Name: Jasper Sanningskar
Race: Forest Gnome
Class: Bard/College of Swords
“luis royo painting;candid shot;short welsh midget adventurer appraising viewer,stout,age 30,calculating smirk,neat brown goatee,long nose,big eyes,wide face,wide sideburns;leather armor over red shirt;brown swashbuckler hat;earring;cloak,summoning wispy blue illusion;in forest glen”
Jasper is a classic old-style Gnome adventurer – skilled in both fighting and illusion – and relying primarily on his quick wit and keen observational skills to make his way in the world. He has been known as an investigator, a monster hunter, and an adventurer for hire. But generally he travels about looking for people, places, and situations which seem “wrong” or “unfair” – and fixing them. And his single greatest talent is inserting himself into complex schemes and evil plots – and poking and prodding exactly where it will be least expected but most disruptive.
He is fond of history and stories, and can be quite the tale-teller around the campfire – literally bringing his tales to life with minor illusion.
Jasper is well aware that much of the world does not take a gnome seriously. And he is not above using that to his advantage when expedient. He prefers to solve problems non-violently when possible, but has absolutely no compunctions about using subterfuge and deception to meet his ends. It is, after all, practically woven into the gnomish mindset.
Jasper is patient, methodical, and thorough when investigating an adversary, and seldom proceeds to direct confrontation other than in a time and place of his choosing. But he is quick-thinking and clever when confronted with the unexpected.
He is skilled at enchantment, divination, and illusion, and is especially talented at blending minor magic with his other skills. Distracting guards with illusionary rats, combining magical disguise with acting skill, and leveraging the inherent ability of his kind to speak with animals.
His fighting style similarly blends crisp and probing swordplay with illusion and sleight of hand. He weaves together deception and minor illusion with feints and gambits that make it very difficult for an opponent to gauge his true intentions and strategy. He may throw a knife at you only to stab you with the very same knife when you duck.
Above all, Jasper seeks to leave the world a better place than he found it. He will kill when necessary, but has the gnomish sense that teaching an enemy to rethink their ways through manipulation and humiliation is far better than simply ending them. And far more fun to boot!
Author’s Notes:
Jasper is intended for a run at BG3, sometime after I complete my current run through Pathfinder: Kingmaker. I rather like the idea of the various schemers and evil factions that game brings into play being undone by a determined gnome with a talent for introducing chaos into well-laid plans.
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