HOUSE OF PAYNE INTERNATIONAL: Archive: GMP

The Gold Monkey Project: Kumalo/Shaft

An early artistic conception. Shaft was created as an AD&D character by Todd Michael Womack, a friend of mine from Arkansas. Because we had an old tape of Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft," the character was initially based (very) loosely on John Shaft, private detective / blaxploitation film hero. In play, however, Shaft developed a personality all his own, owing much more to Todd Womack than John Shaft. As played by Todd, Shaft was free-wheeling, easygoing, personable, loose and likeable-- not much like the edgy, tough, hard-nosed, tense film character who gave him his name. Thus, when I began to include him in my stories, I changed his name to Kumalo because there was no longer any real resemblance to his namesake, aside from their skin color. (I also did it to avoid legal issues, and because no one would take him seriously if I kept calling him Shaft.)

In our AD&D adventures, Shaft made friends quickly and was often the default group leader, largely because of Todd's easy charm, his skills at accommodation and mediating disputes, and his good humor. He met Chisaibu in his first adventure, and continued to be perhaps Chisaibu's closest friend throughout our gaming episodes. Also early on, he met a viking warrior woman named Helga, with whom he had a tumultuous romance, despite her ten-inch height advantage. When I began to write, Helga was one of the first characters to show up in my stories, because I felt like I needed practice writing female characters and because I thought I stood a better chance of getting published that way. (My first Helga story was "Green-eyed Monster".) Naturally, once I began writing about Helga, her old flame Shaft/Kumalo showed up shortly. (His first appearance was in "The Spirit Loaf and the Life Price".)

In the course of writing these stories, I began to create a world of my own for these people to inhabit. My attempts to develop their characters and place them in a coherent world of course led to changes. And so I have here a short bio for Kumalo/Shaft as an attempt to fit him into the world of my imagination. If not all of it makes sense, I apologize. Just ignore the funny names and try to get the gist of it.

"Kumalo Musaalo (b. 20 Amalon 3277). When Kumalo was nine years old, he was shanghaied and sold as a slave to a wealthy Jipangi colonist in South Denipa. Having accompanied his father on many hunting trips in his native land, he was valued as a spear-man on boar hunts. After almost five years of slavery, he was liberated in the year 3290 when his master was killed in the battle of Mbudon Bridge. Desiring to revenge himself, he promptly joined up with a group of mercenary heavy cavalry from Tirscia, where he learned to ride, shoot, and use a two-handed sword.

"When the war was over, Kumalo and his band rode north to Decia and found employment as soldiers in the service of Ewold, Lord Shaesel. He remained in the area to be close to his first love, the slave girl Surdra, although he gave up soldiering and took up adventuring in order to gain coin enough to buy his love's freedom. After her tragic death, he wandered north and west with his friends "Pete" Fii'maer and the Ox. Two years later, he met Helga as a caravan escort traveling through the Great Forest from Guern to the Neverlands. Since then, he has been working in the West as a sellsword and adventure-seeker.

"Shaft is a seasoned veteran, a well-traveled and experienced campaigner. He is an old hand with camping and fire-building, a fair cook, a skilled rider, and something of an amateur military historian. He was trained in mounted combat by Tirscians, generally acknowledged as the finest cavalry soldiers of all the Schalute nations. His weapon of choice on horseback or on foot is a great two-handed sword. He is also skilled with the spear and the bow, and somewhat familiar with most kinds of large swords and maces. His native tongue was Chafah, which he has mostly forgotten. His second languages are Jipangi and East Schalute, both of which he speaks well, albeit with an accent. He also speaks Western Schalute, and understands all modern Schalute dialects."

Dungeons & Dragons Character Records

Provided for those of you to whom this would mean something.

This is the character record with which Shaft began the adventure. It's 2nd Edition AD&D format, because that's all there was when we started this email game.



