A Brandon Lee Fan's Problem [Archive] - Wizards Community

A Brandon Lee Fan's Problem [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Hiromushi
11-03-06, 04:59 PM Okay...I want to make a character who is the Crow. I know this would be demi-deity character. But with the weakness of a familiar, the crow/raven. But how would I emulate the other aspects of the Crow? Superfast healing, super strength, superhuman speed. The crow being his only weak point. A huge ECL penalty, I'm sure. but what class? I'd take samurai out of preference, but fighter would work well with the build, emulating the Crow's expertise with weapons.
claypigeons
11-03-06, 05:19 PM Level 1 commoner. Undead, but with a con score. And he has regeneration and immunities to basically all energy.

The catch: You kill his familiar and he loses his regeneration and immunities.
Hiromushi
11-03-06, 05:28 PM Doesn't really fit, being that its a PC. Good idea though...but is it balanced?
claypigeons
11-03-06, 05:36 PM Doesn't really fit, being that its a PC. Good idea though...but is it balanced?

You cant adequately duplicate the abilities of the character in The Crow. Being indestructible isnt exactly balanced for anyone. A creature such as this would work well as an NPC, but as a PC... you could do ~anything~.

Giant cliff ahead of you that's too far to jump? No fly spell available... Oh well, just jump off and climb up the other side.

On fire? Oh well... hug someone... You'll get better.

Army of orcs marching against you? Run out in the middle... hang out till they get tired and pass out... Coup de Grace them....
CryoSilver
11-03-06, 05:40 PM “People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul cannot rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that person back, to make the wrong things right…”

The Crow

Most of the time, victims of terrible murders either stay dead, or become ravening undead monsters. But sometimes, if the love of the victim for someone else who suffered needlessly is strong enough, they can come back as a Crow, a nigh-invincible revenant brought back solely to avenge, not themselves, but the one they loved.

Crow is a template that can be applied to any non-evil humanoid.

Modifications
Size and Type: Size remains the same, but change type to Deathless and add the augmented subtype. The Deathless type adds many bonuses and immunities; see the BoED for a full listing of them.

Hit Dice: As a Deathless, a Crow’s hit dice are all d12s.

Speed: Unlike most Deathless, Crows can use the run action.

Special Attacks:
Memory Transfer (su): A Crow can transfer memories and emotions from himself to others. He may make a melee touch attack as a full round action. If he succeeds, he may elect to deal 1d6 Wisdom damage, and nauseate his foe for 1d4 rounds (Fortitude halves both, DC = 10+1/2 HD+Cha modifier)

Special Qualities: Crows possess many special powers related to exacting their revenge.
Damage Reduction 5/- (su)
Fast Healing 5 (su)
Find Victimizer (ex): The Crow has an instinctive sense of where those who killed him and his loved one are. Treat this as a non-magical Discern Location on all those responsible.
Hide in Plain Sight (ex): As the ranger ability.
Invulnerable (su): If a Crow is brought below 0 hp, he falls unconscious, but his fast healing continues to work. He cannot be killed while this power is active.
Spirit Bird (su): A Crow is accompanied by the spirit creature that brought him back from the dead. Treat this in all ways a familiar, and for purposes only of this ability, the Crow as a wizard of level equal to his hit dice. A Crow can also see through the eyes of his spirit bird. If the spirit bird dies, the Crow loses all supernatural attacks and qualities granted by this template.
Victims, Aren’t We All? (su): When fighting his victimizers, a Crow gains a +4 morale bonus on attacks, damage, Armor Class and saves.

Abilities: Str +4, Dex +4, Con -, Cha +6

Skills: A Crow gains a +4 bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks

Feats: A Crow gains Acrobatic, Alertness, Athletic, Improved Toughness and Stealthy as bonus feats, if he does not already possess them.

CR: +2
LA: N/A

RIP, Brandon Lee
Hiromushi
11-03-06, 05:46 PM You cant adequately duplicate the abilities of the character in The Crow. Being indestructible isnt exactly balanced for anyone. A creature such as this would work well as an NPC, but as a PC... you could do ~anything~.

Giant cliff ahead of you that's too far to jump? No fly spell available... Oh well, just jump off and climb up the other side.

On fire? Oh well... hug someone... You'll get better.

