Post/Author/DateTime	Post
WayneTheGame 07-13-06, 10:15 AM	So, I have gotten tired of my Duskblade in my current FR game because I made him top-down instead of bottom-up (i.e. Mechanics/abilities first, then background). So I am thinking of replacing him once we finish our latest adventure. I have thought of a cool concept that I think I could have fun with, but it's still rather stereotypical; I'd like to keep the flavor but not resort to just acting out a stereotype. With that in mind, here's what I have so far: Basic Concept A light melee character with a dark past who works as a bounty/monster hunter. Sort of a mix between The Punisher and Van Helsing, but focusing on all types of monsters. Expanded Concept Kalen Skorne is a man with a troubled past and an uncertain future. He earns a living as a sellsword and bounty hunter, using his abilities to hunt down and slay villains and monsters darker than himself that plague the world. He seems very cold, showing little compassion in the face of the usually grim tasks he has to perform, but his heart is in the right place. He's fascinated with death and misfortune. He's a little unsettling due to his no-nonsense demeanour, but has a very forceful, almost dominating, personality. Quote "I asked if you wanted the problem taken care of; I never asked if you agreed with my methods" Traits Physical - Lots of scars on his body - Long scar going near his right eye - Weird eye coloration (?) Mental - Brooding and moody - Obsessed with death, tragedy and misfortune of others - Despises evil/wicked people - Weak spot for children (who typically are fearful of him) - Sense of honor, but questionable methods of achieving goals - Only fights battles when necessary; doesn't provoke others and takes most insults Appearance The man seemed to ooze out of the shadows, as though he was a part of it to begin with. He was tall, a little over six feet, and well built, with broad shoulders. His face was angular, his nose hooked slightly. His head was shaved bald, but he had a jet black goatee that gave him a somewhat villainous appearance. He wore clothes of a blue so dark it was almost black; in pure darkness he might as well have been invisible to the normal eye. A strange malevolence reflected in his eyes, but subdued, as if his foul appearance was just the outer shell. Around him flickered the faintest motes of dark purple, barely noticeable, like some bare magical aura. ************ Mechanics-wise, the obvious choice would be Ranger, but I'm thinking Hexblade as his primary class because of the flavor. I'm not too worried about mechanics at the moment; my main concern is trying to come up with enough to be able to effectively roleplay the character... my problem with my current PC (the Duskblade) is that background-wise he would be a haughty noble but I am rather shy so I'm not as assertive as I should be. For the record, we are playing a darker, mercenary style game. Not evil, just not your typical "good guy" heroic campaign. The rest of the group consists of: Human Rogue/Sorcerer - An 18-year old (or thereabouts) gypsy, likes the city, friendly with the necromancer (the two of them do a lot of roleplaying with each other outside of the game via email; something that bugs me greatly but I digress) Tiefling Wizard (Necromancer) - Fascinated with death and has a skeleton familiar; former Thayan slave; wants power. Human Rogue - Swashbuckling, steal-from-you-in-a-heartbeat thief; kind of distrusted because she loots bodies and hides what she finds Half-Dragon Cleric of Tempus - Big and strong (26 Str) with wings. Our "air support" when he shows up. With that in mind, any suggestions of how to flesh out my concept but keep him at least a little unique? Not that there is anything wrong in playing to the stereotype, I just want something that I can easily "get into" and roleplay better than I have been with my current character.
Uberwoot 07-14-06, 03:47 AM	The new boards aren't available at the moment, or I'd post to them instead, but your idea intrigues me, after a fashion. It gave me a few ideas, most of which are completely beside the point, but I figure I could throw one out to help you out. The thought I had was of an efficient, tactically-minded individual who grew up in a chaotic clan- perhaps an unusually intelligent orc or goblin. He was successful in the most vicious of "politics" within his clan for a long time until finally he botched a maneuver and fled. He was never good at dealing with his people, or even necessarily with discerning their motives- but his expertise in planning served him well in exile. He has made the "right connections" in human society to make sure that he stays in work (perhaps by turning his clan in for extermination?), but he doesn't want to have to deal with the rest of civilization as they would never accept him. He craves power, but has none; for this he is bitter. He seeks to fulfill his tasks while at the same time disappointing his taskmaster, with every intention of eventually grinding that master's nose into the dirt as his slave. He has a strong streak of cruelty; he lacks mercy; he takes no prisoners (unless it makes his job easier). He kicks his enemy while he is down. He uses whatever weapons are available to him, takes advantage of the element of surprise, and sets up multi-stage attacks that throw his enemies into confusion. Intelligence is crucial; even a simple glance may provide the information necessary to formulate the plan that wins the day, and magical divinations are truly the greatest of glances. His companions are a necessary burden; they are assets, and thus must be taken care of, though not spared when needed, for a sword treated such must necessarily lose its edge. /Woot
Wyrmul 07-14-06, 06:49 PM	While the angsty lone wolf can be badass the hard part of those characters is group cohesion. Especially in an off-good group, since you don't nessesarly seem to be evil per sey. Think of why he fights monsters, what in his past would drive a man to such a profession, don't worry about fleshing out too much or using cliches. Also, why he needs to work with this group of people, or other people in general. Especially the Necromancer and the Rogue, why would he put his life in the hands of these people. Also I would try and get involved in some of the OOG RP over e-mail that is done. Not jump in whole hog, but ask them to forward you the stuff they do, and maybe add some of your charqacter to their story to bring him more fully into the story. Come up with something that would make him smile. Constantly dark characters have a tendanct of spiralling towards themselves. Even Wolverine shows amotion other than angst, it is rare but he does it. Find something that fitts with the character but may be a little off stereotype. In an game set in the warring states period of japan I had a big burly samurai who was nicknamed Mountain of Rage who loved to go see men dressed up as women on stage because he thought it was the most hilarious thing. So after a few months of playing with this roving band who only saw him as this stoic lump of fury in combat, they hit a city and he is laughing it up in the cheap theaters, and were completely shocked. After they left he went back to his quiet combat-monster demeanor. Good luck.
