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| JasonOrlandoHawk06-27-07, 09:51 PM | “The gray mounds of the desert roll into the distance, baked by the blazing sun. Not a single stone shows through the powdery plane, nor does a single insect scurry across its surface. There is no landmark to steer by across the burning silence of the sand sea except the sun. Dust billows with every step, choking parched throats.” Sandstorm p.4 Welcome to Hero Craftsmen #10, where you make a character and get it voted on according to all its facets by our judges, to see who can make the best character! This time our chosen theme is Denizens of the Desert. The desert is a region almost completely devoid of life, hostile to all but the most durable of creatures. There are many of kinds of deserts, from petrified forests, to dune seas, to rocky wastelands, all of which are quick to claim the lives of the ill prepared. Still, the blistering sands hide many secrets, from forgotten ruins, to vast treasures, and creatures who can make any dream come true. This is the home of legends. Your task, to build characters who thrive under the oppressive heat of a raging sun. The required level for this competition is 10th level, which gives each character 49000gp to spend on magic items and equipment, with no more than 16300gp to be spent on any one item. The following section contains the specific rules of the competition, as well as the standards for how the characters will be scored, and general tips to consider when creating a submission. Contest Rules The following are rules for the Hero Craftsmen competition, and are subject to change at any time between competition periods. Do note that the Code of Conduct is in effect for all aspects of this contest, and those who break it will be disqualified, and their post will be reported. Character Creation Parameters Effective Character Level (ECL): 10th Ability Score Generation: 28pt. buy (DMG p.169) Character Wealth: 49000gp Max. Value of any single item: 16300gp 1) All entries must be submitted with a complete stat block of any format or length, (so long as the stat block is complete, including content like equipment, skills, special abilities etc.) accompanied by a character background also of any format or length. 2) All entries must be submitted by the date and time given by the Coordinating Judge; any entries submitted late will not be judged but they are still allowed to be commented on by other users/judges, and may provide a valuable resource to other players out there. The time given for any competition is likely to be within 2-3 weeks; the exact times and dates will be stated by the Coordinating Judge during the contest's start. 3) After submitting an entry, a 30-minute grace period is allowed to edit your work, in the case of mechanical or formatting errors, typos, and the like. Editing your work after 30 minutes is considered breaking the rules. Hence, we urge you to revise your entry thoroughly prior to submitting it, to save hassle. Making use of the preview button in the post window will help you catch most errors before posting. 4) One Entry Per Contestant, and that creator must be the submitter (meaning that all work has to be original, and not stolen from someone else.) Also, do not post an entry if you do not want it to be officially judged. 5) At the start of each competition, the coordinating judge will state a single theme around which to base your entry. There are no restrictions based on the character theme itself; it is merely a suggested guideline, but following it in a creative and interesting way will give merit to your entry. 6) There are other restrictions, however. Material in the three core books is allowed. Any material found in the following books is also permitted: Player’s Handbook II, Complete Adventurer, Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Warrior, Complete Mage, Complete Scoundrel, The Expanded Psionics Handbook, the Spell Compendium, the Magic Item Compendium, Races of Stone, Races of Destiny, Races of the Wild, and Sandstorm. The use of Psionics, Item Creation rules, Epic Characters, and anything else in the Official SRD (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/srd35) is permitted. For this specific contest, no other material may be used, including any other variant rules in Unearthed Arcana. 