Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Myrth 06-10-04, 04:44 AM	Name: - Race/ Gender/ Age: Human male, age 25-35 Alignment: N or CN Religion: - Single Defining Class: 4th level Conjurer (Ench & Necro Prohib.) Description: - Greatest Strength: - Greatest Weakness: - Traits and Mannerisms: - Modus Operandi: - Background: - Quote: - I picture him as an ego-centered man, thus being neutral. He only thinks about himself and gaining in skill. He will protect those he travel with, but not show it, and he has little regard for society or people he doesn't know. He acts as if very absent-minded and not paying attention, but does indeed pay attention. He lives in his own mind though, so sometimes his view of reality is different from what really happens. Basically he is the typical blaster, summoner, questing for wealth, power gain and to test his mettle (He likes killing outsiders such as demons and so forth...) He wants to travel Myth Drannor hoarding treasure killing demons and becomming a great master of planes and outsiders, binding them to his will. I think he will be carrying a shocker lizard as his familiar, don't know where he got it yet. I would very much appreciate any ideas if anyone feels like helping me out, I need background, personality, mannerisms, description, religion? and everything...! Thanks for reading :)
Trydan 06-11-04, 03:44 AM	I think the best way to start here would be to answer questions regarding why the character is like he is. Why is he ego-centric? Why does he like killing outsiders (in preference to orcs, dragons, bandits, etc.)? Why is he absent minded and introverted? Answering how he became a conjurer and where he acquired his lizard familiar would also be useful to know.
Myrth 06-11-04, 05:52 AM	Thanks for your reply Trydan, I must say i'm very impressed with all your work here! In the meanwhile (since I posted) I went through your guide and really found lots of help, and taking another approach to the whole thing than I usually do made me come up wwith a chracter I wouldn't have made otherwise... and I like it :) I still have some work to do, but I have done a lot of it. To answer your questions: He is ego-centric because he was raised the only child of a wealthy noble outside Arrabar, Chondath, being sorrounded by slaves and servants. And thats just how it affected him... now he is haughty by nature :) He studied at a library during his childhood whose keeper was a sage specialised in the planes and extraplanar beings and so he learned of them. He sees them mostly as supreme creatures and thus, if he can summon and control them, he would be superior even to them. Partly answers why he bacame a conjurer as well. Why is he absent minded... I don't know. I guess he is thinking a lot, considering his actions and playing with spell research in his head. Bu then again, maybe he is not absent-minded and just pretends to be, to fool the beholder. His view on reality is off course though, he can sometimes think he said something but actually never did. I don't know about the lizard familiar! I haven't played with a familiar before and just wanted to try one out, a special one... I have the background and his abilities sorted, but what i would REALLY like some help with is his traits and mannerisms, modus operandi and maybe even quote, though that might come up during playtime. I'm not very good at these points :/
Trydan 06-11-04, 12:24 PM	Originally posted by Myrth He is ego-centric because he was raised the only child of a wealthy noble outside Arrabar, Chondath, being sorrounded by slaves and servants. And thats just how it affected him... now he is haughty by nature :) Nobles are always great-fun to play. There have been several threads about their traits and manerisms. Check those for ideas.He studied at a library during his childhood whose keeper was a sage specialised in the planes and extraplanar beings and so he learned of them. He sees them mostly as supreme creatures and thus, if he can summon and control them, he would be superior even to them. Partly answers why he bacame a conjurer as well. Ah! A superiority complex. Neat! This will be a mix of awe and contempt. In the same way that so-so students hate the top-of-the-class pupil. They aspire to be better, but sneer and mock at the same time. Use this as a model and go from there. Why is he absent minded... I don't know. I guess he is thinking a lot, considering his actions and playing with spell research in his head. Bu then again, maybe he is not absent-minded and just pretends to be, to fool the beholder. His view on reality is off course though, he can sometimes think he said something but actually never did.Distracted by his work is a very academic trait. As a result, try injecting statements like "Ah-ha! Of course!!" or "Yes... as I suspected" at random moments during the game. When queried, just say that it was something else. Something to do with your work. Don't overdo this though. Once per session should be enough.I don't know about the lizard familiar! I haven't played with a familiar before and just wanted to try one out, a special one... The problem with familiars is that they are forgotten whenever they are not being used. Make a prominent note on your character sheet, and make sure you interact with your familiar at least a few times per session. It can be as simple as stating "I memorise my spells for the next day and exercise my familiar" or, at the tavern, "I'll have an ale, and my familiar will have a water". Whatever you do, though, make sure that you and your familiar become quickly associated as a team, rather than the familiar being just another piece of equipment in your backpack (like your piece of chalk or whetstone). That should help. Let us know how you get along. It is difficult to help without completely designing the character, so continue to update this thread with details, as the character materialises.
