Mythological Figures: Julie d'Aubigny aka La Maupin (5E)

Today's entry in Mythological Figures is another historical figure that’s taken hold of some zeitgeist and earned a place in today's popular culture. Julie D'Aubigny ("La Maupin") started appearing on social media last year and for good reason--she was a straight up badass.

Today's entry in Mythological Figures is another historical figure that’s taken hold of some zeitgeist and earned a place in today's popular culture. Julie D'Aubigny ("La Maupin") started appearing on social media last year and for good reason--she was a straight up badass.

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Many of us have seen one of the memes or articles article so I’ll keep it short:

  • Went around on the run with a fencing buddy and made it as a traveling minstrel (who crossdressed in men’s clothing, though never claiming to be a man). She was so good she joined the opera from here.
  • I’m just going to quote the wikipedia page on this one because wow:
Eventually, she grew bored of Sérannes and became involved with a young woman. When the girl's parents put her away in the Visitandines convent in Avignon, La Maupin followed, entering the convent as a postulant. In order to run away with her new love, she stole the body of a dead nun, placed it in the bed of her lover, and set the room on fire to cover their escape…La Maupin was charged in absentia—as a male—with kidnapping, body snatching, arson, and failing to appear before the tribunal. The sentence was death by fire.

  • Naturally she went back to singing on the road. Before too long she gets insulted by a young nobleman, duels him and wounds him, then visits him and they became lovers (and lifelong buddies).
  • Still a fugitive, her incredible singing talents get her a pardon so she can perform in the Paris Opera.

Mademoiselle Maupin’s habit and talent for winning duels (and singing like a champ when she wasn’t on the run from the law for beating people up) continued until she found true love, her paramour perished, and she shuffled off her own mortal coil at the age of just 33.

As ever the list of Mythological Figures is open to more entries so tell us who you want to see get a statblock!


Julie d'Aubigny (La Maupin, Mademoiselle Maupin)

Medium humanoid (human), chaotic good rogue (duelist) 9/fighter (master of battle) 7
Armor Class 16 (padded armor)
Hit Points 111 (9d8+7d10+32)
Speed 30 ft.

STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
14 (+2)20 (+5)14 (+2)12 (+1)10 (+0)16 (+3)
Saving Throws Dex +10, Int +6
Skills Athletics +7, Deception +13, Insight +5, Perception +10, Performance +13, Persuasion +13
Senses passive Perception 20
Languages English, French, German, Italian
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)
Background: Virtuoso. La Maupin is never without a stage or room to sing for entertainment whether in a queen’s castle or a tavern. She receives free accommodations (including a room and meal) each night she performs and is recognized while going about a settlement where she’s sung at least one evening (and is typically well-liked for her vocal talents).

Action Surge (1/short rest). On her turn, La Maupin can take an additional action on top of her regular action and a possible bonus action.

Cunning Action. La Maupin can take a bonus action on each of her turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Duelist’s Edge. La Maupin has a +3 bonus to initiative rolls.

Evasion. When La Maupin is subjected to an effect that allows her to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, she instead takes no damage if she succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if she fails.

Maneuver Master (5d8 maneuver dice/short rest). La Maupin can expend a maneuver dice to perform a single maneuver with an attack.

  • Counter. La Maupin uses her reaction to make a melee attack against a creature that misses her with a melee attack, dealing 1d8 additional damage on a hit.
  • Disarm. A creature La Maupin has hit with a melee attack takes 1d8 additional damage and makes a DC 18 Strength saving throw or drops one held item of her choice
  • Feint. La Maupin can use her bonus action to feint against one creature within 5 feet. She has advantage on her next attack roll against that creature as long as it made is before the end of her turn. On a hit she deals 1d8 additional damage.
  • Lunge. La Maupin increases her reach by 5 feet for one attack, dealing 1d8 additional damage on a hit.
  • Menace. On a successful hit with a melee weapon, La Maupin deals 1d8 additional damage and the target makes a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or is frightened of her until the end of La Maupin’s next turn.

Martial Footing.
When La Maupin makes a melee attack against a creature on her turn, she does not provoke opportunity attacks from it until the end of her turn.

Rakish Edge. La Maupin can use an action to make a Charisma (Persuasion) check opposed by a Wisdom (Insight) check from a creature able to hear and understand her. On a success, for 1 minute creatures other than La Maupin do not provoke opportunity attacks from the target and the target has disadvantage on attack rolls against anyone but her. The effect ends if a creature other than La Maupin attacks the target or until she is more than 60 feet away from the target. When La Maupin uses this feature on a creature that is not hostile, the target is charmed for 1 minute or until she or her companions harm it.

Second Wind (1/short rest). On her turn, La Maupin can use a bonus action to regain 1d10+7 hit points.

Sneak Attack (1/turn). La Maupin deals an extra 31 (9d6) damage when she hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of La Maupin that isn’t incapacitated and she doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll. La Maupin also deals her Sneak Attack damage if the only creature within 5 feet of her is the target of her attack and she doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.


ACTIONS

Extra Attack. La Maupin attacks twice.

Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (1d8+7) piercing damage.

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/40 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d4+5) piercing damage.

Hand Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 8(1d6+5) piercing damage.


REACTIONS

Uncanny Dodge.
When an attacker La Maupin can see hits her with an attack, she can use her reaction to halve the attack’s damage against her.
 

