Colorful characters at the inn

[Felix]

The dog. There's always a dog. Mongrel; the type that everyone knows and nobody feeds, but looks like it gets fed plenty.

A bouncer. Some big, ugly, meat-hooked, ham-fisted brawler that isn't too quick on the uptake, but is willing and able to exit your butt onto the street if you mistreat the barmaid or get in a fight.

A guy with shifty eyes who stares at the PCs, but doesn't say anything. If he's pressed by the PCs, he will simply leave. He's always there, and if asked about, nobody knows much about him, "came in last season with a wagon of goods he sells; lives by himself; doesn't talk much..." The PCs will be convinced he has something to do with something, but in reality: he's a recluse with shifty eyes, and that's it.

 

[Pielorinho]

A bouncer. Some big, ugly, meat-hooked, ham-fisted brawler that isn't too quick on the uptake, but is willing and able to exit your butt onto the street if you mistreat the barmaid or get in a fight.

Of course, with a guy that big, if he decides to wear a huge hat with parrot feathers and wax fruits, who's going to say anything about it?

The bouncer at my local club often wears ostentatious outfits; it's part of his schtick.

Daniel

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I once heard a wonderful country song about a guy who just had a big fight with his wife, and he goes to the bar, where an old man who has obviously seen a great deal comes up, sits on the stool next to him,

The song goes on with the protagonist getting more and more frightened and disgusted, until

You could have Old Blevins at the bar, as a variant on the old geezers.

I like!

There's, a la Cheers, the con artist. You could combine him with "Cut me own throat" Dibbler from Discworld to make him an especially bad, but relentless, con artist,kind of hangdog, who is always trying and failing at a new con whenever the PCs come in ("Say there, I don't suppose you'd want to bet me 10 gold that I can't guess the day you were born, within three days, would you?* No, of course you wouldn't....")

Alternately, he could really be able to do it. He could be a 10 Charisma sorcerer with a unique-to-him divination cantrip that lets him divine this. Utterly useless most of the time, and no one would ever believe it's not a trick.

Poyais' Birthdate Trick
Level: Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V
Casting time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target or Area: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will
Spell Resistance: Yes

You instantly know the exact date of a creature's birth. This spell does not work on constructs, elementals, outsiders or undead.

 

[JustKim]

Alternately, he could really be able to do it. He could be a 10 Charisma sorcerer with a unique-to-him divination cantrip that lets him divine this. Utterly useless most of the time, and no one would ever believe it's not a trick.

I think you're missing the actual trick to this one.

 

[wolff96]

A bouncer. Some big, ugly, meat-hooked, ham-fisted brawler that isn't too quick on the uptake, but is willing and able to exit your butt onto the street if you mistreat the barmaid or get in a fight.

Hey, I've PLAYED that character. He was a half-orc with maximum strength and pretty much no intelligence that wanted to be a bard. (To be fair, he did have a high charisma... for a half-orc.)

Interestingly enough, when the nearly 7-foot tall bouncer takes the stage, no one complains about the music...

 

[Quartz]

Sounds like a pretty large village we're building. Probably a crossroads. You'll want the village witch / midwife/ wisewoman. The gaggle of older women aka harpies. A village is probably too small for prostitutes. The dog mentioned earlier might actually be the local druid, or the witch's familiar.

There will be the Lord's man - the sheriff, burgomeister, knight, or whoever.

In a village inn, I doubt there'd be a bouncer: the innkeeper would more likely rely on the other villagers, particularly the stronger ones like the local blacksmith and wheelwright.

If there's a powerful wizard nearby, there'll be his apprentice (of course, that might well be one of the PCs).

If the adventurers are based in the village then there's trouble nearby. Which means that the villagers should be able to mount such a sufficient defence of the village as to make an attack not worth while. That means various levels of warrior.

The Old Timers are probably Warrior 5 / Expert 2 or similar. Or, if they're actual ex-military like settled legionaries a la Rome, they might well have several levels of Fighter.
And once the PCs have proven themselves, they might just dig out the odd interesting trinket - not necessarily an enchanted item, but maybe a letter or item of introduction. You know: "Arr.. you're going to see the 5th Legion? If you should meet Captain Borros - he's probably a General now - give him this and tell him old Fred sends his regards."

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think you're missing the actual trick to this one.

Nah, reverse psychology. The number of gamers who don't know Cut My Own Throat Dibbler is pretty small. If this conman has four or five miserable failures as regular cons, and then correctly guesses the date of birth, it'll confuse players who are paying attention and be seen as a lucky guess or good trick by the others.

We don't need a thread to recycle fictional characters everyone already knows.

 

[Pielorinho]

Nah, reverse psychology. The number of gamers who don't know Cut My Own Throat Dibbler is pretty small. If this conman has four or five miserable failures as regular cons, and then correctly guesses the date of birth, it'll confuse players who are paying attention and be seen as a lucky guess or good trick by the others.

Whizbang, *I* can do it, and I don't have a cantrip. This one really works. If we were in a bar, I'd bet you 10 gold I could do it .

C'mon, gimme the name of someone you know, and I'll guess the day they were born within three days!

Daniel

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Whizbang, *I* can do it, and I don't have a cantrip. This one really works. If we were in a bar, I'd bet you 10 gold I could do it .

C'mon, gimme the name of someone you know, and I'll guess the day they were born within three days!

You should suspend yourself for furthering that terrible, terrible joke.

 

[Pielorinho]

Good lord, you've been here HOW long and you think we suspend people for bad jokes? How do you think I got this gig in the first place?

Daniel