Cornelius Fibble: the Gnome, the Legend – Steal this NPC

Famous Quotes:

• “Size doesn’t matter, all that counts is how you use me…eh, I mean, it.”
• “Call me an ‘ankle biter’ one more time and you’ll be missing an Achilles tendon!!”
• “Oy! Barkeep, get me like five beer bottles.  No, I don’t need the beer.  Time to start crackin skulls.”
• “Did you ever hear the one about the bartender that turned into a Platinum dragon? <a long pause> Neither did I.”

Who is Cornelius Fibble?
Cornelius Fibble is a bard who has developed something of a reputation across the lands.  He is well-known for being a traveling storyteller, minstrel, philanthropist, and entertainer, but he is also infamous for being a trouble maker, bar fight starter, and general public nuisance.  He is something along the lines of a rock star in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.

On paper, Fibble is a bard first, but he also has picked up skills from his former adventuring companions in the past.  He has learned some Rogue Skills, Wizard Spells, and Martial Talents.  He is a bard among bards and a true dabbler in a variety of combat styles.

Physical Description / Appearance
Cornelius Fibble is a short, even by gnome standards, but he is fairly handsome.  He has deep green eyes and a short goatee.  He has well kept, short, brownish-blond hair, with some salt and pepper gray coming in as of late.  He looks like he might be nearing middle age for a gnome.  Cornelius has several magical tattoos over his body: one on each of his forearms and one on his neck.  He has other non-magical tattoos as well, and some distinctive facial piercings, which he has picked up all over the world.

Fibble is always decked out from head to foot in the nicest clothes that money can buy.  He is extremely conscious about his appearance and is always staying in tune with the latest fashions.  However, over his clothes, he wears a set of old leather armor, with a few studs here and there, which he inherited long ago.  He will never be rid of it.

In addition to his armor, Fibble wears an assortment of weapons.  He usually has a bastard sword slung over his back, a small rapier, a few daggers, and a crossbow hang at his waste.  He also has a pretty hefty spellbook full of rituals and magic spells which was were passed on from his old wizard buddy.  On top of that, he sports an incredibly handy utility belt which hold all kinds of tools.  Although it might not be obvious to the simple observer, he also has several hidden pouches around his being which hold a variety of alchemical and thieves tools, as well as stowed daggers and shuriken.

Finally, Fibble always has his trusted lute and pipe.  He usually carries them either swung around his back, or in his hands.  He never lets them out of his sight.  They have served him very well over the years.

Personality
During the day, Fibble is kind, enthusiastic, and fun.  He often shows up in a village and puts on free performances for the children of the town.  Women flock to hear him tell stories in village squares.  He is popular with virtually everyone.  He has lots of stories to tell, most of them are grossly exaggerated stretches of the truth, but they are all entertaining none-the-less.

However, at night, Fibble hits the town in a big way.  He is usually found in bars, pubs, and other alehouses, flirting with the tavern maids and making very crude jokes.  He is an extremely strong drinker and puts most humans and even some dwarves to shame with the sheer quantity of flagons that he can put away.  He often challenges people to drinking games in order to get a hold of some easy gold pieces (not as though he really needs them, just that he finds the process exhilarating).  When Fibble gets his way and has a chance at catching a taste of some night life, past outcomes have resulted in: groups of wild drunk naked men having a swim race across a river in the middle of the night, taverns burned to ash and cinders, week long stints in the public jail, forgotten slumbers with demon princesses, etc.  The list goes on.  Fibble has a knack for always getting himself in trouble, but somehow, he always manages to get himself back out again.  After all his years spent as a hired minstrel, adventurer, dungeon delver, and sometimes burglar, Fibble has stocked up quite a fortune, which is put to good use whenever he gets into a little too much trouble.

Using Cornelius Fibble in Your Game
Fibble is an NPC which can fulfill a great many roles.  He is designed to be the infamous fifth man, that last party spot which you just can’t fill.  As such, he is also made in order to fill a variety of combat roles.  He is firstly a leader, but also has some striker, defender, and controller powers.  His dabbling has honed these skills to something akin to perfection.  He can be hired to take the role of an empty spot in a party containing only 4 players and he will tag along on virtually any adventure the party could dream of.

Apart from meeting Fibble randomly and having him join the party, Fibble can be met just about anywhere.  He might be found in the middle of town singing or telling stories to a group of young children, or the party might find him flirting with a pretty lady in just about any part of town.  At night, he can be found in just about any tavern in just about any city in any world.  He might have a reason to be there, he might not.  If there is alcohol involved he might very well be in the area.

Fibble is always eager to help out new adventurers.  He cherishes the fire and spirit that true dungeon delvers cling to.  He might ask to tag along on an adventure just to watch and write a poem or story about it.

He never appears as an antagonist to the Player Characters.  He can be killed, but killing him grants no experience.  He is not an evil character, just misunderstood.  If a fight gets real between the party, he will attempt to negotiate or simply run away (something he has also gotten very good at over the years).

Cornelius Fibble Stat Block

You could easily change up Fibble’s Stats to fit into any game or setting.  He is a fairly basic fantasy character in so much as the powers and traits he possesses can be found in virtually any type of Role Playing Game out there.  He is presented here as a snapshot at level 8 (the upper heroic tier) for Dungeons and Dragons 4e, but changing his stats to fit into a different game, or a different level of play is not a difficult task.