A rebel survivor, blessed with the power of metals and at one with the mists, trying to make sure his rebellion doesn’t die alone. A bastard Thug-for-hire who should’ve never been born, determined to make her name live on. A nobleman fallen from grace, climbing through the shadows to get back what he’s lost and get back at those who took it from him. A Keeper of Terris chasing secrets of the Metallic Arts, determined to make the deaths that have kept her alive worth it. A shapeshifting kandra who has violated his people’s laws and struck out on his own to find a life and Homeland beyond the contracts. It’s time to Meet the Party for the Mistborn Adventure Game from Crafty Games!

As featured on The Independents, the Mistborn Adventure Game is set within the world of Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn novels, a post-apocalyptic ash-covered land of horrible oppression, world-shaking secrets, and magic tied up in metals. Player characters form Crews that operate in the criminal underworld of the Lord Ruler’s Final Empire, doing whatever they can to survive and accomplish their goals. When making characters for the Mistborn Adventure Game one has to start with the actual Crew: what is it called, what has brought its often disparate members together, who do they prefer to target, and how do they usually go about doing so? In this case we’re working with:

The Salvaged Particulars

Common Cause: Revenge

Primary Target: The Nobility

Preferred Method: Information

The Salvaged Particulars (the leader has a funny sense of humor) all have some grievance of one sort or another with the nobility of the Final Empire, who are almost as vicious to their own kind as they are the skaa slaves they lord over. While it isn’t the only way the Particulars go after their chosen prey, they specialize in the gathering and judicious use and sale of information. So check your metal levels and get ready to step into the mists. Let’s see what the Crew can do.

Tonnestor, The Mistborn

Concept: Rebel Mistborn

Race: Skaa

Tragedy: Only survivor of a skaa rebellion.

Destiny: Destroy the nobles responsible for the rebellion’s failure.

Attributes (Average): Physique 4 Charm 3 Wits 4

Standings: (Weak): Resources 3 Influence 2 Spirit 4

Resiliences: Health 7 Reputation 5 Willpower 8

Traits: Avenging the failed rebellion, Rebel Spy, Escape Artist, Always Moving, Determined

Powers (Strong Allomancy): All Metals 4

Props: Mistcloak, Sack of Copper Clips, Mistborn Vial (1 Charge each of Brass, Bronze, Copper, Iron, Pewter, Steel, Tin, and Zinc)

Tonnestor is that rarest of creatures, a Skaa Mistborn who hasn’t yet been slaughtered. Thanks to his Allomantic gifts he has access to a wide variety of abilities. He can push and pull on metals, increase his physical abilities and senses, sooth and riot the emotions of others, and detect the use of Allomancy while concealing his own. Without his Allomancy he’s pretty quick-witted and decently lucky, and he can hold his own in a fight, but he’s not the most sociable person and surviving so far has cost him most of his resources and connections.

Lin, The Pewterarm

Concept: Mercenary Misting

Race: Skaa

Tragedy: Mother was killed for having me.

Destiny: Slay a Steel Inquisitor.

Attributes (Strong): Physique 6 Charm 4 Wits 3

Standing (Weak): Resources 4 Influence 2 Spirit 3

Resiliences: Health 10 Reputation 7 Willpower 6

Traits: Become a famous warrior, Hazekiller, Shield Fighter,  Tiny Frame, Affable

Powers (Average): Pewter 5

Stunts: Slow-Burning Pewter

Props: Dueling Cane, Large Wooden Shield, Misting Vial (3 charges of Pewter)

Lin has the ability to burn Pewter to increase her strength, speed, and durability. That makes her a Pewterarm, more commonly called a Thug, and consequently the most physically dangerous person on the crew. Even without Pewter she’d be deadly in a fight between her physical skills and her training as a Hazekiller which made her a specialist in fighting Allomancers . . . and Mistborn. Once the Pewter starts burning things get a little silly, and her Slow-Burning Stunt means she can outlast other Thugs. Beyond that she’s actually pretty personable, and her work has kept her in decent wealth.