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Mike Myler

Mike Myler

Lylandra

Adventurer
haha, my favourite swashbuckler, good job :D

oh and I wouldn't say the 17th century is "too recent history". La Maupin lived only ~200 years after Jeanne d'Arc, and in the very same era as the Three Musketeers.
 

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Ashrym

Legend
That, too, but Backgrounds were added to 4e early. They were optional - you didn't give up a skill if you didn't take one - and 4e didn't have non-adventuring skills like 3e did, so there were fewer mechanics involved.
If your background did imply a skill not on your class list, though, you could take it, or if you picked a background skill you already had access to, you got a bonus.

5e expanded that, two skills & a tool coming only from the background instead of one skill added to your list or a bonus. It means backgrounds are a more substantial, 'less optional' build resource, you lose the equivalent of two or three skills (depending on the usefulness of the tool feature) if you don't take one.

The approach is very similar to 2e Kits, but for them being tied to class, and to 4e Backgrounds & Themes, both of which were class-independent. 5e backgrounds are more elaborate than 4e Backgrounds, but less so than Themes, which could grow with the character through the heroic tier.

I highlighted another key difference. Originally 4e stated on page 24 of the PHB "What's most important about your character is what you do in the course of your adventures, not what happened to you in the past." It's part of a brief 2 paragraph and 6 bullet point description on backgrounds.

4e themes seemed more like a course correction (to me; YMMV) moving in the opposite approach from the PHB and more for the sake of the adding options treadmill that included power creep. It's a bit disingenuous to say players have something when the truth is the players might have that something if the additional option was purchased by someone in the group and if the option is included by the DM/group. It may have been something that existed but it did not exist for all players.

5e made backgrounds a key component in character creation and it's done in a simple way. I don't need system mastery or supplements, I know exactly what I'm getting out of a standard background, it's not tied to any class so opens up skill proficiency wide to characters, and there is no giving up anything else from the class in order to do it (I'm looking at 3e there).

The 5e background component is a solid pro for the 5e system, IMO. Simple and effective, core and key to the character creation, including mechanics to back it up. It's no longer just a fluff piece, or an add-on like we've seen in the past. It's clear on what the backgrounds do, unlike what we have seen (sometimes) in the past.

Also, I forgot about themes. ;-) It's been a while since I played 4e. I don't think that changes what I've stated.
 

Tony Vargas

Legend
Also, I forgot about themes. ;-) It's been a while since I played 4e. I don't think that changes what I've stated.
4e Backgrounds (the mechanical option, not "think of a background" in the PH) and Themes were independent of class, so, no, a background with mechanical build resources independent of class was not a 5e innovation - 5e expanded it, putting more build resources in Background. Kits were nominally by class, but there were some that pointed to the same background, like Amazon or savage, IIRC, that had versions across several classes, FWIW, so I really think 2e gets the nod for originating the idea.
And, heck, 1e random secondary skills were independent of class and didn't consume a class build resource - not that there were a lot available to consume...
 

Ashrym

Legend
4e Backgrounds (the mechanical option, not "think of a background" in the PH) and Themes were independent of class, so, no, a background with mechanical build resources independent of class was not a 5e innovation - 5e expanded it, putting more build resources in Background. Kits were nominally by class, but there were some that pointed to the same background, like Amazon or savage, IIRC, that had versions across several classes, FWIW, so I really think 2e gets the nod for originating the idea.
And, heck, 1e random secondary skills were independent of class and didn't consume a class build resource - not that there were a lot available to consume...

Except themes and backgrounds in 4e still weren't a basic part of the character. They were supplemental options. 2e kits were more of a subclass or path with requirements to enter them.

You seem to be ignoring the fact that 5e has changed this to be a fundamental part of character creation. That's the difference.
 

Tony Vargas

Legend
You seem to be ignoring the fact that 5e has changed this to be a fundamental part of character creation. That's the difference.
You're right, 5e did move backgrounds from supplements to core, compared to 2e & 4e, and made them non-optional (they're even in the basic pdf), which didn't really register with me because 5e is so big on simplicity and keeping even things that were fundamental optional (and in the context of 4e because I'm so used to the CB that Backgrounds and Themes do seem like just part of character generation).
Interesting.
Thanks for your persistence. ;)
 
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pemerton

Legend
Originally 4e stated on page 24 of the PHB "What's most important about your character is what you do in the course of your adventures, not what happened to you in the past." It's part of a brief 2 paragraph and 6 bullet point description on backgrounds.
The 2nd ed AD&D books had a similar passage, I think.

In 4e, backgrounds were first introduced in a Dragon supplement, I think, but reached a stable form (get a skill bonus, or a new skill on the class list, or a language) in PHB2. These are mechanically light touch.

Themes were introduced in Dark Sun, and are mechanically comparable to a Paragon Path or Epic Destiny, but for a starting PC.
 

Tony Vargas

Legend
In 4e, backgrounds were first introduced in a Dragon supplement, I think, but reached a stable form (get a skill bonus, or a new skill on the class list, or a language) in PHB2. These are mechanically light touch.
Themes were introduced in Dark Sun, and are mechanically comparable to a Paragon Path or Epic Destiny, but for a starting PC.
Themes could also incorporate background, in a sense - some of them gave the same perks as a background that you could choose instead of one of our backgrounds' perks (oh, yeah, I forgot to mention, you could have multiple backgrounds)...

...PHB2 hit the shelves inside the first year, too, so the time that 4e didn't have Backgrounds (and Gnomes) was quite brief. ;)
 


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