Post/Author/DateTime	Post
dalmagar 01-09-05, 01:26 AM	Here's something I'd like help with trying. Taking the standard, core classes, not making any changes to them, but re-interpreting them to fit a variety of unconventional backgrounds. I'll start out with... A Different Barbarian. Why does the barbarian have to be barbaric? Instead of coming from the typical wilderness dwelling tribe how about a kind of Special Forces, or highly trained warrior. His "Rage" rather than being an uncontrolled burst of anger, could be a highly controled and premeditated learned technique to boost adrenaline. This could tie in very nicely with the increased speed, and later uncanny dodge. The higher hit points could represent not just bulk and ability to absorb punishment. Rather as skills to roll with punches, dodge and weave and reduce the impact of wounds he takes. I believe that people would not feel the need to make up new classes and such, if they look at the core classes presented and simply change the interpretation of the effects to fit their concept. So anyone else want to give it a try?
dorkknight23 01-09-05, 04:54 AM	I've had a similar idea. Some Different Barbarians: Thug Not every Barbarian was born in the wild. Some grew up in the urban jungle, an illiterate intimidating thug who relies on brute strength to hold control of their turf. With Intimidate, Search, Gather Information, and Knowledge (Local) in their repetoire, the Thug will throw a mean greatclub and demoralize all his opponents. Quote: "Hey! Ya dinnt pay da toll!" Halfling Huck Finn One of the great characters of American Literature is Huck Finn. The image of a barefoot child-sized humanoid carrying a greataxe non-chalantly, chewing on a hayseed, and speaking in a homespun drawl is easy to imagine. This halfling carries a greataxe, and charges into combat with reckless abandoned. Good skills include Jump, Climb, Swim, and Listen. Quote: "Y'all best be stepping back, lest I lose mah tempah." The Enlightened Savage This Barbarian knows how to read. He's smart, and quite witty literate. Captured as a teenager, captured by explotive citydwellers, he toured the cities and gradually learned about city culture and moving through popular circles. He fights with a longsword, and is often reading new books on topics as varying as Dwarven cooking and Elven poetry. Good skills include the Knowledge skills, becoming literate, and Speak Language. Quote: "Have you read is other work? I found it a little stifled. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to break this fellow's skull in." I'll post some more later for Bards, etc., as I think of them.
His Majesty 01-09-05, 09:33 AM	A Different Barbarian: The Military Slave This kind of barbarian is inspired by the Mamluks and the Yeni Çeri (Janissaries). These people have dedicated their life, not always willfully, to war, usually under a certain army. Trained from a very young age to make them most effective soldiers, these men (and women, if your camaign world permits) were taught only what they need to know to do their job effectively. Thus, they are illiterate, and lack some of the obvious social skills that you would expect to find in a "civilized" person, but they are in full control of their body and their rage is just one of their deadly combat techniques. A Different Cleric: The Demon Worshipper These spellcasters did not gain their magical abilities through dedicated studies or ancestry - instead, they made pacts with diabolic forces, selling their souls or the souls of others in return for sorcerous might. These people are inherently corrupted; even those few who try to use their ill-gotten power for good cannot ignore the demons that haunt them. A Different Cleric: The Spirit Man Through a strong connection with primal forces / the earth / the world / the elements / the great ancestors, these people's spiritual power grows to be so great that it can affect the material world around them. In addition to magic, the spirit men also recieve guidance and advice from their spiritual masters.
TheMightyMcClaw 01-09-05, 07:44 PM	A Different Bard: The Man of the Sea His ears have heard many things in their travels across the world, and there are few subjects untouched by the lore of sea dogs (bardic knowledge). He speaks many tongues from the lands he's visited, and he can captivate the mind with an old tale or sea-shanty (bardic music). He can hold himself in a fight, he lie like a snake, and what sailor doesn't know a few charms (spells) to ward away bad luck?