7) Additionally, the character must be created with the recommended character wealth as discussed in the DMG (note that you may not spend more than 1/3 of your entry's total wealth on any one item), with average hit points per hit die (eg-2.5hp for d4, 3.5hp for d6, 4.5hp for d8, 5.5hp for d10, 6.5hp for d12; Max hit points at 1st level), using the 28 point-buy system, as discussed in the DMG pg169. For those who do not have access to the DMG, the following sample arrays of scores have been set up for your convenience: 18, 14, 12, 10, 8, 8 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10 8) One special rule regarding Crafting: When crafting a magic item from your character, you may pay the 50% gp cost and ignore the XP cost. However, your character must still meet all prerequisites in spells, minimum level requirements, etc., or account for the cost of hiring a spell caster to cast the spells for you. 9) Judges reserve the right to disqualify entries that do not follow the above rules, as they see fit. Scoring Points will be awarded for how well the judges think the character is made and expanded on. Entries from each of the judges will be added up to give a final score. The highest-scoring entry will win gold, second-highest silver, third-highest bronze. The judges may also give a single entry each one bonus point for whatever reason; this bonus point is merely to make out an 'honorable mention' of the competition, and is not likely to make an impact on the results themselves. The judges are expected to be very stingy about their bonus point, meaning that it is possible for no entries to get one in a competition. Special awards will be given to the entry that performs the best in each of the four categories (detailed below), determined by a majority nomination among the judges and/or the highest average score in that category. These awards will have no effect on the total score of each entry. Additionally, the judges reserve the right to post comments on entries, and any contestant may ask to have their scoring (and/or comments) sent to them via PM. Each entry will be scored according to four categories: Thematic Creativity (10 points), Background Content (10 marks), Rules Use (10 points), and Clarity (5 points), for a total of 35 points. -Thematic Creativity is a measure of how well the entry fits with the theme of the contest, decided by the coordinating judge at the start of the competition. It is also a measure of how creative the entry is when fitting in with the theme, meaning that taking the most obvious class for the theme may or may not be the best idea. -Background Content measures how well-written the background of the entry is, and how creative it is. Including plot points, events that shaped your character, and so on, will earn you high points here. -Rules Use is based on how well your character is made mechanically, as well as for how well your entry follows the RAW. Is his attack bonus correct? Has she spent all her skill points? Is all the gold in the sheet accounted for? And the like. Powerful characters will earn at least some points in this category. -Clarity is a measure of how well we can read everything. This includes correct grammar (No leet über txt), and legibility of the entry's stat block. We want to be able to find what we need to judge the entry. Hints to Help This is not a competition to see who can make the most optimized character. It is a competition to find who can create the most creative and interesting character; one that you would love to see played in a gaming group. Of course, optimized characters can still be creative and interesting, but optimization is not the sole focus of the competition. Please consider your format before submitting an entry. As judges, we want to know exactly where you got that +3 in Tumble, or how you've laid out your ability scores. If we are helped in this endeavor, it reduces the chances of us (as well as you) making mistakes, and points may be earned for Clarity. For example, you could lay out your modifiers to everything, from AC to Skills to Abilities. If your +3 in Tumble came from 3 ranks, 13 dexterity and a check penalty of -1, point it out to us. If your Strength score of 16 comes from a base of 13, a +2 racial bonus, and a +1 boost at fourth level, point it out to us. Also, gold is a big hassle, so if you show how much everything costs, it saves us the trouble of going IRS on you. Consider including a chart or something that shows the complete level build-up of your entry, incase of cross-class skills, stacking class features and other such stuff that would be otherwise difficult for us judges to detect. Backgrounds are very important in this competition, worth at least 10 points. While your entry's background doesn't have to be literary genius, you are advised to cover at least the basic stuff, like parents, friends, homeland, motivation, behavior, and