Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Levism84 03-16-04, 01:14 PM	Ok, so I want to play as myself in D&D. "But why?" you may ask yourself as you sip your coffee and read the newspaper. "Because I can." I would reply, "That, and it would be crazy fun times abounding." The whole premise of this post is "What would it be like, and how would you go about writing the character sheet, if you actually woke up in the D&D universe as a playable character, and where would you go from there?" What I need, is collaberation on my new back-up character (me), and critisism on how i should go about making it, via you crazy guys out here who have SOME idea about what is going on. I will begin with how I came up with the stats and stuff for my character, but if you want to scroll down to the ----- line to see the final product, go right ahead. Might save you some time. I have the basics of what my character as myself would be, and I dont mean going on-line to some D&D fan made answer 20 multiple choice questions character generator. I mean, actually making myself as a character, stats and all. No elf, orc, dwarf, halfling, gnome, half-elf wanna be. I am talking dropped directly into the D&D universe with a one way ticket to certain doom. First off, basic stats about my character/self. (I really hope I am not violating anything about giving away personal information. I will keep it as general as possible.) My name would be "Allan" (My middle name to use as my first name in the D&D world), I am a 20 yearold Human Male, I am 5'7", 140 lbs, Blue eyes, Brown hair, Light Tan Skin. For my Alignment, I am a very random person with slight tendancies towards both good and evil, so i would go with Chaotic Neutral. I dont have a diety. (not athiest, just a student of all faiths) Now I need to figure out my stats: Strength and Intelligence are the simplist because Strength basically is what you can lift/bench and Intelligence is basically what your IQ is. Therefore, my strength would be 10-11 (can bench about 110 lbs) and the IQ test I took last year in my pyschology class said mine was 120 (Int of 12). I would assume my dexterity would be high (14-16) because of the 13 years I have spent Irish Step Dancing and studying the martial arts. My constitution probably wouldnt be very high as it takes me about 14 minutes to run a mile, but I can pretty much go hiking all day (horrid memories of a 20 mile hike with my boy scout troup at the michigan dunes that was in 100 degree weather with nearly 100% humidity). I would again put that at about 11-12. I consider myself a wise person, just in the fact that I can usually see solutions to problems other people I work with cant. Plus, my intuition is usually pretty good when I can meet the person and get to know them. I would put my wisdom in the 14-16 range. Charisma is also something that comes naturally to me, in that I have a very forceful personality when dealing with people. As a spokesperson for a company, I would put it at about 14-16. Class... I dont have any (Ha!): None of the core classes really fits what I have done or learned except maybe some combination of ranger (eagle scout)/bard (choir 4 years/irish dance 13). The only class that comes close in my opinion is the expert core class from the DMG, but, as the guide points out, it is not a very good core class for adventurers unless the game is focused on advancement based on other things than killing stuff. But than again, I am not looking to make a super powered character here. If I did go with the expert core class, I would probably chose Balance, Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge Nature, Knowledge Religion, Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, and Survival as my class skills. That way I can have Craft(Alchemy), Perform(Irish Dance), and Profession(Cook). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final Build: Name: Allan Class/Level: Expert Lv 5? (I dont know what level I am!) Race: Human Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Deity: none Size: Medium Age: 20 Gender: Male Height: 5'7" Weight: 140 lbs. Eyes: Blue Hair: Brown Skin: Light Tan Str 10, Dex 16, Con 12, Int, 12, Wis 16, Cha 14 Skills: Balance, Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge Nature, Knowledge Religion, Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, and Survival. BAB: Average Saves: Poor/Poor/Good Hit Die: d6 Simple Weapon Prof. and Light Armor Prof., but not shields. Feats: Weapon Finesse and Martial Weapon Prof. (shortswords). My languages would be: Common and something akin to spanish... or spanlish... Ok, anything else I should note or put down? Does this look ok to introduce as a character into the D&D world? The main point of this character is to make a more roleplayable character for myself, and maybe others would like to do the same. I know it isnt really a "balanced" character in that he probably cannot fight worth a lick in the D&D universe, but oh well. Once he arrives he can find magic stuff to help him out and he can start earning ranks in actual core classes and PrC. Comments and Critisism are always welcome. Thanks.
Trydan 03-16-04, 06:39 PM	Stats for "Allan" are: 16, 16, 14, 12, 12, 10. Compare this to the default array (which is 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8). Going for the Expert class may not be a power-gamer choice, but then again, it depends on the DM and the campaign. Furthermore, a character doesn't have to be perfect, to be fun. And we play to have fun... not to win! ;) Anyway, Levism84, you'll find that transferring yourself into the D&D world is tricky in terms of classes. Noone in real-life is a caster (with the possibly exception of my wife, who has Read Thoughts and various other detection spells). Few of us are rangers, monks, etc.. And unless you are a medieval reenactor, the fighter class is probably out (that's why I'd be a fighter with proficiency in spears :) ) As a result, you should probably let yourself lapse into a class that you would have taken, given a choice. From what you've said, Ranger/Bard actually sounds pretty good. Don't worry about the spells - if you could, you would. Oh... and drop the word "Irish". Just make it "Perform (dance)". I mean, where on Oearth/Faerun/etc. is Ireland! ;) Well... looks good so far, Levism84. Keep at it, and don't let anyone put you off.