WayneTheGame 07-16-06, 03:25 PM	So I have given it more thought and I think I'm going to focus more on the bounty hunter part than the anti-monster part, but it's still up in the air depending on how the character develops in the campaign. I was going to keep Hexblade, but when this idea came to me I decided to focus more on Ranger.. a possible build (I know this isn't the Char Op forums but still..) would be Hexblade 4/Ranger 6/Bloodhound 10. While fleshing him out I also decided on his ability scores and what they mean... it might help fleshing him out more (we use 91 points distributed on a one for one basis): STR (med) - 15 Kalen is strong and well-built, but not overly muscular DEX (high) - 18 Kalen is very athletic and agile, all the better to surprise his foes and overtake them CON (low) - 12 Kalen has a slightly above-average constitution but is plagued by a chronic, hacking cough (a la General Grevious)* * Possibly the result of a spell, as a lead-in to Occult Slayer? INT (med) - 16 Kalen is very intelligent and analytical when it comes to aquiring information on his enemies WIS (low) - 12 Kalen is not foolhardy, but tends to adopt a one-track mind when it comes to hunting his quarry. CHA (high) - 18 Despite his sinister appearance, Kalen has a very forceful, dominant personality. When he talks (and that's rare as it is), people find themselves drawn to hear what he says. The part where I'm running into trouble is skills and feats.. there are just so darn many that suit the character, but not enough points/slots to take them all :D
Targorn 07-16-06, 11:26 PM	For the lfe of me i can't remember where i read it in, but a prestige class called a Justicar might suit your character? you get to use manacles as light flails and lots of grappling peeps and handcuffing them. A really fun class.
club2bash 07-18-06, 07:34 PM	Justicar is in the complete warrior. perhaps you could take the ranger alternitiov class ability in the PHB2. Distracting attack instead of your animal companion, whenever you attack an enemy (melee or ranged) that enemy is considered flanked until attacked by an ally or until the start of your next turn. feats gor for weapon focus feats and skill focus (survivial). pick 2 weapon fighting combat style. survivial and cross-class ranks in intimadate. I have had characters like this before. don't think about what he is, think about why he is what he is. is he a bounty hunter for a reason, or does he just do it to survive? where did he get all his scars? why does he have weird eye coloration? why does he have a waek spot for children? why does he only fight battles when necessary and take most insults (maybe there are insults he wont take)? these are the best questions you can ask yourself. :D
WayneTheGame 07-20-06, 10:45 AM	Thank you for your help, club2bash. A few of the pieces are falling into place, but I'm still at a loss for filling in the details... so far I have this: - He grew up in a small to large city (possibly Westgate or Elversult) - Mother died in childbirth, and his father pretty much shunned him, thinking him to blame - He's been "touched" by the goddess of misfortune, Beshaba (this explains the Hexblade curse and such) - Possibility of there being strange "accidents" when he was upset as a child (uncontrolled Hexblade curse) The main thing I'm at a loss for are the specific details, such as: - His father's contempt; I toyed with the idea of his father being a drunkard and mysteriously dying when he was young (falling onto a knife or something), and the boy then being sent to live in a workhouse, but I think that just caters to the stereotype. - I need a motivation for him becoming a bounty hunter... I'm not sure it would be something he wanted to do (being chaotic) but more something that came out of necessity, gives him income, and lets him indulge in his pleasure at the misfortune of others (remember though, he's not evil). - Still working out the peculiarities of the character... I'm dropping the eye colouration (too weird) idea, but need to come up with a reason for the soft spot for children.. that could coincide with his father showing him no compassion due to holding him responsible for the mother's death. The taking insults thing I justify as him being calm and collected, not caring if some ignorant lout wants to get the last word in (in reality I don't want him to be vengeful; my old character was pretty remorseless and it got me strange looks from the rest of the group) The big thing here is: If his father showed him no compassion, then just how did he grow up? On the streets is the most logical conclusion, but that lends itself more towards a rogue. (In other words, I don't know what class I would be "starting" with.. all I know is he's 6th level and I was going to go Hexblade 4/Ranger 2). Of course, one can grow up on the streets without having levels in Rogue... For another unique trait I'm making him superstitious; he venerates Tymora (goddess of luck) to sort of "buy back" his fortune, and has "lucky" items on his person (coin, rabbit's foot, etc. Going to do some research on it). His specialty weapon is a pair of bladed discs in the shape of large coins; one with two heads and one with two tails ("Heads" and "Tails"); he determines which one to use on a victim by flipping a coin. I might take a few ranks in Sleight of Hand or Profession (Gambling) to represent a desire to be lucky.
