Howie Hardwing

Art by breebunn

**Howard "Howie" Hardwing** is a member from the *Curious Curios* party. Frail from birth, Howie learned to utilize his sharp intellect in lieu of physical ability. Engineering and artifice became his lifetime passion as the decades passed him by. Now in his twilight years, Howie is on the cusp of finishing his greatest creation, an airship called the Apteric. He is played by KingBendrick.

## Description

### Appearance

Howie Hardwing is an elderly Owlin with light brown feathers. His plumage is speckled with grey and black feathers in addition to the usual brown. A series of white feathers can be growing around the lower half of his face, giving the impression of a beard. Howie's physical defects can be seen in his hunched back and thin spindly limbs. His face is near-constantly set into a scowl, with his large green eyes perpetually squinting. For clothing, Howie wears only an grey apron tied with a dark grey belt and a leather aviator hat with a pair of brass-rimmed goggles.

### Personality

Howie is, to put it bluntly, a rather grouchy individual. He tends to be quite grumpy, blunt and cynical, possibly brought on by his long and hard life. Howie is also especially distrusting of others to the point of paranoia in some cases. In some cases, his suspicions are well founded, such as the vile Count Aliester, though not so much in others, such as the rather innocent Moth. He also gets easily flustered, going into a full-fledged panic upon finding Olive asleep on his ship and believing her to be a monster. Given time though, Howie can warm to people and will be more mindful of their feelings. This is obvious in the delicate way he handled Tontu's grief and his attempts at shielding Kyuubi and Olive from some of the horrors they encountered.

Howie is highly intelligent and also highly aware of this, giving him somewhat of an ego when it comes to matters of knowledge. He initially looked down on more "simple" people like Remo and Kopi for their lack of insight and inquiry, though he himself acts no better on occasion. Howie is a keen observer and is never one to leave a question unanswered, always trying to get to the bottom of things even long after the bottom has been found. His penchant for books, projects and learning compliments this, as Howie firmly believes that exercising of the mind is much more beneficial than any other pursuits.

Howie also tries to act as the voice of reason and sage advice due to his intellect and experience. While he sometimes offers good counsel, Howie can also get caught up in his own spouting nonsensical ‘wisdom’, say nonexistent sayings and ramble about theories with limited basis in reality. Some of Howie's more forgetful moments and odd quirks might point to a slight onset of senility, though this is not confirmed.

## History

### Background

Being an Owlin, Howie's ancestors would have come to Io from the mystical Veil of Faewunder many years before his birth, settling in the Vale of Owls on the Eshonia Isles of Etropa. The Hardwing clan became known for their strength and piety, producing several warriors and paladins over time.

However, the young Howard proved to be the clear exception, as he had been born feeble and slightly deformed. His lack of physical fortitude marked him as the black sheep of the family, unfit to bear their legacy. Rather than fruitlessly try to emulate the rest of his clan, Howie realized he could overcome his lack of physical power. To this end, he worked his mind, intent on becoming a master engineer.

### Constructing his Masterwork

Upon becoming an adult, Howie left the Vale of Owls and his clan to further advance his engineering skills. He learned much and became accomplished in creating mechanical devices and automata. Entering his twilight years, Howie eventually settled in the town of Lundy, nestled among the floating Eshonia Isles not far from his birthplace. In the peaceful settlement, Howie conceived what he would consider his magnum opus: an airship.

Despite his age and frailty, Howie devoted all his energies into building it without aid. His progress drew the attention of the other inhabitants, who began to get excited at the prospect of this achievement. Howie ignored the accompanying fanfare as he worked. Eventually, after much diligent effort, Howie finally completed his pride and joy, the Apteric. All that remained now was a test voyage to finalize his success.

## Mechanics

### Powers and Abilities

#### Artificer Abilities

* *Magical Tinkering*
* *Infuse Item*
	+ *Replicate Magic Item*
	+ *Homunculus Servant*
	+ *Mind Sharpener*
	+ *Enhanced Arcane Focus*
* *The Right Tool For The Job*
* *Tool Expertise*
* *Flash of Genius*
* Artillerist Abilities
	+ *Tool Proficiencies*
	+ *Artillerist spells*
	+ *Eldritch Cannon*
	+ *Arcane Firearm*

#### Feats

* *Magic Initiative* (Wizard)
* *Planar Wanderer*
* *Scion of the Outer Planes* (Faewunder)

#### Spell List

##### Cantrips

* *Create Bonfire*
* *Firebolt*
* *Gripper* (Mage Hand)
* *Gust*
* *Mending*

##### 1st Level

* *Burning Hands*
* *Catapult*
* *Detect Magic*
* *Faerie Fire*
* *Feather Fall*
* *Purify Food and Drink*
* *Shield*
* *Snare*
* *Thunderwave*

##### 2nd Level

* *Enlarge/Reduce*
* *Pyrotechnics*
* *Scorching Ray*
* *Shatter*
* *Vortex Warp*

### Notable Items

* *Wand of the War Mage* +1
* *All-Purpose Tool* +2
* *Protector Attachment*
	+ When your Eltritch Cannon activates the Protector feature, the range is extended to a 20ft radius

## Etymology

"Howard" is a masculine given name initially used as a English surname. The name is believed to have its origins in the German name *Hughard* (roughly translated to "brave heart") or the the Old Norse name *Hávarðr* (roughly translated to "high guardian").

"Hardwing" is a combination of the words "hard", meaning solid, firm or not easily broken, and "wing", a modified forelimb used for flight.

## Trivia

* Howie is the first Owlin player character in a streamed game.
* Howie often names his contraptions after scientific terminology. For example, the Apteric comes from the same word meaning "featherless", his cannon ‘Artie’ is short for "artillery", and his robotic homunculus ‘Nelly’ (full name "Fresnelli) is named after the Fresnel lens, a type of composite lens used as a magnifier, illuminator and projector among other things.

## Official Art

Artie, Howie's Eldritch Cannon (Art by Dire)