Levism84 03-16-04, 10:17 PM	Oddly enough I AM a member of the medieval reenactment group which is actually how i got started with D&D in the first place... ah, the memories. Thanks for the advice about the "Irish" thing. I sometimes forget actual places dont exist. So i guess i dont have to choose spanlish as my character's second language. Maybe something like Common/Elvish, Elvommon if you will. Spanglish: Gracioso muchos por la critisisma, y gracioso por la helpa. La gato es muy pelegrosos en mis pantalones. Es muy horrible! EI EI EI! I prefer constructive critisism over destructive critisism, but oh well.
Sisyfos 03-17-04, 07:03 AM	I have a question. Do you intend to make this character as "you" going through some magical dimension warp and ending up in the D&D universe? Or do you intend to make a character in D&D universe which you would have been if you had been born there? There is a difference. If it really is "you" that you are trying to make then you have that perform (irish dance) and known language (spanish). You will most likely not know the "common" language of D&D world (what a weird concept that "common" language is...). About your level... You are most likely either first or second level character. Most people in D&D are. It is a shame that the game system does not really allow us to advance skills without also gaining BAB, saves and hitpoints. I myself am very good at some skills (finance + philosophy), but I will most certainly drop from one hit with a longsword. On the other hand I can take quite some punches before I drop (I know this from experience in training at some dojos). Feats like skill focus (xxxx) allow us to advance skills a bit higher than the level cap allows. But the problem is that we have only 2 feats to start with as humans. My other feat would be combat reflexes. It might be fun to really take the first approach. Start as a "you" and become a mighty mage, or cleric, or whatever, with time as you advance in levels. Play it safe though, this character's death might be a bit traumatic ;)
Levism84 03-17-04, 01:11 PM	Yeah, i was going for the "dropped right smack dab in the middle of the D&D world crazy fun times" version, as opposed to the "yeah, i grew up in this place all my life, so how the hell did i learn irish step dancing" thing. I wanted my character to be able to talk about "his world" and how things are so modern and advanced back there, but he has no idea how most of it works... otherwise he would make himself a modern day firearm fast quick and in a hurry. I also thought it would be fun to make long winded speaches based off of SNL skits, and "write" songs that have some resemblence to modern hits. (Where are those damn copywrite laws now!? Eh!?) "I am but a strange traveler from a far and distant land. Your world filled with dungeons and dragons frightens and confuses me. I am used to the simple luxeries alotted my people, like air conditioning, my crappy 1984 geotracker, and spell check. But there is one thing that my world and your world shares, and that is the knowledge that 5 gold pieces is way over priced for that prostitute. Throw in her sister, and you've got a deal." Oh come on, you know you would if you could. (grins) Ok, just kidding. Anyway, i digress... I was also wondering if I could start my character off in the game with all the items and stuff I usually carry around and wear? Here is a short list: Jeans T-shirt Button Down over-shirt Boy Scout Belt Celtic Ring Zodiac Pendant (Pisces) Boots or Sandles (depends on season) Glasses (just for reading) Wiskey Flask (for water... seriously... dont give me that look...) Cigerette Case (for home made bubble gum, yummy) Keys with 98.9 Radio station free giveaway key hangy-thing band... Wallet with ID no money and my Walden's Book Card If I had my backpack with all of my D&D books in it, that would really mess the game up. "Yeah, Cobord, it says here that you are a 12th level fighter, 2nd level defender, hey look at your stats. Fun huh?" or "Hey, I've seen that monster before, here.... (flip flip flip), yeah, here are it's stats, attacks, and mode of combat... why are you guys looking at me like that?" Besides the craziness i just described... anything else? Comments? Constructive critisism? Thanks.
BlackFlame 03-17-04, 02:38 PM	Honestly I don't have much to add in the way of help, but I would like to say this is an awesome idea, and one I've played around w/myself a few times. Your "you" character looks good, though I would consider dropping a few of the expert levels so you don't have any "wasted" levels when you actually start taking Fighter/Monk/Rogue or whatever, but that's up to you. Also...talk to your dm and see if maybe you CAN take your dnd books. It would be funny, and maybe ppl would see you as some kind of Monster Lore Sage or something...good way to earn a living at first. Just be sure to max out Knowledge (DnD) heh. Anyway, cool idea, be sure to post and let us know how it goes. Also to Beavis...I haven't ever read a post from you that was anything but annoying...I think more people are laughing at you than at Lev here.
Kolo 03-17-04, 07:02 PM	A "Me" character? See my sig. I don't doubt it for a second- I even have slightly pointed ears and my family is known for longevity. The only thing missing is the fact that D&D has no rules for trenchcoats... btw, beavis? Stop trolling.
The_Yellow_Dart_Swinger 03-17-04, 08:06 PM	I think its an interesting idea. Reminds me of the old Captian NES cartoon show about a guy who gets sent to the world of video games. Anyways. Class wise if your not comfortable with any of the standard PC classes I would suggest trying the Variant Expert in the Unearthed Arcana book that was just published. While not as powerful as a standard PC class it does open a lot more avenues because you get to choose your own particular feat or class ability. Plus it gives a BAB+0 at first level and D6 for hitdice which is probably closest to most normal folks. Also as to being transported into a D&D world it depends on what your DM and you want. Do you want it where its like someone from the present being tossed back in time type of scenario or do you want it to be where you actully get sucked into the D&D books for lack of better words and basicly know everything about the game. I would probably say no books in character as it really seems meta-gaming. *Well it only has 16 AC so we only need to get a 15* Which obviously wouldn't work in the D&D world since they actully don't roll dice. Know that it is the D&D world yet doesn't have the same *rules* as pen and paper but reality that if you get hit by the sword it hurts not that your HP drops.