Army of orcs marching against you? Run out in the middle... hang out till they get tired and pass out... Coup de Grace them....

xDDD Nice, but aside from the Crow, other limitations could be put into place. Perhaps dismemberment? We never see him regenerate anything that's torn off, perhaps forcing called shots and critical hits. Perhaps tiring out from massive damage.
Hiromushi
11-03-06, 05:50 PM “People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul cannot rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that person back, to make the wrong things right…”

The Crow

Most of the time, victims of terrible murders either stay dead, or become ravening undead monsters. But sometimes, if the love of the victim for someone else who suffered needlessly is strong enough, they can come back as a Crow, a nigh-invincible revenant brought back solely to avenge, not themselves, but the one they loved.

Crow is a template that can be applied to any non-evil humanoid.

Modifications
Size and Type: Size remains the same, but change type to Deathless and add the augmented subtype. The Deathless type adds many bonuses and immunities; see the BoED for a full listing of them.

Hit Dice: As a Deathless, a Crow’s hit dice are all d12s.

Speed: Unlike most Deathless, Crows can use the run action.

Special Attacks:
Memory Transfer (su): A Crow can transfer memories and emotions from himself to others. He may make a melee touch attack as a full round action. If he succeeds, he may elect to deal 1d6 Wisdom damage, and nauseate his foe for 1d4 rounds (Fortitude halves both, DC = 10+1/2 HD+Cha modifier)

Special Qualities: Crows possess many special powers related to exacting their revenge.
Damage Reduction 5/- (su)
Fast Healing 5 (su)
Find Victimizer (ex): The Crow has an instinctive sense of where those who killed him and his loved one are. Treat this as a non-magical Discern Location on all those responsible.
Hide in Plain Sight (ex): As the ranger ability.
Invulnerable (su): If a Crow is brought below 0 hp, he falls unconscious, but his fast healing continues to work. He cannot be killed while this power is active.
Spirit Bird (su): A Crow is accompanied by the spirit creature that brought him back from the dead. Treat this in all ways a familiar, and for purposes only of this ability, the Crow as a wizard of level equal to his hit dice. A Crow can also see through the eyes of his spirit bird. If the spirit bird dies, the Crow loses all supernatural attacks and qualities granted by this template.
Victims, Aren’t We All? (su): When fighting his victimizers, a Crow gains a +4 morale bonus on attacks, damage, Armor Class and saves.

Abilities: Str +4, Dex +4, Con -, Cha +6

Skills: A Crow gains a +4 bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks

Feats: A Crow gains Acrobatic, Alertness, Athletic, Improved Toughness and Stealthy as bonus feats, if he does not already possess them.

CR: +2
LA: N/A

RIP, Brandon Lee

Thank you, that seems very great.
CryoSilver
11-03-06, 05:52 PM You're welcome.
JasonOrlandoHawk
11-03-06, 06:55 PM You might be able to do it w/ a Sorceror variant:

You already take XP damage at the death of a familiar, and Ravens (or, Crows) can easily be an option.

This is an off the top of my head variant (thus, likely in need of tweaking), and you would probably want to work out the specifics w/ your DM.

Bonded Sorceror
HD: D6
Weapons/Armor: All simple weapons, one martial weapon of your choice, light armor (not proficient w/ shields)
Saves As Sorceror
Skills As Sorceror, replace Bluff w/ Intimidate
Spellcasting Switch Spells/Day to Wizard Progression, Spells Known = Sorceror Spells Known -1 Per Spell Level, Cast Spells as normal for a Sorceror, Must select a forbidden school (can't select any such spells) based on their Familiar.

Summon Familiar
Pick a familiar as normal for Sorceror. Determine the familiar's stats/abilities as if you were a Sorceror of your Bonded Sorceror Level. (Note: Since your familiar is so important to your power levels, any PrC that gives you a bonus of +1 to ARCANE caster level, if applied to your Bonded Sorceror Levels, stacks w/ Bonded Sorceror to determine your familiar's abilities.)

A Bonded Sorceror that loses their Familiar suffers a crushing blow to their mystical powers. First, they immediately suffer XP loss as a typical sorceror, but with a Save DC of 20 instead of 15 for half exp. loss. Additionally, their Charisma is treated as 2 points lower for purposes of casting spells for the next 24 hours. Additionally, they lose access to all Supernatural and Spell-like Abilities granted by this class until they replace the familiar. A familiar can be raised from the dead, restoring the class abilities immediately (but not the XP loss). Otherwise, the Bonded Sorceror must wait a year and a day to replace the lost familiar.

