Air Genasi Sorcerer [Archive] - Wizards Community

Air Genasi Sorcerer [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Hefcanje
05-08-04, 06:52 PM A new character I'm working on. I know "Races of Faerun" says Air Gensai don't make good sorcerers, but I've just got the need to prove them wrong. *smile*

Roman Hefcanje
Air Genasi Sorcerer

STR: 13
DEX: 18
CON: 8
INT: 16
WIS: 9
CHA: 16

Description:

The man you see before you appears to have pale skin, nearly snow white in colour. Standing a little over six feet tall with a muscular frame, he stands out like a sore thumb. Long strawberry blond hair flows freely around his head, execpt for the braided lock falling down the side of his face. His face is devoid of all facial hair execpt for the two thin eyebrows over two light-green eyes. An old scar runs underneath his left eye and down his cheek. Underneath the right eye, following his cheek bone, is a tattoo of a word in runic letters. A odd birthmark resembling a snowflake is noticable on the side of his neck.

History:

For as long as he could remember, Roman had lived in the Silver Marches with his mother, Taril, a mage of some power. Taril's original plan was to teach Roman the ways of wizardry. She soon changed her mind and as astounded when the lad was able to copy and cast a light spell without ever having to prepare it beforehand. Taril helped to cultivate Roman's natural power and educate him, until he reached the age of 18.

During that winter a group of Frost Giant scouts happened upon Taril's small tower. Seeing the mage as a threat the giants waited until the dark of night and attacked the tower in a furious assault. The small tower came down easily under their assault, killing Taril and injuring Roman. The giants searching the tower for any wealth or magic found the young man lying unconscious underneath some rubble. The giants were stopped from killing Roman by their leader, a sharp-eyed giant cleric of Auril who noticed the his particular birthmark, instead opting to leave him to whatever fate had instore.

Awaking days later in the city of Silverymoon after being rescued by a group of adventurers. They'd ventured into the area after hearing reports from frightened villagers of giant in the area and had heard the destruction of the tower from miles away. Having lost all senses before he found out what was happening he has no idea what happened to his mother. For the last two years he's lived in Silverymoon He now seeks to better himself and perhaps find out what happened to his mother by traveling and helping others in the Silver Marches.

Now, the background was the easy part, I could go on and on forever with that. I'm having a little trouble with temperment though. So far, I see Roman as a nice guy who stands for what he believes. Although intelligent he dosen't tend to think things through. He's got a taste for the arts and history and a phobia of being underground. On the rare occasions that he's angry the wind around him seems to pick up, most likely due to his unusual heritage.

Any other ideas? Perhaps corrections or advise? Input is greatly appreciated. *smile*
Hefcanje
05-08-04, 06:54 PM *whaps self*

Gah! Note that I can't type Genasi! Not Gensai! :(

***Disregard, aaah, so nice! A board that allows me to edit my boo-boos!***
LiXinjian
05-08-04, 11:19 PM Too tired right now to read all of your story, so instead I'll stick with what sprang to mind as I quickly passed over your character's info.

First, why make it DEX18 and CHA16? As I see it, you got a lot more options to boost your AC and initiative than you have to boost your spell DCs. Unless you're planning on going with some kind of meleeing caster (not a good idea, see below), or if you intend to pick spells that will affect only willing targets, I don't think it's a good idea. And why so much STR?

Second, there's a good reason Genasis make poor sorcerers (or spellcasters): they carry a +1 LA, which means that you'll get stuck with 3hp for TWO levels. Ouch.

Also, you'll get access to all of your spells one level later than you normally would. Re-Ouch.

But I suppose you could go with the lesser genasi variant introduced in the Player's Guide to Faerūn (IIRC) and forget about that level adjustment.
Hefcanje
05-09-04, 01:16 AM A melee caster was what I was shooting for my character to be. :) I knew the startout was going to be terrible, but I'm hoping after a first few levels the character would begin to shine. As for the high strength, you're probably going to laugh or wonder what's wrong with me, but later on...around about 8 levels or so I'm thinking about multiclassing to a fighter...I know it probably makes more sense to start out as a fighter, but it goes along with the story in my mind for him to start out as a sorcerer. :) The lesser planetouched could be another option though...It really wouldn't affect my story...

