Angus Mac Manus, outcast warrior
ST: 12 [20] -- Thrust 1d-2, Swing 1d
DX: 12 [20] -- Basic Speed 5.25, Move 5
IQ: 10 [0]
HT: 12 [20]
Total Points: 75
Advantages: Alertness +2 [10]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Rapid Healing [5]; Toughness [10]
Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Celtic) [-10]; Social Stigma (Outlaw) [-15]; Stubborn [-5]; Unluckiness [-15]; Vow (retrieve Amulet) [-10]
Quirks: Likes to sing even though he doesn't know how; Tends to drink a great deal after a battle (and sometimes before ...); Talks excessively about his clan; Distrusts all who use magic
Skills: Area Knowledge (Highlands)-12 [1]; Bow-11 [2]; Brawling-12 [1]; Broadsword-14 [8]; Cooking-11 [0.5]; Fast Draw (Broadsword)-13 [1]; Fast Draw (Knife)-13 [1]; Heraldry-12 [2]; Intimidation-12 [2]; Knife Throwing-12 [1]; Knife-14 [4]; Musical Instrument (Bagpipes)-10 [1]; Naturalist-8 [0.5]; Riding (Horse)-12 [2]; Shield-14 [4]; Survival (Woodlands)-12 [2]
Languages: Native-12 [0]; one foreign-11 [1]
Equipment
Broadsword (cut 1d+3, imp 1d+1), hunting knife (cut 1d, imp 1d-1), four throwing knives (imp 1d-2, 1/2 Dam 7, Max 12), short bow, quiver with 18 arrows, chainmail vest (PD 3, DR 4), leather leggings and bracers (PD 2, DR 2), small shield (PD 2), bagpipes, hunting clothes, cavalry horse, various outdoors gear
Appearance
Angus is a red-headed, red-bearded man 6'2" tall and 215 lbs, with pale green eyes and pale white skin.
Biography
Angus the Piper was a respected warrior of his clan until he was disgraced for something that was not his fault. In a skirmish with a group of free booters passing through his clan's holdings, a mage encorcelled Angus, forcing him to leave the battlefield screaming and running. To his clansmen, this constituted cowardice and there was an immediate demand for his permanent expulsion from the clan for dishonoring it.
Angus pleaded that he had been the victim of wizardry and that had any of the other warriors been magiked they would have reacted the same way. The chieftain considered the problem for three nights and finally reached a compromise: Angus would be expelled until he could prove his bravery in a test.
The clan's wise woman was summoned and the bones were cast. It was divined that, in order to prove his honor and bravery, he must recover the Amulet of Tears, an ancient item of the clan that had been used by the great warrior Culbridge Trollbreaker to unify the various clans of the realm against invasion. It had disappeared shortly after his death some three centuries ago, after his greatest victory.
To the clan, this impossible task was undeniable evidence of his guilt. However, Angus was not willing to give up so easily. He packed his possessions on his horse and rode south, in search of the Amulet.
Encountered
See Campaign Uses
Canonically
Angus is designed using normal GURPS rules, with the exception that his Code fo Honor does not count towards his 40 point limit.
What if?
Although Angus is designed for a generic fantasy setting, he can easily fit in most Celtic Myth campaigns. With a bit of tweaking (basically changing his quest object), he could fit into a Swashbucklers campaign.
Campaign Uses
There are several ways a GM can use Angus, depending on the mood of the setting. In a serious campaign, Angus should be run as a tragic figure, searching for an object he is unlikely to ever find but unwilling to stop looking. In a more light-hearted campaign, he could be seen more as comic relief.
In either case, the best way to use Angus as an NPC is to have him cross the path of the party several times, perhaps every third or fourth adventure. He need not play a significant role (they could simply pass him on the road, for example); the party should just get used to his presence in the campaign. Of course, there is no reason Angus can't be run as a PC.
What the GM eventually does with Angus depends on the party. If they are sympathetic, the PCs might run across vital information on the Amulet and decide to pass it on to Angus the next time they run into him (or they may look for him if the information is especially useful). If the party could care less about what happens to him, the GM has two options.
Amulet of Tears
This is a gold amulet with the Celtic knot on one side and an inscription in Hilandish on the other. It reads, simply, "Victory through loss." Unknown to all is that the Amulet is more of a curse than a blessing.
While the Amulet will, on demand, grant the user a +1 to +8 bonus to
any action or skill roll, in less than a week a 'payment' will be taken.
For a +1 or +2 bonus, a valued item may break or be stolen or a person
may sustain . A +3 or +4 bonus will destroy several smaller items or one
larger one (such as a house) or the loss of a prized animal (such as a
warhorse or hunting dog) or a lasting injury to a person. A +5 or +6 bonus
will destroy one very large item (a castle or town), kill a prized animal
or permanently injure a person. A +7 or +8 bonus results in the death of
at least one person. The user has no control over exactly what is affected;
the GM determines what is precious to the user (and he should be malicious
about it, bearing in mind the penalty/bonus relationship). Note that a
person who requests a +7 or +8 bonus, but has no one dear to him, is signing
his own death warrant (this is what happened to Culbridge; he knew what
would likely happen but he desperately needed an incredibly high Strategy
result for his final battle).