The character is assumed to start w/ the appropriate familiar for free. However, replacing the familiar costs 100gp x Bonded Sorceror Level.

Unhindered Personality (Su): 1st Level
-The Bonded Sorceror is adept at casting in armor. The Bonded Sorceror ignores 5% Arcane Spell Failure per B.S. level, up to a maximum of their Cha. modifier. (Thus, a level 3 Bonded Sorceror w/ a Charisma of 16 would ignore 15% Arcane Spell Failure.) However, this ability only applies while wearing light armor.

Powerful Bond (Su): 1st Level
-The Bonded Sorceror has a much more powerful connection w/ their familiar. The familiar's personality flows over onto the character more than a normal familar. Each familiar grants a larger bonus than normal, but also causes the character to select a forbidden school, as noted below.

Cat: +2 Hide, +2 Move Silently, may purchase Hide and Move Silently ranks as if a class skills. Still treated as Cross-Class for purposes of max ranks. Forbidden School: Evocation

Raven: +4 Appraise, Raven speaks two languages that it's master speaks: Forbidden School: Transmutation

Toad: Improved Toughness Feat. Forbidden School: Conjuration

Snake: +2 Bluff, +2 Intimidate, may purchase Bluff Ranks as if a class skill. Still treats Bluff as a Cross Class skill for purposes of determining max ranks. Forbidden School: Abjuration

Lizard: Grants a Climb Speed of 10ft as long as your familiar is within arm's reach. (+8 Climb, Can take 10 even if stressed.) Forbidden School: Necromancy

Rat: +2 Fort. Saves, an additional +2 vs. Poison. Forbidden School: Enchantment

Hawk/Owl: +4 Spot in daylight/darkness, Only suffer a -1 penalty to spot checks for each 20ft in daylight/darkness. Forbidden School: Illusion

Loose the Mortal Coils, lesser(Su): 3rd Level
-The Bonded Sorceror gains a template that applies only so long as they maintain their bond w/ their familiar. (The template should have a level adjustment of +1 or +2, and is subject to DM approval. The general concept should match the personality of your familiar. Example template options are listed below.)

-Celestial, Fiendish, Pseudonatural, Shadow Creature, Necropolitan

Unhindered Strikes 1/day (Su): 5th Level & every 5 levels there-after (10, 15, 20, etc...)
-The Bonded Sorceror becomes Supernaturally talented w/ their favored weapons. Each time the Bonded Sorceror takes this ability, they must select one weapon that may be used in conjunction w/ Unhindered Strikes. (They may select an additional weapon each time they gain this ability.) Unhindered Strikes is a free action that may only be activated on the character's turn and lasts for one minute (10 rounds). While under the effects of Unhindered Strikes, the character's Bonded Sorceror levels are treated as Fighter levels for purposes of determining Base Attack Bonus (including number of attacks). The Bonded Sorceror gains an additional use per day each time they gain this ability again. Unhindered Strikes ends immediately if the character attempts to wield a weapon not eligible for this ability, though they may switch freely between eligible weapons.

Loose the Mortal Coils, greater (Su): 12th Level
-The Bonded Sorceror gains a new template. This template replaces (doesn't stack with) the template gained from Loose the Mortal Coils, lesser. (The template should have a LA of +3 or +4, and is subject to DM/Familiar personality approval. Samples are listed below.)

-Half-Dragon, Half-Celestial, Half-Fiend, Tauric Creature (Horse Hybrid, MM2), Voidmind

Alternatively, the Bonded Sorceror may forgo a higher level template. If they do, the Bonded Sorceror learns to call on their magic at a quicker pace, gaining the bonus feat Sudden Quicken (Complete Arcane), even if they do not meet the pre-requisites.

Timeless Body(Su): 17th Level
-As Druid/Monk class feature.

________________________________________ ____________

Anyways, that's my best take on such a character. Everyone is free to comment what they think. (It probably needs a lot of work.) But, you have a caster that is severely limited in terms of spells, has a very strong bond w/ their familiar, is much better in combat than normal for such a character, AND suddenly hurts very badly if their familiar dies.

