Berghold, Baron Crossguard [300 pt] [GURPS]

Baron Berghold Crossguard [300 pt]

Attributes [120]: ST 10, DX 12 [40], IQ 14 [80], HT 10

HP 10, Will 14, Per 14, FP 10

Social Background: 

TL: 3 [0], Cultural Familiarities: Western (Native) [0], Languages: Anglish (Native) [0]; Arabic (Native) [6]; Latin (Native) [6]

Advantages [152]: Charisma (2) [10], Independent Income (10) [10], Legal Enforcement Powers [5], Magery (3) [30], Magery 0 [5], Sage (2) [20], Smooth Operator (1) [15], Status (+4) [15]*, Wealth (Very Wealthy) [30]

*includes: +1 from ‘Wealth’

Disadvantages [-75]: Code of Honor (Professional) [-5], Curious (6 or less) [-10], Duty (Nobleman) (15 or less (almost always)) (Nonhazardous) [-10], Enemy (Latest rogue necromancer under sanction) (Equal in power to the PC) (9 or less) [-10], Honesty (12 or less) [-10], Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10], Sense of Duty (Empire) (Large Group) [-10], Truthfulness (12 or less) [-5], Vow (Uphold the Laws of Magic) [-5]

Quirks [-5]: Attentive [-1], Dislikes ‘Sloppy’ necromancy [-1], Dislikes delays in magical trials [-1], Habit (Hums when casting spells) [-1], Imaginative [-1]

Packages [0]: Scholar (Fantasy) [0] (modified)

Skills [54]: Administration IQ/A – IQ+0 14 [2], Broadsword DX/A – DX+0 12 [2], Diplomacy IQ/H – IQ+0 14 [2]**, Expert Skill (Political Science) IQ/H – IQ+0 14 [1]***, Heraldry IQ/A – IQ+1 15 [1]***, History (Magical) IQ/H – IQ+0 14 [1]***, Innate Attack (Projectile) DX/E – DX+0 12 [1], Law (Magical) IQ/H – IQ+4 18 [12]***, Literature IQ/H – IQ+0 14 [1]***,Occultism IQ/A – IQ+1 15 [1]***, Philosophy (Western) IQ/H – IQ+0 14 [1]***, Public Speaking IQ/A – IQ+2 16 [1]**/****, Research/TL3 IQ/A – IQ+2 16 [2]***, Riding (Equines) DX/A – DX+0 12 [2], Savoir-Faire (High Society) IQ/E – IQ+2 16 [2]**, Scrounging Per/E – Per+0 14 [1], Shield (Shield) DX/E – DX+0 12 [1], Staff DX/A – DX+0 12 [2], Thaumatology IQ/VH – IQ+5 19 [16]*****, Theology (Christian) IQ/H – IQ+0 14 [1]***, Writing IQ/A – IQ-1 13 [1]

**includes: +1 from ‘Smooth Operator’

***includes: +2 from ‘Sage’

****includes: +2 from ‘Charisma’

*****includes: +3 from ‘Magery’

Spells [54]: Affect Spirits IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Animation IQ/VH – IQ+1 15 [2], Astral Block IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Astral Vision IQ/VH – IQ+1 15 [2], Banish IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Clumsiness IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Colors IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Command Spirit (Specters) IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Continual Light IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Control Zombie IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Create Fire IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Dark Vision IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Death Vision IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Enchant IQ/VH – IQ+1 15 [2], Fear IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Final Rest IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Fireball IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Glow IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Grace IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Ignite Fire IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Infravision IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Itch IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Lend Energy IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Lend Vitality IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Light IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Light Jet IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Mass Zombie IQ/VH – IQ+1 15 [2], Materialize IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Minor Healing IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Purify Air IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Purify Water IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Recover Energy IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Repel Spirits IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], See Invisible IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Seek Earth IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Seek Water IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Sense Emotion IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Sense Foes IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Sense Life IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Sense Spirit IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Shape Fire IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Simple Illusion IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Solidify IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Spasm IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Summon Spirit IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Test Food IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Turn Spirit IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Turn Zombie IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Zombie IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1], Zombie Summoning IQ/H – IQ+1 15 [1]

Stats [120] Ads [152] Disads [-75] Quirks [-5] Skills [54] Spells [54] = Total [300]

Baron Berghold Crossguard is a landed baron, in marked contrast to most of the Megalan mages with (purchased) noble titles.  His demesne is just outside New Jerusalem, and has been held by the Crossguard family for centuries.  Generally speaking, the Crossguards have produced a steady supply of reliable fighters and clergymen for New Jerusalem — and Megalos as a whole, of course.  But the Crossguard family is very feudal, and its members are typically about as magical as a brick.

