Boat Grunt and Brass Gunner (WIP Backgrounds for Mangayaw)

This blogpost was first released in my Patreon last week. Consider supporting!

I wanted to make warrior backgrounds this month. Again, these are all subject to change for later on. But I have to start somewhere, right?

Enjoy!

BOAT GRUNT

You were a paddler upon bamboo outriggers–seawater up to your knees, pushing through the waves. You were in the frontlines of raids on port towns. You are a nobody until you gain a kill. And yet the boat cannot set sail without your labor. You take:

• Rations (3 uses)
• Torches (3 uses)
• Hardwood paddle (d6/d10 one handed/two handed damage)
• Weaved armor (1 Armor)
• Rigging rope (50 ft)

WHAT FEAT EARNED YOU YOUR FREEDOM FROM SERVICE?

1. You saved your captain from certain death. You were given gratitude. Replace your weaved armor with a chain armor (2 Armor) and take a loyal lackey (3 GRIT, 10 LAKAS/LIKSI/LOOB, d6/d8 hardwood paddle).

2. A devastating storm struck the boat you served on while at sea. You were among the few that survived. You can always foretell the next day’s weather.

3. Your last kill ended the raid. You were given first pick over the spoils of war. Take a gilded naga kris (d6 damage).

4. You saved the boat from almost certain doom. You can always tell the safest route through waterways.

5. You led the charge against a port town and struck fear into the hearts of your enemies. You have the charisma to rally and lead an impassioned and impressionable crowd.

6. You had enough and deserted. The captain knows who you are. You have some bamboo javelins (3 uses), a pack of thorn caltrops (3 uses), and a small canoe.

WHAT TOOL ENSURED YOU WOULD LIVE TO SET SAIL ONCE AGAIN?

1. Water-walk clogs - Carved from wood that has been drifting on the sea for a decade. Allows you to travel on top of water for a handful of steps at a time.

2. Amihan’s breath (1 use) - A wind god’s gentle breath stored in pufferfish leather. Pressing hard on the pufferfish will unleash a gust of tradewinds from its mouth. To recharge, leave it tied to a tree on a mountain’s peak on a stormless night until sunrise.

3. Mermaid heartbreaker (3 uses) - A necklace of braided mermaid hair. Allows you to resist magically alluring calls. To recharge, braid in hair from a mermaid you deeply betrayed.

4. Storm watcher tattoo - Wave-like patterns etched on your ankles. You do not easily lose footing and you are not easily swayed by the motions of what you stand on.

5. Missile charm (3 uses) - An obsidian arrowhead amulet. The winds will assist you in catching projectiles flung at you. To recharge, use it as a wind chime to welcome in a storm.

6. Archerfish tattoo - Fish scale-like patterns etched on around your mouth. Allows you to shoot water from your mouth and out like a dart (d6 damage). But your mouth is not meant to withstand this much water pressure (1 LAKAS damage per use)

BRASS GUNNER

You are in possession of a most ancient weapon. It erupts like thunder and strikes like lightning. It is heavy for even the strongest arms, and unwieldy for even the steadiest shoulders. You decided to dedicate your life to taming it. You take:

• Rations (3 uses)
• Torches (3 uses)
• Ancient firearm (see table)
• Packet of gunpowder (1 use)
• Iron monopod (d6 damage)

HOW DID YOU EARN YOUR FIREARM? 

1. This is a prized treasure, passed down from your father, his father’s father, and so on. Take a silver headdress with a magnifying lens over one eye.

2. You won it fair and square in a duel. The other duelist’s party might not agree with the results. Before a duel, intimidate your opponent to make their attack impaired.

3. You came back from war a veteran. Take a wide-brimmed hat (+1 Armor) and a nasty scar.

4. You went through a trial that almost killed you. But this very same trial has linked your soul with your gun. You can always tell the distance and general location of your firearm.

5. You received it in a wrecked state. You restored it to the best of your ability. Take a jar of polishing oil (3 uses) and a brush.

6. You’re a clay shooting champion. Even the swiftest of birds are outmatched by your reflexes. When stationary and holding your firearm, you can always attack before anyone else.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIREARM MADE FOR?

1. Hunting (d10 damage, ignores 2 Armor, bulky, 1 use in combat). Rusted rose gold.  Critical Damage: target bleeds out (d6 LAKAS damage every round).

2. Defense (d10 damage, ignores 2 Armor, bulky, 1 use in combat). Burn marks along the wood. When stationary, it can be reloaded as an action.

3. Naval combat (d10 damage, ignores 2 Armor, bulky, 1 use in combat). Bleached wood with sea rot setting in. Can fire even when wet. 

4. Close combat (d10 damage, ignores 2 Armor, bulky, 1 use in combat). Scratches and notches along its barrel. Has a bayonet fixed at the end (d10 damage).

5. Destruction (d6 damage, blast, near-ranged, bulky, 1 use in combat). Chipped, dragon scales etched along the barrel. Critical Damage: target is engulfed in fire (d6 damage every round).

6. Breaching (strong, d6 damage, ignores 2 Armor, blast, heavy, 1 use in combat). Bronze, large, and shoulder-mounted. User can’t move and fire in the same round.

Some Notes:

• I think Boat Grunt might be my favorite background so far.
• I love the concept but I'm still unsatisfied with the Brass Gunner, so I'll have to revisit it sometime.
• Fantasy settings should have more guns!