I will not be offended by any comments people put forward since this was very quickly created, and largely off the top of my head.
JasonOrlandoHawk
11-03-06, 06:58 PM And in the time it takes me to type it all out...

Several other people come up with quicker, easier versions of The Crow...

CURSE MY LONGWINDED ANSWERS!!!!
Hiromushi
11-03-06, 07:44 PM And in the time it takes me to type it all out...

Several other people come up with quicker, easier versions of The Crow...

CURSE MY LONGWINDED ANSWERS!!!!

Well, I liked your interpretation, but I don't think it really fits with the whole fact that the Crow isn't a class, the Crow doesn't learn anything when he becomes the Crow, so it seems more a template, if anything.
Vestigial_Thumb
11-03-06, 08:49 PM Why would you want to completely mimic Eric Draven? Take some artistic license. Use the revenant template from D20 Modern (found in the SRD on wizards.com).

I love Brandon Lee and Eric Draven too much to let you people fail to emulate them.
Hiromushi
11-03-06, 08:53 PM Why would you want to completely mimic Eric Draven? Take some artistic license. Use the revenant template from D20 Modern (found in the SRD on wizards.com).

I love Brandon Lee and Eric Draven too much to let you people fail to emulate them.

Well, we don't need complete emulation, but the template created above mimics all of the Crows, not just Eric. It fits Alex Corvis, Jimmy Cuervra, and Eric Draven.

Everything else is up to the player's imagination.

A samurai Crow, a cleric Crow, a sorcerer Crow, hell, anything would work with that template.
CryoSilver
11-04-06, 04:17 PM I based it off the movie, not the comic, if that matters...
Hiromushi
11-04-06, 06:38 PM I based it off the movie, not the comic, if that matters...
Not really, I've not read the comics, but you seem to have a solid template that I'll have to beg, plead, and/or **** my DM to let me use.
Necropolitan
11-04-06, 08:22 PM I think you could re-work the Revenant a bit to get this across farily well; the D20 Modern version is probably the best way to go.

So the way that worked was all damage escepting from a specifics source associated to his dead, this could be his crow; was taken as Non-Lethal damage.

When the Non-Lethal damage reached equauivlent to his total HP, he was knocked unconcious for 2d4 rounds, after which all the wounds healed, and he rose again.

Sinply alter it so the Crow has to always be within, say, 30' of the character, and all damage done to the Crow automatically damages his HP normally, rather then Nonlethally.

Tack on some LA and it's a start.
CryoSilver
11-04-06, 09:00 PM I felt that Fast Healing that stopped working when the Spirit Bird died was the most elegant way to handle the situation.

The wording of my ability would have the Crow still vulnerable in many ways (if reduced to negative hp and kept that way, he is effectively dead), but cannot be "permanently" killed.

I did not include an LA for my template ebcause I felt that even that power was too much for a non-epic game.

If I were to choose an LA, I would say something around the +5 range. A second reason I didn't include an LA is because after he avanged himself, the Crow always returned to the afterlife, which sort of limits utility in a long-term campaign
Hiromushi
11-04-06, 10:22 PM I felt that Fast Healing that stopped working when the Spirit Bird died was the most elegant way to handle the situation.

The wording of my ability would have the Crow still vulnerable in many ways (if reduced to negative hp and kept that way, he is effectively dead), but cannot be "permanently" killed.

I did not include an LA for my template ebcause I felt that even that power was too much for a non-epic game.

If I were to choose an LA, I would say something around the +5 range. A second reason I didn't include an LA is because after he avanged himself, the Crow always returned to the afterlife, which sort of limits utility in a long-term campaign

Its more of a way to bring one's character back in a unique way, for one last go. But that's not to say the character can't be kept alive for a long period of time as the Crow while searching out his murderers. Perhaps he wouldn't learn anything (aka not gain any levels), but he would still be strong enough to face off against some baddies for a while. Nothing like going through hordes and hordes to get to the one bad guy.
I just think its a good alternative for a game where everyone can be brought back to life. Perhaps best used in a low-magic campaign.

Besides, the Crow template wouldn't really fit a scenario of going against a dragon or god (though thats a viable route). Probably a better template for a different D20 game/setting.
CryoSilver
11-06-06, 07:45 PM I agree that the Crow template is not really fitting for a high-magic world where a Raise Dead is just a trip to the temple away, nor for a world where your family was murdered by a dragon.

