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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 7090050" data-attributes="member: 92305">That's the answer, isn't it.  I know its the answer.  Its just--when I do spend the time to develop an NPC, he comes alive.  He's not generic.  Yeah, I'm as creative as the next guy.  I have my good days and my down days.  But when I develop a character whole--all the way--their skills and Feats speak to me, and I end up with some interesting people.For example, Tella, the stable girl.  She's got so much more depth (and I know here I'm going with her as soon as the PCs meet her).  This all comes from holding her hand, so to speak, and taking my time developing her like a would a PC.TELLA THE STABLEGIRL1st level Argossean ThiefAge:  14STR 13 (+1)  DEX 16 (+3)  CON 15 (+3)  INT 12 (+1) WIS 8 (-1) CHA 14 (+2)FATE:  1BAB:  +0Melee:  +1Finesse:  +3Ranged:  +3Dodge AC:  13Parry AC:  11Fort: +3 Ref:  +5Will:  -1HP:  14XP:  0Skill Points:  36 pts.  (2 to Decipher Script, 4 to Hide, 4 to Move Silently, 4 to Tumble, 4 to Ride, 2 to Knowledge (Ceras Keep), 4 to Knowledge Rumors, 4 to Search, 4 to Diplomacy, 2 to Gather Information, 2 to Handle Animal)Class Skills:  STR:  Climb +1, Hide +5, Jump +1,   DEX:  Balance +6, Escape Artist +3, Move Silently +7, Open Lock +3, Slight of Hand +3, Tumble +7, Use Rope +7, Ride +9INT:  Appraise +1, Craft (Herbalism) +1, Craft (mundane) +1, Decipher Script +3, Forgery +1, Knowledge (Ceras Keep) +5, Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Knowledge (Nobility) +1, Knowledge (Rumors) +5,  Search +5  WIS:  Listen -1, Profession (Sailor) +3,  Sense Motive -1, Spot -1  CHA: Bluff +2, Diplomacy +6, Gather Information +8, Intimidate +2, Perform +2, Handle Animal +6Background Skills/Racial Skills:  Gather Information, Knowledge (Ceras Keep), Profession (Sailor), Balance, Use Rope.Hyborian Adaptability:  Handle Animal, RideWeapon Familiarity:  Not Yet Learned.Languages (6 total):  Argossean, ShemiteFirst Level Feat:  Animal AffinitySneak Attack Style:  Knife Abilities:  Trap DisarmingRoleplaying Notes:  Tella is Argossean friendly and can be a font of information.  She’s a gossip.  Loose lips.  She’s 14 years old, is Rafe the Smith’s daughter, and runs the stable for the family.She wears her hair cropped short, like a boy, in a bowl cut.  She is a bit of a tomboy, though she's also a bit boy-crazy (though there are no boys to be crazy about).  She wears a cotton tunic tucked into wool over-alls with straps.  She goes barefoot a lot, but she also has a pair or sandals.  She carries a large pouch, with the strap across her torso.  Her axe is concealed in a custom hoop-holder on the under-side of her pouch.  Strangers may not know it is there.  Her utility knife, though, she carries on her hip in a leather scabbard tied around her waist with a piece of rope.  Tella is insatiably curious and is adept at eavesdropping.  Her favorite spot is the hayloft.  She may poke through the PC’s belongings, given the chance.  Any secrets she finds may spread to unfriendly ears.She charges ½ sp for a stall and manger hay, or 1 sp for a stall, rub down, and oats.Equipment such as saddles, harness, and tackle can be entrusted to the stable girl.  Otherwise, it can be stored in the warehouse.THE INSIDE SCOOP ON TELLATella, the young stablegirl.  She's just 14 (which is an adult in the Hyborian Age). She stands about 5'4", blousey tunic tucked into homespun overalls. Barefoot. A large, wide-strapped pouch bisects her torso. When the PCs first see her, she'll be sitting, cross-legged right in the center of the entrance to the open stable. Tella will be starring back at them, unblinking, fixated on newcomers.There's a very nice dock knife in a leather scabbard tied to her waist with a bit of rope. The PCs probably won't notice the hand axe that has its own hoop on the back panel of the pouch, unless Tella takes it out. That, and the dock knife, are her two main working tools. She'll use one end of the axe like a hammer.She's got sandy blonde hair, but it's not hard to see large area on the back right part of her head where the skin is scarred and the hair won't grow. You can't miss the spot, if you stand behind her. It's about the size of a fist. What happened to her? Did she get kicked in the head by a horse? Or...is that a burn wound?Tella is friendly, almost to a fault. She's still a happy kid, though her build make her look more like a boy. She's very flat chested, small and skinny. She loves animals--all kinds. It's not unusual to find her squatting and carrying on a one-sided (is it?) conversation with a new horse or stray dog.She's quick, too. Quite intelligent. She can actually read! But, sometimes, what she says is a bit disconcerting. She might start talking about how the cattle have crab legs and walk sideways in the noon-day sun. Or, when she's telling you about her prices, she might say, "It's a hammer a day to for a rub down and oat--half that for just barn hay, except on days when it rains blood." And, if you get to know her, what she says, in a gleeful high-pitched voice, can turn quite dark, like when she speaks of the soldiers who held her down and felt her on the inside with those long crotch fingers they have.</blockquote>

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