice) 1
+Focus Will Maneuver
Negative Qualities: [-35]
Aspected Magician (Sorceror)
Distinctive Style 2 (Barefoot, African Dress)
Geas (Barefoot)
Spirit Bane (Fire)
Skill Groups: [50]
Athletics Group 2
Outdoors Group 2
Electronics Group 1
Active Skills: [82]
Artisan 4 (Hand Drums) (6)
Spellcasting 4
Perception 3
First Aid 2
Infiltration 2
Negotiation 2
Exotic Melee Weapon - Djembe 2
Etiquette 1
Knowledge Skills: 21 Free [0]
Language:
Mandinka N
Arabic (Read/Write) 1
Twi-Fani (Read/Write) 1
Or'Zet (Speak) 1
Academic:
Music (West African hand drums) 3
History (History of the Mandinka) 2
Magical Traditions 2
Magical Theory 2
Street:
Underworld (Human Smuggling/Trafficking) 2
Youth Hostels 1
Powers: 2 PP
Enthralling Performance (Artisan), Way Power, Barefoot Geas
Improved Non-Combat Ability (Artisan) 2, Way Power, Barefoot Geas
Creative Eye 1
Mystic Armor 1
Elemental Resistance (Fire)
Pain Resistance 1
Sustenance
Spells: [24]
Combat:
Screech (Bolt)
Sonic Boom (Ball of Sound)
Detection:
Translate*
Health:
Heal*
Increase Reflexes*
Illusion:
Improved Invisibility*
Manipulation:
Gecko Crawl*
Coals* (Turns ground supa hot, based on Ice Sheet - need some help designing this)
Resources: [30+8]
Bound Power Focus 2
Bound Combat Spellcasting Focus 3
Bound Health Sustaining Focus 3
(Gear to be decided)
Contacts: [14]
Smuggler 4/2
Talismonger/Fixer 3/3
Tsuzuki Enthusiast 1/1
Total: 400 BP
tl;dr African mysadept bard, decent drain, low skill pool, future face potential, RP heavy, playable in several situations including combat and legwork.
Hopefully I can refine him after some constructive criticism, and then I will release him unto the Sixth World. I have most of his background already plotted in my head.
Also, if you were GMing, would you allow this character to keep a magical lodge that is a tent that can fold up into a rucksack/large duffel bag? If so, would you limit the force?