Rather, my vision is of a gritty, low magic horror setting where you ARE the world's high level characters, and Raise Dead is a legend.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Hiromushi 11-03-06, 04:59 PM	Okay...I want to make a character who is the Crow. I know this would be demi-deity character. But with the weakness of a familiar, the crow/raven. But how would I emulate the other aspects of the Crow? Superfast healing, super strength, superhuman speed. The crow being his only weak point. A huge ECL penalty, I'm sure. but what class? I'd take samurai out of preference, but fighter would work well with the build, emulating the Crow's expertise with weapons.
claypigeons 11-03-06, 05:19 PM	Level 1 commoner. Undead, but with a con score. And he has regeneration and immunities to basically all energy. The catch: You kill his familiar and he loses his regeneration and immunities.
Hiromushi 11-03-06, 05:28 PM	Doesn't really fit, being that its a PC. Good idea though...but is it balanced?
claypigeons 11-03-06, 05:36 PM	Doesn't really fit, being that its a PC. Good idea though...but is it balanced? You cant adequately duplicate the abilities of the character in The Crow. Being indestructible isnt exactly balanced for anyone. A creature such as this would work well as an NPC, but as a PC... you could do ~anything~. Giant cliff ahead of you that's too far to jump? No fly spell available... Oh well, just jump off and climb up the other side. On fire? Oh well... hug someone... You'll get better. Army of orcs marching against you? Run out in the middle... hang out till they get tired and pass out... Coup de Grace them....
CryoSilver 11-03-06, 05:40 PM	“People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul cannot rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that person back, to make the wrong things right…” The Crow Most of the time, victims of terrible murders either stay dead, or become ravening undead monsters. But sometimes, if the love of the victim for someone else who suffered needlessly is strong enough, they can come back as a Crow, a nigh-invincible revenant brought back solely to avenge, not themselves, but the one they loved. Crow is a template that can be applied to any non-evil humanoid. Modifications Size and Type: Size remains the same, but change type to Deathless and add the augmented subtype. The Deathless type adds many bonuses and immunities; see the BoED for a full listing of them. Hit Dice: As a Deathless, a Crow’s hit dice are all d12s. Speed: Unlike most Deathless, Crows can use the run action. Special Attacks: Memory Transfer (su): A Crow can transfer memories and emotions from himself to others. He may make a melee touch attack as a full round action. If he succeeds, he may elect to deal 1d6 Wisdom damage, and nauseate his foe for 1d4 rounds (Fortitude halves both, DC = 10+1/2 HD+Cha modifier) Special Qualities: Crows possess many special powers related to exacting their revenge. Damage Reduction 5/- (su) Fast Healing 5 (su) Find Victimizer (ex): The Crow has an instinctive sense of where those who killed him and his loved one are. Treat this as a non-magical Discern Location on all those responsible. Hide in Plain Sight (ex): As the ranger ability. Invulnerable (su): If a Crow is brought below 0 hp, he falls unconscious, but his fast healing continues to work. He cannot be killed while this power is active. Spirit Bird (su): A Crow is accompanied by the spirit creature that brought him back from the dead. Treat this in all ways a familiar, and for purposes only of this ability, the Crow as a wizard of level equal to his hit dice. A Crow can also see through the eyes of his spirit bird. If the spirit bird dies, the Crow loses all supernatural attacks and qualities granted by this template. Victims, Aren’t We All? (su): When fighting his victimizers, a Crow gains a +4 morale bonus on attacks, damage, Armor Class and saves. Abilities: Str +4, Dex +4, Con -, Cha +6 Skills: A Crow gains a +4 bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks Feats: A Crow gains Acrobatic, Alertness, Athletic, Improved Toughness and Stealthy as bonus feats, if he does not already possess them. CR: +2 LA: N/A RIP, Brandon Lee
Hiromushi 11-03-06, 05:46 PM	You cant adequately duplicate the abilities of the character in The Crow. Being indestructible isnt exactly balanced for anyone. A creature such as this would work well as an NPC, but as a PC... you could do ~anything~. Giant cliff ahead of you that's too far to jump? No fly spell available... Oh well, just jump off and climb up the other side. On fire? Oh well... hug someone... You'll get better. Army of orcs marching against you? Run out in the middle... hang out till they get tired and pass out... Coup de Grace them.... xDDD Nice, but aside from the Crow, other limitations could be put into place. Perhaps dismemberment? We never see him regenerate anything that's torn off, perhaps forcing called shots and critical hits. Perhaps tiring out from massive damage.