Zheon 07-21-06, 11:37 PM	hey, i like the heads and tails idea. as for the motive to become a bounty hunter, theres a simple answer. he is capable, and it pays the bills. im currently making a cast out street rogue who was taken in by an assassins guild. he takes contracts to make money.. pretty similar. why does he do it? because its good money. because he enjoys the thrill. he doesnt need to have a real reason, and neither does your character, really. for his compassion towards children.. maybe he sees them in a different light than adults. innocent, free, he doesnt see them as things to dislike. he may treat them nicely because they cant defend themselves, and he has an honour code to honor those who he could kill with such merciless ease as a child.
Monsco 07-25-06, 08:52 PM	Well, I think that for his father, prehaps he, instead of dying, was actually so traumatized at the loss of his wife, that his mind broke and became overly possesive over his only son. he tried to take care of him, but because of his disease, he was actually not giving him everyting he needed (like enough food) so your guy has to rely on the kindness of a stirn merchent that gives him food and stuff in excange for the ocasonal durty deed (like a robbery) hensfort supplying for him and his sick, confused father. I dont know if it makes sense, Im new to this :confused:
remmun 07-27-06, 04:18 AM	perhaps a unique backround would be one that doesn't exist. he has amnesia and can't remember much of his past life. I.E. kalen wakes in an alley one day to find he doesn't know where he is or how he got there. upon hearing a group of men coming he applys his skills to hide in the shadows. the men have a captured child with them and are taking his away. the child is trying, futaly to escape. at this point kalen leaps from his hiding and attacks the men and saves the boy. he doesn't know why he helped the boy but some part of him could not stand for this injustice. he spends his time tring to figure out his past and acount for the lost years. this way you don't have to have all of the character's past figured out. as far as mechanics go perhaps a slight alteration of the ranger class would suit you well. a sort of urban ranger. same skills just modified from woodland areas to the city. his animal companion coul be a common urban creature that is trying to help him find his past. (leading him places he often went, showing him his old home, people he knew ect.) some more work would need to be done and alot of DM help to facilitate situations that would bring back parts of his memory. by appliing what you already have to this kind of ailment it coud create some interesting roleplaying.
Orchomenos 07-27-06, 10:20 AM	It greatly reminds me of Farouq, my current Soulknife. He is from a small fishing hamlet. The leader of this hamlet is Thorhall a despisable but competent warrior. THorhall is the captain of the local milice, and a weekly training is required for everone. Farouq has always been a quick runner, but Thorhall always told it made him a coward. Farouq lost his father at the age of 3, in a pirate attack. For surviving, his mother had to prostitute herself, but she always hid that to Farouq. One day he was missing the weekly milice training, Farouq met a stranger on the beach, who offered him to train him. Farouq accepted. They met 2-3 times a week for 3 years, without anyone knowing it. In fact, THorhall was just happy to not to care about Farouq. On day, after only a few minutes, the stranger told Farouq his training was completed, and he should return home. Now. Once at home, Farouq surprised his mother in her bed with Thorhall, and then he saw Thorhall pay her. When he saw Farouq, Thorhall mocked him, telling him his mother was a great prostitute, and should she has been anything else, it would have been a waste. At this point, Farouq understood that the pirate who killed his father was no one else than Thorhall. Out of anger, Farouq sneack attacked (read: Psionic Weapon + Psychic Strike) the militia captain, and killed him. He let the corpse on the beach, so it would seem he had been attacked by a pirate. Now Farouq wanders the world, attempting to proove himself his worth. Whenever he's able to earn some money, he pay a visit to his mother and give her the gold, to avoid her to prostitute herself again.
Wyrmul 07-27-06, 07:01 PM	Another way to break from stereotypes is to play the stereotypes to the hilt and then add traits that at first glance seem counter to the stereotype. An expert killer who kills at his masters whim, but who's treasured possesion is a top given to him in childhood by a woman who died proteting him. Many of the eastern heros and notibles have such contradictions that allows them to generate a lot of variety to type-cast characters.
WayneTheGame 07-28-06, 10:55 AM	Thanks for the advice, everyone! I think I've come up with enough to make him a memorable character; now I just need to work on the actual roleplaying execution in-game. :D