Trydan 01-10-05, 12:55 PM	A different bard: The Reporter One thing that has usually bugged me about bards, is that why would a bard go adventuring? I mean, it is like actor(ess) from a war film, going to fight in a real war. So what would drive a bard out of their warm theatre or tavern to "live roughly" with the heroes of a quest. First hand experience may be a good reason, but lets take it a step further... the embedded journalist. The bard works for a town crier's guild, investigator or the propaganda engine of a government. The mission is not only to get the facts (any rogue can do that), but to then present it in a way that will make it sell (only a bard can do that!). At the end of every quest, detailed reports, epic sagas, poetry and song can be recounted, passing on more than just entertainment, but also swaying public opinion. After all, if you adventuring band is sponsered by the local village (like a football team), then you are certainly going to want a good "public relations" officer.
KikUSquaNtheNuts 01-11-05, 02:22 PM	A Different Bard: Ancestral Singer This bard's culture practices ancestor worship and its people believe that the ancestors manifest favors on those who sing of their past glory. The bards of this culture are holy warriors who wade into combat singing ballads of their ancestors' military accomplishments. I played this type of character with a dwarf Fighter/Bard/War Chanter. It was a blast to role play.
dalmagar 01-11-05, 07:15 PM	You guy's are great. Ithink these are great ideas for a charecters. I'll contribute again with... A Different Bard: THE GLADIATOR! What I hear you say? A Bard as a gladiator? But sure. A Fighter may fight better, but gladiatorial combat isn’t just about fighting, it’s about fighting entertainingly. It’s a show (yes, it’s all fake). And who knows more about showmanship that a bard. A decent weapon selection, not horrible HP, and some handy spells, he could do all right. Load up on skills like Tumble, Escape Artist, and Sense Motive. Weapons Finesse and Expertise lets you hold out until a strategic use of dazzle lets you make an attack. A bold, flowery challenge to his opponent could Fascinate long enough to catch him flat footed. His bardic music could be blustery speech. Ali was known for his poetic interviews with Cossel. And to maintain his fan base he has to know how to tell a good story in the tavern after the fight. Also, don’t forget that these combats don’t take place in a vacuum. A fair Bardic Gladiator might get the DM to give him a +2 favorable circumstances for the support of the crowd with a good Performance check, while an unscrupulous one might try to get the same with a successful Diplomacy check against the arena organizer. So for something different, I present the Bardic Gladiator.
Bard-of-all-trades 01-13-05, 12:44 PM	... but I would like to see the Wandering Samurai. I like the base samurai in Oriental Adventures as opposed to the one listed in Complete Warriors. Not from the orient, this warrior holds to an ancient code of warfare that has been taught by individual masters to their sole disciples through the ages. Each master teaches a unique style. They wield the weapons of their retired masters that have been handed down from ages past. They hold no lands and own little more than what can be packed on a horse (or camel). They wander the lands lending their aid to the local lords when trouble arises. Their skill and valor are widely known though very few have actually been seen. But when a lonely traveler passes by on the open road, everyone knows it was the wandering samurai that had just passed.
His Majesty 01-14-05, 04:13 PM	A Different Sorcerer: the Prophet / the Chosen Unlike most sorcerers, whom control their powers and learn to trust them, the Chosen has no control over his sorcery. His spells manifest when he is in need and when the purpose guiding him deems the right time has come. He cannot cast a spells when he wants one; he can't rely on the results of his spells to be beneficial. Magic is his curse and blessing. He is a danger to himself and the people around him... Yet, he is destined for great deeds. Such a character would difficult, but interesting to play. The DM should control the player's spells. Giving the player a few non-magical, ordinary levels is a good idea, to let him actually do things even if his magic won't respond. The roleplaying implications on the player as well as other players is significant, and you shouldn't let such a character catch the attention all of the time.