at least one plot point that a DM can latch onto, among others. In this case, covering most or all of the aspects of a character is more advisable than simply focusing on one or two aspects in great detail. Don't worry, though, length is usually not an issue for us judges. The Leadership feat is quite often a wonderful choice. It offers characters a lot of power, and provides for some excellent background exploration. If you opt to give your PC the Leadership feat, we don't need a full stat block for the cohort or followers; all we need is the cohort's name, race, class(es), and level(s). You can provide the same sort of information for important followers. Note that you can provide more information - but doing so only increases your chances of miscalculating something, and therefore lowering your score. You are allowed to build characters with non-standard races, including Monster Races from the MM. However, please carefully consider this path before attempting it. You are creating a character of the appropriate ECL, and monster races have caused many contestants to stumble over the mathematics involved. Make sure you are prepared to walk this difficult road. It is also very helpful if you list the basic racial stats for such characters. Our list of Eligible Judges are Doopliss, TheChilliGod, Zherog, jennibert, JasonOrlandoHawk, Heros_Backpack, DarkKitsune, Mercurius, Haruspex, Kit_the_Odd, and edwardsobel. The gold-medal winner of each Hero Craftsmen competition will be added to this list as a prize. Additionally, contestants who win multiple silver and bronze medals can also earn judge status. A contestant who earns 6 points worth of medals will also be added to the eligible judges list as a prize. (Medal point values: Gold: 6, Silver: 3, Bronze: 1.5) After each competition, we will seek volunteers for the next contest from the list until we have three judges. It is a voluntary thing, so if you (as a recent gold-medal winner) feel uncomfortable with judging, or just don't have the time, that's fine with us. Our judges for this contest will be JasonOrlandoHawk, Heros_Backpack, Kit_the_Odd, and Haruspex. JasonOrlandoHawk will be our coordinating judge. This contest starts when this post is posted, and is due to end at 11:59pm GMT on Friday, July 13, giving you two weeks to enter your characters. If you have any concerns or suggestions to consider for the next Hero Craftsman competition, don't hesitate to post your comments in This Thread (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=621823). Finally, best of luck to all entries. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk06-27-07, 09:51 PM | Frequently Asked Questions The rules for Monster races can be found, in detail, on pages 172-3 of the DMG. As for ability score generation (if the Monster description doesn't say otherwise), you take the score listed in the MM (or other book) and subtract 10 or 11 (whichever brings you to an even number). This number is the monster's racial ability modifier. You do this for every stat. Examples: If a monster has the following (entirely fictional) stat array, then you would subtract as follows: Str: 13 (-11) Dex: 17 (-11) Con: 10 (-10) Int: 20 (-10) Wis: 10 (-10) Cha: 12 (-10) Then, you would have the following "Racial Ability Modifiers" Str +2, Dex +6, Con +0, Int +10, Wis +0, Cha +2 For ability scores below 10, you use a different system. Determine the ability score normally (point buy in this case) and then consult the chart on p.173 of the DMG to determine the actual score. If you don't have the DMG, consult the table provided in post #15 by Zherog (only works for low Int. scores. Check the SRD for other tables.). Please note that this system may not work for some monsters, particularly humanoids in the MM. If the monster's description lists a set of ability modifiers, then use those. As far as I can find, there is no concrete definition for the Caster Level of a Warlock, but several paragraphs hint that a Warlock has a caster level equal to their class level. Thus, use the formulas normally from the DMG. The Spell Level of an invocation is listed in Complete Arcane. For Caster Level, assume the minimum level that the Warlock can use invocations of that type. Determine everything else normally. Fair warning, one example has already proven horribly underpriced... Yes, but only as long as the material is not mechanical, such as feats, PrC's, items, spells, etc... Example: You could use information from Unapproachable East (a Faerun sourcebook) as long as it was background/setting information. However, you couldn't take levels in