Dreadnought wrote:
One question - obviously Simon would be naturally left handed (actually in my version of Legend, the left handed thing for sorcerers isn't quite absolute, although it's extremely unusual for them not to be). If he's working as a scribe, he would actually be under pressure to work right handed - does he accept that pressure? Or rebel against it. That could be part of the reason for a low Reflexes as well.
I hadn't even thought of that but it's a good question. I think he would be forced to write right-handed and, in fact, as it is likely that he knows about the left-handed preference for sorcery, Simon would deliberately hide his left-handedness as additional cover (which definitely would explain his low reflexes across a range of activities in which it would be relevant). For his forgery work, which he does in about as much secrecy as his sorcery, he would use his left hand (and therefore be much better at it than his reflexes would imply).
I can't remember if you said you were using the skills system from the Players' Guide but, if you were, I'd probably suggest Simon has the (mundane) Calligraphy skill at Advanced level:
Calligraphy (mundane skill)The skill of writing formal documents, records, and books and scrolls. Separate from mere literacy, which allows for characters to write casual letters and notes, this skill represents neat, uniform, and clear writing. Note that this is a mundane skill and not related to (or a prerequisite for) the sorcerer's arcane calligraphy skill.
BASIC: At this level of competence, the character can make uniform characters in whatever language he knows with a 5% chance of error. He may copy text written in a language he cannot read, but with a 20% per page of making an error, which increases to 40% if he is also unfamiliar with the script. At this level of skill, the calligrapher is still very slow, taking a day or more to write even a single page.
INTERMEDIATE: Being a more proficient calligrapher, the character may scribe faster (up to 2 pages per day with good conditions) and with fewer mistakes (1% chance of error if writing in/copying a language in which he's literate, 5% per page for copying an unfamiliar language, or 10% if the script is also unfamiliar). Additionally, the character may make his own parchment, mix smooth inks, and cut good quality quills.
ADVANCED: At this level of skill, the character may illuminate manuscripts using multiple colours and different nibs to great effect. The character's standard writing speed does not increase but he does become familiar with the practice of bookbinding and illumination, able to mix his own dyes and coloured inks. An illuminated manuscript page may take upwards of a week to create. At this level of competency, the character will not introduce an error in scribing a page in a language in which he is literate and only has a 1% chance of making an error in an unfamiliar language (which increases to 5% if the script is unfamiliar).