Myrth 06-15-04, 05:10 AM	Thanks very much for your input Trydan, I have taken it all under consideration and will most likely put all of it to use too ;) Race/ Gender/ Age: Chondathan/sharran or damaran male, age 27 Alignment: N or CN Religion: Need help on this one... Single Defining Class: 4th level Conjurer (Ench & Necro Prohib.) Description: Narimmar is very intelligent though somewhat absent. He doesn’t enjoy exercise and as he doesn’t have much use of it, since he is a wizard, he is rather weak and not very dextrous, though his fingers are quite nimble from writing and working with spell components. He looks very attractive (he has a dark look about him), though his demeanour is not very pleasant, due to his cold look and low regard for strangers. His haughtiness does impress some however, giving him a clear advantage. He is a little frail due to his lack of physical activity but somehow quite resistant to disease and poisons. Abilities: Str: low Dex: medium Con: medium Int: high Wis: medium Cha: low Greatest Strength: - Greatest Weakness: - Traits and Mannerisms: - Modus Operandi: - Background: - In short, born as a noble, his father was very conservative, wanted him to become a fighter, loathed magic, his mother teached him in secret. Studied with a sage of the planes at a library and developed his interests there. Father discovered his mothers lectures and threw her out and the character leaves home. travels to the dalelands, travels Myth Drannor and encounters lesser demons. He didn't know much of Myth Drannor and only incredible luck kept him from running into one of the more potent evils there - thoughhe doesn't know this. Quote: - Feats in consideration: Augment Summoning, Craft Wondrous Item, Magical Artisan, Portal Master, (Extra familiar - from a dragon magazine) Skills: KNowledge Planes, Spellcraft, diplomacy and intimidate Now there's a little more. Still, mannerisms is bugging me, can't figure any out and had no luck in searching the boards here. Still familiar question is loose (not a biggie I can figure something out). Now another question arises - prestige classes ? I have no idea what could fit him, I have searched and searched but found none. The thaumaturgist is the closest i think, but then - only clerics can become dthose. I was considering making him sort of a guild mage, but neither Mage of the Artcan Order nor Guildwizard of Waterdeep fits him.
Trydan 06-15-04, 06:14 AM	Originally posted by Myrth Now there's a little more. Still, mannerisms is bugging me, can't figure any out and had no luck in searching the boards here.Run off his traits. Perhaps he can't stop fiddling with things (wands, daggers, quills, etc.). Maybe he sneers. But check out Table 5-5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide (3rd edition, page 150). There are lots of useful hints there! Still familiar question is loose (not a biggie I can figure something out). Umm... sorry, but what do you mean? Now another question arises - prestige classes ? I have no idea what could fit him, I have searched and searched but found none. Perhaps there are none. Not every character needs to have a prestige class. Somehow there is a common misconception that every character needs to aim for one - this isn't true. You will find that you can pretty much role-play anything with the base classes, given enough patience to reach sufficiently high levels.