the Shou Disciple PrC or take Regional feats. It is a good idea to provide general setting details when you do so, to help the judges understand your background. (i.e.: Fearun: Thay: Evil Magocracy that is involved in many evil trades, such as slavery.) No. We didn't think about including those races until after this contest was already posted, so they are not an option for this competition. However, Sandstorm offers 3 variants of PHB races: Badlands Dwarves, Painted Elves, and Scablands Half-Orcs (p.37-44). Hopefully, those options will suffice. No. No vermin of any sort appear on the lists in either the PHB or Sandstorm. However, to make this answer as applicable as possible across the board: You may only select your animal companion from the list in either the PHB or Sandstorm for purposes of this competition. If it doesn't appear on either list, it is not available. You use your magically modified ability score to determine your spellcasting abilities (level of spell you can cast, bonus spells, save DC's, etc...). This applies to all ability scores. The only time you would use your BASE Intelligence score is when calculating the number of skill points you gain. According to metricconversions.org, one dry gallon is a little less than 1/6 of a cubic foot in volume, so for purposes of this competition: 6.5 jugs (dry gallons) of Shapesand = 1 cubic foot. Yes, you can toy with the area of an object, as long as the volume is the same. (The example in the book lists someone actually shaping a castle, so messing w/ the cubes to make a rope isn't that big a stretch.) Dromedary Camel = 75gp Two-Humped Camel = 100gp War Camel = 450gp Camels use "normal" saddle prices. For more information on camels, see Sandstorm p.103 Treat a map like a "Tool, masterwork" found in the PHB p.129. As such, it costs 50gp. It most likely provides a +2 circumstance bonus on Knowledge (Geography) checks, or on Survival checks to "Keep from getting lost/Avoid natural hazards." Sandstorm doesn't indicate the need for a different focus, which means you can just note "Holly/Mistletoe" on your character sheet. Were a different focus required, it would cost the same as the regular focus (free in this case). No and no. Sandstorm adds only the horned lizard to the familiar list, and it grants a +2 bonus to Will saves. Since this is a competition, the rules must be applied, as written, in the original post. Therefore, since there is no "creative license" allowed by the original post, inventing a new familar (or granted ability) would count as a Rules Use violation, costing points on your final score. (Not to say that it wasn't a good idea...) Edit: You can change the name of a familiar w/o penalty, but the stats should remain the same. Example: There's no problem w/ "Familiar: Armadillo (treat as rat familiar)." The Point Buy rules are used to generate your ability scores at level 1, so your ability score increases at levels 4 & 8 (and beyond, though it doesn't matter for this competition) apply normally. Also, you apply Racial Ability modifiers after Point Buy. There is nothing that bluntly prohibits collaborative work in the HC rules. However, if you choose to create a character w/ someone else's help, bear in mind that the character will be considered the sole property of the individual that submits it. Thus, even if you acknowledge your assistant in the submission, you, and not your partner, will be the only one to recieve scores, and, if applicable, medals. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk06-27-07, 09:52 PM | Grand List of Competitors Cheynchaytion (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12909897&postcount=31): By: Maekrix_Waere Balag (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12934485&postcount=52): By: wrecan Arae Mihdi (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12959160&postcount=60): By: CheeseMan Ginkle/Dabble/Greenk/Filtyan/Chordy/Piddo Veytove, Alias 'Mirage' (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12985526&postcount=71) By: Far_Traveler Sa' Relka (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=13035079&postcount=79): By: Endarrion Siddig El Khaldun (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=13040279&postcount=80): By: Mercurius Saraliss "The Dunerunner" (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=13041202&postcount=82): By: Longtime_Lurker Zaina al-Birren, aka "The Angel" (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=13042226&postcount=83): By: jennibert Aned "Sand Dancer" Manah (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=13050292&postcount=87): By: FRRC Zaldef Raincloud (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=13057570&postcount=89): By: narcoleptic_dolphin Gresh of the Khamshin (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=13064340&postcount=91): By: TheScapegoat |