Trydan 03-18-04, 04:39 AM	Originally posted by Levism84 If I had my backpack with all of my D&D books in it, that would really mess the game up. :cool: Hey... now that'd be really cool! Could you imagine how much they'd be worth. It'd be like the theory of everything all packed into a few books. Imagine the scholastic (sp?) worth of such tomes. Armies would march for such a thing! And what would happen if they fell into the wrong hands. Now, that would make for an interesting campaign. PS: On a related note, there was once a novel written about a post-nuclear-holocaust earth, where the only surviving book was a D&D Player's Handbook. I've tried to find out the name/title of the novel, but in vain. Any ideas, anyone?
Cynosure 03-18-04, 08:48 AM	I really like this idea, Levism84 and, interestingly enough, I and my friends have been working out ways to get our stats on the character sheet. Now, first off there are a few discrepancies on some of the ways they measure stats in D&D. For instance, if I were to calculate my strength based on the max lift weight, I would have a strength of 16, where as, if I were to measure my strength from the max lift over head weight, I would only have a 14 strength. Strange, eh? This is how I would probably do most of the stats: STR: Go by the weight descriptions in the PHB and just spend few minutes at the gym or something. Shouldn't be too hard. DEX: This would be fairly difficult, and you'd probably just have to guesstimate. I remember finding a website a while back that changed the color of the screen and you were supposed to click the mouse button as fast as possible. It gave you the time it took you to click in milliseconds. This could be a useful tool for determining dex, assuming you know what 'class' you are to calculate your reflex save. :D CON: Quite simply, hold your breath. Time yourself and divide the time by 6, round down, and you've got your CON score. INT: Simply take an IQ test agreed upon by all the players before hand. WIS: Uhh... I wish I knew. CHA: Again, quite difficult to measure with an unbiased opinion. Skills can't be used to measure these stats because they can vary depending on how many 'ranks' each person has in the skill, so we're forced to use ability checks to closely determine everyone's effective ability score. This is why Wis and Cha are difficult. Most of the time, your ability scores will be higher than the average PC. But, doesn't that make a little sense, given all the modern equipment and knowledge we've been exposed to all our lives? The following is what I would guess myself to be if I were dropped into the D&D universe right now using these ideas: Height; 5'10 Weight; 140 Hair; Brown Eyes; Brown Alignment; LG Level 2 Monk Str 16 Dex 13(?) Con 12 Int 14 Wis 14(?) Cha 11(?) Skills: Jump; 5 ranks Climb; 5 ranks Move Silently; 5 ranks Spot; 5 ranks Tumble; 5 ranks Escape Artist; 5 ranks Knowledge(Arcana); 5 ranks ... Simply because I know the outsiders in the MM quite well. Feats: Improved Grapple (Monk Bonus) Combat Reflexes (Monk Bonus) Combat Expertise Improved Trip (Human Bonus) Now, it's probably important for me to describe myself somewhat to explain feat, class, and skill choices. First, I've been training in Aikido, Weeping Willow Jujitsu, and Tae Kwon Do for quite some time, now. Aikido and Jujitsu are both grappling martial arts, hence the improved grapple feat. I chose combat reflexes because I know for sure I couldn't deflect arrows if my life depended on it. :D Combat expertise because I tend to be more defensive than offensive when I do have to fight or spar. Improved Trip because I love scissor take-downs. :) Mostly, however, this stems from the grappling martial arts training I chose skills based on what I thought I was good at, not what I thought would be cool. I've had a hearring condition since birth that's why there are no ranks in listen. Also, I can't hide for spit, but for some reason, I'm light on my feet when it comes to sneaking. Tumbling has been a hobby of mine for a while. It started with the trampoline and evolved to tumbling for several feet down the sidewalk. Well, anyway, you get the idea. I hope this rambling helped somewhat.
Trydan 03-18-04, 08:57 AM	Originally posted by Cynosure CON: Quite simply, hold your breath. Time yourself and divide the time by 6, round down, and you've got your CON score.Hey... that's a really nice way of doing CON. Excellent! (Although I'm a little disappointed with my CON score now).
Levism84 03-18-04, 10:24 AM	Wow, fun times. I like the Con scoring too, but i guess that busts my Con down to 10. Oh well. Thanks for all the feedback, this is really turning out to be a fun idea, and I just hope my DM lets me play the character. For starters, I figured that my character would have been in the D&D world for a while now, picking up levels in other classes and the like, so he can actually fight along side the other players in the game, but he would still remember his heritage and the world he knew before he was dropped into the D&D craziness. I do believe he would make for a good story teller. "Long ago, in a galaxie far far away..." "Yeah, I write all my own stories. Personally I think they are stupid, but hey, if you want to publish them, go right ahead... as long as I get my 94% cut on the royalties." As far as having the books go back with my character, that would really be metagaming, but it would make for one hell of a plot twist. Technically would the books be considered artifacts being as they hold all knowledge of everything? Knowledge (DnD) = Pure Platnium! Although I think my DM would kill me if I had knowledge (DnD). Thanks again, and keep the fun times a comming!
