Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fithero 09-07-07, 01:02 PM	I worship Kord, for he stands for everything I am. They said that I was the most impressive child they had ever seen. Well built, my form was toned and robust. Proportioned, my limbs were not at odds with one another. Handsome, my features were strong, taking from both my parents. The clergy of Kord took me in and my training began. Day and night I was pushed to the limit, and when I was at the very brink of exhaustion, they pushed my even further. I climbed mountains, swam lakes and moved stone that no grown man could even budge. For five years Kord tempered me, moulded me into what I am today. I am as I was the day I was discovered by Kord, only more. One on one, I have defeated every Goliath in the Steel-Grip tribe and even out thrown Bojun, the stone giant. Still, I often catch the impressed stares of even the most denigrating elves, and many families of wealth and status in the surrounding areas offer great dowries to take their daughters in marriage. Though no form is ever perfect, one can slip and there is always for improvement. The clergy of Kord tell me that I have reached a plateau, and that I am no longer able to progress as long as I remain. I could choose to settle down and live out my days in a very comfortable fashion, though Kord has chosen otherwise. The road of adventure calls to me, and with each step comes improvement. *** What do you all think of this character? I'd like to know what you think his race/class/alignment combo is? Any comments would be great, ill post the specifics after a few guesses are made. Cheers in advance. Peace
Mr_Seth 09-07-07, 10:35 PM	I'm thinkin'.... LN Half-dragon, half-goliath monk. Although I could be very mistaken.
Fithero 09-08-07, 12:19 AM	Well, im still not finished, but at the moment all i know is that he is a half-orc.... The stats are as follows. Str: 20 Dex: 13 Con: 18 Int: 10 Wis: 13 Cha: 15 Im not sure as to wether or not he will be trained in combat or just alot of physical sports and such (wrestling, shot put, javelin throwing... olympics stuff) He's going to be damn attractive for a half orc too, taking on the best traits of both his parent races... also im over half orcs always being brutish. As for his personality, he will take on any challange he doesnt see as suicidal (sometimes he'll take them on too) and will always wish to take on the biggest foe that he can. Also, im thinking of giving him an ego... a really big one. Wanting to constantly improve, berate others for not being as strong, and generally thinking his is bees kness. Oh.. and he'll probably be a man ***** too :D I have no idea about his alignment or class either... im thinking maybe feat rogue.... i dont like the idea of sneak attacks. Any more ideas or comments?
Fithero 09-08-07, 12:44 PM	More info... seeing as comments seem to be running a little dry :P More an athlete than a warrior, Vincel is somewhat less accepting of killing and death than the usual adventurer. His only form of combat being the church appointed wrestling matches, he has never killed another being before. As such in play, he wont be so quick to kill an intelligent being that is out to kill him. Some would call this outlook naive or simply stupid, but Vincel whole heartedly believes that combat need not result in death. He will only deal subdual damage to opponents, not wanting to ever kill another humanoid if possible. Later in his career, he will try and get gauntlets with the mercy trait on them. Ideally, Vincel would go his whole life without taking that of another, and he will try and steer others onto the same path. As for more rule focused points, ill have him go something like rogue1/barb1/fighter4/Reaping Mauler 5... then the rest is up in the air. For obvious reason, he will focus on grappling, which furthers his distaste in killing. I know its odd to play a warrior who seems adverse to killing, but at least once id like to play a character who isnt a racist, bigoted, homocidal maniac eg: "look, a goblin. KILL IT!" "lets go slay a dragon and steal its treasure!" "You follow Pelor? Such weakness! Convert or die!" *Any* thoughts at all? If this idea is crap, please feel free to tell me....
Felan 09-08-07, 02:16 PM	It sounds like a great character concept. With his dedication to Kord and training by their priests, I would be tempted to take a level of Cleric rather than Rogue. Although the Strength domain may not be among the most "optimized," it would fit in with your character concept, I think. It has the additional benefit of allowing you to cast Enlarge Person to help with grappling larger opponents. You'd also have the domain power to boost your strength if needed.
Karish 09-08-07, 11:26 PM	It sounds like you've got everything I would say covered. I would like to say I'd enjoy being in a group with this guy though. He seems like he'd be an interesting person to fight alongside.