Hiromushi 11-03-06, 05:50 PM	“People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. But sometimes, something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul cannot rest. Then sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that person back, to make the wrong things right…” The Crow Most of the time, victims of terrible murders either stay dead, or become ravening undead monsters. But sometimes, if the love of the victim for someone else who suffered needlessly is strong enough, they can come back as a Crow, a nigh-invincible revenant brought back solely to avenge, not themselves, but the one they loved. Crow is a template that can be applied to any non-evil humanoid. Modifications Size and Type: Size remains the same, but change type to Deathless and add the augmented subtype. The Deathless type adds many bonuses and immunities; see the BoED for a full listing of them. Hit Dice: As a Deathless, a Crow’s hit dice are all d12s. Speed: Unlike most Deathless, Crows can use the run action. Special Attacks: Memory Transfer (su): A Crow can transfer memories and emotions from himself to others. He may make a melee touch attack as a full round action. If he succeeds, he may elect to deal 1d6 Wisdom damage, and nauseate his foe for 1d4 rounds (Fortitude halves both, DC = 10+1/2 HD+Cha modifier) Special Qualities: Crows possess many special powers related to exacting their revenge. Damage Reduction 5/- (su) Fast Healing 5 (su) Find Victimizer (ex): The Crow has an instinctive sense of where those who killed him and his loved one are. Treat this as a non-magical Discern Location on all those responsible. Hide in Plain Sight (ex): As the ranger ability. Invulnerable (su): If a Crow is brought below 0 hp, he falls unconscious, but his fast healing continues to work. He cannot be killed while this power is active. Spirit Bird (su): A Crow is accompanied by the spirit creature that brought him back from the dead. Treat this in all ways a familiar, and for purposes only of this ability, the Crow as a wizard of level equal to his hit dice. A Crow can also see through the eyes of his spirit bird. If the spirit bird dies, the Crow loses all supernatural attacks and qualities granted by this template. Victims, Aren’t We All? (su): When fighting his victimizers, a Crow gains a +4 morale bonus on attacks, damage, Armor Class and saves. Abilities: Str +4, Dex +4, Con -, Cha +6 Skills: A Crow gains a +4 bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks Feats: A Crow gains Acrobatic, Alertness, Athletic, Improved Toughness and Stealthy as bonus feats, if he does not already possess them. CR: +2 LA: N/A RIP, Brandon Lee Thank you, that seems very great.
CryoSilver 11-03-06, 05:52 PM	You're welcome.
JasonOrlandoHawk 11-03-06, 06:55 PM	You might be able to do it w/ a Sorceror variant: You already take XP damage at the death of a familiar, and Ravens (or, Crows) can easily be an option. This is an off the top of my head variant (thus, likely in need of tweaking), and you would probably want to work out the specifics w/ your DM. Bonded Sorceror HD: D6 Weapons/Armor: All simple weapons, one martial weapon of your choice, light armor (not proficient w/ shields) Saves As Sorceror Skills As Sorceror, replace Bluff w/ Intimidate Spellcasting Switch Spells/Day to Wizard Progression, Spells Known = Sorceror Spells Known -1 Per Spell Level, Cast Spells as normal for a Sorceror, Must select a forbidden school (can't select any such spells) based on their Familiar. Summon Familiar Pick a familiar as normal for Sorceror. Determine the familiar's stats/abilities as if you were a Sorceror of your Bonded Sorceror Level. (Note: Since your familiar is so important to your power levels, any PrC that gives you a bonus of +1 to ARCANE caster level, if applied to your Bonded Sorceror Levels, stacks w/ Bonded Sorceror to determine your familiar's abilities.) A Bonded Sorceror that loses their Familiar suffers a crushing blow to their mystical powers. First, they immediately suffer XP loss as a typical sorceror, but with a Save DC of 20 instead of 15 for half exp. loss. Additionally, their Charisma is treated as 2 points lower for purposes of casting spells for the next 24 hours. Additionally, they lose access to all Supernatural and Spell-like Abilities granted by this class until they replace the familiar. A familiar can be raised from the