Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Branto 01-24-06, 07:12 PM	I've been playing around with this idea for a while now.. a character who is basically a human-sized rag-doll. The origin is basically this: A wizardess has lived a quiet, lonely life ever since her husband passed away. So, she decides to make herself a companion, to help ease the pain from the loss. She puts together a large (well, medium category.. but that's large for a doll) ragdoll, and uses some magical means to not only animate it, but also give it emotion. It keeps her company for the rest of her life, but as most humans do, she eventually passes on herself, leaving our doll friend to live in the house alone, until eventually discoverred by some party of adventurers who 'adopt' him. His construction is much like any other rag-doll, cloth or burlap or somesuch with wool or straw stuffing, buttons for eyes, and real clothes. The major difference would be his skeleton - I decided that a limp, floppy-limbed man-sized doll would be exceedingly creepy, so, he has a solid frame made of sturdy wood, magical runes engraved down every length (likely the magic that will keep him animated, and give him his 'soul') I'm not quite sure what to use for his skull.. As a more grim alternative to this origin, I could always have the mage having been a necromancer who actually used her deceased husband's skeleton (and possibly part of his spirit) for the doll, but.. I'm not typically one for such a very dark character. :P Either way, I have a lot to consider when it comes to statistics. He's a construct, but a very lightweight one. Then I have the matter of his body and the question of how he should take damage. Should his 'skin' and 'stuffing' be considered at all when it comes to him taking damage, or is his skeleton (or frame, for the less-creepy version) the only part of him that is really vital? In the second case, I suppose it's easy enough. I would treat him like a skeleton as far as damage resistances go, though perhaps a little less vulnerable to crushing damage due to the padding. Losing it (due to, say, fire damage) would result in the loss of that benefit, but there should be something else.. aside from the RPing aspect of walking around as a pile of magic sticks or a skeleton and trying to not get attacked by every gaurd I see. There's also the matter of weight.. a human sized doll is going to weigh a lot less than a human, and this should be represented somehow. Maybe being treated as a small creature for the purpose of getting moved, such as Gusts of Wind and bull rushing? There might also be a penalty to strength.. On a final note, I was thinking that if the character still seems a bit powerful due to the construct traits, even with the downsides, that I would add on a quirk of him being completely mute (The mage having been deaf) .. so, any feedback, comments, or suggestions?
Branto 01-30-06, 10:16 PM	*peers around the board, frowning at the lack of attention* Come on, guys.. How common are hhuman-sized dolls as far as adventurers go? Not a single comment from anybody? .. *sighs* I'll give it until this thread falls back to page 2 again, then I'm giving up on it :embarrass
SoulGamit 01-30-06, 11:00 PM	Try using the warforged mechanically, perhaps with the unbodied or wooden bodied feat,
Fithero 01-30-06, 11:33 PM	Yeah... making up rules for a character's race instead of just adjusting an already existing one gets very nasty. And the whole "loosing the resistance forever if damaged" seems a bit odd to me (thats if im reading it right, correct me if im wrong) I gotta agree with SoulGamit, why not just use a warforged and say he is made out of wood/wool/whatever the heck it is this guy is made out of :P Anyway, i think the general idea and backstory of the character is pretty damn good, but what did he actually "Do" for the old woman? Did he do little jobs around the shack for her, go out and hunt, or was he just used as a sex toy? (Come on!?!? He is a human sized "doll", somebody was going to bring it up eventually :rofl: ) Anyway, perhaps if you look into his past, then you can look into his future as to what he will do (class, goals etc). Perhaps he just goes about doing things in a way that fits in with his old tasks for the old woman. Eg, if he just cleaned up and got rid of pests, the new group might say "goblins are a pest, get rid of them" I dunno, just a thought. Good luck with it. Later
Branto 02-02-06, 10:10 PM	And the whole "loosing the resistance forever if damaged" seems a bit odd to me (thats if im reading it right, correct me if im wrong) Well, not forever, just until he can get himself stitched and sewn back up again. I gotta agree with SoulGamit, why not just use a warforged and say he is made out of wood/wool/whatever the heck it is this guy is made out of :P Eh.. I guess I could but there are some differences. For one thing, he's fully construct; no living elements like a warforged. He also weighs quite a bit less. Anyway, i think the general idea and backstory of the character is pretty damn good, but what did he actually "Do" for the old woman? Did he do little jobs around the shack for her, go out and hunt, or was he just used as a sex toy? Heheheh.. Haven't really decided if he has anything in common with that type of doll, but most likely not ;) Mainly, he was a romantic interest, and helped out with work. Oh, and for reference, she wasn't really that old by the time she passed away. Eg, if he just cleaned up and got rid of pests, the new group might say "goblins are a pest, get rid of them" Despite being a construct and mute, he's quite intelligent, having spent a lot of time in his mistress' library (which includes all of her magic books. I'll probably give him some ranks in Magic Device to account for this.) though perhaps slightly lacking in wisdom, what with having been a total recluse and all. As for killing goblins, well. Since he was taught to be so chivalrous, he would probably step up to defend his comrades if he thought they were in danger.