Highlander316 03-19-04, 12:08 AM	interesting topic, we've often thought about playing ourselves in a campaign. If players were to throw themselves into the DnD world, you probably would have an abundance of monks due to the popularity of martial arts. There would be no wizards, sorcerers, or spellcasting clerics (because come on, we can't cast spells!). Hunters, fishermen, and trappers would be the Rangers of the world. Armed forces men and women would be your Fighters. Martial artists your Monks Musicians, poets, actors your Bards Mafia, mob, criminals, your Rogues (i'm sure there would be a mix of fighters in there too) Clergy...you guessed it Aside from spellcasters, that leves Paladins and Barbarians. I don't know what would make a real life paladin. Barbarians could be any sort of tribal people from South America or Africa. Druids? I don't see them either in terms of "real life", but this post is open to criticism...
LORD SPOCK 03-19-04, 03:32 AM	umm starting out at level one would be a good bet... and sticking with eather the commoner, expert or aristocrat class would probably work best... as for stats 18 or 20 point buy is probably all you looking at (unless you have an exceptionally high iq, are a muscle man or a very high ranking martial artist) I am probably a commoner... 12 12 12 14 8 8 ...
Dawnspeaker 03-19-04, 11:24 AM	The wisdom, dex, and cha are the killer stats to figure out. Though the test that Kolo has in his sig does give a way to figure it out all. Had a few of my stats alot higher then I figured they'd be. Course it is all speculation.
LORD SPOCK 03-19-04, 08:23 PM	cool test for ability scores 10 14 10 15 13 10 and LN dwarven cleric.... hmmm... stats don't mix well
NZCardinal 03-20-04, 06:41 AM	I did one of those ridiculous test things once, and (flattered as I was) I coulden't take it that seriously. Str: 15 Dex: 12 Con: 16 Int: 15 Wis: 17 Cha: 17 I've never rolled a character as high as "me", but in all honesty I don't think I'm as marvellous as they make out. I'm a triathlete which generally means a person has a lot of endurance, I always thought I was smart, but I was a little surprised to see my wisdom and charisma that high. I'm also a little bit clumsy at times... Of course, maybe the stats look good because I'm not a human, I'm a god.
CursedMoredhel 03-20-04, 08:37 AM	i did it just then Str: 13 Dex:17 Con:12 Int:16 Wis:13 Cha:12 the other test said i was a neutral good elven ranger and i'm thinking my next campaign i dm will be one where people roleplay themselves but with a slight twist not sure yet i think it'll be that they were thrust in the world and would have knowledge of thier life in this world but as if they had never played dnd before... maybe as a result of a powerful mage summoning them for some reason could be interesting and teaching them a bit about the world and potential abilities
Kolo 03-20-04, 10:27 AM	Ah, people are experimenting with that test thingy...:) I personally find the stat test fairly accurate. It rates my intelligence accurately (My IQ at last count was creeping towards 150), It's accurate as to my strength (I really am a wimp) and it says the same thing everyone I know says; You can't help but like me in some way.:angel: (I was convinced my CHA was 11 at the most...) The second part, where it determines your class, is a bit more erratic and strange... but it fit me fairly well; I thought I'd end up as a wizard or sorcerer, but bard fits the stats a whole lot better. But if you want your stats, then that's the best test I've ever seen.
LORD SPOCK 03-20-04, 05:36 PM	I went back and took the ability and class test again, and a actually tested my answers for the str. questions... (when I took it the other day I hadn't sept for almost 40 hrs and hadn't eaten in 20) any way my stats were pretty mich the same, but my intellegence went way up... 12 14 10 18 13 10 I left the questions blank that really didnt matter to me on the class test (clothing) and I ended up being a wizard instead of a cleric. (Still a Neutural dwarf) Now I see why wizards need to sleep to prepair their spells!!!!
CursedMoredhel 03-22-04, 08:47 AM	i did the hold your breathe time it then divide by six thingo i held my breathe fo 2 minutes 49 seconds or 169 seconds which means i got a 16 con :D i like that one better i think i'll take the inbetween of em both tho Str: 13 Dex:17 Con:14 Int:16 Wis:13 Cha:12 which is a 39 point buy i think i rock :D anyways i think i'ld make a good rogue
Xx Spider xX 03-23-04, 11:22 PM	Greets all, just stumbled upon this thread...and I gotta say, great idea Levism84! I myself created a character that was somewhat similar in over-all concept. This was a fictional character of my creation from our(RL) world. He was a talented rock musician(guitarist)whos potential was being devoured by addictions to multiple drugs. His "jump" from our world to Faerun(Forgotten Realms)happened one evening at a party, within a bathroom. He was suffering from the effects of multiple narcotics taken through-out the course of the evening. Awakening upon the tile floor of a unlit bathroom, his eyes locked on a shimmering disk shaped light swirling upon the wall(which he believed was the by-product of his current state). He stepped through the portal after examining it for some period prior, and began to take in the new enviroment that materialized around him. As his eyes began to take in the rural scene...his condition once again got the better of his body(failed con check). He was found(luckily)that evening on the outskirts of Shadowdale by local farm hands. He was a great character, and a wonderful twist on the traditional character. As a player who prefers role-play rather than roll-play he offered much to satisfy my appetite. Examples would be as follows: *Interacting while adjusting to a new fantastic world *Overcoming his addictions with the help of newly found friends(Alias and Dragonbait). And in overcoming those addictions his "true" potential as a person and musician could be explored. *Discovering his place(by choice and taste)within this "new" world. His music would be the foundation of his chosen occupation. And with the help of the above mentioned NPCs, he learned the basic skills a traveller would require in order to survive(basic fighting skills w/a weapon of his choice). He developed into a Musician/Fighter of sorts. The Bard class(thief/mage) of the time(2e) didnt fit, so we developed a custom class that suited his character type. He traveled the lands w/Alias and Dragonbait developing his skills and touring the wonders of the Realm. He was a character given life by one world(Earth), but only given a "true" life by another. I mean come on now. How could you not have fun introducing the Realms and its people to : Stairway to Heaven(Led Zeppelin) , Patience(Guns n Roses), Comfortably Numb(Pink Floyd) and MANY more.:) All while wearing(at least while they lasted)torn & tattered blue jeans and a Tool shirt(Tool is God!).
