Anyone whom has ever read or played a DragonLance novel/module, knows what a Kender.
For those unfamiliar:
Kender are utterly fearless, insatiably curious, unstoppably mobile and independent, and will pick up anything that is not nailed down (though kender with claw hammers will get those things as well).
DragonLance Adventures, by Tracy Hickman & Margaret Weis, TSR 1987, page 51.
Now anyone whom has ever had a Kender as a PC can tell you how much fun they are to Role Play.
And how one waits for the perfect time and place for one to say those words “Oops!”
The first time my Kender got to say “Oops!” was when our party of adventures were exploring a dungeon. My kender was scouting ahead of the group, of which they did not know I was doing so at the time. The smell of smoke got me curious as to its source. I came across this big red lizard thingie (a Red Dragon). The dragon was asleep at the time, so I was able to get right up to its nose. It was coming from the Dragon’s mouth. Naturally, my kender pried open the Dragon’s mouth to have a look instead, to see if I could find the fire.
The shocked Dragon awoke with a start and blasted a rather small fireball directly onto my Kender’s face. (Like of a cat coughing up a fur-ball).
I staggered back towards the way I came. Just before the group of adventures rounded the corner, my Kender, face all burnt and clothing smoking, got to say to the group, “Oops!”
< HA Ha ha >
My Kender lost 8 points on Comeliness from that encounter.
To think just saying it once in my entire playing days was something.
More amazingly, not only did me role playing a Kender got to say it again, BUT with the same Kender!
This time, we were traveling in a swamp. It was all wet and it was raining heavily the previous night too. As do Kenders do, I got up early and started to scout ahead. Not far away, I came across another large lizard thingie lying half in the swamp, half on a shore. It was black in color. I noticed that the previous Dragon had fire for its breathe and this poor wet dragon must have had its fire extinguished by all that rain and water. Naturally I wanted to help. I unwrapped a torch, which was luckily to find it was dry enough to light. I approached the wet looking dragon, opened its mouth with one hand and thrust the burning torch in with the other.
For some reason, the Dragon did not take too kindly to my thoughtfulness.
Much to my shock, it spat out the torch, and its spit (acid) got my Kender in the face, yet again!
I got back to the group’s encampment and just before I collapsed I got to say “Oops!” one more time just as the Black Dragon was about to attack.
< BLAH HA Ha ha>
BTW: My Kender lost about 6 more points of Comeliness after that.
.
