Seperating self from Copyright Infringment [Archive] - Wizards Community

Seperating self from Copyright Infringment [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Sudo_Nym
12-23-04, 07:32 PM I'm reading the MYTH series by Robert Asprin (great series, if you want a book recommendation). Anyway, it gave me an idea for a Barbarian, but I'm trying to figure out how to seperate it from plagerism without killing the spirit. The character is based on Chumley, for anybody whose read it (though he's a half-orc, not a troll).

The basic idea is a half-orc barbarian whose not all that barbaric. He's smart, sophisticated, witty, caring, and kind, on his own time. But, he's also a mercanary, and knows that nobody is going to hire a half-orc barbarian whose smarter than they are, so when he's working, he travels under some orcish name, and pulls the neaderthal act to appear like any other half-orc brute.

It sounds to me like a lot of fun to play, but I don't want to just rip off a character (particularily if my fellow gamers will know where I ripped it off from- at least I'm not taking it from Tolkien or Salvatore). Also, it means a half-orc with a good intelligence and charisma.

Anybody have some good suggestions to flesh out the character, and remove him from his literary roots?
Faustus von Kai
12-23-04, 08:42 PM Well first off you could give him one level of Rogue. That would help with the playing aspect. Historical though... Hmm..... Whichever parent was human/civilized (those very rarely mean the same thing) had acquired an amount of gold and sent him to train and learn and be educated by some friends who started an academy? Or, you could always just have it that he was born less orcish and with greater mental capacity. Still half-orc, just less of it in the blood.
Ranslare
12-24-04, 04:28 PM you could always make him a fighter and pretend he's a barbarian. You could fake the rage when he goes into battle.
SirDrault215
12-24-04, 10:40 PM Make him a half-orc raised by humans. Sure his mom's an orc, but his dad is the head of the university in the big metropolis. His mother died, and was raised by his prim and proper step-mother, with additional schooling from his mage father. Then toss in something about leaving the house for whatever reason, and finding that much of the world just sees half-orcs as being brawn not brain. So he works as a merc for a living, but he could still beat the crap out of you in a debate. Just an idea. Also, you might be able to adjust the half-orc mods slightly if its ok with your DM. The half-orc in the players handbook is generally raised by a human-orc tribe type thing. I know one of the books (DMG I think) talks about Half-Elves raised by elves instead of humans (the ones in PHB are generally raised by humans) and it talks about how that might change the racial mods of the half-elf. So see what you can come up with for a Half-Orc Human, as opposed to (what I consider) the Half-Human Orc presented in the PHB.
nihility
12-24-04, 10:45 PM Make him a half-orc raised by humans. Sure his mom's an orc, but his dad is the head of the university in the big metropolis. His mother died, and was raised by his prim and proper step-mother, with additional schooling from his mage father. Then toss in something about leaving the house for whatever reason, and finding that much of the world just sees half-orcs as being brawn not brain. So he works as a merc for a living, but he could still beat the crap out of you in a debate. Just an idea. Also, you might be able to adjust the half-orc mods slightly if its ok with your DM. The half-orc in the players handbook is generally raised by a human-orc tribe type thing. I know one of the books (DMG I think) talks about Half-Elves raised by elves instead of humans (the ones in PHB are generally raised by humans) and it talks about how that might change the racial mods of the half-elf. So see what you can come up with for a Half-Orc Human, as opposed to (what I consider) the Half-Human Orc presented in the PHB.
Along these lines, you could stat the character as a human but make them look like a half-orc. You take after your human parent almost exclusively, and were raised in a civilized human area. You just look like you fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch. You don't even need a low CHA for this to work, since physical appearance is only a small part of charisma.
Sudo_Nym
12-25-04, 02:31 AM I was actually thinking a bit about Draugt's and nihility's ideas- firstly, I could just use the human stats and the half-orc appearance, or work with my DM (he has a tendency to reward interesting backgrounds, so I might be able to eliminate the int penalty, or at least temper it.) The Half-Orc Human idea might work pretty well.

Ranslare- I'm going to need Fighter levels, but I picture him as a true raging non-barbarian. If I could rage without Barbarian (or Frenzied Berserker), then that would be great. Maybe Singh Rager?

Fastus- Looks like the academy idea would be good, if everything else falls through. A natural intelligence fits this character, if I can swing it.

