Exemplars Calad-Bolg

Calad-Bolg
Calad-Bolg is one potential Gælic source for the Latinized name 'Excalibur.' This is an Exemplar for Scattershot presents: The Unseen (see the 'First Light' article in this issue for a taste) and embodies the 'mortal given a fabulous sword.'

Stats
STR: 21
HIT: 19
POW: 30

Gifts
"The Great Armament:" Any item held in one hand, longer than it is wide, becomes an epic weapon for this Exemplar. Glowing when intentionally wielded so, it is sharp as to "split a hair afloat in water" and powerful as to "cut a man in two, leaving the parts not missing each other." An extension of the wielder, said item becomes nigh unbreakable and its movement, effortless. No sooner than its release, the item loses all weapon seeming.

Driven by the Exemplar's POW, The Armament has a Multiplier of 9 (9, 18, 27, 36...) and his rating with it is 15. It's reach is determined by what Prop he uses, though he usually keeps a baseball bat at hand. His natural STR is 12 but The Armament raises it 9 points.

Normally only used to wield 'light' items (10 pounds or so), a Challenge may be taken to pick up items of greater weight or size as The Armament. For each +5 on the UE Chart needed to heft the subject, the time able to use it thus is reduced likewise from about 20 minutes (25 points on the UE Chart). For example, employing something around ¾ of a ton (+20 points or ±5 four times) only lasts for 50 seconds.

"The Scabbard:" Protected by this Glamour, the Exemplar is tougher, more resilient, and impossible to fell. When his morale fails him so does this Glamour.

This Exemplar subtracts 9 points of damage from every individual attack done to him or The Armament. He is not harmed by poison or disease and may not take additional Hit Points of damage from bleeding. No matter how much damage he sustains, he may function at least as though he has 1 HIT remaining (although must pause an Action to 'come back' from each blow that pushes him 'farther into the negatives').

The Scabbard also adds to his natural HIT of 10, as The Armament does his STR. Both are sapped when his 'spirit is broken' (see Disadvantages below). However, it remains impossible to kill him, as this gift makes him fully immortal.

Disadvantages
Ever the romantic, this Exemplar is subject to Heartbreak. Anything the forcing him to relive his Origin will cause him to breakdown and weep. Young lovers, loss of a beloved, or et cetera causes him no end of heartbreak. Threatening love endangers his heart and frequently impassions him for battle.

If this comes into play the Player may gain as many as 3 Gimmes, depending on the circumstances. The amount that this 'saps' his power affects the size of the reward. The player is always able to decide that he hardens his heart for any reason, but then receives no Gimmes.

Sine Qua Non
This character is a warrior. His gifts benefit him in the arts of battle. A tragic-romantic wanderer, he seeks out The Bound to do 'the hero thing.'

Origin
Part of the Calad-Bolg is tragedy, its bequeath came at great cost. At his heart this Exemplar is a hopeless romantic. He fell in love with an innocent girl only to uncover her secret; she was a færie princess on 'daily furlough.' Negotiating an harrowing quest, he finally kills an horrible monster to free his love and her court. Sadly, this horrid guardian reverts to its true form, the færie princess. In her tearful farewell, she thanked him for freeing her from her awful servitude and kissed him her last. Her father and his court adopted this Exemplar and granted him the Calad-Bolg as their champion.

As prince and knight-errant, he rides forth championing the weak and tragic lovers, saving those he can. Though he hides it well, he wears his heart on his sleeve and this is his greatest weakness.

Examples made from this Exemplar

Doyle Duncan
In Universe 6, Doyle saw his girlfriend killed by a blast from Blaster-Guy (see his Write-Up in the Power Column). Being hit by the same blast, Doyle discovered these superpowers. His Sine Qua Non adds the loss of the girlfriend and a vendetta against Blaster-Guy (which also forms Doyle's binary characterization, see the GenEx article for details). Painting a mask with the design belonging to Osprey (a local superhero), Doyle becomes Osprey III, dispensing 'street justice' with his trusty bat. The bat has a thong attached to a 6" piece of metal like a key fob, so Doyle can spin it or hang it off his back pocket (see the illustration above). Someone he rescued made this bat for him and it is added to his Sine Qua Non (along with the Osprey identity).

Doug and Rod
This is a pair of 'psychic knights' that live in a highly mystical, post-apocalyptic future. Both possess these abilities except they are performed primarily without a Prop as a psychic 'energy blade' (and Rod, being the apprentice, has an additional Disadvantage that it only works some of the time). They travel about, incognito, taking part-time jobs to 'scope out' Circumstances in the various villages the meet. A lawless time, Doug and Rod occasionally return to their camp and transform it into a flashy knight-errant encampment (most of their gear is reversible or has hidden compartments, Doug is trained as a carpenter); this is for the obvious political effect it has on various warlords and criminal cartels in open operation. Doug has the listed Disadvantage, but Rod replaces his with a weakness for the fairer sex. The whole 'dog and pony show' is central to their combined Sine Qua Non in response to the corrupt, grasping times they live in.

What is a Sine Qua Non?
It's Latin; it means "without which, not." A Sine Qua Non in Scattershot is the most central defining qualities of a character (not in mechanical terms). If you change any part of the Sine Qua Non, the Persona ceases to be what the Player wanted. Such changes should be carefully considered and be in the company of the whole group. (It's important not to have one Sine Qua Non 'steal the thunder' of another.) Persona Development is based upon supporting or evolving the Sine Qua Non.

Exemplars have very narrow Sine Qua Non, but as Persona these usually get added to, quite a bit. The exact size of a Sine Qua Non depends on how much the Player feels is crucial to what they want in the game. I'll get more into Sine Qua Non and Persona Development is a future issue of Fish or Sofa.

Fang Langford