"Shaft" / Kumalo Musaalo
Chaotic Good human Fighter

Level 5 (26,466 XP?), Base HP 50, THAC0 16

STR 18/60, DEX 15, CON 18, INT 10, WIS 12, CHR 14

5'5", 165 lbs., 20 yrs.
Black hair, blue eyes, chocolate brown skin

Weapon proficiencies: Two-handed sword (specialized), short bow, morning star, staff

Nonweapon proficiencies: Military history, firebuilding, blindfighting, riding (land-based)-15

Languages: Common, Jipangu, Jive

Money: 27 gold pieces, 7 gems (worth 4,910 gp total), 10 sp, 32 cp

Armor: Field plate, shield

Armor Class: 2 (1 when using shield)

Weapons: Two-handed sword "John Henry" (s.f. 10, 1d10/3d6), morning star (s.f. 7, 2d4/1d6+1), quarterstaff (s.f. 4, 2d4), 18/60 strength composite short bow (s.f. 6), 24 sheaf arrows (1d8/1d8)

Equipment: Belt, large belt pouch, wineskin, breeches, loincloth, tunic, grappling hook, 50 ft. silk rope, quiver, horse (Silver II)

Items: Gem of seeing (worth 4000 gp), potion of longevity, cloak of displacement, 5 beads of force (5d4 dmg., 10 ft. range), 'saucy' gold statue (20 lbs., worth 2000 gp)

This is the current character record for Shaft. It's in 3rd Edition D&D format, and I'm not totally sure we got the conversion right, but it's a good attempt, I think.



"SHAFT" Real Name: Kumalo Musaalo Player:_______________
21 yrs. old Birthplace: ____________________ Male Human
5'5" / 165 lbs. Black hair / Blue eyes / Brown skin Size: Medium / Speed: 30
Level 6 Fighter Deities: Tymora, Torm, Tempus, Lliira Alignment: Chaotic Good
Max HP: 67 Current HP: _45_____________ XP: 17,500

STR 20 (+5) DEX 16 (+3) Ref. Save +5 (= L6 Fighter +2, Dex. +3)
CON 18 (+4) INT 10 (+0) Frt. Save +9 (= L6 Fighter +5, Con. +4)
WIS 12 (+1) CHR 14 (+2) Will Save +3 (= L6 Fighter +2, Wis. +1)

Armor Class: 18 (base 10, +8 armor, armor permits no dex bonus.)
Melee Attack Bonus: +11*/+6* (L6 Fighter +6/+1, +5 Strength)
Ranged Attack Bonus: +9/+4 (L6 Fighter +6/+1, +3 Dexterity)
*(additional +1 w/ two-handed sword)

CLASS ABILITIES
Armor Proficiencies: All Armor and Shields.
Weapon Proficiencies: All Simple and Martial Weapons.
Two attacks per round

FEATS
Weapon Focus (Great Sword), Weapon Specialization (Great Sword), Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack, Trample, Blind-Fighting, Power Attack, Cleave.

SKILLS
Diplomacy +4
(Base +2, Cha. +2)
Handle Horse +4
(Base +2, Cha. +2)
Knowledge (Military History) +6
(Base +6, Int. +0)
Riding +13
(Base +10, Dex. +3)
Wilderness Lore +6
(Base +5, Wis. +1)

LANGUAGES: Common, Jipangu, Jive

PURSE: 24 GP, 10 SP, 32 CP

EQUIPMENT: breeches, loincloth, tunic, belt, large belt pouch, wineskin, grappling hook, 50 foot silk rope, quiver, "artistically saucy" gold statue (@ 2,000 GP), horse with saddle and bags, big book of blackmail from the home of the City Underregent.

MAGIC ITEMS: gem of seeing (@ 4000 GP), potion of longevity, cloak of minor displacement, 5 beads of force (5d4 damage, 10 foot blast radius).

GEMS: fire opal (@ 1900 GP), amethyst (1000), 1500, 300, 110, 50, 50

ARMOR CLASS: 18 (= 10, +8 armor)

ARMOR
Half Plate Armor (+7)
Medium Shield (+1)

WEAPONS
"John Henry," great sword: 2d6 slashing damage, crit. 2X on 19-20
Mighty composite short bow (str. bonus to damage): 1d6 piercing damage, crit. 3X on 20
24 sheaf arrows
Morning star: 1d8 bludgeoning or piercing damage, crit. 2X on 20
Quarterstaff: 1d6 bludgeoning damage, crit. 2X on 20

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