Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fithero 08-07-06, 08:50 AM	Ive got an idea for a character that im wanting to work on. The basic idea is that he doesnt even want to adventure, he's got a recently married wife and a kid on the way. Im not totally sure about this yet (the idea just came to me... i was rather distraught to see the lack of recent posts here :P) but im thinking that he was part of an impromtu response to one of his villages children being taken. Having no real guard or even a militia, the most able of the towns men set off into the woods to rescue the young lass. Little did they know that when they stormed the long ago forgotten temple and attempted to slay the the sorceress, that they would set into motion a (very open ended) prophecy. They fail to save the child (who is possessed by the sorceress.. she was real old) and he is either the only one or one of few to survive. Anyway, because of those events (not sure of the exact wording of the prophecy) he is thrown into this adventure that will span years and take him across the globe to save the world from previously mentioned sorceress. So thats the basic idea of the character... doesnt have to be the whole lass and sorceress thing either... its just that he's thrown into it. I have no idea about race or class (probably start off as an npc class... or perhaps a 0th lvl character) I recon this could really work... a guy who totally doesnt want to adventure, but has too, and with the weight of the whole world on his shoulders. Any thoughts? Later
ericSHINRA 08-07-06, 07:31 PM	In terms of his class I'd only ever take a class like 'Commoner' for roleplaying purposes. What exactly was his role in the village before all this happened? Note: If he's married and has a kid on the way he likely will have a profession in the town or at least serves as an apprentice(Maybe he's an apprentice of his father or wife's father). Heck, a good deal of Militia members arent even didn't even have a single Warrior level in my last campaign.
Fithero 08-07-06, 09:53 PM	I was thinking either blacksmith, stone mason, miner or lumber jack as his profession (Kinda lets him have some sort of physical fitness, know how to use some basic weapons) As for the lack of militia, its never even been an issue in the town, it had been peacefull for hundreds of years, so there was no need for any sort of (even loosely based) armed force. They just had old weapons lying around (hence the possibility of a blacksmith... he'd have a weapon or two lyin round.) But does the concept of the character seem alright? Later
club2bash 08-09-06, 07:45 PM	i lik it. as far as i know, its never been done before.
Kaslin 08-09-06, 09:57 PM	I like the idea. Roll with it. As for class, I'd say a fighter. Pick up power attack to show that, hey, you can hit things really hard, but you might not have a lot of skill with the weapon. As for weapon, a blacksmith is good with a hammer/maul/big smacky thing, nes pas? I would say go with that. Maybe grab weapon focus as well. You may not know how to use it in combat all that well, but you know how it's weighted, it's a familiar tool in your hand, you know how it feels to swing it all you need is the experiance in combat with it to really learn how to layeth the smack down so to say. Just my two copper. Hope I was of some kind of help.
Fithero 08-10-06, 01:41 AM	Thanks Kaslin, good ideas. As for the actual backstory, does anybody have any idea of what sort of prophecy would take a man across the world to save it, yet have very humble beginnings? Any help here would be great, even if its based on the one i used in the intro. Chiers in advance. Later
diegofer73 08-10-06, 03:16 AM	The phrophecy, I think, should go in the lines of: 1. Disturbing something that was not supposed to have been disturbed. 2. Gathering the people/items that stopped it before (very cryptic to allow your DM some leeway in creating the adventure). 3. You have only limited time before this old ubergod takes over your body. Great rolepaying oportunities. Just my honest opinion
Devlonir 08-10-06, 04:44 PM	You forgot the one that probably works the best in his situation. A prohphecy that endangers his unborn child personally, and he will try to do something about it. The best part about it, is that it will also be a battle against fate. The prophecy simply says that something will happen to his child and doesnt say it can be stopped. But as a father, he has to do everything he can to protect his (unborn) child and will travel the world to fight it!