Fithero 09-09-07, 05:44 AM	It sounds like you've got everything I would say covered. I would like to say I'd enjoy being in a group with this guy though. He seems like he'd be an interesting person to fight alongside. Yeah, but id still like to improve upon the character and weve got some serious talent at CD when it comes to backgrounds, im sure there are a few people out there who can figure out a way to improve upon this most odd of half orcs :D Peace
Harrow Blade 09-11-07, 08:48 AM	I will ignore the class and skill combos for the moment and focus exclusively on the character at the core of this. My impression from what you have written in your first post is that physical perfection in service to Kord is his ultimate goal and the fire that drives him to continue. I agree that he would have an ego but rather than a raging egotistical maniac I would see him as a calmly confident well centred individual who would rather wrestle an opponent into submission and then let them go so that they may learn from the experience as he does. Each new encounter is a challenge for him to overcome and confident in his almost peerless physical ability he fears little that he can take hold of in his hands. I see an almost spartan character not too disimilar from Leonidas from the movie 300 in the way that he needs no excessively flamboyant armour or weapons to overcome the challenge for his body is the ultimate tool. Where others look outward to magic and arms to overcome their deficiencies your character looks inward in the confidence that Kord has blessed you with all that you would ever need. This leads me to an interesting point that as the player putting alot of effort into a character you would not be happy with. Here is you physically prime character confident and able. what happens to the if they loose a limb such as an arm. Suddenly they are thrown out of balance, the body once so perfect is now deficient and no longer as able. How would this affect such a character emotionally and spiritually? Would this shake his faith in Kord and himself to the core or would it only be the fire that tempers the steel of his will? Would he turn to magic to restore the limb or wallow in self pity and shame or train even harder to become as able as before and in doing so overcome the challenge laid before him? When you are comfortable in a situation it is time to re-examine your position for you are no longer furthering yourself or your cause. Finally a look at the class. Approaching this purely from a character development angle I would look at monk / barbarian combo for the athletic ability and skill points to put into skills like jump, climb, swim etc. I would approach this with "My body is my temple, my weapon and my tool. Kord has seen fit to bring me into this world with nothing more, I need nothing more." Hope this helps Harrow Blade
Fithero 09-11-07, 11:28 AM	what happens to the if they loose a limb such as an arm. Im sure he would go and try and get it replaced, not by a simple regenerate spell, i think he would live by the motto "it wouldnt be worth doing if it were easy." He would probably have to go on some sort of quest to get an atonement spell, a quest without the limb, proving that even handi capped, he is still worthy. "My body is my temple, my weapon and my tool. Kord has seen fit to bring me into this world with nothing more, I need nothing more." A good point, do you think one would take this so far as to apply the vow of poverty feat? Cheers Harrow Blade
IrishRover 09-11-07, 11:32 PM	If he does decide on using weapons, I do believe there's a feat that allows weapons to be used for subdual without the -4 penalty. Very neat character! <And note my means of "friendly persuation" in my signature...>
Harrow Blade 09-12-07, 12:23 AM	A good point, do you think one would take this so far as to apply the vow of poverty feat? I think that perhaps the Vow of poverty would be a valid avenue for this character to take. He does not seem to me to be a character out for riches or fame but more for personal advancement and physical perfection. The fact that he is a half orc and neither purely one race or another he could see his ancestry as a gift that ties him to no one but Kord or a challenge to overcome in order to prove himself. This is a character that I beleive has a lot of roleplaying potential and depth. My suggestion is have your characters motivation solid but allow him to evolve through the game into more than you first envisaged..
Fithero 09-12-07, 02:14 AM	sounds like a solid plan then, ill aim for vow of poverty asap! What do you think about vow of non-violence then? (Its the first one, which allows you to still do subdual damage) That could be *real* interesting... a fighter with a non-violence outlook... Sounds like fun:P Edit: Just realised that the non-violence feat doesnt really do much for non spell casters, looks like ill take vow of peace too... making things reeeeeeeeeeeal interesting :P Even the paladins will feel a bit hindered in their actions around this character :D Peace
Terjon of the Blue Rose 09-13-07, 02:31 AM	Given your initial description I would have to assume that he grew up in an area where Kord is a commonly worshipped god. Probably a city in a harsh (mountainous?) terrain. Following that train of thought you typically wind up with a Viking (Aztec?) or other warrior-style community. Consider the effects this has on you and the how this will influence a choice to resort to peace. Maybe you grew up in a society more along the Aeil of Wheel of Time. If so you may consider stopping an opponent without killing them to be a great honor for yourself. You have forsworn killing because you think of it as weak. That's all for now but I'll give it a little more thought when I'm not quite so busy.