dead, restoring the class abilities immediately (but not the XP loss). Otherwise, the Bonded Sorceror must wait a year and a day to replace the lost familiar. The character is assumed to start w/ the appropriate familiar for free. However, replacing the familiar costs 100gp x Bonded Sorceror Level. Unhindered Personality (Su): 1st Level -The Bonded Sorceror is adept at casting in armor. The Bonded Sorceror ignores 5% Arcane Spell Failure per B.S. level, up to a maximum of their Cha. modifier. (Thus, a level 3 Bonded Sorceror w/ a Charisma of 16 would ignore 15% Arcane Spell Failure.) However, this ability only applies while wearing light armor. Powerful Bond (Su): 1st Level -The Bonded Sorceror has a much more powerful connection w/ their familiar. The familiar's personality flows over onto the character more than a normal familar. Each familiar grants a larger bonus than normal, but also causes the character to select a forbidden school, as noted below. Cat: +2 Hide, +2 Move Silently, may purchase Hide and Move Silently ranks as if a class skills. Still treated as Cross-Class for purposes of max ranks. Forbidden School: Evocation Raven: +4 Appraise, Raven speaks two languages that it's master speaks: Forbidden School: Transmutation Toad: Improved Toughness Feat. Forbidden School: Conjuration Snake: +2 Bluff, +2 Intimidate, may purchase Bluff Ranks as if a class skill. Still treats Bluff as a Cross Class skill for purposes of determining max ranks. Forbidden School: Abjuration Lizard: Grants a Climb Speed of 10ft as long as your familiar is within arm's reach. (+8 Climb, Can take 10 even if stressed.) Forbidden School: Necromancy Rat: +2 Fort. Saves, an additional +2 vs. Poison. Forbidden School: Enchantment Hawk/Owl: +4 Spot in daylight/darkness, Only suffer a -1 penalty to spot checks for each 20ft in daylight/darkness. Forbidden School: Illusion Loose the Mortal Coils, lesser(Su): 3rd Level -The Bonded Sorceror gains a template that applies only so long as they maintain their bond w/ their familiar. (The template should have a level adjustment of +1 or +2, and is subject to DM approval. The general concept should match the personality of your familiar. Example template options are listed below.) -Celestial, Fiendish, Pseudonatural, Shadow Creature, Necropolitan Unhindered Strikes 1/day (Su): 5th Level & every 5 levels there-after (10, 15, 20, etc...) -The Bonded Sorceror becomes Supernaturally talented w/ their favored weapons. Each time the Bonded Sorceror takes this ability, they must select one weapon that may be used in conjunction w/ Unhindered Strikes. (They may select an additional weapon each time they gain this ability.) Unhindered Strikes is a free action that may only be activated on the character's turn and lasts for one minute (10 rounds). While under the effects of Unhindered Strikes, the character's Bonded Sorceror levels are treated as Fighter levels for purposes of determining Base Attack Bonus (including number of attacks). The Bonded Sorceror gains an additional use per day each time they gain this ability again. Unhindered Strikes ends immediately if the character attempts to wield a weapon not eligible for this ability, though they may switch freely between eligible weapons. Loose the Mortal Coils, greater (Su): 12th Level -The Bonded Sorceror gains a new template. This template replaces (doesn't stack with) the template gained from Loose the Mortal Coils, lesser. (The template should have a LA of +3 or +4, and is subject to DM/Familiar personality approval. Samples are listed below.) -Half-Dragon, Half-Celestial, Half-Fiend, Tauric Creature (Horse Hybrid, MM2), Voidmind Alternatively, the Bonded Sorceror may forgo a higher level template. If they do, the Bonded Sorceror learns to call on their magic at a quicker pace, gaining the bonus feat Sudden Quicken (Complete Arcane), even if they do not meet the pre-requisites. Timeless Body(Su): 17th Level -As Druid/Monk class feature. ________________________________________ ____________ Anyways, that's my best take on such a character. Everyone is free to comment what they think. (It probably needs a lot of work.) But, you have a caster that is severely limited in terms of spells, has a very strong bond w/ their familiar, is much better in combat than normal for such a character, AND suddenly hurts very badly if their familiar dies. I will not be offended by any comments people put forward since this was very quickly created, and largely off the top of my head.
JasonOrlandoHawk 11-03-06, 06:58 PM	And in the time it takes me to type it all out... Several other people come up with quicker, easier versions of The Crow... CURSE MY LONGWINDED ANSWERS!!!!