Xx Spider xX 03-23-04, 11:32 PM	Levism84, your character will be the D&D equivalent of John Crichton(Farscape). In the series Farscape, the main character(mentioned above)is an astronaut/scientist from our world..that is basically "dropped" within a world equal to that of Star Wars.
Shapedoctor 03-24-04, 02:46 AM	I thought of something like your idea quite a while back, here's some thoughts for you: Strength discrepencies: take the average. Dexterity assessment: base on catching & dodging have a friend throw a certain number of something at you. In the 1st test see how many you can catch. In the 2nd, see how many you can dodge. If you test a few friends as well you could come up with a decent relative system I would think. Wisdom: Wisdom is a mess. My awareness of my surroundings has little to do with my willpower. I could be deaf & blind and have the willpower to hold a flame to my hand until it blisters. Furthermore, doing such a thing is contrary to common sense, another factor of "wisdom". Tests of willpower might be something like they do on the stupid survivor shows (sorry, but they're a waste of time in my dimension). I'm thinking of the kind of thing like when they all put their hands on a pole or something and see who's the last one on it. To simulate a measure of awareness you might come up with ways to test your senses (spot & listen skills are wisdom-based). Charisma: I've got a couple of tests you might devise, but they're x-rated.
Quithion 03-24-04, 05:26 AM	I have found a link to a website that doesa D&d character/race test as well as an indepth ability test. I ended up as a halfing bard with a 17 charisma. Linakage (http://www.angelfire.com/dragon/terragf/)
Xx Spider xX 03-24-04, 02:31 PM	My result was a half-orc barbarian:behold:
beavis123 03-24-04, 02:52 PM	My result was neutral good Human Sorcerer. not bad
burning_blood 03-24-04, 04:14 PM	Lawful good elven bard/ranger. Interesting. As for "you" bringing along your D&D books, consider the impact that Deities & Demigods or some similar D&D pantheon book might have. What if the world's clergy didn't know everything about their deities, or were just plain wrong about some stuff? Next thing you know you're being hunted down by armies of paladins and inquisitors trying to purge your "heresy" from the earth. As for your class levels, it would make sense IMO to start with only one or two levels in an NPC class; expert would make the most sense for a city-dwelling professional student like me, but commoner or aristocrat could also work depending on your personal background. Once you're in the D&D world you could start picking up levels in PC classes. Something else that's interesting to think about is what would happen if "you" came back to "this" world. Would you still be able to cast spells? Would your magic weapons/items still have their magical properties? In general, it sounds like a fun idea.
SolemnDusk 03-25-04, 10:27 AM	Playing as oneself in a fantasy world is cool. My friends and I once played an Alternity campaign set in a post apocalyptic modern world, and we played as ourselves. It was awesome. Alternity has a considerably better rule set for converting real-life people/things to a game, you might wanna check it out (you could at least get the fast-play booklet and make characters, then use the conversion chart to convert them to D&D). Good luck! BTW, I play a D&D character that represents what I would want to be in D&D if I was born there (Samurai 2/Psion 18; Half-Human/Half-Dragon). Later!
Levism84 03-26-04, 07:31 PM	I was just wondering, sort of as an after thought, but if you travel to another material plane of existance, than does that make you an outsider? And if so, does that mean you could be banished back to your material plane? That might also open up a number of possibilities, such as: traveling back to the real world to stock up on kick ass weapons, and using a demensional rod (or whatever that item is that allows for extrademensional travel) to travel between the two. Just a thought.
The_Yellow_Dart_Swinger 03-27-04, 12:52 AM	Well looking in the Monster Manual it says that extraplaner is anything that is not native to the material plane. However for simplicity sake and possible balance issues. I would just have the normal humanoid type. After all if you were able to go to the 'real' world and back to the D&D world with a gun or even something like a car it would change the balance of your character. Kinda like Ash from Army of Darkness.
burning_blood 03-27-04, 04:11 AM	Well, you'd still be from a material plane, just not the same material plane. I'd say you'd be normal, not an outsider. If regular travel between the worlds is possible, then you might very well end up with mega-corporations from the modern world moving into the medieval world to exploit its resources. This could result in magic vs. technology conflict, or possibly magic and technology would synthesize (imagine a nuclear weapon with antimagic fallout!). Or maybe magic and technology are just different ways of understanding the same thing, a la Arthur C. Clarke or Babylon 5's order of Technomages.
AaronXVI 04-01-04, 08:46 PM	My result was a half-orc barbarian[/URL] You and me both buddy...
Lanoitakude 04-01-04, 11:39 PM	I am a Lawful Evil Human Monk I found this very strange, because of my lack of physical prowess. I checked the numbers, and Wizard was around .2 lower than Monk. I wasn't suprised with Lawful Evil, hehe...which is kind of creepy. For generating ability scores, the best way to do it is to sit down with the people who will be playing, and talk about it. If one of your friends is a really strong football guy, give him 16 str (or whatever you agree upon). Y'know, just kinda work it out. This is especially easy when you play with long-time freinds (I play with people I've known for atleast 3 years, some I've known for 10+).
