Help me Develope my Character! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Help me Develope my Character! [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Subedei
04-17-06, 08:47 PM I've decided to play a somewhat unusual character after the demise of my previous one. An estranged Count or Viscount of house Vidalis (probably Dragonmarked). While on very poor terms with the house currently his family has historically held a large degree of influence within Vidalis and thus he remains within the house officially. He also possesses great personal wealth which is currently quite focused on a particular experiment.

You see, his primary area of expertise is magical augmentation of animals (not necessarily the animal type). Two years ago he was caught using cyran refugees as test subjects in some kind of magical experiment. The equipment involved was confiscated and only his noble status saved him from being expelled from the house officially. Little did they know the cyrans were merely a component in a much larger project. Years ago he perchased a griffon egg (assuredly from an excellent, athletically accomplished bloodline), this egg has been growing for years in a cage underneath his manor, waiting for the day his plan comes to fruition. With the help of his contacts in a Cult of the Dragon Below (and/or other groups as appropriate) he's planning to merge with the Griffon in some form of forgotten, dark ritual similar to those described in Savage Species to become a Tauric Creature. Now obviously the Griffon would have the Magebred template.

So that's the basic character concept. First of all I'm not sure what classes to take (keep in mind I'd be losing some of them. The character will probably start at level 8 as the party's level 7 now. Right now I'm thinking Ranger and Aristocrat (obviously I’d be giving up those aristocrat levels with the ritual as they’re not terribly good) would be most appropriate, my last character was an Artificer so I wouldn't be playing another of those. I'm completely open to other class ideas, and note I do enjoy frequent multiclassing. I'm taking at least the Least Mark of Handling. My other question is what else do you think could be done with the Griffon (beyond magebred)? Keep in mind any level adjustments would carry over to me. I picture the creature as being some form of feral, dangerous beast locked in the basesment, making strange noises at night etc. Unfortunately the feral template can't apply to magical beasts. Since an evil ritual is involved and all I might want to apply another template to the finished product as well, something like Half-Fiend would be pretty cool but +4 level adjustment is a bit much.

Oh, and I certainly need to flesh out the story a bit more, suggestions? I'm open to changes as well, hit me with any idea you've got!
Ibbins
04-17-06, 11:26 PM That's ... certainly an interesting background. He sounds to me a lot like a villain, though. Hell, I might even use the idea for a later game.

So, for the story...
The biggest question that stood out was about the Cults. Who, specifically, was he dealing with? A mind flayer? And what's in it for them? In all likelyhood, they'll be wanting repayment, or maybe they would bind the character to their will. Of course, following the line of thought presented in this (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=492148) thread would suggest that the character is already in the thrall of the Daelkyr/Cults.

Also, how would a half-griffon manage to go around adventuring with a party? And why would he even want to do so? Wouldn't he just continue with his crazed experiments?

Tangent question: Are you ever the DM? Because, like I said, this guy would be an awesome villain.

I hope your DM is used to insane ideas.... :)
Subedei
04-17-06, 11:46 PM Yes, I've DM'd quite a few times in a the past, I don't really do it any more these days though. I certainly hope he's used to insane ideas by now, my characters are always like this, I can't help it :)

He certainly is the villainous type with that whole ascension to power thing he's got going on. It would seem he's supposed to transform into a beast of unspeakable power after a band of valient hero's defeat him in some kind of climatic battle but maybe not...I'll have to talk with my DM about the situation. His family holdings definitely need to go, hopefully this will involve his manor dramatically burning down while the other PCs are there. He's certainly got a lot of enemies, I've made sure of that. One (or several) of them just need to decide it's time to get rid of him and he'll have no means to continue his experiments and plenty of reasons to stay mobile.

The Cults? Yes, they'd definitely need something of great value, the prospect of it is so exciting, it's like messing with the mafia. Perhaps he promised them something he doesn't have and when they find out, well, I think we all know what will happen. That could be what loses him his estate.