Belmark “Clips” Davenpleu, The Ex-Noble

Concept: Ex-Noble Information Broker

Race: Noble

Tragedy: House Davenpleu was wiped out in a House war, and I know of no other survivors.

Destiny: Re-establish House Davenpleu, in Luthadel or elsewhere.

Attributes (Average): Physique 2 Charm 5 Wits 4

Standings (Strong): Resources 5 Influence 5 Spirit 3

Resiliences: Health 7 Reputation 10 Willpower 7

Traits: Avenge my fallen House, Dilettante, Ear for Secrets, Flair for the dramatic, Instantly Likeable, Talent for Impressions, Looks Trustworthy

Powers (Weak): N/A

Props: Disguise, Bottle of Wine, Pocket Watch, Dueling Cane, Formal Clothing

Belmark Davenpleu brings a degree of class and refinement to the crew, a good thing to have in its nominal leader. He’s the absolute best in social situations, able to charm his way into information and out of trouble. Not only that, he’s got the connections and resources to keep the crew supplied, in the know, and generally well-supported when they can’t manage with what they already have. Lacking any sort of magical ability, he also has more Traits than the rest of the crew, allowing him to add dice more frequently and in larger numbers.

Kylaa, The Keeper

Concept: The Synod’s Metals Expert

Race: Terris

Tragedy: An entire village was killed for sheltering me.

Destiny: Discover and master a new Feruchemical metal.

Attributes (Average): Physique 3 Charm 3 Wits 5

Standings (Weak): Resources 3 Influence 3 Spirit 3

Resiliences: Health 6 Reputation 6 Willpower 8

Traits: Discover new Feruchemical metals and abilities, Scholar, Talented Researcher, Steely Resolve, Thoughtful

Powers (Strong Feruchemy): All Metals 3

Props: Metalminds x9: Brass/Bronze/Copperx2/Iron/Pewter/Steel/Tin/Zinc

Kylaa brings the abilities of Feruchemy to the crew, which allows her to create a store of attributes within her metals to tap later. With the metalminds currently at her disposal she can store warmth, wakefulness, weight, strength, speed, senses, mental speed, and most importantly for a Keeper memories themselves. Unlike Allomancers, who have a strict limit to how much of a boost they can get from a given metal, Kylaa can ‘tap’ into these resources at a much more dramatic rate: an hour of stored strength can turn into a minute of truly ludicrous power. Of course, that comes with the cost of weakening those attributes long enough to store them.

CorDen, The Kandra

Concept: Rogue Kandra

Race: Kandra

Tragedy: I violated the First Contract in self defense.

Destiny: Establish a new Homeland free of The Father.

Attributes (Strong): Physique 4 Charm 4 Wits 7

Standings (Weak): Resources 3 Influence 2 Spirit 4

Resiliences: Health 7 Reputation 6 Willpower 11

Traits: Secure my freedom from all-comers, Infiltrator, Hawk-Eyed Observer, Odd Diction, Reckless

Powers (Average): Mimicry 5, Blessing of Presence

Props: Bones (1 set), Disguise, Obsidian Dagger

CorDen brings the unique skill set of the kandra to the crew: the ability to consume the bones of the dead to take on their appearance. For a crew that specializes in the acquisition of information, there are few greater resources than this Mimicry ability. The Blessing of Presence grants him a strength of mind, represented by his much-higher-than-normal Wits. Outside of those special abilities CorDen is no slouch, equally capable of handling physical and social conflicts.

Who They Are

Tonnestor, more commonly referred to as Tone, is that rarest of creatures: a skaa Mistborn who hasn’t been hunted down and killed by the Steel Inquisitors. Not for lack of trying on their part, though, and certainly not because Tone has been laying low. The Mistborn is actually an idealist, and joined up with a skaa rebellion in one of the outlying dominances. Unfortunately numbers weren’t on their side, and the rebellion was eventually crushed; Tone was the only one to get away, and the nobles who did the majority of the crushing were rewarded enough to move their operations to the capital in Luthadel. Unbeknownst to them Tone followed them there, fully intent on taking the rebellion’s killers down with it.