Fithero 08-10-06, 06:24 PM	Hehehehe :D Make the child threaten to become an unholy scion (HoH) when it is born. Throughout the adventure my character can be like - - "We must save it at all costs because if we fail, heavens forgive us for what me must then do!" (Ie: if we fail we gotta kill the kid) But, if they *do* fail, and it comes to that, the *once* good character turns to the other characters (who're probably more ok with killin it than he is) and suddenly goes all "Dawn of the Dead" on the group - - "You wanna kill Luda? You wanna kill my family?" He then waits and sees what the party does, if they attack, he attacks back and fights to the death. This way, the last BBEG for the characters to beat is one of their own :P Pretty cool swing :) (it kinda makes the fact that they failed to stop the kid being born evil, a double loss... cos they lost one of their own) Thanks for the idea Devlonir! Later
Exquisite_Flopilidopilies 08-10-06, 06:44 PM	It might not be a prophecy so much as a curse: Eyes glowing red with rage, the aged wisp of a woman glares at the men over the ruined altar. "Take her from me, will you? Listen to me, then! So long as my spirit stretches over the Realm, no child of Kingsburg shall survive its first birthday!" The physical strength from her form ebbs visibly, the sack of bones that comprised her body fades to insubstantial dust, yet the vitriolic voice and glowing eyes remain, rising spectrally over the assembly. "Wallow in your 'victory', fools, as your village withers and dies on the vine!" With that, she disappears overhead, streaking from the temple in which the men of Kingsburg had interrupted the fell ceremony which would have spelt young Lassa's doom. The men of the village look awkwardly at other, fingering the scythes, butcher's knives, smith's hammers and simple clubs they carried as weapons. They especially regarded Fithero Smithsson, one of their strongest young men, whose wife had only the previous evening announced the blessed news of their first child. Fithero himself looked stricken, gaping at the place where the sorceress had disappeared. Gripping his hammer in white-knuckled fear for his wife, and their son or daughter to come, thoughts raced through his mind: Was there any way to find and destroy the accursed ghost? Would it lift her foul curse, even if he could do it? Could he do it alone? One thing he knew for certain: if there was any power in God or Man to save his child, he would bring it about, and nothing would bar his way.
Harrow Blade 08-11-06, 05:22 AM	i like the curse idea but I think maybe I can go one better. Insert the hammer fall from numb fingers, his sides burned from exhaustion and his back still smoked from a barely avoided fireball. At last the foul creature had be stopped. It had fallen several minutes ago but through sheer panic and fear he had continue to pound the bones into dusty fragments. It had once been a woman but the dried husk that had hurled magic with abandon had long left true life behind. Turning slowly Insert took in the carnage about him for the very first time. The Adventurers that had come to vanquish this 'lich' as they called it all lay dead within the stone chamber. thier valiant efforts had proven invaluable in breaking through the enchantments woven about the creature and it's lair but one by one they had succumbed to traps and spells until no more stood. The few other brave souls who had come to ensure the safety of thier village also lay scorched and mutilated on the cold hard stone. His body, unable to supress the foul stench any longer, convulsed and he emptied his stomach onto the floor. When Finally his stomch stopped heaving and his legs stopped shaking Insert stood, picked up his hammer and turned to leave, yet as his foot fell as whisper caught his ear. Turning he saw a fearful sight the corpse had started to glow, fear took hold of his heart and gave wings to his feet. Before Insert had taken a handful of steps the glow gathered into bolt of light that speared into his skull. Pain burst into bright stars behind his eyes and a voice like wind from the grave echoed in his head. "You have broken my body but my spirit is untouched, you shall do my bidding or I shall consume your body and soul and all that you hold dear. Find the vessle of my soul and return it to this chamber or you will spend an eternity in a hell of my devising." The lights from his eyes faded as did the pain the echo of the voice and it's threats stayed strong. Stumbling once more to his feet he fled and did not stop till he reached his own door. The next day he woke at dawn after spending a troubled nigt tossing and turning next to his wife. In his dreams he saw her killed and defiled in a hundred different ways leaving him shaking and drenched with sweat when he woke. Desperate to return his life to normal he went to stoke the forge but no sooner had he started to loose himself in the routine than a fist of pain wrapped his claws about his heart and agian he heard the threats of the lich. Stumbling back he thrashed about until somehow walking in one direction eased his pain. Each time he sought to turn around and return home the pain lanced back into being. It was sunset before Insert's heavily pregnant wife found that he was missing and by that time he was miles way, stumbling along a twisting path with tears of anguish and grief streaking his face. * Your character has been the victum of a contingent Geas. the way I see it is that the lich's philactery has somehow been put into an antimagic zone and as such the lich is powerless to resume physical form. As a last ditch effort it placed a geas onto your character forcing him to be the agent of her reformation. The geas will not affect his family but he belives that it will and as such will do what ever he can to make sure they survive. Work it with your Dm and it could turn out to be heaps of fun. Hope this helps Harrow Blade
Devlonir 08-11-06, 06:17 PM	I like the Geas idea, especially if you make it so that it will make him think that his family is threatened by something. And it will put him on a quest that will eventually mean that he will take the phylactery out of the antimagic area and once again free the lich. This contingent Geas is a way for the lich to make sure his phylactery is stored away safely, but will still be usable once the lich died. Just a thing a patient creature like a lich would do.