Thanks for the advise. :)
LiXinjian
05-09-04, 05:25 AM No reason to laugh at your choices: whatever you want to play is what's best. Otherwise, what is the point of the game? Unfortunately, the game mechanics don't always make it easy on players who have a less-than-optimized approach to their characters. It would suck if you were to invest so much time into your character, then have to make another from scratch because he wasn't very survivable...

Anyway, you should probably ask about your character on the Character Optimization board and see what they come up with. They'll probably suggest something like Ftr1/Sor5/Eldritch Knight10, starting with fighter. Or they'll say be from the Dales instead of the Silver Marches, pick the Militia feat, and go straight Sor5/Eldritch Knight10.

But check out the elemental savant prestige class, in the Tome and Blood book. Your character seems to have a knack for cold and/or wind, and the class really exploits that. Of course, you'd have to give up on those fighter levels to make full use of it... ;)

My advice to you is: play what you want to play. Just try to make him more survivable. (switching CON for STR, taking the Weapon Finesse feat and using only a light weapon is my take if you insist on meleeing).

If it's flavour you're after when you decide to pick your sorceror levels before your fighter levels, then consider this: sorcerors begin manifesting powers when they reach puberty. By that time, they don't have "levels" in the sorceror class. Perhaps your character's had training as a fighter in Silverymoon (oh so very likely), but his magical abilities still need work and thus he isn't a sorceror proper... yet.

Now, to stick to the spirit of this board, I'll examine the other aspect of your character.. *goes and reads the first post at length*

Well, what more do you need in the temperament department (heh)? You've got some nice material there: fear of enclosed spaces, stands up for his belief (you might want to list a few of those beliefs, though), artistic interests, etc.