Lin is like a lot of skaa Mistings, the direct progeny of a nobleman and a skaa woman. She doesn’t quite know the details of her parents’ relationship, but it doesn’t really matter; for having a child with a nobleman her mother was eventually hunted down and killed. Lin escaped to the streets, and probably would have died there if she hadn’t Snapped and come into her pewter. Over the years since she’s put her strength to good use hiring as a mercenary, even to some lesser noble houses as an expert in fighting other Allomancers. It’s not really clips or boxings she’s after, though. Above all else she wants to leave her mark on the world: she won’t be just another skaa bastard forgotten by the noble that sired her. Oh no, the nobles (and everyone else) are going to know her name, and they’re going to remember it.

Belmark Davenpleu, who these days only goes by Clips, is the only survivor of his House that he knows about. House Davenpleu fell from grace and was picked apart by their fellow nobles in a minor house war, culminating in a night full of assassins and death that Belmark only escaped by luck. Since his enemies think him dead in the burned wreck of his house’s keep, Clips has managed to slip into the underworld, leveraging what he knew of his house’s shadier dealing into a position of strength. He’s the one who put the Salvaged Particulars together, partly to regain some measure of wealth and influence by building a crew capable of gathering information. He’s lying by omission, however, when he doesn’t mention how he plans to use whatever information he can get to harm his house’s killers.

Kylaa is like all the Terris Keepers of the Synod, a scholar devoted to the preservation of knowledge so that when the Final Empire falls there will be someone to teach the freed peoples of Scadrial all they have lost. While Kylaa’s copperminds hold much knowledge her specialty is in knowledge of the Metallic Arts. This makes her a competent metallurgist, a skilled Feruchemist, and an expert on dealing with Allomancers (and, theoretically, hostile Feruchemists). It also makes her a particular threat to the Final Empire, though, for reasons Kylaa doesn’t really understand beyond her being a Keeper. People have died to keep her safe, which has driven her to the Particulars. She believes she is on the brink of some secret that may be worth all the deaths, and she’ll stop at nothing to unlock it despite the Empire’s efforts.

CorDen was like all kandra, bound to the various Contracts of his people. Everyone has a breaking point, however, and when a particular cruel noble human who CorDen was Contracted to simply wouldn’t stop hurting him the kandra did the unthinkable. He struck back in self-defense, killing the human and violating the First Contract. This made him a rogue in kandra society, doomed to execution, so he’s been on the run ever since. He’s had time to think, however, and he’s gradually shifted from shame and fear to indignation and rebellion. Why obey the Contracts? Why bow to the Father, he who is called the Lord Ruler? Why do the kandra not throw off the shackles the humans, and most often the nobles, put upon them? But if the kandra are going to be free, they’re going to need a new home to shelter them. A new Homeland, and CorDen is going to find it.

How They Interact

Tone has a healthy respect for Lin’s abilities; she’s a much better fighter than he is, even with his access to all the metals. Although her mercenary lifestyle seems a little selfish to him, he can’t help but like the younger, distinctly more jovial Pewterarm. He might think to pursue something more if he wasn’t certain of his own death at the end of this. Tone dislikes Clips almost as much as he likes Lin; the man acts so much like a noble that he probably is one, although Tone can’t prove it. He’s a good ally to have, though, and if he is a noble then it lets Tone fight fire with fire. Kylaa is an in-crew metallurgist and thus a forgotten-gods-given gift for the Mistborn. She’s always asking about his Allomancy after a job, which is actually a welcome change from someone trying to take advantage or kill him for it. CorDen is unsettling as all get out, but the idea of killing and replacing nobles to cause mischief is definitely appealing. Tone tries to make nice with the kandra, but doesn’t think he’s had a lot of success yet.