D.K.R. 04-06-04, 03:31 AM	Originally posted by CursedMoredhel i did the hold your breathe time it then divide by six thingo i held my breathe fo 2 minutes 49 seconds or 169 seconds which means i got a 16 con :D i like that one better Okay - 169 divided by 6 is 28, not 16. And I can hold my breath for just under 3 minutes; but I would never believe myself to have a con near 30. I am highly resistant to pain, and have never had a broken bone, and I am rarely sick; but I know hundreds of people who can say those same things. I think anything above 16 is a very rare thing, not something hundreds of people can claim. I would put myself around 15-16 con. And I know some people who have poor constitutions, but can hold their breath for a long while, either from practice or hobbies such as diving. So that is, in my opinion, a horrid test.
CursedMoredhel 04-06-04, 10:52 AM	hmm good point, i think i divided it by 10 instead of 6... not sure yeah divide by 10 would make it 16ish actually 17 that blows that techniques out the window if it were divide by six i'd have a minimum of 10 hitpoints no matter wot class and could have 21 hp on first lvl ohwell i'll go with the divide by 10 and the score the test gave me's average which gives me a 14 in con
Zyfax 04-12-04, 10:21 AM	according to the first test posted I'm a lawful good halfling bard (impossible with the rules, even stranger considering I'm 6 feet tall...) with the stats 11,14,13,14,10,16...It is weirdly accurate (and a 32 point char) somehow it feel that the playtested 25pts characters are worse than real life ones.....weird... I do agree on it being a cool campaign concept...the players take the test and are forced to play what they get.... edit: except for race of course...
pog 04-12-04, 04:12 PM	Any ' real ' person would make a pretty poor PC.... I mean, weapon profs - not many people can use medieval weapons very well. H.P - I couldn't survive being hit with an axe, could you? Class - certainly no core class - magic ( nope ), rage ability ( nope ), fighter ( no chance of h.p / bab / etc. ), monk ( no chance ), etc. The real question is whether or not, once within the D&D world, you would advance as you or as your character. In other words are you stuck playing the real version of you for the remainder of your time in D&D land? If so your character would never progress beyond a low-stat peasant without the ability to farm effectively. You would die quite quickly.
Maur'Dhiv 04-21-04, 09:14 PM	I have some moderate training in the use of a sword, and after doing some semi-pro wrestling for 3 years my constitution score would be pretty good (regardless of what some people think of wrestling, you just can't fake being powerbombed through a table) I played in a campaign using this idea and those wrestling moves came in pretty handy :rolleyes:
Amphetryon 04-25-04, 11:52 AM	I test as a Lawful Good Dwarf Wizard, despite the fact that my stats tested at: STR 11 DEX 9 CON 14 INT 15 WIS 11 CHA 16. hmmmmmmmm
The_Yellow_Dart_Swinger 05-02-04, 10:43 PM	To comment on the holding breath post(s). You can hold your breath for a number of rounds= to 2x your con score. One round is 6 seconds. Thus if you could hold your breath for 3 minutes you'd be holding it for 180 seconds /6= 30 /2= 15 would be constitution.
Lawless 05-04-04, 09:52 AM	I've done several of these and its a tough call each time. STR 16 I can do a couple of reps of 250 lbs on a good day Dex 16+ Way back in high school was a gymnast even captain of the team my senior year. Of always had above average balance and eye hand coordination. Almost always the last one out in dodge ball. CON 12-14 Can run 2 miles in 15 minutes if I had to, rarely get sick, can drink like a dwarf. But I have asthma and I am allergic to pet dander and heavy pollen days are not fun. INT 14-16 IQ test, SAT scores, Military Aptitude test, etc. etc. etc. WIS 12-14 I really like to say its higher but my own mother told my fiance I'm slow sometimes on somethings. I'm practical, and pragmatic, not really prone to doing stupid things but not quick to doing the wisest things. CHA 12-14 Above average looks very personable, people come to me with their problems, or just tell me things I'd prefer not to know. I'm told I'm approachable. Ex-Monk/Rogue/Fighter something along those lines. Study martial arts for a while several styles never got a black belt though so I'd say only level one monk. Have a wide range of questionable skills (and useless trivia), and a friend and I use to be the crap out of each other for years with wooden weapons.
Thalis 05-28-04, 06:06 PM	did anyone consider ACT scores for INT? ACT ranges from 1-36, and the average score is 20. divided that in half, 18 as highest and 10 as the average. That's pretty close to D&D. Ofcourse it's possible to have an INT higher than 18, but this wouldn't measure it.