It was thus a bit of a scandal when Berghold turned out to be a mage with a talent for necromancy.  Fortunately, this included a talent for repelling evil spirits, which allowed his somewhat traditional family to accept his abilities.  The Crossguard family has always considered vanquishing foul spirits and banishing hell-spawn to be perfectly honorable skills, after all; they simply had to adjust to now having that skill-set represented in-house.

Berghold has been Baron for about five years; his father abdicated at the age of sixty, as per one Crossguard tradition (the other, equally honored Crossguard tradition is to die gloriously in battle).  Berghold presides over the civil aspects of the barony, while his brother Tristan runs the family’s feudal levies. It’s an arrangement that suits them both. Besides, the Crossguard lands are quiet, even bucolic these days; Baron Berghold is a competent and charismatic administrator and ruler. 

But it’s the Baron’s work as an Imperial arbitrator and judge of magical law which is probably most significant.  He’s practically unique: there are noble mages, but they’re either mostly younger scions of families, or people who have bought their title.  Berghold’s status as a recognized, legitimate baron gives his particular legal rulings extra weight, and it very much helps that the man has a deep understanding of magical law, and is effectively immune to most picayune bribery attempts.

The PCs will thus most likely encounter Baron Berghold in the context of a magical trial: he is sincere, honest, ethical, extremely well versed in the law, and is dedicated to making sure that the innocent go free and the guilty pay for their crimes.  Whether or not this makes him the PCs best friend or greatest enemy is, of course, ultimately dependent on the players. Bergholm will certainly not approve of underhanded shenanigans, and if someone proves that such things happened in his court then the Baron will absolutely make the malefactors regret it for the rest of their lives.  Again, this may or may not be good news to any particular party of PCs.

But the players may also encounter Berghold in other circumstances.  He has a problem in that he is a genuinely good man in an Empire that is inexorable and indifferent at the best of times, and Megalos is hardly in the best of times at the moment.  Berghold has some protection from potential Imperial displeasure by being a direct vassal of the Grand Master of the Hospitalers, but that can only go so far. At some point the mage might very well need the help of some somewhat scruffier adventuring types to get him out of a problem that he’s too honest himself to properly solve.

Customization notes: As written, Berghold has no Dependents.  Acquiring a few (in the form of a vulnerable wife and children) can justify boosting his spell levels.  Also note that Berghold is in no way a battle-mage, but he has had training in sword and shield: thirty points in combat skills should be enough to make the NPC more competent.  Lastly, Berghold is about as high in rank as he is likely to get, absent a successful revolt against the Emperor. But he would make an excellent replacement candidate, given the addition of some strategic and leadership skills.  Or, considering that this is Megalos, boosting his necromantic spell levels to the point where ‘creating Undead armies’ is an achievable goal.  Although doing that may prove ethically tricky.

The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and the art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.

3 thoughts on “Berghold, Baron Crossguard [300 pt] [GURPS]”

  1. Potential plot: the emperor is actually some sort of evil monster bent on consuming the souls of his subjects. Recruit Baron Crossguard to put him down. Try not to let on that you are responsible for turning the emperor into his current form.

    1. …There’s nothing ‘potential’ about that plot in canonical GURPS Banestorm. The emperor got replaced by a demon a few decades back, only nobody noticed literally because the demon isn’t a noticeably worse ruler. Which is a judgement on just how incompetent the old emperor was, really.

      1. Ah, I had thought this was some sort of generic GURPS fantasy writeup and was slightly confused by all the things that were casually dropped like I knew what they were. Knowing there is an established canon that this is built on helps me understand it muchly. Did you mention Banestorm somewhere and I failed a perception roll, or is this obviously related to Banestorm to anyone familiar with such?

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