Quarterstaff 01-14-05, 11:52 PM	different ranger-trained in the art of the bow because he lacked the strength to fight in hand-to-hand fighting so he spent his life learning the bow
Vharuck 01-15-05, 02:50 AM	Different Monk- The Traveling Healer Not at all trained as a cleric, this healer travels the world with a mundane healer's kit. Not content in only helping those who have been hurt, he steps in to prevent innocents from being hurt. He applies his knowledge of pressure points and nerve clusters to strike with two extended fingers instead of fists (hence the extra unarmed damage) and even knows locations on the body where a strike could stun or even kill a man. He is known for using his acupuncture needles as throwing weapons at times.
SearcherOmega 01-15-05, 03:20 PM	A Different Rogue: Investigator A mastermind of the law, an Investigator is typically Lawful in nature. Rather than relying on dexterity and stealth, the investigator relies on his mental stats to see him through. With a plethora of knowledge skills (many undoubtedly cross class, unless your DM is generous), he knows what to do in any given situation. He makes use of social skills to find an elusive target or work information out of prisoners, Forgery and Appraise to assess the true nature of items. He is a very talented individual (8 + INT skills per level) who typically has many ranks in Sense Motive and other mental skills. Tougher than a wizard (d6), but still less rough and tumble than someone who lives life on the front lines.
sabbattack 01-15-05, 07:03 PM	Oh, THANK GODS i found this thread. I likeit likeit likeit :love: :dancin: I've been brainstorming these kinf of variants for quite some time now. Some of you beat me to many of them (the investigator rogue, the reporter bard), but here is some more: Monk Variant:The traceless Assassin (I've created this background for one of my chars because I kind of hate the "stereotypical Shaolin-wannabe monk") A warrior-assassin highly trained not to leave traces behind (entry wounds, stabs) by killing bare-handed. Equally soundless and stealthy as the best rogue, more than equal in throwing off suspicion even after thorough search since he's not carrying any weapons, this person was trained not in an ancient monastery (blah blah blah) but in a secret compound by government/guild. Unfortunately non-good by nature, this kind of limits his playability. Suggested switchings include bluff for knowledge religion, intimidate for perform and use rope for profession. Monk Variant:Hermit By choice or by cruel fortune, these people have lived the life of a hermit. Having to survive in the remotest and most difficult terrains they achieved a form of self control enabling them to survive both the harsh life and their personal torment. Another difficult variant, this one imposes a certain starting age almost double as the standard ones (about 25-35 years old) but again rids monks of the "stereotypical" eastern flavour. Suggested skill switchings include survival for perform, knowl. nature for knowl. arcana and heal for escape artist.
RadicalTaoist 01-15-05, 07:46 PM	Monk Variant: Special Forces There are a number of jobs an army needs doing on the battlefield that massive warriors in heavy armor simply can't perform. Reconnaisance, sabotage, assassination, guerilla warfare, and mobile cover are all jobs that the infantryman in scale mail behind a tower shield simply cannot handle. You can train lightly armored troops for quick and stealthy jobs, but they are slow and require extensive terrain support. Spies and assassins are difficult to embed in enemy camps. Heavy cavalry, in addition to charging, can give mobile cover and skirmish with the best of them, but are very vulnerable to poor terrain and require mad upkeep. You can hire mages to do these jobs, but magic is expensive and powerful magic rare. All of these options are logistics nightmares for a quartermaster general. But what about troops who can do all of that and more for less than that scale mailed infrantryman needs? Assassins who can spy and infiltrate with the best of the and will get through any weapons search - because they need no weapons. Soldiers who will never tire, because they wear no armor or heavy packs full of equipment. Skirmishers who can on foot run down enemy cavalry in coordinated traps. Guerilla fighters who can move at high speeds over any terrain. Lightly armored mobile cover, scouts, and shock troopers all in one - and on top, their mental and physical conditioning allows them to survive magic better than any other soldier on the battlefield. And they are a logistics dream - no armor or weapons to supply or repair other than the odd sling, and only the food a single fighting man requires for every single fighting man - no horses or blacksmiths or pages to feed, no engineers to prepare their advance or their fortification. All of this controlled by a mind of flawless discipline and keen senses. Now, what army wouldn't love to train soldiers like that?