| Endarrion06-27-07, 10:05 PM | Yay! Finally! and not least of all W00t! Hero Craftsman 10 looks intriguing. Desert Denizens, eh? Hmm. This is going to be interesting. |
| Mercurius06-27-07, 10:08 PM | I've gotta say, this is intriguing. Shame Tome of Battle still isn't up for grabs, but still... The only desert in my campaign setting's main continent is actually my least fleshed out area, so this will be extra fun... |
| jennibert06-27-07, 10:09 PM | Sigged.... Desert, huh? Will have to see what I can come up with...I had one idea that I'll have to save for a future competition, but maybe I can invent someone good...and new.... Hey! Since Haruspex is judging, we won't have a fantastically quickly put together entry! Unless someone wants to step into his place...don't think I'll have time this week.... |
| JasonOrlandoHawk06-27-07, 11:26 PM | This should be an interesting competition. The incredible number of books allowed... ...and this is my second competition as coordinator that ends on Friday the 13th. (This can't be a coincidence) And leave it to jennibert, who isn't even judging, to come up w/ the best catch phrase to advertise this competition. So, will anyone replace Haruspex for fastest character posting time? |
| Endarrion06-27-07, 11:41 PM | Is it just me, or is the Sandstorm book almost useless? (besides the part about desert environments and such). Well, maybe not useless, per se. I was just completely taken aback when I saw that there wasn't any support whatsoever for psionic characters when the XPH has maybe a fifth of its material usable for desert environments (the thri-kreen and half-giant come readily to mind). Just strange is all. And what's with the Crucian (monster in sandstorm) having 3HD in its stat block, but under the character section it has no mention of HD, skill points, feats, or anything to support its stat block? It also doesn't have any abilities to make it better at existing in the desert (but neither do the kreen from XPH, and it states that they love hot environments). Meh. |
| Maekrix_Waere06-28-07, 12:03 AM | Is it, you know, required for Hero Craftsman Competitions to end on Friday the 13th? |
| Haruspex06-28-07, 12:33 AM | Since this is my first time judging, I'll give prospective contestants a tip. Make sure you don't make any outright rules errors. I will not look too kindly upon characters that try to use Weapon Finesse with morningstars...:D |
| Maekrix_Waere06-28-07, 12:55 AM | This should be an interesting competition. The incredible number of books allowed... Huh? I find that an extremely limiting number of books. I mean, my three first ideas were disqualified simply by the fact that one or two books NECCESSARY to them are not allowed. (ToB not being one of them...that disqualified my 4th.) P.S.-Curse you for getting to the Friday the 13th referance before me. :weep: Edit:Question-For Monsters in the MM 3.5 that have a listed LA, listed statistics, but without listed ability adjustments, how are we supposed to find ability adjustments? I have a system, but would prefer to ask what you would do before asking if what I do is legal. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk06-28-07, 02:16 AM | Huh? I find that an extremely limiting number of books. I mean, my three first ideas were disqualified simply by the fact that one or two books NECCESSARY to them are not allowed. (ToB not being one of them...that disqualified my 4th.) P.S.-Curse you for getting to the Friday the 13th referance before me. :weep: Edit:Question-For Monsters in the MM 3.5 that have a listed LA, listed statistics, but without listed ability adjustments, how are we supposed to find ability adjustments? I have a system, but would prefer to ask what you would do before asking if what I do is legal. If you think this list of books is limited, just ask TheChilliGod about HC#4: Welcome to the Monastary. Because of the materials available to the judges, the only thing that could be used was the Core 3 and the SRD. Nothing else. The rules for Monster races can be found, in detail, on pages 172-3 of the DMG. As for ability score generation (if the Monster description doesn't say otherwise), you take the score listed in the MM (or other book) and subtract 10 or 11 (whichever brings you to an even number). This number is the monster's racial ability modifier. You do this for every stat. Examples: If a monster has the following (entirely fictional) stat array, then you would subtract as follows: Str: 13 (-11) Dex: 17 (-11) Con: 10 (-10) Int: 20 (-10) Wis: 9 (-11) Cha: 12 (-10) Then, you would have the following "Racial Ability Modifiers" Str +2, Dex +6, Con +0, Int +10, Wis -2, Cha +2 I hope that clears everything up. If you need more help, check the pages I cited. Edit: As Mercurius pointed out, some of the humanoids in the MM don't follow this rule. If the Monster's description lists a set of ability modifiers, use those. |