cog_n_taz 09-18-07, 04:30 AM	Really short background. It could use some more detail on his childhood, why he was taken in by the church of Kord, some more details on his time there, and perhaps more detail on him leaving to adventure. It's an interesting idea, and as such, it deserves more detail. As for alignment, chaotic GOOD, I'd say. Definitely don't go unarmed as monk isn't an option with that alignment, but rather, take subduing strike for converting all damage to subdual (even sneak attack and such. Thank you, BoED). Race... well, goliath, I'd say. Pretty obvious, that, no? Still, half-orc works too. Now, as to class, that one's a toss up, but I'd say the best options are in ToB. If your DM insists on its brokenness, bash their face in with a frozen, handheld walrus until they SUBMIT TO YOUR WILL. (ahem), anyway, the classes are between the following... Warblade - looks at fighting, strength and such as more than a tool. Confident/moderate ego, and a chaotic alignment? Seems like a fit to me! As for maneuvers, I recommend a mix of Iron heart and Stone Dragon - not only are these awesome, but they fit him quite well. Crusader - possibly slightly less fitting, but it rolls in what would otherwise end in cleric/paladin levels quite nicely. Again, Stone Dragon maneuvers. Add Devoted Spirit and you get a whole new dimension of protecting those weaker than himself. Ofcourse, you could always go for a rage monk, or a fighter, or a barbarian, except, y'know... they're really boring!
Fithero 09-18-07, 04:40 AM	whats a rage monk? I was thinking of trying the chaos monk that appeared in one of the dragon magazines, ill sift through the pile and try and find it. Peace
cog_n_taz 09-18-07, 06:33 AM	Rage monk is a monk variant that sacrifices flurry of blows, still mind, greater flurry and quivering palm to get barbarian rage progression(stacks with barbarian levels), Greater Rage at level 10, and Mighty Rage at 20. Pers'nally though, I still recommend ToB, it's awesome like that. No, seriously, that book has only been in my room for two days, and its aura of awesome has already filtered through to the depths of my writing desk - you know, the shelves that I haven't even looked in for half a year.
Fithero 09-19-07, 11:42 PM	Ive got him all set out now, i have a background on him too but its basically an all thats been posted previously on this thread, so no need to re-write it all. Class wise he will be a barbarian with a variant listed in Dragon #349, which takes away his medium armor, shield & martial weapon proficiencies but replaces them with the improved unarmed strike as a bonus feat, and the two weapon fighting feat tree as a ranger gets them. As a prc, ill have him take a variant of fist of the forest, one focused more on fighting with just a persons body and less on the nature side of things. His traits would be - -Religous, Merciful and Trained (These reflect his heavy devotion to Kord, his views that killing is wrong no matter what the person has done/is and finally, his strict work out plan he has.) When he gets to around lvl 15 or so, he will attempts to gain access to some sort of divine link to Kord, perhaps becomming a champion for him in some right. Im not sure how this would work out mechanically though, perhaps trying to gain divine rank of 0 but still serving Kord. Any more thoughts?
cog_n_taz 09-20-07, 05:55 AM	(Ahem) In my best Aldaris voice... You require additional Tome of Battle. Other than that? No idea what fist of the forest is, but it sounds good enough. Bear in mind that you can only have up to two traits, though.
Fithero 09-21-07, 08:13 AM	The two traits thing... i figure it doesnt really have game effect, so 3 doesnt really matter... just ads another dimension to the character. And while i admit that tome of battle is a great book and i love the focus it puts on martial characters, i dont think its really appropriate for this guy. He's more of a athlete than a true warrior, hes good in combat, but not an expert since its not his true area. And fist of the forest is a prc in Complete Champion, basically you get improved unarmed damage, ac bonus = to your con mod and an ability akin to rage, all the while you have to live like an animal (outside basically...) Now if only i could get Terjon to come here and rip this character apart like he did the story in that other thread *cough cough*
Terjon of the Blue Rose 09-21-07, 11:32 PM	The two traits thing... i figure it doesnt really have game effect, so 3 doesnt really matter... just ads another dimension to the character. And while i admit that tome of battle is a great book and i love the focus it puts on martial characters, i dont think its really appropriate for this guy. He's more of a athlete than a true warrior, hes good in combat, but not an expert since its not his true area. And fist of the forest is a prc in Complete Champion, basically you get improved unarmed damage, ac bonus = to your con mod and an ability akin to rage, all the while you have to live like an animal (outside basically...) Now if only i could get Terjon to come here and rip this character apart like he did the story in that other thread *cough cough* You got my commentary. Well written character with strong concept behind him. Needs some defining aspects for the world he grew up in though. Also the vows from exalted deeds can be very troublesome if the party doesn't want to work around your character's issues. Similar to the difficulties many groups encounter when a paladin joins up. "What kind of stupid class relies on other peoples' behavior to keep its powers, anyway??" (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0251.html)