Lin gets worried about Tone a lot. He’s definitely got some baggage, and he brings it along on pretty much every job. There’s also the fact that there are facets of his Allomancy that she can’t take head on, disconcerting for a warrior who is used to being among the best. He’s nice, though. Could do with a bit more smiling. Clips is a good business partner, and that’s all she really needs from him, but he also makes for a decent drinking buddy. They toast to jobs well done and tell ludicrous stories; some of hers are even true. Kylaa’s a friendly enough woman, and it’s kind of a relief to have someone around who the Lord Ruler wants to see dead even more than people like Lin. The Pewterarm would keep the Keeper safe out of professionalism alone, but puts more effort into it to thumb her nose at the Lord Ruler. CorDen is fascinating, if obviously a little cagey about his personal life. So Lin respects his privacy and doesn’t ask him any questions, brings him the odd body to copy, and they get along pretty well.

Clips thinks of Tone as one of the biggest assets for his plans, and also as the biggest personal threat to his own life aside from his former fellow nobles. The man is a fanatic, and if he ever finds out for certain that Clips is actually Belmark Davenpleu the leader of the Particulars is certain he’ll be killed, nevermind that House Davenpleu had nothing to do with Tone’s failed rebellion. Lin is actually the person who Clips considers his best friend, and was the first person to (without meaning to) get it into his head that the skaa didn’t deserve their lot. She’s a good drinking buddy. They toast to jobs well done and tell ludicrous stories; all of his are lies. Kylaa’s something of an odd fit for the Particulars, and Clips isn’t entirely sure why she’s here, but she’s undeniably useful and fun to talk to. CorDen’s quite intelligent and is used to acting like a noble from various Contracts. In a way the kandra is a taste of a home and life lost, so Clips doesn’t dig into how a kandra could be ‘freelancing’. Better to have an ally and another friend, as sad as that may seem.

Kylaa sees being around Tone as a fantastic and unique opportunity to observe a Mistborn in action; every other Mistborn she’s even heard of has been a noble, and thus too dangerous to study. His curiosity about Feruchemy is something that has to be carefully managed, but sometimes it’s nice to share. Kylaa has noticed Lin going out of her way to protect the Keeper on a few jobs, and is appreciative of the Pewterarm’s efforts, but worried about Lin getting hurt in the process. Kylaa doesn’t want anyone else to die for her. Clips is almost certainly a noble, and the natural curiosity of a Keeper makes Kylaa want to get the whole story, but she senses it isn’t a happy one. She’s avoided the subject for now. CorDen offers perhaps an even better opportunity to learn than Tone, but progress there has been exactly zero. The kandra goes out of his way to avoid talking about his people, so their relationship is a little chilly.

CorDen keeps his distance from Tone whenever possible; he’s certain the Mistborn means him no harm, but the fact that Tone has emotional Allomancy makes the kandra skittish for private reasons. CorDen does try to overcome that. Lin and Clips both don’t bother CorDen about his past or his people, and they are by default the two Particulars he’s on the best terms with. Lin brings him bodies and makes small talk, and while Clips isn’t precisely a good man he’s proof that not every noble deserves to die. Not that Clips knows that CorDen knows about his heritage; the kandra is discrete like that. Kylaa is, in a way, more worrisome than Tone despite the lack of emotional manipulation abilities. She’s as curious as any Keeper can be, and if any of the secrets of the kandra end up in one of those copperminds there’ll be no making them secret again. CorDen tries to keep things amiable despite his paranoia, but it’s a struggle.

The Future

Crews like the Salvaged Particulars live and die by their skills, their wits, and no small amount of luck. Will Tone, Lin, Clips, Kylaa, and CorDen find what they’re looking for in the shadows of the Final Empire? Will they gain the revenge, fame, and secrets that will make it all worth it? Or will they fall like the ash that covers the world, and vanish beneath it? That’s for you (and your dice) to determine!

Do you have feedback after using this batch of characters? How about a system you’d like to Meet the Party for? Speak up in the comments or give me a shout on Twitter @HungryHalfling. If you want to support Cannibal Halfling Gaming, please let your friends know about us and/or become a Patron!