“The Well” - First Character, Renodus
02.13.2021 - Bruce Kroeze - ~2 Minutes
I’ve been enjoying getting and slowly reading through the PDFs from my RPG Kickstarter Rampage of last fall. So far, it is one of the games on my shortlist to actually-play-instead-of-just-reading-the-rules is “The Well” , by Shoeless Pete Games.
Renodus is a character I made as part of my read-through. I think he makes some of the unique points of this game shine quite nicely.
Renodus: Gravedigger
| Name: | Renodus | Complications: | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pronouns: | He / Him | Short-term: | |
| Stress: | 0 | ||
| Resilience: | 10 | ||
| Assets: | 0 | Long-term: | |
| Skills: | Exploring | ||
| Runes: | Spywall (3 rune paint) | ||
| Weapons: | Daggers | Permanent: | |
| Armor: | Padded | ||
| Kit: | [ ] bag | [ ] bandages | [ ] [ ] booze |
| [ ] food | [ ] flint & steel | [ ] knife | [ ] 3 torches |
| [ ] crowbar | |||
| Self-image: | Observant, misleading, decisive | Habits: | drinking, gossip |
| Reputation: | Keeps word | ||
| Contacts: | Gieffroy - Artisans (+) | Notes: | Hired to retrieve an artifact |
| Eustace - Church of the Holy Descent (-) | |||
There’s just one “class” that you can play in “The Well”, “gravedigger”. You aren’t so much digging graves for recently deceased, however, you are digging into the graves of the unquiet dead in the floors of the great well overhead.
So that’s what Renodus is, a brave new gravedigger. He’s entering this line of work out of boredom, and because he has been offered a large reward if he can retrieve a valuable ring accidentally left 3 levels upwell.
Note that he hasn’t been upwell yet (up is where the monsters are), so he doesn’t have any “Complications” yet. He’ll get plenty of those when he does start working his way toward that payoff.
His one magic element is his 3 doses of rune paint, allowing him to peer through walls before jumping blindly in. Because that’s what he usually does, wait, observe, and do the smart thing. Unless he’s been drinking, of course.
That’s one more element I like about this game, the ways you can reduce stress. Not only can you do so during downtime, like many newer games, but you can shed stress by unproductively indulging in habits during play. In Renodus' case, that means he’ll either be sneaking drinks, or he’ll be gossiping and giving away party secrets.
I look forward to playing this game, to see if Renodus can make it to the third floor. I think the answer is “maybe”, with a shrug. We’ll see. The Well will see.