Vharuck 01-19-05, 02:00 PM	Dwarven Cleric of Ale: Having no god, this CG dwarven cleric worships the mighty power of ale. He preaches the wonderful ability of alcohol to bring mirth, build courage, make new friends, and generally have a great time. Most of his potions are laced with a little alcohol, and his divine foci are usually in the shape of a beer stein.
Trydan 01-31-05, 07:13 AM	In response the another article, I spotted the following posting, which I thoguht was excellent, and has a place here. The link is: Removing the Druidic Stereotype (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=5334085).
Cardinal Teplin 01-31-05, 03:33 PM	This subject has come up before. We were discussing how to play a barbarian that wasn't from a non-civilised culture, and one of my regular players/DMs came up with this one. This from Luke, reposted from a different board: I see your problem. Common sense suggests that in most circumstances, an urban character who for one reason or another feels the Call of the Wild is more likely to develop the skills of a ranger than a barbarian; think Allan Quartermain, for example. That said, I can think, off the top of my head, of three different ways in which the barbarian route might be justified. The idea behind each would be that the PC's experience within an urban environment laid the foundations for later barbarian development. a) The character is or was an ambassador (or from a family of ambassadors) tasked with dealing with an orc nation on behalf of their home city. In the Flanaess, the most likely candidate for such a nation is Montesser (of “Lance of Osson” fame); Turrosh Mak and the boys in the Empire Where None Has Stood do not strike me as the hospitable type. In dealing with the orcs, (s)he had to assimilate and internalise their culture of rage and strength. This is, as you said, rather “Dances With Wolves” (or perhaps “The Last Samurai”), but it is not altogether unworkable. b) The character comes from a big city with an underbelly of casual violence. Someone growing up on the streets in such a place is arguably more likely to develop the hand-to-mouth survival skills and brute force fighting style of a barbarian than the technique-based ways of a fighter or ranger (or rather, to grow up with such talents in reserve waiting for 2nd level, or whenever). Maybe the character grew up in Eastfair in the North Kingdom(from “When Orcs Attack”); it is a thriving metropolis, but with a huge Undercity element. Moreover, someone learning to fight there might well be inclined to model him or herself on the orc mercenary armies that are two a penny in the former North Province rather than schooling him or herself in techniques which need expensive armour and weaponry. c) Perhaps most interesting is the idea of a character who grew up in a normal urban environment which regressed almost overnight to a state of near-barbarism. Think Gotham City during the No Man’s Land, and you will see what I mean. In the Flanaess, such a character might have been brought up in one of the northern towns of Tenh, or even (interesting thought) in Rauxes, getting out of that hellhole just before it was declared that Ivid was no longer Overking. Such a character might readily have a combination of his or her original urban skills with a nascent potentiality for the ways of the barbarian.
HypnoticMonk 02-02-05, 01:51 PM	Different Monks Boxer/Barroom Brawler - He doesnt worry about fancy kicks and the like, and he wouldnt be dumping a bunch of skill points into Jump... but he does know how to hit people Hard with his fists. ( Flurry O' Blows anyone?) Gladiator - He uses agility and speed to stay just out of range and loves to disarm his opponent( most other gladiators dont have the weapon selection that your typical adventurer carries with him) A different Sorceror "What do you mean I cast spells?" - I can envision someone, perhaps a barbarian or rogue, who doesn't know he has magical abilities. All he knows is that he mutters a few words to himself to get himself ready for whatever he is about to do. This would be more physical enhancement based ( Jump, Spider Climb, Bull's Strength, Expeditious Retreat, etc) at least until he figured out what was happening to him as he went up in level,
Raana 02-03-05, 10:28 AM	Expanding on the barbarian part I played a barbarian (Berserker) He was very educated. wise and the whole deal He was of noble blood. Highly protective. Infact his rage was only used when his love was threatend. Based him off of Orsen from Record of Lodoss war Quiet, Intelligant, untill some one hurts the one he loves. Then the walls fall apart and he tears them a new one