Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Daymare 05-05-04, 02:42 AM	Hello all I am writting up a new charecter for an ongoing campaign. His name is Jerrik. He is starting at 16th level. He is a 4 Paladin / 12 Psychic Warrior Half-Giant, from the XPH. The main concept I have for this charecter is a "redeemed evil creature" and a "sophisticated barbarian". Being Half Frost giant immediatly fits this concept because they are both evil, cruel, and rather backwards and barbaric. I see him as a diplomat, almost an ambassador. He has seen and been the target for racism (Or would it be species-ism...?) all of his life and his primary goal is to seek equality between races. He has no specific deity and is instead a champion of social justice. He joined a Paladin order only to find that although they are all LG, they do not take the issue of social justice far enough and some are even prone to extreme racial injustice themselves (Smite makes right, "Is it evil?" "I smite it!" Kind of mentality amoung some Paladins). Being a half Giant, his psionic capabilities have just naturally developed. He adventures as a means to further his goal of social justice by overthrowing oppresive leaders and the like, establishing political and social contacts, and gaining gold with the intent of establishing his own sort of "paladin" order dedicated to social justice. Now what I need help on is fleshing out the following.... 1.) Who are his parents? Obviously a human and a Frost Giant... but how exactly does that work? How did such an unusual coupling occur? 2.) How does he reconcile the fact that alot of creatures in the D&D world are really just inherently evil? 3.) He is not an exceptionally bright person (Int 10). What does this exactly look like for him? And the big one.... 4.) What are some possible adventures he has had in the past 16 levels before joining the current campaign? Thank you in advance for your help, -Daymare
Lugburz 05-05-04, 11:10 AM	it's quite a contradictional char. It would help if you gave statistics block. 1. it must have been quite a big man (lets say 6'4-7'0) and a relatively small giantess. it was as i see it, a act of passion and she became pregnant by chance. Love can do wonders, but a love potion does miracles ;) 2. since he has average INT i suspect he has not above average WIS, if so he doesent think much (probably) about that topic very much. I dont know he might be cinical, but then maybe again since he's paladin. Actualy no he surely isn't, come to think about it. To be a paladin you must be (at least a litle) idealistic, so he must think then...-there's good in ths world -there's good in every body (except in assasins and in drow maybe-beeing so souless) -... 3. it doesent look any special, it's the same level as averege human person, nothing special 4.in youth shuned in giantsociety as half-bred, he decided to leave his people. wondering around he fought many monsters, fulfiling his psi potential. He fought bassilisks, evil adventurers, witch wanted his items, even some ilithid and beholders, to name just a few. One point in his life he lived with kobolds (they readyly acepted him beacouse of his strength and size) but later chose to leave, beacouse (of personal reasons?). ... I hope it will be to any help.
Aluroon 05-05-04, 04:50 PM	Well, I will put down my ideas as to question number 4 right away as it imediutly sparked ideas for me. 4) After leaving the paladin group he was with (you said something like that didnt you?) he joined up with a group of freedom fighters in the land of (Insert name here). He spent the next few years helping to overthrow the currupt goverment and establish the new monarchy. He was accepted into the group of freedom fighters due to his signifagent fighting abillitys and during the years of covert warfare he developed his Psychic powers. Due to the nature of the time the maniffested (during a covert war) they naterally turned toward the martle aspect of Psychic abillitys. The fighters havej ust overthrown the goverment and are now attempting to put in place a better form of goverment, however the leader of the group may have other ideas based on his recent actions... Well I hope that helps. I'll come back later to put some more ideas into this melting pot. Aluroon
Daymare 05-05-04, 09:22 PM	Lugrurz, Thank you for your input, although I don't know what you mean when you say he is contradictory? In what ways? His stats are as follows Jorrek: Half Giant, Lvl 4 Paladin / Level 12 Psychic Warrior Str: 23 (29) Dex: 12 Con: 16 Int: 10 Wis: 16 (20) Cha: 18 (22) The above stats include adjustments from items. The base stat is given, the modifications from items are in Parenthesis. Aluroon, Thank you as well for your input. In the campaign I'm in your suggestion can be altered to fit perfectly. We have two main countries in our current setting. One which shared between the humans and elves and a second human country to the east beyond a huge mountain range. There is currently a war between the two countries that has raged for 8 months now. It is quite feasible for him to have fought there and developed his Psychic powers while doing so. About his parents. I was thinking of having it be less of an "act of passion" and more of a 'normal' relationship. His parents raised him outside of both human and Frost Giant civilization, knowing that neither would ever accept them. His parents were the ones who taught him different races can indeed live together in harmony. This is the origin of his life's quest. The question is how does a human meet a Frost giantess and fall in love with her? Thank you again for your assitance. Keep the ideas coming! -Daymare
Lugburz 05-06-04, 06:40 AM	i meant tag barbarian, doesent go with being paladin, even if he is sophistcated one (barbarian is defined here as lawless, while paladin must be lawfull).
Daymare 05-06-04, 11:26 AM	Ahh... Well I obviously didn't mean barbarian as in class, or even that he himself is a barbarian in fact, just that that's the way the rest of the world sees him because of his race.
Morka 05-06-04, 07:36 PM	I like that as a half-frost giant, he doesn't understand that some creatures are inherently evil... You should give him the highest diplomacy score possible. He should always try to solve encounters with diplomatie, and when it's impossible, then he smites. He should be full of regrets about orcs, goblins and gnolls he "had" to kill because it was impossible to do differently. But he should also have solve great conflict with his diplomacy skills, perhaps conciliate two humanoïd tribes, or a frost giant tribe? However, there are some monster that even him understand as being inherently evil: devils and demons. (Perhaps also chromatic dragons?) He should have fought many of them in his past, perhaps even in lower planes. Has for his parents, I can bring a good point: the spell Enlarge Person. Make his father (even his mother, with that spell!) a crazy wizard, or a cleric of Kord, wanting to be as heavy as a giant, using that spell (perhaps with a permanency?). His human parent could have end to be stronger than most giants, and have truely seduced his frost giant parent.
Daymare 05-06-04, 09:14 PM	Morka, He indeed does have his diplomacy maxed out. His only real skills are Diplomacy and Concentration (For the Psy War). Diplomacy is an important part of his life's quest as well. He knows he cannot bring about social justice by smiting people. To help this endeavour he has also learned besides Giant and Common, Elven, Dwarven, Halfling, Draconic, and Sylvan to help with the diplomatic side of his quest. I love the idea about being deeply regretful about having to kill creatures when diplomacy fails. Indeed, the MM differntiates between creatures who are "Always Evil" and who are "Usually Evil" or "Often Evil". He does realize that some creatures are "Always Evil" (Demons, Devils and the like, and Chromatic Dragons.) Good point about Enlarge Person. It could also have been a curse placed upon his father from some angry Wizard. Being Large all the time would definely seem a curse to most common humans. It would be very socially awkward. Perhaps that is why his father left the human countries and journeyed North, where he met his Frost Giant wife. I like that, thanks for the inspiration.