Have a background - need some rules [Archive] - Wizards Community

Have a background - need some rules [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Sarrian
06-14-07, 08:26 PM Hey there. I've spent the last little while trawling through a pile of threads and message boards and splatbooks trying to decide what I want to do, and now I throw myself on your wisdom. :)

I can pretty much use any Wizards book around, and some 3rd party stuff as well - it's all GM approval anyway, but pretty much someone I know has any WotC book I might need.

My role in the party could be a lot of things - we have, AFAIK, a warmage, a warblade, a cleric, a duskblade, a fighter/rogue, and a barbarian. The seventh is either a favoured soul or a rogue.

So I'm thinking either healing, face, arcane blaster, or ranged damage. My preferences are spontaneous over prepared spellcasting, and skills over - well, not skills. The campaign will be a good mix of tactical combat, diplomacy, intrigue, and crunching away to come up with efficient ways to beat things.

My background is as such, although the race and class are as of yet indeterminate.

The campaign is set on a continent where three major powers are constantly vying for power - essentially an LG, LN and LE state, each. The tech level is just enough to have magical sky-navies.

My character is from a land that more or less was a representative democracy that was of a knowledgeable bent. Academies of art and science were everywhere, the army was full of volunteers with high morale, and the light of reason shone down all over the land. Everyone was skilled at something, in general - schooling was available to all, and so forth. Not really a place given much to adventurers, really. I had just signed on with the Sky Navy, and was serving as essentially a redshirt.

Very soon after, however, it was announced that the rulers of the nation had agreed to turn their military defense over to the big LN nation. The admiral of the fleet my character was on shared the popular belief that they were forced into this by illegitimate power, and so led a large part of the military against what the admiral dubbed the invaders. I was more than happy to go on, believing fully in the light of reason, the power of technocracy, and the righteousness of our cause.

Ultimately this action failed, and my dreams burned along with the skies the day that the massive Air Navy of the LN nation, enduring horrific casualties, smashed apart our smaller but much more advanced fleet. They were more than willing to take prisoners, however, and I was one of those. Rumour in the prisons had it that the admiral had escaped along with many of the higherups, and interrogation found that most of us who were captured rather than killed knew nothing useful, so we were released. I took up a job as a cargo loader in the merchant navy for a few weeks, until my attempts to find out if there was indeed a resistance cell came to fruition, but since I was inexperienced, it soon led to an arrest warrant.

I finangled a fake identity as a member of another of the small nations that had accepted its place as a protectorate of the LN nation, and crossed through about 6 other countries over the course of the year until I wound up in a small village of this nation. I stopped there because while the ship I had then gotten a job on was docked, the villagers needed some help with some reconstruction following a small kobold raid, and after that the local cleric, who evidently felt I needed some direction, took a liking to me and said there'd be a place for me there if I needed it.

So I've been in this village for about a year, which is what is needed for the campaign to begin. I now need a class. Here's what I've got so far:

My character is 18 at most, and the time spent in the Sky Navy was neglible, but my profession in the military could suggest a class choice now, and we're all starting at 1st level.

So I could be:

A cleric (would have been a healer on a small ship in the navy, and this lets me write up some interaction with the cleric inthe village, who's also in the party.)

A scout, ranger (or ranger variant) (some kind of recon craft for the navy, and in this case I'd have spent the year in the village doing some hunting)

A favoured soul (began manifesting weird powers, all this was part of some divine plan, and the cleric (of Heironeous) explained this to me - or it's what she wants me to believe)

A paladin of freedom/avenger could fit too, or perhaps a bard - I could have just joined the military back there because I had no specific skills that the highly expertise-based home society wanted. I'm entirely open to suggestions though - thanks in advance for any help.

PS: Feel free to suggested tweaks to the story too, just for fun or if it helps to suggest a particular class or progression. I could also use advice on feats/skills/spells that are both flavourful and effective for this sort of person.
BroadStreetBully
06-15-07, 01:49 AM yeah, you have a pretty well-balanced party already it seems, so i'd say play what you'd most like to try out. the world sounds like it closely resembles Eberron, so paging through some of those books might help give you a little inspiration.

it seems like your background is put together well enough, if you can be more specific with a few things or add in unresolved conflict (like who supplied your fake ID and do you still owe them a favor, is anyone still alive who would know you used to be an insurgent, etc), maybe the DM would be able to include it in the plot a little bit.
Sarrian
06-15-07, 10:50 AM Good call on the unresolved conflicts - I think giving the GMs something a little more concrete will make it easier for them to play around if they wish. I should be able to add in a handful of really minor characters in my background that shouldn't be treading on anyone's toes.

