FrivYeti/WyldspanScouts
Back to the Wyldspan
Back to the Mountain Folk
The Scout Caste
In the new age of exploration, the Mountain Folk needed a new force; a group able to operate in small squads shipside, using the strengths of the workers and warriors, without the specialization previously common to the Castes. The Scout Caste was the first of the newly designed castes of the Conclave, and remains the only one to have any serious popularity among those who forge the Jadeborn.
Scouts are trained to function in small, autonomous groups for weeks, months, or even years at a time. Frequently, the twenty or thirty Scouts that travel on a ship are the only Mountain Folk that one another will see for the entire duration of a voyage, and they must learn to function without constant supervision from the Artisans. Many Scouts become used to this autonomy, and though they are well-oiled groups, they frequently fare more poorly if circumstances force them to remain with other Mountain Folk for extended lengths of time. The Scouts thus form a strange sub-society within the Mountain Folk, given to more independent thought than many of their brethern. Scouts are also by far the most common of the Mountain Folk seen by those who are not of the race, for they alone have extended contact with the other peoples of the Wyldspan.
Duties: Scouts travel the Wyldspan in the great ships of the Mountain Folk, constantly searching for three things. The first are their ancient and new enemies, the Darkbrood and the Chaos Seers. Whenever scouts discover such monsters, they summon Warriors to help clean out the infestations that they have learned of. The second search is for the still-missing souls of the Mountain Folk, which the Scouts recover and return to their homes. When this occurs, there is great rejoicing amongst the Scouts, for a lost brother or sister is returning home. The final thing for which the Scouts search is a sign of their lost maker, Autochthon. The Mountain Folk know from occasional meetings with the Alchemical Exalted that the Maker yet lives – or at least, that he did many centuries ago. The Scouts thus wish to find their Maker again.
Appearance: Scouts tend towards about four and a half feet tall, short enough to be notable in human society. Their skin is smooth, like marble, ranging from brown to gray in tone, with hair to match (although their hair tends to be darker). Scouts tend to dress in indentical uniforms, which are black with green shadings, and with rank insignia marked on their chests. Scouts also find small but unique ways of marking their uniforms, ranging from coloured headbands to arm stripes to carefully beaded hair. Such ornamentation is strongly encouraged by Enlightened Scouts.
Associations: Pale but clear colours, Willpower, firewands, the Wyldspan, granite and steel, an intricate green gear (official symbol)
Sobriquets: Wanderers, Bringers of Hope, Children Of Gold, Eyes of Autochthon, Brassfeet
Concepts: Ardent explorer, staunch traditionalist, arrogant captain, friendly talespinner, old sailor, curious cartographer
The Scout Pattern
Scouts have five Charm Patterns making up the Scout Pattern. Scout Pattern 1 uses Warrior Pattern 1. Scout Pattern 2 uses Worker Pattern 2. Scout Pattern 3 uses Warrior Pattern 3. Scout Pattern 4 uses Worker Pattern 4.
Scout Pattern 5 is a special tree, listed below. There are five total Charms in Scout Pattern 5.
Crew Completeness Method</b>
<b>Cost: 6 motes, Mins: Essence 3, Type: Simple Keywords: Enchantment Duration: One Month Prerequisites: Compassion-Bolstering Method, Pillar of Conviction, Temperance-Bolstering Method, Pillar of Valor
The travails of the Scouts are such that they forge bonds of friendship that can extend past simple comraderie, and into an innate understanding of one another. Through this Charm, that connection is magnified and heightened.
The character may activate this Charm and designate any military or social unit, including the crew of a Wyldfarer, as participants. This has three effects. First, characters providing aid to another crewmember add two dice instead of one, provided they have half or more the rating of the person they are aiding. Second, all rolls to co-ordinate crewmembers, either in attacks or otherwise, gain one free success. Finally, all characters gain +1 die to Valor rolls as long as they are in the presence of at least two other crewmembers. A character may only be under the effects of one Crew Completeness Method at a time.
Wound-Delay Method</b>
<b>Cost: 2 or 3 motes per health level, Mins: Essence 3, Type: Simple Keywords: Enchantment Duration: (Essence) Hours Prerequisites: Crew Completeness Method
During periods of extreme danger, there is no time for weakness. This Charm may be used on the Jadeborn, or on anyone that is part of her crew through Crew Completeness Method. The character may instantly heal bashing or lethal damage. The cost is 2 motes per level healed for Bashing, and 3 motes per level healed for Lethal. The damage is healed for all purposes. Hoewever, when this Charm ends, it returns, and the target takes an additional level of Bashing damage due to the sudden strain. Any negative effects of the damage also return at that time. This Charm has no effect on aggravated damage, and healing cannot occur while it is in effect.
All Fight As One</b>
<b>Cost: 6 motes, 1 Willpower Mins: Essence 4, Type: Extra Actions Keywords: None Duration: Instant Prerequisites: Crew Completeness Method
Skilled scouts know to fight as a whole, rather than simply as the sum of their parts. The character names an enemy within (her Essence) yards. She may immediately roll for a co-ordinated attack against that enemy, using any allies within 5 yards. Allies must choose to take part in this exercise. If the co-ordinated attack roll succeeds, each character that is a part of it (except for the character organizing it) may immediately make a free attack roll against the target as a reflexive action that gains the co-ordinated attack bonus and does not reduce the attacker’s DV.
Knowledge Shared Understanding</b>
<b>Cost: 5 motes, Mins: Essence 5, Type: Reflexive Keywords: None Duration: One Action Prerequisites: Crew Completeness Method
The power of the Scouts is that they work as a unit, helping one another in even the most difficult circumstances. This Charm may only be activated if the character is currently part of Crew Completeness Method. She may activate this Charm whenever she attempts a task. The character may immediately ‘borrow’ another crewmember’s capabilities, using their die pool instead of her own. This can affect any roll using an Ability, and affects the character’s entire Attribute + Ability + Specialty diepool, but not any internal or external penalties being faced by one or the other character.
Scout Pattern Mastery</b>
<b>Cost: None, Mins: Essence 5, Type: Permanent Keywords: Permanent Duration: Permanent Prerequisites: Entire Scout Pattern (22 Charms)
Through extensive effort, the Enlightened Scouts learn to transcend their natures, enabling them to adapt and change their powers. This Charm reduces the cost of all Scout Pattern Charms by 2 motes. This may not reduce any cost below 1 mote. In addition, any Jadeborn who is within 50 yards of the character reduces the cost of their Scout Pattern Charms by 1 mote (this includes Workers and Warriors who have applicable Charms). This additional reduction does not stack with any other effect that reduces mote costs, nor may it reduce costs below 1 mote.
Finally, the character may expand upon any of the Scout Pattern trees, teaching the Charms that she develops to others who attain Scout Pattern mastery, and learning Charms from others who have developed them. The character may exchange Charms building off any Charm she knows which is a part of the Scout Pattern.