Fithero 08-13-06, 03:17 AM	Now, i was origionally gonna go with the idea of a simple human blacksmith to send on this world spanning/saving adventure. But then i thought about the other races... all to often its a human who ends up saving the day for all the other races (haflings have been done to death aswell... thanks LotR) What about a gnome tinkerer or a dwarven miner, a homeless half-orc a elven noble... hell even a kobold of some sort? Is it just a want to play something unique that led to a question of the characters race, or can playing a differnt race actually add some sort of flavor to the character? Later
Copper_Coins 08-13-06, 05:20 AM	I would say, use your blacksmith backstory (alliteration rules!) as a Half-Orc. ... That seems original to me (correct me if I'm wrong).
Harrow Blade 08-13-06, 07:14 AM	You can use any race you like with out much manipulation. You could always play a slave who was forced to accompany the group attacking the sorceress/lich and fought out of fear. Then some how you end up being the saviour of the people who enslaved you. I am leaning towards a half-orc black smith but there are more exotic races you can play if you don't mind a ecl higher than +0. Perhaps a goliath or half giant would be an acceptable choice. Let us know when you pin down what you want to do. Harrow Blade
Fithero 08-13-06, 08:43 AM	Im gonna go a half-orc, apprentice blacksmith (the actuall blacksmith is killed in the rescue attempt) who is a fighter. Not a skilled warrior mind you, more or less someone who is untrained and just swings away with his warhammer :P Used to hard work and bein kicked around because of his dual heritage, he will be somewhat afraid when he is shoved up to celebrity status when its discovered that the prophecy is laid squarley on his shoulders. (The DM liked that idea the best) The Dm worked out the prophecy as this, "The lich has possessed the child while it is still unborn, you must save the child before or it is born or it will be irreversable." Bascially after that it will become an evil of a magnitude such as the world has never before yadda yadda yadda.... Same old deal basically :P As for alignement of the character, im thinking of making him True neutral to start off with... he doesnt want to be a hero, he just wants to have a family and live a quite life. Ill change his alignment in-game according to how he plays. Any comments? Later
Devlonir 08-14-06, 06:51 AM	It sounds good and solid. But you know that you will have a very short time to save the world now. And the time will be an issue in your campaign. It sounds nice though. Man, I wish i came up with this concept.
Fithero 08-14-06, 07:08 AM	Yeah, there is the whole 9 or so months to stop the unborn child from becomming the unspeakable evil, then after that... there is like... another very rare chance of stopping the unspeakable evil from ruling the world (which the characters have tons of time to complete... since its still a kid) But im thinking the kid will be backed by some pretty heavy cult or some such group... fanatically following the child (raising it first) so they have a place of power in *its* new world, when it takes over. Im gonna stick with the whole scion of evil template thing for the child, but then chuck on the monster of ledgend template aswell for effect... i want this kid to be a real danger to the party the second it comes out of the womb. (Oh yeah, my dm says i can have a hand in designing what type of "unspeakable evil" the babe will become, any thoughts on that?) Chiers guys Peace
Devlonir 08-14-06, 05:06 PM	Hmmm.. thats a tough one.. Well first off, start with a human with those templates.. Man, maybe even give it the Paragon template to really make it deadly! And i think, just adding class levels (id say warlock, cause warlocks are so damn evil! just like belgians..) and maybe a few other templates (half fiend, whatever other evil thing) and just give it a few extra monster HD to make it tough enough to survive the blows a party can throw at it. Oh yes.. and dont forget.. it may look like a baby, but it is an unspeakable evil in a baby's body!