Good gentles,

How do I build a PC whose toughness is mental not physical? The never-say-die kind of guy who keeps sparring with the knights in training when the other squires with more hit points have withdrawn to the sidelines. Think Steve Rodgers pre-serum in the latest Captain America movie -- not quite that scrawny, but that kind of spirit.

Is that low CON/hi Valorous, or would CON be adjusted upwards to reflect the mental endurance and relying on "flavor text" for explanation? I've decided against Reckless because he *does* think and use tactics -- he just refuses to stop or let his body fall when technically it should.

Thank you.

A high Passion, I would think-Loyalty or Love or Honor.

A high Valorous can enable a knight to fight on after sustaining a Major Wound, but that's the only mechanical effect and you still have to succeed at a roll against remaining Hit Points to stay conscious before Valorous comes into play. For genuine staying power, go with a high CON and make up whatever rationale you want for the character's ability to hang in there. The cultural +3 CON which Cymric characters receive could easily reflect fighting spirit rather than innate health.

...relying on "flavor text" for explanation?

If you want to have something different, but to use the same rules, flavor text is always a good idea.

It sounds like this knight is *passionate* about never giving up.

So give him "Passion (never surrender)". Then make sure that he doesn't try to use the passion except when it is appropriate, like when he really need to keep going no matter what.

High CON and High Valorous would also make sense.

I might also suggest a High Energetic trait, to represent the fact that he doesn't "sit around".

A high Valorous can enable a knight to fight on after sustaining a Major Wound, but that's the only mechanical effect and you still have to succeed at a roll against remaining Hit Points to stay conscious before Valorous comes into play. For genuine staying power, go with a high CON and make up whatever rationale you want for the character's ability to hang in there. The cultural +3 CON which Cymric characters receive could easily reflect fighting spirit rather than innate health.


Good points. I will follow your and Sir Marcus' advice on this, as well as MrUkpyr's suggestion of the high Energetic. Thank you all.

Come to think of it, other stats too can have flavor text differentiating knights who have the same numeric stats/mechanical effects. After all, high STR and damage dice could apply to Sir Bruce de Lee (a wiry fellow who spends hours each day perfecting his form and body mechanics) just as much as it applies to Sir Taurus Thickarm (who loves bench-pressing his squires). And a low APP could represent someone who would "clean up purty" but thinks personal grooming/hygiene wastes valuable drinking time just as much as it applies to someone born with an ugly face.

Good gentles,

How do I build a PC whose toughness is mental not physical? The never-say-die kind of guy who keeps sparring with the knights in training when the other squires with more hit points have withdrawn to the sidelines. Think Steve Rodgers pre-serum in the latest Captain America movie -- not quite that scrawny, but that kind of spirit.



I nwouldn't add a special passion.
This sort of thing is entirely covered by the personality traits and directed traits. Energetic and Valour are the obvious ones (along with CON), along with Reckless perhaps. Players will come to their own interpretation of their knights personality as their trait rolls succeed and fail in play. A knight who always succeeds his valour rolls first, and who makes his CON rolls to fight on despite major wounds, whill soon get a reputation as someone who never gives up.

In Pendragon, you dont decide to play characters like "a knight who never gives up" - you set the traits as best you can, to steer yourself in that direction, and then you see what happens in play. Pendragon is all about discovering your character through play.