Vengence of the VAGABONDS!

VAGABOND (#17/31, #76/365) [POT]

SKILL: 7

STAMINA : 7

ATTACKS: 1

WEAPON: Club, Dagger and Throwing Dagger

ARMOUR: None

DAMAGE MODIFIER: None

HABITAT: Towns, Towns (sewers), Ruins

NUMBER ENCOUNTERED: 2-7

TYPE: Humanoid

REACTION: Unfriendly-Hostile

INTELLIGENCE: Average

Above murderous urchins and street gangers in the urban pecking order, but below standover merchants such as thugs and footpads, the VAGABOND is another truly violent rogue of the street. Aggregating in small packs, Vagabonds often turn to urban mysticism to protect them from the realities of the street, and will all have the same visible tattoo to mark them as one of the group. Roll a die on the table below to determine the tattoo type:

Roll Tattoo Type

1    Red Star of Bloodkin

2    Bite of the Barracuda

3    Brand of the Bandit

4    Hood of the Cobra

5    Dragon of the Flame

6    Cloak of the Assassin

There is a 1 in 6 chance the tattoo is actually a Magical Tattoo with normal effects as per its type.

Otherwise, Vagabonds are usually clad in rough and ready clothing, and relatively heavily armed for the settlement they inhabit, carrying a spiked club, dagger and throwing dagger, all of which they can use effectively.  There is a 1 in 6 chance a Vagabond will have a special item of gear, which can be determined by rolling on the following table:

Roll Special Gear 

1    Rope and Grappling Hook

2    Sword

3    Armoured Fist

4    Leather Jack

5    Small Shield

6   Set of Lockpicks

If there are six or more Vagabonds present, one will be a VAGABOND CHIEF (SKILL 8 STAMINA 8 , weapons as above, tattoo is always magical, and has 1-3 items of Special Gear from the table above).

Vagabonds typically claim ownership of a street or area in the older, less prosperous quarters of cities such as Port Blacksand, Tak and the City of Mazes. Depending on mood, they may collect a tithe for entry, threaten menaces if not paid money, or simply beat or even kill, and rob. The confidence of some Vagabonds is such they will fight a lone victim one at a time, each Vagabond boasting that they will kill their foe single-handedly.

Vagabonds usually exist with the tacit approval of the local Thieves' Guild and pay a tithe upward to their guild contact or handler. In addition, promising Vagabonds are often headhunted by the Thieves Guild or the Brotherhood of the Knife or whatever the local assassin's guild is called. However, if they become too much of a nuisance for the neighbourhood, the City Watch, depending on amount of bribes paid, has been known to stage an 'intervention'.

Probably the most infamous of recent Vagabond packs have been the Red Star Brotherhood of Port Blacksand, led by the vicious Man-Orc Steel-eye Mallad, who are said to operate in the vicinity of Stable Street (see Blacksand, p. 48). The Brethren of the Red Star are only too happy to relieve strangers to the Port Blacksand Harbour District of their valuables, and, if needed, their life. Elsewhere, in the strange eastern city of Zengis, dangerous vagabonds are known to frequent the Black Dragon Tavern, close to the west gate. Over in Khul one Vagabond who gave up the creed of the Blue Barracuda in exchange for life as a wandering adventurer, is Junisha Quick-Knife of Shurrupak (see Heroes of Titan, p. 17). One thing all Vagabonds usually have in common is a lack of gold, because when they have funds, they are mostly spent on weapons and tattoos, hence the need to rob passersby to obtain more moolah.