Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kreoli 03-29-06, 10:36 AM	I am playing a monk/bard multiclass character, he's a gnome and his name is Dirkir Fagurgali Trymbilsson. He is a shawm player and was an entertainer and thief (bard) first years of his life, but as he developed his shawm-playing, obad-hai began to speak to him through the instrument and Dirkir decided to become monk of obad hai. He threw his old weapons away and uses today only the Quarterstaff, the favored weapon of Obad-Hai, and of course his own body. I was wondering if someone here could help me making this concept a little more detailed.
MasterOfPsychic 03-29-06, 04:07 PM	Hmm... D&D monks arn't really western monks of a deity, but more like oriental ones, meditating to conect to themselves.... But if your character wants to be a divine monk, then ok... Maybe consider taking a Cleric level or two... Hmm... Changes in character behaviour (from chaotic bard to lawful monk) usually happen after something important happens... That the god starts talking to him is important, but why did the god choose THAT moment, and THAT person? That is important things to consider when fleshing out the story... hmm... maybe the divine intervention happened after he stole important relics of Obad-hai, from a corrupted salesman who got it from corrupted clerics of the faith... And the god wanted him to return them, and as a thanks for it, he'd relieve the PC for his "sins" and train him as a monk of his faith... Due to this extraordinary contact with the god, he became overzealous and wanted to just go around saving people and converting them to his faith... That a beginning? You like it? I can improve it further or begin anew, if you wish either.. :P
Adrian_Crane 03-29-06, 04:20 PM	MoP brings up a rules issue I didn't even notice when I looked at the thread; Bard/Monk multiclass only works if you take all of one, then all of the other. Plus you have to go Chaotic -> Lawful, though that isn't too bad. Still, it's definitely a major change in outlook that you'd have to explain. Definitely something to focus on more specifically than just "I saw the light." As alternate/further ideas for how it might go down... Obad-hai is neutral, Shalm is his favorite instrument, so that's a decent start. Perhaps as a thief, your gnome felt more comfortable in the forests when he wasn't up to something in the city, as the woods provided a "safe" haven, and some place to get away from all the prying eyes and uncertainty of the city. This could lead him to a greater appreciation for nature, which would in turn help strengthen his ties to Obad-hai. Maybe the diety, realizing Dirkir could make a useful instrument in preserving the balance (as Dirkir's background is balanced between city and natural life), decided to offer the gnome a greater connection to the woodlands. With his unique understanding of both urban and wilderness life, the gnome would a perfect upholder of order and natural law. ...that still leaves the alignment shift largely unexplained, though. Might want to think on it a bit. Obad-hai himself is Neutral, so LN would be the best alignment for you, plus it fits best with the backstory I've given and seems to be good for a former thief anyways. You're no goody-two-shoes, nor are you evil, you simply enforce the balance of nature.
MasterOfPsychic 03-29-06, 04:38 PM	Your problem is really the change as I said earlier... That CAN be solved by saying that the training as a monk forced you to put yourself to disipline, and break out of your nature... The god in himself does not give any help on that matter as he is completely neutral... But intense focus and training DOES change people... The problem is that Adrian_Crane's story would more naturaly make him a druid than a monk, but core classes are generally made to work in many different and unusualy ways, so a monk could be a wiable option... I really lacks a 'trigger event' as that is what usually changes people in games, stories and films, even though that in real life people change more slowly... Maybe he witnessed something that made him part with his thieving ways? He had become so atuned to nature because of the reasons Adrian_Crane mentioned. He later saw thieves that in some way destroyed nature for their gain (burning down anicent trees, because from the ash grows poisonous plants that they use to kill victims, or something like that), and after he avenged that, decided to shun the way of the thief... So he decided to call forth his inner diciplin and protect the forrestst with no weapon made by metals or anything else that harmed nature during it's producion... That's why monk... The quarterstaff was a wooden stick that had broke of the tree, and O-H blessed so it regained it's full powers, or something apropriate...
Vestigial_Thumb 03-31-06, 02:18 PM	He's starting at 7th level, so the backstory and alignment change aren't really an issue. You might want to send in a build to the Character Optimization board, and get them to help you with the crunch.
Kreoli 03-31-06, 03:06 PM	Thanks for the feedback! Monk and bard are the only classes with perform as class skill and because the shawm is so importnant I chose monk (and because he fitted more into the role I want my character to play in the group). The alignment change would only be from true neutral to lawful neutral, bard can have any nonlawful alignment acording from the book. I like the idea of having my Dirkir spending his spare time in the nature when he lived in the city, with that connection to the nature(Obad) I do not believe there has to be some more major event except that the god began to speak to Dirkir through the instrument (neutral to lawful could be change based on a decission based on wonderful experience (experiencing Obad-hai talking to him), enlightment, and because true neutral characters are descriped as undecided I think it should be easiest for them to change) and Dirkir enters his service. I chose the monk class mainly because the quarterstaff is obad-hai's favored weapon and monk is the only other class with perform as a class skill, also I see a connection between the clear thinking and stoic monk and Obad-hai, who remains neutral and wants to percieve all things fairly and from the outside (god of travelling). I think monks would be the most suitable characters to serve Obad-hai as his soldiers (more suitable than the cleric class actually, (monk using his body and quarterstaff as weapons, inspiring his friends and hypnoticing his foes with shawm fits the picture better than cleric in fullplate with flail blasting his enemies away with fancy magic)). I do not think Obad-hai fancies straight enforcing to neutrality, I think he likes more to stoicly pull some strings behind the curtains to retain natural harmony. True neutral in characters is descriped, like I said before, undecided, I think Obad-Hai is not undecided. To remain true neutral through storm and fire takes discipline and strong will and the only way I think characters can do that is by worshipping and serving Obad, the embodiement of true neutrality. That makes the character not true neutral towards himself, making the character lawful to Obad's guiding causing his actions to be as true neutral as possible (the guiding of Obad must aim at true harmony).