A secretary who knows that every wall has a date, every captain a name and every map a lie.
At a Glance
- Name: William Worcester
- Race: Human
- Role: Secretary to Sir John Fastolf; clerk, chronicler, manuscript collector
- Age: 39
- Alignment: Neutral Good
- Where: Caister Castle, Norfolk, Bristol and roads to London
- Present status: Alive in 1454
William writes down the things powerful men prefer not to remember. A gate repaired in a hurry, a missing heraldic device, a battle described twice with different numbers: each may be the first thread of a mystery. He is a careful observer, although he can be evasive when his employer is displeased.
Born in Bristol in 1415 and educated at Oxford, Worcester worked for the veteran commander Sir John Fastolf. His later travels and historical writings are still ahead; in 1454 his duties centre on his master’s papers, property and household affairs.
Game Statistics
Original game adaptations; not official published NPC statistics.
William Worcester
Medium Humanoid (Human), Neutral Good
AC 12; Initiative +1; HP 26; Speed 30 ft.
Saving Throws Wis +5, Cha +3; Skills Insight +5, Persuasion +4, History +6, Investigation +6; Languages English, French, Latin; Senses passive Perception 12; CR 1
Actions
Dagger. Melee Attack Roll +3, reach 5 ft.; Hit 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing.
Useful Observation (Recharge 5–6). The chronicler chooses a creature or object within 30 feet. An ally gains a d4 to its next Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check about it.
William Worcester — 5e (2014)
Medium humanoid (human), neutral good; AC 12; HP 26; Speed 30 ft.; CR 1
Str 10 (+0); Dex 12 (+1); Con 12 (+1); Int 17 (+3); Wis 16 (+3); Cha 12 (+1)
Skills Insight +5, Persuasion +5; Senses passive Perception 12; Languages English
Actions
Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit 3 (1d4 + 1) piercing.
Useful Observation (Recharge 5–6). The chronicler chooses a creature or object within 30 feet. An ally gains a d4 to its next Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check about it.
William Worcester — Pathfinder 1e
CR 2; human expert 5; Init +1; Perception +8
Defence
AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13; hp 26; Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +7
Offence
Speed 30 ft.; Melee dagger +3 (1d4); Special Useful Observation (GM-controlled support action)
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 16, Cha 12; Base Atk +3; CMB +3; CMD 14; Skills Diplomacy +12, Knowledge (nobility) +9, Sense Motive +9; Feats Alertness, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Iron Will
William Worcester — D&D 3.5e
CR 2; human expert 5; Init +1; AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 13; hp 23; Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +7; Speed 30 ft.
Base Attack +3; Grapple +3; Attack dagger +3 (1d4); Abilities Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 16, Cha 12; Skills Diplomacy +12, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +9, Sense Motive +9; Feats Alertness, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Diplomacy)
What Is William Worcester Doing Now?
One of Fastolf’s clerks has vanished while copying a roll of soldiers who served in France. William suspects the roll conceals a bargain that would shame a living captain, and worries that his employer may have ordered the disappearance.
How Adventurers Meet William Worcester
A cold, ink-stained William Worcester approaches the party outside Caister’s stables carrying a map he has drawn three times. He needs them to measure an abandoned watchtower before Fastolf’s officers realise he has left. The tower appears ordinary until a foundation stone reveals the name of a captain who was never meant to return from France. William wants a rubbing of the inscription; someone else wants the whole wall demolished.
Encounters and Adventure Hooks
- Find the missing folio from a war chronicle before a veteran commander is accused of betrayal.
- A ruined chapel’s measurements match a passage beneath Caister Castle that is absent from every plan.
- William will pay for a safe escort to inspect three coastal ruins, but a ship follows every landing.
Personality and Relationships
Curious, painstaking, talkative about architecture and battlefields but reluctant to challenge great men face to face.
Sir John Fastolf, the Caister household, correspondents in Bristol and the Paston network. His useful position depends on the same patron whose temper he fears.
Three Records of One Journey
William Worcester keeps copies of maps and muster rolls that appear dull until their dates are compared. One record places a captain at Caister, a second has him dead in France, and a third describes a passage paid for in the captain’s own hand. William will not accuse Sir John Fastolf without proof. He hires outsiders because a travelling company can visit a harbour, a grave and a ruined watchtower without every householder treating the visit as official business.
| Record | What is missing |
|---|---|
| Ship’s manifest | One passenger’s name |
| Muster roll | Order authorising the departure |
| Stone inscription | A date deliberately cut away |
Equipment and Rewards
Quills, wax tablets, stitched notebooks, measuring cord, travel pack, ink horn and a small knife. Rewards can include a signed letter, a guarded passage, access to documents or introductions; none guarantees immunity from rival jurisdictions.
Related People and Places
Bristol · British NPCs · British Isles NPCs
Sources and Game Adaptation
William Worcester — The Wars of the Roses. The campaign’s conversations, supernatural events, motivations and four-edition game statistics are fictional treatments, not claims about the historical record.
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