Ignatz Screamrivet; or, I was gnomepunk before gnomepunk was cool

So there we were, three parageeks*, rolling up characters for a new D&D campaign set in Ptolus. We knew our DM liked dark and foreboding settings and situations, and the others were responding accordingly. Big J was creating a roguish wizard, a petty criminal who had entered onto the path of arcane magic as a result of his theft of artifacts of great power. Little J was building a ill-tempered cleric of the god of war, wont to wave his fiery sword first and ask questions later. I played along, and for a while was moving nicely on an agile fighter, a skull-masked cultist and master of the spiked chain, a particularly nasty weapon.

Then I saw that the Ptolus player's guide allowed for a variant armor that was basically a leather overcoat. All bets were off, and I let the current of steampunk that runs through the Ptolus material carry me away.

Gone was the skull-faced warrior Ghast R'dere; in his place was gnome bard, Ignatz Screamrivet. Ignatz wore a Leather Greatcoat (+4 AC) and Goggles of Dexterity (+2). His specialty was ranged attacks with his Enhanced Mighty Powered Shortbow, a homemade souped-up version of the steampunk compound bow allowed in the player's guide; his only melee weapon was a Masterwork Sap. To channel his bardic magic, he strummed his ukulele. With his mule Agnetha, he would be a force to be reckoned with: total gnomepunk.

Sadly, that Ptolus campaign foundered when the DM moved out of town, and Ignatz was never able to truly come into his own as a PC. I am happy that he has found a new home as the patron saint of this blog, as he embodies the very spirit of gnomepunk: a little guy, technologically anachronistic and defiantly unconventional, who kicks ass.

While wearing goggles.

D&D Character sheet created using PCGen. You should check it out.

*Parageeks are gamers, comic book fans, or otherwise nerdly types
who nonetheless have jobs and romantic relationships and don't live in someone's basement .