Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Peter_Seckler 08-29-06, 07:57 AM	(feel free to join in this thread if YOU TOO have a questionable character concept). Well, my character Allardius Hook (half-orc wizard) has two things going for him- a love of the sea (Profession: Sailor +4) , and a talent for necromancy (Spell Focus: Necromancy). In his youth he was a merchant sailor/sometimes pirate and later a dabbler in the arts arcane until he was recruited into the BWC. He's also somewhat academically interested in the Blood of Vol. So - of the many paths that lay before Allardius.. I kinda have this idea of him taking up the Pale Master prestige class at some point in the future. And he's probably going to unlock the 'summon undead' spells from Libris Mortis if those are allowed. And oh yeah- at higher levels of Pale Master is where you end up with that gruesome undead graft, where you hack off your arm and replace it with a stitched corpse-arm. Vampiric kung fu grip! So wait, your'e probably thinking- that sounds kind of evil. And you can't be evil! But Allardius isn't evil.. if anything, he's menacingly neutral, tending towards lawful. Or so I think (having only played through Well of Woe with him). I have to admit at one point I did sneeringly suggest a certain imprisoned NPC humanoid join us and "leave your worthless tribe and false idol gods...", but to me thats just standard sailor recruiting talk. In the end, we just left the guy where he was anyway. So, is my character concept too questionable? My other idea is to play up his nautical background a bit more.
kiddoc 08-29-06, 08:38 AM	(feel free to join in this thread if YOU TOO have a questionable character concept). Well, my character Allardius Hook (half-orc wizard) has two things going for him- a love of the sea (Profession: Sailor +4) , and a talent for necromancy (Spell Focus: Necromancy). In his youth he was a merchant sailor/sometimes pirate and later a dabbler in the arts arcane until he was recruited into the BWC. He's also somewhat academically interested in the Blood of Vol. So - of the many paths that lay before Allardius.. I kinda have this idea of him taking up the Pale Master prestige class at some point in the future. And he's probably going to unlock the 'summon undead' spells from Libris Mortis if those are allowed. And oh yeah- at higher levels of Pale Master is where you end up with that gruesome undead graft, where you hack off your arm and replace it with a stitched corpse-arm. Vampiric kung fu grip! So wait, your'e probably thinking- that sounds kind of evil. And you can't be evil! But Allardius isn't evil.. if anything, he's menacingly neutral, tending towards lawful. Or so I think (having only played through Well of Woe with him). I have to admit at one point I did sneeringly suggest a certain imprisoned NPC humanoid join us and "leave your worthless tribe and false idol gods...", but to me thats just standard sailor recruiting talk. In the end, we just left the guy where he was anyway. So, is my character concept too questionable? My other idea is to play up his nautical background a bit more. One of the playtest character that you will undoubtedly run into in your BWC adventures, Findecano Talarom, a half-elf Marshal of House Thuranni, was a sailor as well. One of the things that really made his character stand out were the nautical terms he used, and his ability to break into a rousing sea chanty at any time. Maybe I can get him to post and offer some more ideas about playing a "sailor type" in the BWC. Certainly you'll be spending a lot of time ship-board. ;) Also, ranks in profession sailor help. :D I really like the Half-Orc Wizard idea, particularly with necromancy. Eberron is an interesting place to explore new things and to much about in the freedom of nonconstrictive, but constructive alignments. Have fun with it!
Busted_Hump 08-29-06, 09:37 AM	Word. Captain Fin checking in here. Playing the nautical role was challenging and fun. If you're into that kind of character then you need to go balls out with it. Sailor types (and captains specifically) should be arrogant, brash and charismatic at the same time. If you happen to be creative enough to sing a sea chanty its not only entertaining, but also could score you some points with the DM. I happened to not be creative in that area, and the multiple beers weren't helping either, so I flubbed big time. Of course the other playtesters will be quick to point out how bad it was. Just consider that I was trying to be spontaneous and my creativity failed me at the wrong time.:( Profession sailor ranks are vital. I'd also suggest learning to speak Sahuagen for all the times that you'll be on board a ship. You might have to negotiate passage through the Thunder Seas and there are sometimes sacrifices to be made. If you could speak the language it would help with the bartering. Plus you can annoy the bejeesus out of everyone whenever the DM makes a remark about a "strange" language that is being spoken or that is engraved on a door/sign etc. Just keep asking "is it Sahuagen?" and you're guaranteed to provide some entertainment. :D BTW the answer to that question invariably is "NO ITS NOT F-ING SAHUAGEN! STOP ASKING!" Also if you're going the sailor route, try to have some kind of basic knowledge of some sailing vessels out there. I took a lot of inspiration from the British Fleet of the Napoleonic Wars for my descriptions and it seemed to work pretty well. Knowing specifics about masts, etc. isn't really necessary, but if you know the difference between a sloop, brig and frigate you'll be off to a good start. Also be sure to curse the army-based types whevever you can. :D Good luck with it. - Captain Fin