Thanks for your help.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sudo_Nym 12-23-04, 07:32 PM	I'm reading the MYTH series by Robert Asprin (great series, if you want a book recommendation). Anyway, it gave me an idea for a Barbarian, but I'm trying to figure out how to seperate it from plagerism without killing the spirit. The character is based on Chumley, for anybody whose read it (though he's a half-orc, not a troll). The basic idea is a half-orc barbarian whose not all that barbaric. He's smart, sophisticated, witty, caring, and kind, on his own time. But, he's also a mercanary, and knows that nobody is going to hire a half-orc barbarian whose smarter than they are, so when he's working, he travels under some orcish name, and pulls the neaderthal act to appear like any other half-orc brute. It sounds to me like a lot of fun to play, but I don't want to just rip off a character (particularily if my fellow gamers will know where I ripped it off from- at least I'm not taking it from Tolkien or Salvatore). Also, it means a half-orc with a good intelligence and charisma. Anybody have some good suggestions to flesh out the character, and remove him from his literary roots?
Faustus von Kai 12-23-04, 08:42 PM	Well first off you could give him one level of Rogue. That would help with the playing aspect. Historical though... Hmm..... Whichever parent was human/civilized (those very rarely mean the same thing) had acquired an amount of gold and sent him to train and learn and be educated by some friends who started an academy? Or, you could always just have it that he was born less orcish and with greater mental capacity. Still half-orc, just less of it in the blood.
Ranslare 12-24-04, 04:28 PM	you could always make him a fighter and pretend he's a barbarian. You could fake the rage when he goes into battle.
SirDrault215 12-24-04, 10:40 PM	Make him a half-orc raised by humans. Sure his mom's an orc, but his dad is the head of the university in the big metropolis. His mother died, and was raised by his prim and proper step-mother, with additional schooling from his mage father. Then toss in something about leaving the house for whatever reason, and finding that much of the world just sees half-orcs as being brawn not brain. So he works as a merc for a living, but he could still beat the crap out of you in a debate. Just an idea. Also, you might be able to adjust the half-orc mods slightly if its ok with your DM. The half-orc in the players handbook is generally raised by a human-orc tribe type thing. I know one of the books (DMG I think) talks about Half-Elves raised by elves instead of humans (the ones in PHB are generally raised by humans) and it talks about how that might change the racial mods of the half-elf. So see what you can come up with for a Half-Orc Human, as opposed to (what I consider) the Half-Human Orc presented in the PHB.
nihility 12-24-04, 10:45 PM	Make him a half-orc raised by humans. Sure his mom's an orc, but his dad is the head of the university in the big metropolis. His mother died, and was raised by his prim and proper step-mother, with additional schooling from his mage father. Then toss in something about leaving the house for whatever reason, and finding that much of the world just sees half-orcs as being brawn not brain. So he works as a merc for a living, but he could still beat the crap out of you in a debate. Just an idea. Also, you might be able to adjust the half-orc mods slightly if its ok with your DM. The half-orc in the players handbook is generally raised by a human-orc tribe type thing. I know one of the books (DMG I think) talks about Half-Elves raised by elves instead of humans (the ones in PHB are generally raised by humans) and it talks about how that might change the racial mods of the half-elf. So see what you can come up with for a Half-Orc Human, as opposed to (what I consider) the Half-Human Orc presented in the PHB. Along these lines, you could stat the character as a human but make them look like a half-orc. You take after your human parent almost exclusively, and were raised in a civilized human area. You just look like you fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch. You don't even need a low CHA for this to work, since physical appearance is only a small part of charisma.
Sudo_Nym 12-25-04, 02:31 AM	I was actually thinking a bit about Draugt's and nihility's ideas- firstly, I could just use the human stats and the half-orc appearance, or work with my DM (he has a tendency to reward interesting backgrounds, so I might be able to eliminate the int penalty, or at least temper it.) The Half-Orc Human idea might work pretty well. Ranslare- I'm going to need Fighter levels, but I picture him as a true raging non-barbarian. If I could rage without Barbarian (or Frenzied Berserker), then that would be great. Maybe Singh Rager? Fastus- Looks like the academy idea would be good, if everything else falls through. A natural intelligence fits this character, if I can swing it. Thanks for your help.