What class would make sense for such a character though? The wilder things like druids and barbarians seem like they'd be out, and I feel divine casting in general is a bit hand-wavey, but that just might be me. I'm just being very indecisive, I know.
Kolytszusk
06-15-07, 11:24 AM If I were you, I'd choose the bard, because from a gameplay perspective, you'll be helpful to the other party members as a power booster, and from a character perspective, it seems to me like your character is very idealistic, yet doesn't quite know where he belongs, which would make sense given his background.
BroadStreetBully
06-15-07, 02:49 PM playing a bard would make pretty good sense given the party you've outlined, too. it seems like you have at least 4 fighter-ish types, so you'd probably get some good use out of the "inspire courage" ability. along with that, it seems like you're character is fairly educated and well-traveled, so from that perspective being the party face would make sense as well.

good luck!
Daxen
06-15-07, 04:12 PM May I turn your attention to the Beguiler in the PHB2. I don't have anything against the Bard class and it is appropriate and usefull here, however, this guy sounds more like a beguiler to me.

The party that you have listed is going to be absolutely fabulous at getting themselves into trouble. The Beguiler is just the class to remedy that.

Secondly it allows all the other spell caster's to focus at what they are good at. You will be a master of enchantment and illusion, and able to almost always nimbly avoid the consequences of that arrest warrant.

Sure you overlap the rogue a bit, but how many times have we heard "I am not that kind of Rogue" sit down and have a good talk with that player so you guys can cover as many skills as you can as they will be at a premium in the rest of the party.

Benefits:

1.) The number one benefit of Beguiler over Bard is that you will get 9th level spells on a list that includes Time Stop.

2.) Armoured mage makes them even.

3.) Decent weapon selection, though are you really going to be attacking?

4.) Advanced learning, Cloaked casting and Free Metamagic feats are better than music.

5.) Did I mention Time Stop?

Downside

1.) Crap for BAB, but who cares you have a Warblade and a Barbarian

2.) THis class is a bit mad as you will want a good INT and CHA and a decent CON and DEX. Dex is a bit less important with Armored Mage and Con is important but not ultra because you have d6 which is good for a full caster.

3.) YOu don't get to be a secondary healer... oh wait you have UMD as a class skill. Nevermind.

28pt buy recommend

Str: 10
Dex:12
Con:12
Int: 16
Wis:10
Cha:14

If you end up rolling then High to low is

Int: Primary casting stat
Cha: You are a Beguiler for Crimany's sake
Con: Fort > Ref and HP > AC in my experience and opinion
Dex: The only stat left that matters for you
Wis: Fits character (idealist) have a good WIll Prog
Str : YOu are a Beguiler for Crimany's sake

In closing; by narrowing your focus, you allow the other members of your party to do the same. A party this large must run like a well oiled machine to be sucessful. A Beguiler will be an excellent cog to add to an already versatile machine. A Bard will act more as a lubricant. Both will be effective I just think that the Bard's function is more easily replaced.

That is enough of my sillyness for now. Have fun no matter what you choose.