Bewildered 05-28-04, 08:09 PM	ok here is me Str about 17 or so i bench about 300 dex 12-13 i throw discus but thats just proper form con 13-14 when i was a kid my dad said he saw me get hit by a car and get back up and run away int 16 if based on iq but im really not all that smart wis 11 or lower my dad always says i have the common sense of some fruit he found in vietnam Cha 14-15 people tell me they find it easy to talk to me and my looks arnt that bad either im a model And watch out for my morning breath weapon it does 6d6 + 3 or at least thats what my girlfriend said
Larus 05-31-04, 04:44 PM	Heh..I'm a chaptic good elf bard... Suits me nice. I think if a gamer (or anyone of this world) were to actually EXIST in the D&D world, the enourmous amount of knowledge in math, physics, chemistry, biology, would be somewhat revoulutionary. I mean, if you have a good education you would be able to make sulfur into gunpowder, and theeeeeen....:D But seriously: I I was transported to that world I would be toast. I have NO experience in any sort of combat (a HD of 4) has no special abilities, cannot use magic, don't know how to use a simple weapon properly. In short; I would be useless. But there's one thing i DO can: play the guitar. And sing a bit too. If I got lucky, maybe I could get a bard to teach me the way of a bard.... I think my stats as a lv 1 bard would be: str:8 (sissy) dex 14 (above average, but not that developed) con: 11 (slightly above average, has potential) int:15 (above average, but I'm not that of a genius.) wis: 18 (I'm always like: "Did you hear that? what was that noise? plus awfully good at reading peoples reactions. Besides, I'm quite the philosopher ;) ) cha:16 (people say I'm good looking, and I usually get along with all kinds of people) feats: skill focus (perform [guitar]), alertness skills: climb, Alchemy (chemistry in the real world), gather information, balance, perform (sing), perform (guitar), among others (don't know what else I'm particulary good at...)
Valence de Meluvet 06-01-04, 03:33 AM	My IQ is 163.. If only bards where based on int.. Then I would pwn the world..
Larus 06-01-04, 12:30 PM	But you could go to a wizards guild and become insanely powerful. If you were to be transported, that is.
Valence de Meluvet 06-02-04, 12:38 PM	Couldnt the same be said about sorcerers?
Valence de Meluvet 06-03-04, 12:26 AM	I thought this would be fun... Str: 8 (Im thin) Dex 14 (Im flexible and agile above average) Con 14 (I can push myself above average) Int 16 (I did an online IQ test, and while its not accurate, it was 163.. And everyone knows damn well I am smarter than almost everyone else :D so 16 is suitable) Wis 14 (I am observant and can find solutions to problems easily) Cha 8 (Im more charming than an ogre but thats about it.. Not that I'm ugly, im just not charming) Name: Trei Uaeyr (Trey Ware) Class: Wizard (Although I prefer sorcerer, this one fits better) Race: Moon Elf (Im pale) Alignment: Chaotic Good (Im a rebel) Deity: Corellon Larethian (I worship God piously) Size: Petite-Medium (Im small) Age: 25 Gender: Male Height: 5''8 (Or thereabouts) Weight: 125 (Or thereabouts) Eyes: Blue Hair: Black (Mine's brown but moon elves cant have brown hair) Skin: Pale White (Im pastey) As you can see, moon elves resemble me in real life a lot..
DwarvinJedi 06-04-04, 01:36 PM	I'm really amazed no one has looked toward d20 Modern, the classes would be very good for people who were raised here, and the starting occupations. I tried making myself in d20 modern. I was a Smart Ordinary level 2, with the starting occupation of Student
Larus 06-04-04, 05:30 PM	Valence: But how could you possibly "become" a sorcerer. According to the PHB sorcery are a natural inborn ability, granted to only a chosen few.... bards at least, recieve training. But I agree that sorcerers are cooler than wizards. Wizards may be more powerful, but it's sure as heck more fun to play a sorcerer. If I were to become a race that suited my physical and mental status I would probably be a sun elf. I'm not that dexterous, and have red -blonde hair and green eyes.
burning_blood 06-04-04, 07:04 PM	Originally posted by Larus But how could you possibly "become" a sorcerer. According to the PHB sorcery are a natural inborn ability, granted to only a chosen few.... Well, presumably magic doesn't exist in our world, so anyone born here with the genetic makeup to be a sorceror would never know it. However, transfer such a person from our world into one where magic exists, and presto!, suddenly forces you barely imagined are at your beckon call. It would certainly be fun to roleplay the discovery and exploration of such talents. Also, if that person ever went back to our world after learning to control their talent it might feel like having their arms cut off. This crossover/transplant idea really has some good RP potential.
Larus 06-05-04, 06:15 AM	good point.
Darth_Shrike 06-05-04, 03:23 PM	Ability Scores: Str: 11 (Can do some push ups) Dex:9 (I have two left hands for most things) Con:12 (Can take a punch, plus hike a lot and run) Int:14 (read books, crosswords,..) Wis:10 (wel, looked like a good number, plus i can eb pretty stubborn at times) Cha:13 (i am pretty good at giving a presentation and have 3 years of leadership at a youth movement) I think I would be a Dedicated(despite the low score)/Smart Hero. For DnD, start as an expert, then probably to cleric or druid(in a Faerun for example). Most likely cleric with the Fire and Knowledge Domains.
Bazcasta 06-07-04, 10:44 PM	Name: Nick Class/Level: Commoner 1 Race: Human Alignment: Neutral Good Deity: none Size: Medium Age: 16 Gender: Male Height: 5'10" Weight: 202 lbs. Eyes: Green Hair: Blonde Skin: Light, pale, fair... you get the point Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int, 12, Wis 11, Cha 9 Skills: Climb, Craft (Campaigns, DnD Characters, Homework), Knowledge (DnD, Schooling, Forgotten Realms), Perform (roleplay, piano, comedy), Profession (DM), Swim BAB: +o Saves: 0/0/0 Hit Die: d4 (7 [4+3{Toughness feat}]) Simple Weapon Prof. (Dagger) Feats: Skill focus (swim [3 years of lessons]), toughness EXP: 100 (I actually calculated this out, from things I've killed with approximated CRs.)
