created by Dave Hargrave {submitted by Thomas Grable}

Skorby Brassnose, a 7th level Kobbit warrior, stands 3'10" tall, and weighs 85 pounds of solid muscle. His hair is rust red, and he has saffron yellow eyes. He is very muscular for his size, dark complected, with a smaller nose but larger ears than is normal for his kind. He follows Bast, and carries a silver cat's head amulet with "catseye" gems in the eyes. His stats are as follows (from the Compleat Arduin system): Str 13 (20 with magic belt) Con 16 Dex 17 Agil 16 Int 13 Wis 9 Cha 10 Ego 12 Mech 13 Swim 10 HP 38

Skorby was orphaned during one of the Orc raids on the northeast border of Arduin, found by soldiers just after, and raised by them as a mascot to the Vorlnyaas city militia. He joined the Arduinian army and served for six years (making lance corporal), then went adventuring for a while. He got tired of that and hired out as a bodyguard mercenary.

After some 15 years of that, he left Arduin as a caravan guard to Tharkalla where he stayed as a mercenary for 8 years. He then returned to Arduin to be home once more, but the adventuring bug has him again.

His favorite food is sourkraut-stuffed pork bellies with green lizard gravy (yum!), and Troll's Nose Ale.

He speaks Arduinian, Hobbit, Kobbit, Tharkallan, and knows enough Amazon to get by. He has also learned the so-called "common tongue" of the outworlds.

His primary weapon class is Blade Arms: Short (favored weapon: shortsword); his secondary weapon class is Slings (with which he is +30% as a racial bonus).

He has infravision to 75', hears 30%, smells 30%, and has a soldier's danger sense of 42%.

He harbors one grim secret: he is a werecreature, a true shapechanger that can become a gruesome Red Fangs spider at will! His Red Fangs stats are: CF 23, move 250' per melee round (up walls, across ceilings, etc.), AC 5 and has HP equal to his own +12 more. It bites for 1D4+2 HP with 1D20+10 HP of paralyzing venom (to affect any creature up to double his Red Fangs HP for 1D100+10 minutes). Its forelegs strike for 1D3+2 HP each (pair simultaneously). It can leap 30' in any direction. His RF drops by 1/3, but his Ego triples in this form! The change requires 3 seconds to fully complete. Note: his armor has hidden internal "breakaway" lacings to he can shapechange freely while wearing it. It is unaffected by any poison/venom of less than double his Red Fangs HP.

He wears a magical belt which he's named "Skorby's Kicker." This magic belt of tooled horsehide bears a brass buckles set with green beryls. It will magically adjust to fit Hobbits to stout humans or Dwarves. It grants its wearer Str 20, and doubles his body mass (volume is the same). The wearer regenerates all damage (even criticals) at 1 HP per melee round, up to a maximum of 120 HP total per day.

He wields a magical shortsword named "Drake's Bane". It has a blade of fine steel, a guard of gleaming brass, and a hilt of wire-wrapped leather. The pommel is a large sphere of green laen (ultrahard glass), lit from within with strange fires. Balanced to cut and thrust, it is +3 to strike (+15 ABF), and +3 to damage. Against Dragons or creatures of draconic blood, its attack and damage bonuses double.

He wears armor fashioned from the hide of a black dragon, and now has a helmet and shield fashioned from glassteel.

His war pony, a mare named Buttercup, wears magical Horseshoes of a Zephyr, which allow it to travel without actually touching the ground. She leaves no tracks, and any terrain may be passed over without effort, including quicksand or water. She will not tire for up to 12 hours of continuous riding per day while wearing these magical shoes.

When asked where he's from, his usual answer is, "I'm from the big leagues, boys; I'm from Arduin!" He takes no guff from anyone, and people soon find out that he is far stronger than his small stature would indicate. He has become a highly skilled cook and can prepare the ultimate apple pie.