The Dime Novelist (Character Concept)

"And so their blades clashed. The Red Knight was the rolling fury of thunder, but Kialla was lightning, her sword always there a moment before his blade could fall. Steel slid against steel, the spells sparking against one another, until faster than a blink Kialla slipped inside his guard. Though the knight's plate was crimson from slaughter, it availed him not against her righteous fury, and his head fell at her feet."

Kialla looked up from the book, one eyebrow cocked. The scar that bisected that brow, the one she'd been given as a parting gift from the Red Knight, was white and clean. "This really the way you remember it, Dendrick?"

Dendrick smiled at her, showing a touch of the underbite his orcish heritage had given him. "I took copious notes that night, if you remember."

"I stabbed him through the heart," Kialla said. "In under the armpit. His gorget was thicker than three of my fingers. If I'd tried to cut through that the only way he'd have died would have been laughing at me too hard."

"Artistic license," Dendrick said with a shrug. "You did sever his head to collect the bounty, so it still happened."

Dialla shook her head, sighing. "I can't believe people pay you for this."

"Highways are long, and often boring," Dendrick said, smiling. "Besides, they pay me, and I pay you, so everyone gets their portion of the proceeds."

"This keeps up, I might not have to hunt bounties anymore," Dialla said.

Dendrick winced. "Don't say that! I need to have something ready by next summer. The readers are going to want another."

So who is next? A bandit king, perhaps? That cult we keep hearing about?

A Chronicler of Low-Price Legends

Our games tend to be replete with tale-telling bards and traveling minstrels, but there is another form of entertainment we often don't think about... especially if our worlds are advanced enough that the printing press exists. Because if there is a publishing industry, people are going to want entertainment from it. And once cheap materials can be used to turn cheap profits, all they need are cheap stories to fill the pages with.

And that is where the Dime Novelist comes into the picture.

"The Bloody Blade of Brighton"? I think we still have a copy somewhere...

For those not familiar with them, dime novels were the precursors to the pulps. They were written quickly, tended to be lurid, and they were printed on cheap paper, bound with cheap glue, and they hit newsstands and stores as fast as publishers could pump them out. They were quick, disposable entertainment, and most of them were about gunslingers, detectives, outlaws, and other adventurers who tended to be far removed from the readers in terms of lifestyle, distance, or both.

While most individuals who penned these books were just slapping words on the page, piecing together gossip, fantasy, and lurid stories with their own artistic flare, the concept of the dime novelist as a character is someone who wants their stories to be more authentic (if not precisely an exact accounting of events). Whether it's because they believe that what they're doing deserves to have integrity, or because they feel that being an eyewitness to the events will make for better sales, adventuring is merely a means to an end. After all, if they want to get a good story, they have to go to where the story is happening.

This concept can be done in a variety of different ways. After all, one could play a bard who prefers the written word over the fife or the drum, publishing the adventures of themselves and their companions to earn a living, but also to big-up their reputations. If there's too much embellishment, this could lead to people over-estimating them, or to individuals trying to ask them about things they never actually did. The sort of thing that leads their Small Legend to grow much faster than they'd like. Or, if the novelist is unscrupulous, they might specifically cause trouble in order to give their companions a threat to deal with... something that could end badly for them, if it's found out the novelist was the source of a dangerous situation.

Additionally, though this is an ideal concept for a bard, they're far from the only characters capable of making this idea work. A retired fighter might pen their memoirs, and find they need fresh material to keep putting more books out (the Richard Marcinko career path), or a wizard might intercut their field notes with stories of how their companions fared against various challenges. A monk might use the tales of their allies' actions to illustrate finer points of combat philosophy in their manual, or a sorcerer might need extra funds to support a lavish lifestyle. All the characters needs is the necessary skill to put the words on paper, and someone willing to distribute their stories... which is a significantly more interesting use of the Leadership feat when you consider your dozens of followers could all be your sales reps helping spread the word of your and your companions' great deeds!

Lastly, while this is an interesting role for a player character, this is also one that can work beautifully for a supporting NPC. And if you are going to go the bard route for it, I'd highly recommend checking out my 5 Tips For Playing Better Bards before putting this one in game!

Speaking of Dime Novelists...

One of the comments I keep getting on this particular series is how much folks enjoy the little snippets of fiction I put in the opening paragraphs. Even if the character concept isn't for them, or they're not sure they'll like it, they often find those little flashes to be of interest.

If you're one of those readers, you should know I write books as well. And, in fact, I just had a new one drop on the 1st!

Sci-fi thriller about de-commissioned super soldiers, anyone?

Old Soldiers is my most recent novel, and if you've had a hankering for 9-foot-tall albino bioweapons that Resident Evil hasn't quite satisfied, then you are definitely going to want to take a moment to meet Pollux and the other Myrmidon as they try to unravel a shadowy conspiracy that reaches all the way into the heart of New Liberty.

Or, if you're more of a modern fantasy reader, you might want to check out my other series. It's got hard-boiled mysteries with dark alleys, shadowy players, gangs of bruisers... and all of them are street animals in New York City. Our protagonist, Leo, is a Maine Coon with a bad attitude, a heart of gold, and a serious curiosity streak that gets him into trouble in Marked Territory and the latest tale Painted Cats which came out in May.

If you're a fan of traditional sword and sorcery adventure, then my novel Crier's Knife might be more up your alley. Alternatively, if you like game tie-in fiction then my story The Irregulars from the Pathfinder Tales might be more to your taste, and if you enjoy the grim darkness of the far future take a look at Waking Dogs- A World Eaters Tale. The last one's even free!

And that's just a smattering of what you'll find on my Amazon author page, in addition to the now triple-digit search results you'll find for my supplements on Drive Thru RPG! So if you enjoy my work, please, go check those out too!

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!