Dax

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sarrian 06-14-07, 08:26 PM	Hey there. I've spent the last little while trawling through a pile of threads and message boards and splatbooks trying to decide what I want to do, and now I throw myself on your wisdom. :) I can pretty much use any Wizards book around, and some 3rd party stuff as well - it's all GM approval anyway, but pretty much someone I know has any WotC book I might need. My role in the party could be a lot of things - we have, AFAIK, a warmage, a warblade, a cleric, a duskblade, a fighter/rogue, and a barbarian. The seventh is either a favoured soul or a rogue. So I'm thinking either healing, face, arcane blaster, or ranged damage. My preferences are spontaneous over prepared spellcasting, and skills over - well, not skills. The campaign will be a good mix of tactical combat, diplomacy, intrigue, and crunching away to come up with efficient ways to beat things. My background is as such, although the race and class are as of yet indeterminate. The campaign is set on a continent where three major powers are constantly vying for power - essentially an LG, LN and LE state, each. The tech level is just enough to have magical sky-navies. My character is from a land that more or less was a representative democracy that was of a knowledgeable bent. Academies of art and science were everywhere, the army was full of volunteers with high morale, and the light of reason shone down all over the land. Everyone was skilled at something, in general - schooling was available to all, and so forth. Not really a place given much to adventurers, really. I had just signed on with the Sky Navy, and was serving as essentially a redshirt. Very soon after, however, it was announced that the rulers of the nation had agreed to turn their military defense over to the big LN nation. The admiral of the fleet my character was on shared the popular belief that they were forced into this by illegitimate power, and so led a large part of the military against what the admiral dubbed the invaders. I was more than happy to go on, believing fully in the light of reason, the power of technocracy, and the righteousness of our cause. Ultimately this action failed, and my dreams burned along with the skies the day that the massive Air Navy of the LN nation, enduring horrific casualties, smashed apart our smaller but much more advanced fleet. They were more than willing to take prisoners, however, and I was one of those. Rumour in the prisons had it that the admiral had escaped along with many of the higherups, and interrogation found that most of us who were captured rather than killed knew nothing useful, so we were released. I took up a job as a cargo loader in the merchant navy for a few weeks, until my attempts to find out if there was indeed a resistance cell came to fruition, but since I was inexperienced, it soon led to an arrest warrant. I finangled a fake identity as a member of another of the small nations that had accepted its place as a protectorate of the LN nation, and crossed through about 6 other countries over the course of the year until I wound up in a small village of this nation. I stopped there because while the ship I had then gotten a job on was docked, the villagers needed some help with some reconstruction following a small kobold raid, and after that the local cleric, who evidently felt I needed some direction, took a liking to me and said there'd be a place for me there if I needed it. So I've been in this village for about a year, which is what is needed for the campaign to begin. I now need a class. Here's what I've got so far: My character is 18 at most, and the time spent in the Sky Navy was neglible, but my profession in the military could suggest a class choice now, and we're all starting at 1st level. So I could be: A cleric (would have been a healer on a small ship in the navy, and this lets me write up some interaction with the cleric inthe village, who's also in the party.) A scout, ranger (or ranger variant) (some kind of recon craft for the navy, and in this case I'd have spent the year in the village doing some hunting) A favoured soul (began manifesting weird powers, all this was part of some divine plan, and the cleric (of Heironeous) explained this to me - or it's what she wants me to believe) A paladin of freedom/avenger could fit too, or perhaps a bard - I could have just joined the military back there because I had no specific skills that the highly expertise-based home society wanted. I'm entirely open to suggestions though - thanks in advance for any help. PS: Feel free to suggested tweaks to the story too, just for fun or if it helps to suggest a particular class or progression. I could also use advice on feats/skills/spells that are both flavourful and effective for this sort of person.
BroadStreetBully 06-15-07, 01:49 AM	yeah, you have a pretty well-balanced party already it seems, so i'd say play what you'd most like to try out. the world sounds like it closely resembles Eberron, so paging through some of those books might help give you a little inspiration. it seems like your background is put together well enough, if you can be more specific with a few things or add in unresolved conflict (like who supplied your fake ID and do you still owe them a favor, is anyone still alive who would know you used to be an insurgent, etc), maybe the DM would be able to include it in the plot a little bit.
Sarrian 06-15-07, 10:50 AM	Good call on the unresolved conflicts - I think giving the GMs something a little more concrete will make it easier for them to play around if they wish. I should be able to add in a handful of really minor characters in my background that shouldn't be treading on anyone's toes. What class would make sense for such a character though? The wilder things like druids and barbarians seem like they'd be out, and I feel divine casting in general is a bit hand-wavey, but that just might be me. I'm just being very indecisive, I know.
Kolytszusk 06-15-07, 11:24 AM	If I were you, I'd choose the bard, because from a gameplay perspective, you'll be helpful to the other party members as a power booster, and from a character perspective, it seems to me like your character is very idealistic, yet doesn't quite know where he belongs, which would make sense given his background.
BroadStreetBully 06-15-07, 02:49 PM	playing a bard would make pretty good sense given the party you've outlined, too. it seems like you have at least 4 fighter-ish types, so you'd probably get some good use out of the "inspire courage" ability. along with that, it seems like you're character is fairly educated and well-traveled, so from that perspective being the party face would make sense as well. good luck!
Daxen 06-15-07, 04:12 PM	May I turn your attention to the Beguiler in the PHB2. I don't have anything against the Bard class and it is appropriate and usefull here, however, this guy sounds more like a beguiler to me. The party that you have listed is going to be absolutely fabulous at getting themselves into trouble. The Beguiler is just the class to remedy that. Secondly it allows all the other spell caster's to focus at what they are good at. You will be a master of enchantment and illusion, and able to almost always nimbly avoid the consequences of that arrest warrant. Sure you overlap the rogue a bit, but how many times have we heard "I am not that kind of Rogue" sit down and have a good talk with that player so you guys can cover as many skills as you can as they will be at a premium in the rest of the party. Benefits: 1.) The number one benefit of Beguiler over Bard is that you will get 9th level spells on a list that includes Time Stop. 2.) Armoured mage makes them even. 3.) Decent weapon selection, though are you really going to be attacking? 4.) Advanced learning, Cloaked casting and Free Metamagic feats are better than music. 5.) Did I mention Time Stop? Downside 1.) Crap for BAB, but who cares you have a Warblade and a Barbarian 2.) THis class is a bit mad as you will want a good INT and CHA and a decent CON and DEX. Dex is a bit less important with Armored Mage and Con is important but not ultra because you have d6 which is good for a full caster. 3.) YOu don't get to be a secondary healer... oh wait you have UMD as a class skill. Nevermind. 28pt buy recommend Str: 10 Dex:12 Con:12 Int: 16 Wis:10 Cha:14 If you end up rolling then High to low is Int: Primary casting stat Cha: You are a Beguiler for Crimany's sake Con: Fort > Ref and HP > AC in my experience and opinion Dex: The only stat left that matters for you Wis: Fits character (idealist) have a good WIll Prog Str : YOu are a Beguiler for Crimany's sake In closing; by narrowing your focus, you allow the other members of your party to do the same. A party this large must run like a well oiled machine to be sucessful. A Beguiler will be an excellent cog to add to an already versatile machine. A Bard will act more as a lubricant. Both will be effective I just think that the Bard's function is more easily replaced. That is enough of my sillyness for now. Have fun no matter what you choose. Dax