Hiromushi 11-03-06, 07:44 PM	And in the time it takes me to type it all out... Several other people come up with quicker, easier versions of The Crow... CURSE MY LONGWINDED ANSWERS!!!! Well, I liked your interpretation, but I don't think it really fits with the whole fact that the Crow isn't a class, the Crow doesn't learn anything when he becomes the Crow, so it seems more a template, if anything.
Vestigial_Thumb 11-03-06, 08:49 PM	Why would you want to completely mimic Eric Draven? Take some artistic license. Use the revenant template from D20 Modern (found in the SRD on wizards.com). I love Brandon Lee and Eric Draven too much to let you people fail to emulate them.
Hiromushi 11-03-06, 08:53 PM	Why would you want to completely mimic Eric Draven? Take some artistic license. Use the revenant template from D20 Modern (found in the SRD on wizards.com). I love Brandon Lee and Eric Draven too much to let you people fail to emulate them. Well, we don't need complete emulation, but the template created above mimics all of the Crows, not just Eric. It fits Alex Corvis, Jimmy Cuervra, and Eric Draven. Everything else is up to the player's imagination. A samurai Crow, a cleric Crow, a sorcerer Crow, hell, anything would work with that template.
CryoSilver 11-04-06, 04:17 PM	I based it off the movie, not the comic, if that matters...
Hiromushi 11-04-06, 06:38 PM	I based it off the movie, not the comic, if that matters... Not really, I've not read the comics, but you seem to have a solid template that I'll have to beg, plead, and/or **** my DM to let me use.
Necropolitan 11-04-06, 08:22 PM	I think you could re-work the Revenant a bit to get this across farily well; the D20 Modern version is probably the best way to go. So the way that worked was all damage escepting from a specifics source associated to his dead, this could be his crow; was taken as Non-Lethal damage. When the Non-Lethal damage reached equauivlent to his total HP, he was knocked unconcious for 2d4 rounds, after which all the wounds healed, and he rose again. Sinply alter it so the Crow has to always be within, say, 30' of the character, and all damage done to the Crow automatically damages his HP normally, rather then Nonlethally. Tack on some LA and it's a start.
CryoSilver 11-04-06, 09:00 PM	I felt that Fast Healing that stopped working when the Spirit Bird died was the most elegant way to handle the situation. The wording of my ability would have the Crow still vulnerable in many ways (if reduced to negative hp and kept that way, he is effectively dead), but cannot be "permanently" killed. I did not include an LA for my template ebcause I felt that even that power was too much for a non-epic game. If I were to choose an LA, I would say something around the +5 range. A second reason I didn't include an LA is because after he avanged himself, the Crow always returned to the afterlife, which sort of limits utility in a long-term campaign
Hiromushi 11-04-06, 10:22 PM	I felt that Fast Healing that stopped working when the Spirit Bird died was the most elegant way to handle the situation. The wording of my ability would have the Crow still vulnerable in many ways (if reduced to negative hp and kept that way, he is effectively dead), but cannot be "permanently" killed. I did not include an LA for my template ebcause I felt that even that power was too much for a non-epic game. If I were to choose an LA, I would say something around the +5 range. A second reason I didn't include an LA is because after he avanged himself, the Crow always returned to the afterlife, which sort of limits utility in a long-term campaign Its more of a way to bring one's character back in a unique way, for one last go. But that's not to say the character can't be kept alive for a long period of time as the Crow while searching out his murderers. Perhaps he wouldn't learn anything (aka not gain any levels), but he would still be strong enough to face off against some baddies for a while. Nothing like going through hordes and hordes to get to the one bad guy. I just think its a good alternative for a game where everyone can be brought back to life. Perhaps best used in a low-magic campaign. Besides, the Crow template wouldn't really fit a scenario of going against a dragon or god (though thats a viable route). Probably a better template for a different D20 game/setting.
CryoSilver 11-06-06, 07:45 PM	I agree that the Crow template is not really fitting for a high-magic world where a Raise Dead is just a trip to the temple away, nor for a world where your family was murdered by a dragon. Rather, my vision is of a gritty, low magic horror setting where you ARE the world's high level characters, and Raise Dead is a legend.