My other idea was for a Hobgoblin general who ultimately wants to rebuild the empire of Dakhaan, and thus wage war on the five nations. I'm actually considering combining these ideas so that the count is his accomplice and it's him who's undergoing the transformation, the count and him could go way back in a twisted web of lies with the entirety of the counts wealth being tied to the general and his allies, his Dragonmark perhaps even fake. Or maybe he was a lowly member of the house (for a dragonmarked) who only rose to power through the generals help, or maybe he's just greedy and the general paid him, or he has some twisted interest in Dakhaan rising to power again or another war or both. Might be too many ideas for one character though, I'm not sure. There's a fine line between an overly convoluted character and an interesting one. He needs to still be streamlined and make sense.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Subedei 04-17-06, 08:47 PM	I've decided to play a somewhat unusual character after the demise of my previous one. An estranged Count or Viscount of house Vidalis (probably Dragonmarked). While on very poor terms with the house currently his family has historically held a large degree of influence within Vidalis and thus he remains within the house officially. He also possesses great personal wealth which is currently quite focused on a particular experiment. You see, his primary area of expertise is magical augmentation of animals (not necessarily the animal type). Two years ago he was caught using cyran refugees as test subjects in some kind of magical experiment. The equipment involved was confiscated and only his noble status saved him from being expelled from the house officially. Little did they know the cyrans were merely a component in a much larger project. Years ago he perchased a griffon egg (assuredly from an excellent, athletically accomplished bloodline), this egg has been growing for years in a cage underneath his manor, waiting for the day his plan comes to fruition. With the help of his contacts in a Cult of the Dragon Below (and/or other groups as appropriate) he's planning to merge with the Griffon in some form of forgotten, dark ritual similar to those described in Savage Species to become a Tauric Creature. Now obviously the Griffon would have the Magebred template. So that's the basic character concept. First of all I'm not sure what classes to take (keep in mind I'd be losing some of them. The character will probably start at level 8 as the party's level 7 now. Right now I'm thinking Ranger and Aristocrat (obviously I’d be giving up those aristocrat levels with the ritual as they’re not terribly good) would be most appropriate, my last character was an Artificer so I wouldn't be playing another of those. I'm completely open to other class ideas, and note I do enjoy frequent multiclassing. I'm taking at least the Least Mark of Handling. My other question is what else do you think could be done with the Griffon (beyond magebred)? Keep in mind any level adjustments would carry over to me. I picture the creature as being some form of feral, dangerous beast locked in the basesment, making strange noises at night etc. Unfortunately the feral template can't apply to magical beasts. Since an evil ritual is involved and all I might want to apply another template to the finished product as well, something like Half-Fiend would be pretty cool but +4 level adjustment is a bit much. Oh, and I certainly need to flesh out the story a bit more, suggestions? I'm open to changes as well, hit me with any idea you've got!
Ibbins 04-17-06, 11:26 PM	That's ... certainly an interesting background. He sounds to me a lot like a villain, though. Hell, I might even use the idea for a later game. So, for the story... The biggest question that stood out was about the Cults. Who, specifically, was he dealing with? A mind flayer? And what's in it for them? In all likelyhood, they'll be wanting repayment, or maybe they would bind the character to their will. Of course, following the line of thought presented in this (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=492148) thread would suggest that the character is already in the thrall of the Daelkyr/Cults. Also, how would a half-griffon manage to go around adventuring with a party? And why would he even want to do so? Wouldn't he just continue with his crazed experiments? Tangent question: Are you ever the DM? Because, like I said, this guy would be an awesome villain. I hope your DM is used to insane ideas.... :)
Subedei 04-17-06, 11:46 PM	Yes, I've DM'd quite a few times in a the past, I don't really do it any more these days though. I certainly hope he's used to insane ideas by now, my characters are always like this, I can't help it :) He certainly is the villainous type with that whole ascension to power thing he's got going on. It would seem he's supposed to transform into a beast of unspeakable power after a band of valient hero's defeat him in some kind of climatic battle but maybe not...I'll have to talk with my DM about the situation. His family holdings definitely need to go, hopefully this will involve his manor dramatically burning down while the other PCs are there. He's certainly got a lot of enemies, I've made sure of that. One (or several) of them just need to decide it's time to get rid of him and he'll have no means to continue his experiments and plenty of reasons to stay mobile. The Cults? Yes, they'd definitely need something of great value, the prospect of it is so exciting, it's like messing with the mafia. Perhaps he promised them something he doesn't have and when they find out, well, I think we all know what will happen. That could be what loses him his estate. My other idea was for a Hobgoblin general who ultimately wants to rebuild the empire of Dakhaan, and thus wage war on the five nations. I'm actually considering combining these ideas so that the count is his accomplice and it's him who's undergoing the transformation, the count and him could go way back in a twisted web of lies with the entirety of the counts wealth being tied to the general and his allies, his Dragonmark perhaps even fake. Or maybe he was a lowly member of the house (for a dragonmarked) who only rose to power through the generals help, or maybe he's just greedy and the general paid him, or he has some twisted interest in Dakhaan rising to power again or another war or both. Might be too many ideas for one character though, I'm not sure. There's a fine line between an overly convoluted character and an interesting one. He needs to still be streamlined and make sense.