Tessolina De Ravollo — The Lockwise
Unaffiliated gnome out of Passhall, expelled from the Tinkerer Guild at ninety-one, working The Crown ever since.
The guild taught her that a mechanism which works without being elegant has failed at the most interesting part. She agrees. She has simply extended the principle to locks that other people own.
The De Ravollos have held warehouse leases on Passhall's third quay since the Rhodars were still counting their first fortune, and Tessolina was apprenticed into a Tinkerer Guild lockwright's shop at forty because that is what a coastal trading family does with a child who takes the cabinet hinges apart. She was expelled fifty-one years later for opening a master's demonstration piece in front of witnesses without being invited to, which the guild recorded as theft of technique and which Tessolina still describes as a review.
She is in The Crown because The Crown has the highest concentration of things worth opening and the highest density of surveillance on the continent, and she finds the second fact more interesting than the first. She takes contracts. She does not take contracts that involve killing anyone, not on principle, but because a body changes how hard people look for you afterward.
Species: Gnome (Unaffiliated) Background: Criminal Career: Thief
Patron Deity: None
Gnome special abilities: Fine Motor Mastery (add 1 Boon Die to all checks involving delicate manipulation, instrument use, lockwork, mechanism repair, or any action where quality of touch matters more than force); Guild Expertise (once per session, a free Average Lore or Craft check on a topic inside the guild's domain; further uses cost 2 Strain); Insatiable Curiosity (once per scene, spend a Quick Action to observe a mechanism, creature, or situation for one round and ask the GM one specific question about how it functions or where it is weak).
Characteristics: Gnome base (MIG 2, AGI 2, INT 2, SAV 2, WIL 3, CHA 3). Free swap: AGI +1 → 3, CHA −1 → 2.
| Derived Value | Calculation | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Wound Points | 8 + Might (2) | 10 |
| Strain Points | 10 + Willpower (2) | 12 |
| Resistance | ⌈2 ÷ 2⌉ = 1 + leather armor (+0) | 1 |
| Melee Defense | 0 + leather armor (+1) + rapier Defensive 1 (+1) | 2 |
| Ranged Defense | 0 | 0 |
| Initiative (On Watch) | Savvy 3 + Perception 1 | 3 dice, 1 Mastery |
| Initiative (Surprised) | Willpower 2 + Readiness 1 | 2 dice, 1 Mastery |
Note: Fine Motor Mastery adds a Boon Die to every Subterfuge check against a lock or a mechanical trap, on top of Lockwise. Tessolina's lockwork is the best in most parties by a wide margin.
Skills
| Skill | Rank | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Subterfuge | 2 | ★ Profession |
| Stealth | 2 | ★ Profession |
| Streetwise | 2 | ★ Profession |
| Perception | 1 | ★ Profession |
| Readiness | 1 | ★ Profession |
| Deception | 1 | ★ Profession |
| Athletics | 1 | ★ Profession |
Gnome free skill rank (no XP): Streetwise 1, granted for Unaffiliated standing.
Talents
- Lockwise [Free Starting Talent, Rogue rank 1 (requires Subterfuge 1+)] Remove 1 Bane Die from Subterfuge checks to open locks, disarm mechanical traps, or bypass physical security. Improvised tools add 1 Bane Die to such checks instead of the usual two.
- Fast Hands [Tier 1, 5 XP]; Once per turn, draw, stow, or retrieve one accessible item as a Quick Action.
- Keen Eye [Tier 1, 5 XP]; Once per scene, remove 1 Bane Die from a Perception check caused by poor visibility, distance, or concealment.
Equipment
| Item | Profile |
|---|---|
| Rapier | Dmg 4, Crit 2, Engaged, Accurate 1, Defensive 1 |
| Dagger (×2) | Dmg 3, Crit 3, Engaged, Accurate 1 |
| Leather armor | +1 Melee Defense |
| Lockpick tools | Required for Subterfuge checks on mechanical locks |
| Rope (silk, 50 ft) | +1 Boon Die to climbing checks |
| Grappling hook | Enc 1; requires rope to function |
| Disguise kit | Required for sustained disguise; +1 Boon Die to Deception for appearance |
| Trail rations (1 week) | Enc 2 |
| Waterskin | Required for sustained travel |
| Torch (bundle of 6) | Burns 1 hour each; illuminates Short range |
| Starting funds | 2d10 gold flargons |
Gear is the Rogue package from Chapter Eight, taken as written.
XP Accounting
| Purchase | XP |
|---|---|
| Subterfuge rank 1 (profession) | 5 |
| Subterfuge rank 2 (profession) | 10 |
| Stealth rank 1 (profession) | 5 |
| Stealth rank 2 (profession) | 10 |
| Streetwise rank 2 (profession, from rank 1 free) | 10 |
| Perception rank 1 (profession) | 5 |
| Readiness rank 1 (profession) | 5 |
| Deception rank 1 (profession) | 5 |
| Athletics rank 1 (profession) | 5 |
| Fast Hands (Tier 1 talent) | 5 |
| Keen Eye (Tier 1 talent) | 5 |
| Total Spent | 70 XP |
| Banked | 15 XP |
Gnome starting XP is 85.
Suggested Advancement
- Rogue rank 2; Trapwise (10 XP; requires Rogue rank 1, already held): Once per scene, ask the GM whether a mechanical trap, alarm, or triggered ward is present within Short range. Buy this first. It is the difference between a thief who opens things and a thief the party survives following.
- Low Profile (Tier 2 universal, 10 XP; requires 2 XP-purchased Tier 1 talents, Fast Hands and Keen Eye, already met): Remove 1 Bane Die from Stealth or Subterfuge checks to avoid attention in crowds or busy public areas. The Crown is crowds.
- Craft rank 1 (10 XP, out-of-profession, after play): The half of the lockwright apprenticeship the guild ended early. Fine Motor Mastery is already adding a Boon Die to the check; the rank is what lets her build the thing instead of only opening it.