J_Riley 06-09-04, 04:43 PM	Bench press is an awful test for strength, as least dividing your poundage by 10. I know several guys with a strength of 31+ if that's the case. I think to just be average, you need to be able to bench your bodyweight. The 'average' male in our society, supposedly, can bench about 93% of their bodyweight. Back in the really old D&D days, wasn't strength how much you could military press (lift overhead)? I do 4x8x95, so I'm sure I could pound 120 or 130 up once. Anyway, I am apparently a Lawful Good Dwarven Bard! Hah! LG I agree with, I went back to a store the next day to pay $2.28 for the gallon of milk they didn't charge me for. If people give me too much (or too little) change, I correct them. Dwarf, I dunno. I like to drink like one, but at 6'0" I'm a tall dwarf. ;) S12, D13, C12, I12, W11, C14 Those seem pretty reasonable to me. My IQ tests were always 130 something or so. I get sick less often now that I quit smoking. Oh, I quit smoking cold turkey, that's got to count for some wisdom. And I am fairly good looking (so the girls say) but a little opinionated. I guess I'm just a little above average overall :D
J_Riley 06-09-04, 04:56 PM	I never answered a single question related to INT, WIS or CHA (just as a test) and scored, respectively: 2, 4, 11.
Devant 06-12-04, 02:24 AM	Str:13 +1 Dex:17 +3 Con:15 +2 Int:17(18) +4 Wis:15 +2 Cha: 13 +1 52 point buy O.o' Heh, testing your Con by holding your breath wouldn't work as you'd have to hold your breath until you passed out to get accurate results. Also I did that test without answering any of the questions and I received: 10 4 10 2/0 4 11
Nature-boy 06-13-04, 12:50 AM	Originally posted by J_Riley I never answered a single question related to INT, WIS or CHA (just as a test) and scored, respectively: 2, 4, 11. In order to test yourself, one must understand what each of the numbers on the ability scores represents. These online tests are no dice! The creators have a bad perception of what each score would be like. Let me give you a for instance. For instance, I was watching the World's Strongest Man Competition on TV. These guys had huge with arms that could break a belt upon flexing. These guys were pulling trains even, and lifting incredible amounts of weight. So I got the idea to see what their ability scores would be. They proved to be mostly 17-18. 17 and 18! The world's strongest man is only an 18. Now with this new light think of how flexible a person with an 18 Dex would be. I would imagine that Adolf Hitler would have the highest Cha in the world, probably an 18. So if you think you could lead a nation and two other countries to war against the entire world, go ahead; give yourself that 18. Otherwise, don't be so quick to outdo your imagined DnD heroes. But as far as ability tests go, I personally have found that lifting weights, testing each muscle in the body, scoring it approprietly on the weight chart in the adventuring section and then taking an average of those scores proves well as a Str test. Typical IQ tests work the best for Int. Try www.iqtest.com and follow the instructions carefully as you only really get one shot at it. I would stay away from standardized tests like the SAT and the ACT. Any sane person knows that those tests are made by a bunch of people just trying to make money and filling it with trick questions. I only scored an 1120 on the SAT and I have an IQ of 156 according to the last test I took. My girlfriend on the other hand has an IQ score of 158 and she scored more than 200 points higher than I did on the SAT. Just because everyone(colleges and schools) use the SAT to determine whether you're accepted does not mean they are good tests of your Int, the counselors and advisors are only human commoners and just don't know any better. The Con test that I've developed is quite demanding. The breath test should be done under stress. Run or do jumping jacks before you do this one because thats what the adventurers are doing when they have to hold their breath. They are typically fighting or being strangled when this comes into play. Characters can also run at four times their speed(120 ft/round) for a number of rounds equal to their Con score. So go to your local track and step of about 120 ft at least ten times. If you can run this in one minute, you've scored a 10 Con. Take an average of your breath and this test and you have your total Con score. A written test on diet and sleep patterns couldn't hurt either. As for Wis, Cha, and Dex, as you all have mentioned before, they are difficult to test. I'm still working on those. After my own tests I scored: Str 11 Dex 12 (estimate) Con 10 Int 15 Wis 11?-12? (estimate) Cha 9 (estimate)
Devant 06-14-04, 04:14 AM	Originally posted by Nature-boy the counselors and advisors are only human commoners and just don't know any better. Actually, any one who graduated from high school would be considered at least an expert. And any one who graduated from College would be considered at least bare minimum a second level expert. Most people in our "modern" world are better than level 1 commoners. For instance, I was watching the World's Strongest Man Competition on TV. These guys had huge with arms that could break a belt upon flexing. These guys were pulling trains even, and lifting incredible amounts of weight. So I got the idea to see what their ability scores would be. They proved to be mostly 17-18. 17 and 18! The world's strongest man is only an 18. Also let just take the weight of a bus. According to this (http://science.howstuffworks.com/question523.htm) the weight of pulling a bus is 400 lbs. transfer that into drag weight and we're talking about an average person being able to do this (500 pound drag weight for a person with a 10 Str) if your considering it lift weight as the article does then the Str score is more around 20. Which would kind of make sense. I mean world class body builders wouldn't be level one would they? Accorig to this (http://www.criticalbench.com/bench-press-workouts.htm) the all time record benchpress of 800 lbs would net a 26 Str. So I think your a still a little off since there is no feasable way to do this as a human without magic. :rant: