Looking for advice on Wheel of Time character [Archive] - Wizards Community

Looking for advice on Wheel of Time character [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
MonkeyPaladin
11-24-04, 12:52 AM I will be playing in a Wheel of Time campaign and the GM has said he wants this campaign to be fairly roleplay intensive. Since I am new to this group I would like to make a good impression. I rolled up an Aiel Algai'D'Siswai (warrior class from a race of desert people) with a 16 Strength, 17 Dex, 14 Con, 11 Int, 13 Wis, and 8 Chr. (Yeah, I used charisma as a dump stat.) He has hide, move silently, spot, listen, wilderness lore, pretty much the usual wilderness class skills, and uses a spear and buckler like every other Aiel. I figure I'll keep with the portayal of the Aiel from the books, where they follow Ji'e'toh (a code of honor) and generally consider wetlanders to be soft.

However, this approach has left me with several unanswered questions:

1) How is he different from every other Aiel Algai'D'Siswai? How do I keep him definitely an Aiel and representing their culture, but not limited to that?

2) Why did this guy leave the Waste to enter what to him must be a strange land? I was thinking his father could have been a hero in the Aiel War with Cairhienin, with him trying to live up to that, but that still doesn't get him from the Waste to the Midlands.

3) Combat wise, what direction should I take this guy in? Without heavy armor or a lot of damage he doesn't scream melee fighter, but then he's not really a missle specialist either. Some of you might gripe that this is more Optimization boards, but this does affect how I play him. Plus I'm hoping that people with more Wot experience could maybe give me some tips.

BTW, in the background equipment you can get an Aiel shortbow, but the Algai D'Siswai aren't proficient with it, which makes little sense as they would be the ones using it. They even give it to a sample character, without listing a martial weapon proficiency. Is this a misprint or oversight in the rules?

Thanks for your help.
Darth Teddybear
11-24-04, 12:08 PM *snip*

1) How is he different from every other Aiel Algai'D'Siswai? How do I keep him definitely an Aiel and representing their culture, but not limited to that?

Well, this kind of depends on *when* the campaign is set. The Aiel have gone through some serious cultural changes through the series. If it's within the first four books, than he could simply be in the wetlands looking for He Who Comes With the Dawn. If it's after , he could have sworn as....ergh, don't have the books, but one of the Aiel who has sworn himself as a "Spear of the Dragon", Siswai'aman I think. The ones who wear the red cloth on their heads with the ancient symbol of the Aes Sedai on their foreheads. Such an Aiel would do anything at the behest of the Car'a'carn, so it provides a simple, if somewhat cheap way of getting your character in the Wetlands, and even working with wetlanders. I doubt he'd be happy with it, but an Aiel does what he must.

2) Why did this guy leave the Waste to enter what to him must be a strange land? I was thinking his father could have been a hero in the Aiel War with Cairhienin, with him trying to live up to that, but that still doesn't get him from the Waste to the Midlands.

After reading over Question one and question 2, I think I have to refer you to the first answer for this one. Perhaps that means I didn't answer #1 very well. :) The 'hero of the Aiel War' angle would work if the character was a wetlander, but not an Aiel. Remember, the Aiel don't even consider it a war, and don't really get why the wetlanders consider it so. To the Aiel, it was simply a punishment for a crime. Not even half the clans crossed the Dragonwall. I should think rather that if it must be tied to the Aiel War, perhaps he is a member of a secret society that believes the punishment of Laman didn't go far enough. I doubt that such an individual would deal well with wetlanders though.

3) Combat wise, what direction should I take this guy in? Without heavy armor or a lot of damage he doesn't scream melee fighter, but then he's not really a missle specialist either. Some of you might gripe that this is more Optimization boards, but this does affect how I play him. Plus I'm hoping that people with more Wot experience could maybe give me some tips.

BTW, in the background equipment you can get an Aiel shortbow, but the Algai D'Siswai aren't proficient with it, which makes little sense as they would be the ones using it. They even give it to a sample character, without listing a martial weapon proficiency. Is this a misprint or oversight in the rules?

Aiel are all about ambush. Wetlanders do not deserve the honor of ji'e'toh, so there's no concept of 'fighting fairly' with them. Strike from the shadows, fade away, strike again. Never fear death. Death is a dream from which we must all wake. Combat odds are a wetlander notion. If the Dance must occur, raise your veil and stride in. That doesn't mean you should take stupid risks, or not use tactics, simply that one faces the inevitable with a massive ammount of stoicism. Take feats that improve your unarmed combat. Aiel are deadly with weapons or with their bare hands. Improved Unarmed Strike and the like. I'm sorry, I don't have my books handy (work sucks :)), so I don't want to go too in-depth with this, but I think I got the gist of it. The bow thing is probably just a balance issue as opposed to a misprint or oversight. If they made Aiel as awesome at combat as they are in the books, noone would play anything else. heh. If it bugs you, choose a warrior society that is more melee oriented, like the Thunder Walkers, or the Stone Dogs.

Thanks for your help.

No problem. Hope this helps...
His Majesty
11-24-04, 03:03 PM Balance Issues:
As for the shortbow issue, talk to your GM. I personally would give you the proficiency. I don't think that there is an errata for the book, but you should check. Dont count on using it a lot, however - you should really use your shortspears for most things. Something that you certainly should talk to your DM about, however, is shield proficiency. Either a small shield or a buckler are pretty much necessary for the integrity of your character. Beating the spears against the shields is so characteristic... You don't really need it for your AC, however. Your def bonus is enough, and combined with high dex and perhaps Dodge, the the Armsman will envy your effortless high AC. You won''t even need to reduce your speed for it.

Remember always that the non-casting classes in the WoTCS are underpowered, and the Algai'D'Siswai are, I believe, underpowered even when compared to the others. (The casters are grossly overpowered.) This is only a feeling, however - playtest it for a while, talk to your GM, and go for a Shortspear Specialisation or more skill points if you feel that they are necessary.

Your combat skills are not as straightforward as the Armsman's. You will have to think strategically, and use your three great advantages: mobility, stealth, and a versatile weapon.
1. Mobility - Always stand on higher ground and use cover when possible. Always flank. Always go for the weak opponents. Consider Dodge and Mobility (and Spring Attack)
2. Stealth - Place yourself well before combat. Scout properly. Always surprise. Always get the first attack.
3. Versatile Weapon - You can throw your shortspears (always carry several), and you should whenever it seems advantageous. This can often give you an extra attack, and if you place yourself properly in the beginning of combat you might get a few. Consider a few projectile-weapon feats, if it doesn't hurt your melee progression.

I'll continue this later, and add some RP comments. Gotta go.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
MonkeyPaladin 11-24-04, 12:52 AM	I will be playing in a Wheel of Time campaign and the GM has said he wants this campaign to be fairly roleplay intensive. Since I am new to this group I would like to make a good impression. I rolled up an Aiel Algai'D'Siswai (warrior class from a race of desert people) with a 16 Strength, 17 Dex, 14 Con, 11 Int, 13 Wis, and 8 Chr. (Yeah, I used charisma as a dump stat.) He has hide, move silently, spot, listen, wilderness lore, pretty much the usual wilderness class skills, and uses a spear and buckler like every other Aiel. I figure I'll keep with the portayal of the Aiel from the books, where they follow Ji'e'toh (a code of honor) and generally consider wetlanders to be soft. However, this approach has left me with several unanswered questions: 1) How is he different from every other Aiel Algai'D'Siswai? How do I keep him definitely an Aiel and representing their culture, but not limited to that? 2) Why did this guy leave the Waste to enter what to him must be a strange land? I was thinking his father could have been a hero in the Aiel War with Cairhienin, with him trying to live up to that, but that still doesn't get him from the Waste to the Midlands. 3) Combat wise, what direction should I take this guy in? Without heavy armor or a lot of damage he doesn't scream melee fighter, but then he's not really a missle specialist either. Some of you might gripe that this is more Optimization boards, but this does affect how I play him. Plus I'm hoping that people with more Wot experience could maybe give me some tips. BTW, in the background equipment you can get an Aiel shortbow, but the Algai D'Siswai aren't proficient with it, which makes little sense as they would be the ones using it. They even give it to a sample character, without listing a martial weapon proficiency. Is this a misprint or oversight in the rules? Thanks for your help.
Darth Teddybear 11-24-04, 12:08 PM	snip 1) How is he different from every other Aiel Algai'D'Siswai? How do I keep him definitely an Aiel and representing their culture, but not limited to that? Well, this kind of depends on when the campaign is set. The Aiel have gone through some serious cultural changes through the series. If it's within the first four books, than he could simply be in the wetlands looking for He Who Comes With the Dawn. If it's after , he could have sworn as....ergh, don't have the books, but one of the Aiel who has sworn himself as a "Spear of the Dragon", Siswai'aman I think. The ones who wear the red cloth on their heads with the ancient symbol of the Aes Sedai on their foreheads. Such an Aiel would do anything at the behest of the Car'a'carn, so it provides a simple, if somewhat cheap way of getting your character in the Wetlands, and even working with wetlanders. I doubt he'd be happy with it, but an Aiel does what he must. 2) Why did this guy leave the Waste to enter what to him must be a strange land? I was thinking his father could have been a hero in the Aiel War with Cairhienin, with him trying to live up to that, but that still doesn't get him from the Waste to the Midlands. After reading over Question one and question 2, I think I have to refer you to the first answer for this one. Perhaps that means I didn't answer #1 very well. :) The 'hero of the Aiel War' angle would work if the character was a wetlander, but not an Aiel. Remember, the Aiel don't even consider it a war, and don't really get why the wetlanders consider it so. To the Aiel, it was simply a punishment for a crime. Not even half the clans crossed the Dragonwall. I should think rather that if it must be tied to the Aiel War, perhaps he is a member of a secret society that believes the punishment of Laman didn't go far enough. I doubt that such an individual would deal well with wetlanders though. 3) Combat wise, what direction should I take this guy in? Without heavy armor or a lot of damage he doesn't scream melee fighter, but then he's not really a missle specialist either. Some of you might gripe that this is more Optimization boards, but this does affect how I play him. Plus I'm hoping that people with more Wot experience could maybe give me some tips. BTW, in the background equipment you can get an Aiel shortbow, but the Algai D'Siswai aren't proficient with it, which makes little sense as they would be the ones using it. They even give it to a sample character, without listing a martial weapon proficiency. Is this a misprint or oversight in the rules? Aiel are all about ambush. Wetlanders do not deserve the honor of ji'e'toh, so there's no concept of 'fighting fairly' with them. Strike from the shadows, fade away, strike again. Never fear death. Death is a dream from which we must all wake. Combat odds are a wetlander notion. If the Dance must occur, raise your veil and stride in. That doesn't mean you should take stupid risks, or not use tactics, simply that one faces the inevitable with a massive ammount of stoicism. Take feats that improve your unarmed combat. Aiel are deadly with weapons or with their bare hands. Improved Unarmed Strike and the like. I'm sorry, I don't have my books handy (work sucks :)), so I don't want to go too in-depth with this, but I think I got the gist of it. The bow thing is probably just a balance issue as opposed to a misprint or oversight. If they made Aiel as awesome at combat as they are in the books, noone would play anything else. heh. If it bugs you, choose a warrior society that is more melee oriented, like the Thunder Walkers, or the Stone Dogs. Thanks for your help. No problem. Hope this helps...
His Majesty 11-24-04, 03:03 PM	Balance Issues: As for the shortbow issue, talk to your GM. I personally would give you the proficiency. I don't think that there is an errata for the book, but you should check. Dont count on using it a lot, however - you should really use your shortspears for most things. Something that you certainly should talk to your DM about, however, is shield proficiency. Either a small shield or a buckler are pretty much necessary for the integrity of your character. Beating the spears against the shields is so characteristic... You don't really need it for your AC, however. Your def bonus is enough, and combined with high dex and perhaps Dodge, the the Armsman will envy your effortless high AC. You won''t even need to reduce your speed for it. Remember always that the non-casting classes in the WoTCS are underpowered, and the Algai'D'Siswai are, I believe, underpowered even when compared to the others. (The casters are grossly overpowered.) This is only a feeling, however - playtest it for a while, talk to your GM, and go for a Shortspear Specialisation or more skill points if you feel that they are necessary. Your combat skills are not as straightforward as the Armsman's. You will have to think strategically, and use your three great advantages: mobility, stealth, and a versatile weapon. 1. Mobility - Always stand on higher ground and use cover when possible. Always flank. Always go for the weak opponents. Consider Dodge and Mobility (and Spring Attack) 2. Stealth - Place yourself well before combat. Scout properly. Always surprise. Always get the first attack. 3. Versatile Weapon - You can throw your shortspears (always carry several), and you should whenever it seems advantageous. This can often give you an extra attack, and if you place yourself properly in the beginning of combat you might get a few. Consider a few projectile-weapon feats, if it doesn't hurt your melee progression. I'll continue this later, and add some RP comments. Gotta go.