From the wild woodlands, a mysterious creature emerges from the mist and ventures into the mouse lands. It is a shrew, one of those nature loving mystics that chase mice from their groves and sacred gardens. This one however is looking to live among mice and learn their ways. Is it some sort of rite of passage? An exile from the sacred groves?
Written & Illustrated by Lux.
(WIP) Posted 2-27-2021
The nature loving wood shrew is a notoriously unpredictable creature. They live solitary or in small tribes numbering no more than 10 family members. They are difficult to communicate with and are easily annoyed by mice who venture into their woods and sacred groves where rare herbs grow. Shrews take great ceremony when harvesting or cutting plants and will quickly take offense and become aggressive if plants are cut or damaged in front of them by mice or other creatures. It is rare for Shrew to befriend mice, but sometimes they seek their company.
Your shrew has 3 attributes. These measure their basic strength and weaknesses.
For each of the shrew's attributes, roll 3d6. Keep the two highest dice results for a value between 2-12.
Shrew are basically the same as mice, but grow up with a completely different skill set to mice that grow up in settlements. They are very good at identifying plants, can sense plant based magics as if it were a smell and have improved damage with improvised weapons.
Improvised Weapons - In the hands of a shrew, treat improvised weapons as a Medium weapon, including how usage is handled. Also shrew are clumsy with normal weapons and prone to breaking them and misuse. Treat any normal weapon as if it were an improvised weapon, including how uses are handled.
Roll 1d6 for your shrew's starting pips. Also, roll a d6 for your HP. Match your HP result to the table below to find out how your shrew came to leave their forest and live among mice.
1hp - Fall behind, stay behind - It is moving day, a time of year when the forest shrews move to their seasonal home. A stern tradition states that anyone who falls behind, is left behind. When the weather becomes harsh, your shrew is separated from their family and rather than searching for them, they simply leave them behind to survive on their own. A rat sack with 2 days of rations and a spear
2hp - Prophecy - Life was comfortable in the grove until one day when an elder soothsayer shrew came to town and began to tell cryptic prophecies. She rolled bones onto the ground and told of the wishes of the ancient woodland spirits. Your shrew was prophecies to leave the forest and find something that would help the forest from a coming disaster. What that something is or the nature of the disaster is unknown. A wooden twig staff and a beetle horn with water
3hp - Rite of Passage - Shrew are hardy folk, able to weather the elements and hardship, but in order to become strong, they must venture out into the world for a time, learn and endure. Your shrew takes their first steps beyond the edge of the forests, packing light and searching for a new life. Perhaps some day they will return to the forest. A cloak made of dry moss and a wooden twig staff
4hp - The Blight - A terrible black spore has infested the woodlands making all vegetation sickly and nothing grows. In desperation, the tribes begin to sacrifice to their woodland spirits, but nothing works. When your shrew is asked to find a new sacrifice, they are told not to return empty handed, or they themselves will be the sacrifice. Perhaps it is time to find a new home either way. A dry beetle horn used as a dagger
5hp - The Fire - Summer months come with brush fires and the woodland creatures are always prepared, but this fire came out of nowhere and in the wrong season. The woods began to burn and in time the shrews were forced out of the woodland in panic along with the rest of the woodland animals. Though the tribe is scattered and gone, it is time to find a new home. A piece of charcoal
6hp - Exile - Your shrew was once the leader of a tribe of other shrew in the forest. Times were good and they enjoyed the respect of the tribe and peace in the woods, until a younger, more magically inclined shrew entered the knoll and challenged them. After a long and brutal fight, your shrew was defeated, just barely and was forced to leave. Was it fair? Something did not seem right about that fight, perhaps there were other forces at play. It matters not now. Stripped of all possessions, your shrew must leave the woods and make their own way. Owns nothing
Your shrew starts with:
Torches
Rations
Items from your background
an ebony tablet of your choice (From Bellodona's Botanicals.)
Roll on the tables in the core rule book for your Birthsign, coat and physical detail. You can optionally roll for a quirk or two on my Mouse Quirks table for fun.
Sprouts are small woodland spirits that inhabit a seed or small sapling. They come in a variety of shapes but never grow much bigger than an inch tall. When they speak they sound like baby babble and can spy for their owner, or help plants grow. Sprouts hate to see plants destroyed and will cry.
Sprouts take up 1 inventory slot. They need to be let free to sink into moist dirt or on the edge of water to feed. Treat the usage dots as hunger. A hungry Sprout will wine and complain until it is fed.
d6
Forage
Track
Find Water
Sense Weather
Sense Enemy
Swim
d6
Playful
Jealous
Brave
Sleepy
Stubborn
Shy
d6
Acorn
Pearl Onion
Radish
Pecan
Small Pinecone
Small Tuber
Just a different more tribal feeling character sheet for use with Shrew or mice. Enjoy!