I'd try to add a quirk and that would be it. Heck something as silly as enjoying expensive wines - and procuring some all the time - might do. Or having a drink when waking, just to "get the old engine running" might do. Or perhaps when the DM describes a nice scenery, your character pulls out his canvas and paint tubes from his pack and mumbles "this is going to take a while, boys". Then when he gets in town, he haggles his paintings for some other stuff...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Hefcanje 05-08-04, 06:52 PM	A new character I'm working on. I know "Races of Faerun" says Air Gensai don't make good sorcerers, but I've just got the need to prove them wrong. smile Roman Hefcanje Air Genasi Sorcerer STR: 13 DEX: 18 CON: 8 INT: 16 WIS: 9 CHA: 16 Description: The man you see before you appears to have pale skin, nearly snow white in colour. Standing a little over six feet tall with a muscular frame, he stands out like a sore thumb. Long strawberry blond hair flows freely around his head, execpt for the braided lock falling down the side of his face. His face is devoid of all facial hair execpt for the two thin eyebrows over two light-green eyes. An old scar runs underneath his left eye and down his cheek. Underneath the right eye, following his cheek bone, is a tattoo of a word in runic letters. A odd birthmark resembling a snowflake is noticable on the side of his neck. History: For as long as he could remember, Roman had lived in the Silver Marches with his mother, Taril, a mage of some power. Taril's original plan was to teach Roman the ways of wizardry. She soon changed her mind and as astounded when the lad was able to copy and cast a light spell without ever having to prepare it beforehand. Taril helped to cultivate Roman's natural power and educate him, until he reached the age of 18. During that winter a group of Frost Giant scouts happened upon Taril's small tower. Seeing the mage as a threat the giants waited until the dark of night and attacked the tower in a furious assault. The small tower came down easily under their assault, killing Taril and injuring Roman. The giants searching the tower for any wealth or magic found the young man lying unconscious underneath some rubble. The giants were stopped from killing Roman by their leader, a sharp-eyed giant cleric of Auril who noticed the his particular birthmark, instead opting to leave him to whatever fate had instore. Awaking days later in the city of Silverymoon after being rescued by a group of adventurers. They'd ventured into the area after hearing reports from frightened villagers of giant in the area and had heard the destruction of the tower from miles away. Having lost all senses before he found out what was happening he has no idea what happened to his mother. For the last two years he's lived in Silverymoon He now seeks to better himself and perhaps find out what happened to his mother by traveling and helping others in the Silver Marches. Now, the background was the easy part, I could go on and on forever with that. I'm having a little trouble with temperment though. So far, I see Roman as a nice guy who stands for what he believes. Although intelligent he dosen't tend to think things through. He's got a taste for the arts and history and a phobia of being underground. On the rare occasions that he's angry the wind around him seems to pick up, most likely due to his unusual heritage. Any other ideas? Perhaps corrections or advise? Input is greatly appreciated. smile
Hefcanje 05-08-04, 06:54 PM	whaps self Gah! Note that I can't type Genasi! Not Gensai! :( *Disregard, aaah, so nice! A board that allows me to edit my boo-boos!*
LiXinjian 05-08-04, 11:19 PM	Too tired right now to read all of your story, so instead I'll stick with what sprang to mind as I quickly passed over your character's info. First, why make it DEX18 and CHA16? As I see it, you got a lot more options to boost your AC and initiative than you have to boost your spell DCs. Unless you're planning on going with some kind of meleeing caster (not a good idea, see below), or if you intend to pick spells that will affect only willing targets, I don't think it's a good idea. And why so much STR? Second, there's a good reason Genasis make poor sorcerers (or spellcasters): they carry a +1 LA, which means that you'll get stuck with 3hp for TWO levels. Ouch. Also, you'll get access to all of your spells one level later than you normally would. Re-Ouch. But I suppose you could go with the lesser genasi variant introduced in the Player's Guide to Faerūn (IIRC) and forget about that level adjustment.
Hefcanje 05-09-04, 01:16 AM	A melee caster was what I was shooting for my character to be. :) I knew the startout was going to be terrible, but I'm hoping after a first few levels the character would begin to shine. As for the high strength, you're probably going to laugh or wonder what's wrong with me, but later on...around about 8 levels or so I'm thinking about multiclassing to a fighter...I know it probably makes more sense to start out as a fighter, but it goes along with the story in my mind for him to start out as a sorcerer. :) The lesser planetouched could be another option though...It really wouldn't affect my story... Thanks for the advise. :)
LiXinjian 05-09-04, 05:25 AM	No reason to laugh at your choices: whatever you want to play is what's best. Otherwise, what is the point of the game? Unfortunately, the game mechanics don't always make it easy on players who have a less-than-optimized approach to their characters. It would suck if you were to invest so much time into your character, then have to make another from scratch because he wasn't very survivable... Anyway, you should probably ask about your character on the Character Optimization board and see what they come up with. They'll probably suggest something like Ftr1/Sor5/Eldritch Knight10, starting with fighter. Or they'll say be from the Dales instead of the Silver Marches, pick the Militia feat, and go straight Sor5/Eldritch Knight10. But check out the elemental savant prestige class, in the Tome and Blood book. Your character seems to have a knack for cold and/or wind, and the class really exploits that. Of course, you'd have to give up on those fighter levels to make full use of it... ;) My advice to you is: play what you want to play. Just try to make him more survivable. (switching CON for STR, taking the Weapon Finesse feat and using only a light weapon is my take if you insist on meleeing). If it's flavour you're after when you decide to pick your sorceror levels before your fighter levels, then consider this: sorcerors begin manifesting powers when they reach puberty. By that time, they don't have "levels" in the sorceror class. Perhaps your character's had training as a fighter in Silverymoon (oh so very likely), but his magical abilities still need work and thus he isn't a sorceror proper... yet. Now, to stick to the spirit of this board, I'll examine the other aspect of your character.. goes and reads the first post at length Well, what more do you need in the temperament department (heh)? You've got some nice material there: fear of enclosed spaces, stands up for his belief (you might want to list a few of those beliefs, though), artistic interests, etc. I'd try to add a quirk and that would be it. Heck something as silly as enjoying expensive wines - and procuring some all the time - might do. Or having a drink when waking, just to "get the old engine running" might do. Or perhaps when the DM describes a nice scenery, your character pulls out his canvas and paint tubes from his pack and mumbles "this is going to take a while, boys". Then when he gets in town, he haggles his paintings for some other stuff...