Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Alkaline 04-22-04, 10:43 AM	I'm a DM, and I'm developing a character for one of my players to play. I usually develop a character idea for him because he doesn't have much time to deal with that. (I have plenty of time at work hehe). He usually roleplays characters concepts I develop better. We're starting at 2nd level. Here's my concept so far... Vandabar is a human ranger with favored enemy undead. He's been making his trade working as a mercenary for churchs hunting undead and other evil creatures. While he doesn't particularly follow the church authority, he does share a common interest in dispatching these foul creatures, and if he can get paid off of it, he will. I'm thinking he is going to be kind of a "Judge" type character. Maybe a sort of Vigilante. I'm thinking his alignment will be Lawful Neutral. Vandabar also has a major Vampire bloodline using the Unearthed Arcana rules. His physical features give clues to this... Tall, modest build, yet strong, ivory pale skin, onyx eyes and ebony hair. His face is chiseled and his eyes are dark and shadowy. I really couldn't think of anything to explain the Vampire bloodline. I didn't want to use the cliche "Blade" storyline. If you can think of something original for me, please let me know. I wanting him to actually be similar to Batman. Haha. Anyways, any ideas or further developments I would greatly appreciate. Thanks.
JohnSnow 04-22-04, 04:14 PM	Let's see... Vandabar sounds like he's in the right setup to be a fantasy 'Van Helsing.' He's a Ranger with track, wild empathy, favored enemy undead, his first combat style feat, and TWO other feats. What's the favored enemy category for lycanthropes? That'd make a good second choice. Key skills are: Spot, Listen, Hide, Move Silently, Survival. As far as a non-cliche origin, let's see: Vandabar's secret origin can be found in a curse. His father Liam was cursed with the return of his human soul after he unwisely took a young gypsy maiden. Liam thought that he was cursed to spend eternity atoning for his crimes. He regularly attached himself to vampire slayers, young girls who were trained by the church to hunt his evil brethren. Long into his self-imposed penance (Liam always worked alone, never letting anyone get close), Liam found himself aiding a young vampire slayer named Sorsha who was not like any her predecessors. Where they were well-trained, she was impetuous. While they had abided by the rules, she improvised. And, most importantly, while they had died living by the Slayer's Code, she had LIVED to become the most successful slayer of all time. At first, he aided her in secret, then he became a mysterious protector, emerging from the shadows to help her when times were toughest. Eventually, the two grew close, and Liam sacrificed himself to save Sorsha's life. This selfless act was Liam's redemption. Sorsha, you see, was a descendent of the gypsy tribe which had cursed Liam. And the gypsies had cursed him to live as a Vampire, unable to bear the sins of his past until he had made good by repaying a life to them for the life he had taken. Fulfilling the curse's condition caused Liam's vampirism to wane, and he was reborn with the coming of the dawn. His thirst for blood was gone, and he was again able to walk in the warm light of the sun. Together, he and Sorsha continued their war against vampires for many years. Eventually, they married, and Sorsha gave birth to their son Vandabar, a strapping youth who seemed to take after his father, and was eager to uphold the family legacy... Okay, Liam's origin borrows from Angel in a lot of ways (down to his name, but I wasn't feeling creative). But I think the twist of him being redeemed by the curse is enough to make it unique. So, how do you like it?
Alkaline 04-22-04, 04:20 PM	Wow, John Snow, that was perfect. I'll use it most definately. I'll probably change some names up (my players aren't Angel fans [at least I don't think...], so they shouldn't catch on anyways). But, the whole gypsy curse idea is fantastic. Thanks tons. Alkaline
JohnSnow 04-22-04, 04:48 PM	My pleasure. I tweaked the curse slightly. Angel was cursed to have a soul until he achieved "Pure Happiness" (which he did when he and Buffy slept together), at which point his soul would be stripped away. Sounds like a messed up curse to me. I prefer the curse to be punishment with a termination condition. And making the slayer a descendant of the gypsies just combines Buffy with one of her teachers (Jenny Calendar, I think). The rest just fell into place. Glad to be of service...
Russell 05-12-04, 09:44 PM	The favored enemy for Lycanthropes is Shapeshifter, and if the DM wants to be more technical use humanoids its always a safe bet. If you are making the Vanhelsing type I had a nice prestige class Idea. I call it the Slayer. Basicly use it as the Ranger type, but add in favored enemies outsiders, and demons specific. Also like the fighters progression use the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th, give a bonus feat to exotic weapons. U can use the favored enemy ability as it is just choose it wisly.