Morka 06-16-04, 09:18 PM	Heh, seems good so far! Here are some suggestions. Your character is fascinated with demons and devils. What if he's overexcited each time he summons one? You know, like a child waiting to embark the roller-coaster: he fears them, but he is exalted just at the idea of using them... Summoning monster is the usual way of a conjurer, but don't forget: he has many area spells, like grease, obscuring mist, web... all things that the rogue in your group would like you to cast so he can sneack attack the foes. Since you plan on summoning many outsiders of all kinds, you should speak many planar languages. And when speaking to yourself, speak in auran or in aquan so no one in the group would understand! But do it by distraction, you are not so arrogant, after all! More technically, I suggest you to have Wis: low and Cha: med. Since he is a bit absent minded, that justify this low Wis. Wizard already have an high will save, so he can deal with a low wisdom. And since you need high scores in Diplomacy and Intimidate, let's rise your Charisma! You should also consider taking the 5 ranks in knowledge: nobility, for the bonus in diplomacy. As for the prestige classes, take none of them. If you want to take a feat called extra familiar, you should stay wizard all the line, so they can improve at each level.
Myrth 06-17-04, 02:51 AM	Thanks very much for your input! I'm very glad I decided to post here to see what inspiration I could find :) It has really payed off... Run off his traits. Perhaps he can't stop fiddling with things (wands, daggers, quills, etc.). Maybe he sneers. But check out Table 5-5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide (3rd edition, page 150). There are lots of useful hints there! Yeah, you are of course right... Perhaps it was more a matte of just picking some and sticking with them. Umm... sorry, but what do you mean? Hehe, sorry - just meant that I didn't know what to do with the familiar. To have one or not, and which. But it's not the biggest of problems... Perhaps there are none. Not every character needs to have a prestige class. Somehow there is a common misconception that every character needs to aim for one - this isn't true. You will find that you can pretty much role-play anything with the base classes, given enough patience to reach sufficiently high levels. I totally agree with you Trydan. The thing is - my last character went base wizard all the way and I just want to be sure this one is different. And since he is so specialised in summoning I would love to point that out by having some other, fun, abilities (like the contingent summing thaumaturgists get). Your character is fascinated with demons and devils. What if he's overexcited each time he summons one? You know, like a child waiting to embark the roller-coaster: he fears them, but he is exalted just at the idea of using them... Of course... that's good. Some pattern of behaving when summoning them. Perhaps he starts acting very arrogant, like he doesn't know the others or something because he feels so powerful when they are around and under his control... or perhaps he becomes unsure of himself because these powerful beings are around... some pattern *rubs chin* Great idea! Since you plan on summoning many outsiders of all kinds, you should speak many planar languages. And when speaking to yourself, speak in auran or in aquan so no one in the group would understand! But do it by distraction, you are not so arrogant, after all! This is another wonderful idea, and its so obvious! Hadn't thought of it somehow... This will also give me the advantage of being able to give the outsiders whose language i speak some more advanced commands... excellent! More technically, I suggest you to have Wis: low and Cha: med. Since he is a bit absent minded, that justify this low Wis. Wizard already have an high will save, so he can deal with a low wisdom. And since you need high scores in Diplomacy and Intimidate, let's rise your Charisma! You should also consider taking the 5 ranks in knowledge: nobility, for the bonus in diplomacy. I thought a lot about the cha/wis thing and actually - right now I don't remember why I made it otherwise! I started out the other way. The ranks in nobility is an excellent idea, since he is a noble after all. Again - thanks both! You've been excellent... If all goes right, I will be playing him in a 2-3 days, and am very much looking forward to it. EDIT: Almost forgot! I flipped through uneaarthed arcana and found some variant rules for specialist wizards - one that augments summoning with even more str & con (i think at level 10 or 15 its a total bonus of +8 to str&con) at the cost of all the wizard bonus feats... I really like that one I must say, and then it doesn't feel so much like the ordinary wizard... ;) I can also choose to give up my familiar and then finish summonings faster (they are full round now)... I've really been thinking about these two, unearthed arcana really is a wonderful book for adding new flavor and teaching old dogs new tricks...