| Maekrix_Waere06-28-07, 02:25 AM | As for ability score generation (if the Monster description doesn't say otherwise), you take the score listed in the MM (or other book) and subtract 10 or 11 (whichever brings you to an even number). This number is the monster's racial ability modifier. You do this for every stat. Examples: If a monster has the following (entirely fictional) stat array, then you would subtract as follows: Str: 13 (-11) Dex: 17 (-11) Con: 10 (-10) Int: 20 (-10) Wis: 9 (-11) Cha: 12 (-10) Then, you would have the following "Racial Ability Modifiers" Str +2, Dex +6, Con +0, Int +10, Wis -2, Cha +2 I hope that clears everything up. If you need more help, check the pages I cited. Thats what I do...glad to know it's clean. I'll probably post my character tommorrow or Friday. Edit-Dang, what are the rules on Warlock Invocations and Crafting? Specifically, can the Devil's Sight invocation be made into a magical item? If so, does it follow the usual rules for cost to buy as Standard Magical Items? |
| Mercurius06-28-07, 11:08 AM | If you think this list of books is limited, just ask TheChilliGod about HC#4: Welcome to the Monastary. Because of the materials available to the judges, the only thing that could be used was the Core 3 and the SRD. Nothing else. The rules for Monster races can be found, in detail, on pages 172-3 of the DMG. As for ability score generation (if the Monster description doesn't say otherwise), you take the score listed in the MM (or other book) and subtract 10 or 11 (whichever brings you to an even number). This number is the monster's racial ability modifier. You do this for every stat. Examples: If a monster has the following (entirely fictional) stat array, then you would subtract as follows: Str: 13 (-11) Dex: 17 (-11) Con: 10 (-10) Int: 20 (-10) Wis: 9 (-11) Cha: 12 (-10) Then, you would have the following "Racial Ability Modifiers" Str +2, Dex +6, Con +0, Int +10, Wis -2, Cha +2 I hope that clears everything up. If you need more help, check the pages I cited. Please note that certain monsters (particularly humanoids like the goblin) found in the MM3.5 don't actually follow this system. Those that have a base array different from 3 10s and 3 11s are called out, but it is a mistake I've seen people make (once in a competition hosted by the WotC boards... the goblin barbarian who suffered no penalty to strength because the 3.5 goblin warrior 1 started with a strength of 13, rather than 11... Bastard won, too... not that I'm bitter or anything. As for my entry, I'm trying to put it all together in my head right now... I am somewhat dismayed at how few animals in the core MM have deserts as their home regions, so I might have to ignore terrain when selecting one. |
| Zherog06-28-07, 11:41 AM | Also note that Intelligence doesn't follow the same rules as the "subtract 10 or 11" for the other stats when the base creature's Int is below 10. There's a table you have to reference to determine what your Int score is based upon what you rolled and what the "normal" score for that critter is. To use the table, look up the score you generated for your Int in the left hand column. Then, follow the row across until the column header contains the normal Int score for the creature. I'll post an example at the end. For ability scores lower than 10, the procedure is different. First, determine the character’s ability scores, and compare that number to the monster’s average ability score, using either the table below that applies to Intelligence or the table that applies to the other five ability scores. The separate table for Intelligence ensures that no PC ends up with an Intelligence score lower than 3. This is important, because creatures with an Intelligence score lower than 3 are not playable characters. Creatures with any ability score lower than 1 are also not playable. Generated ----------Monster Intelligence Score-------------- Score 3 4-5 6-7 8-9 18 10 12 14 16 17 9 11 13 15 16 8 10 12 14 15 7 9 11 13 14 6 8 10 12 13 5 7 9 11 12 4 6 8 10 11 3 5 7 9 10 3 5 7 9 9 3 5 6 8 8 3 4 6 8 7 3 4 5 7 6 3 4 5 6 5 3 3 5 5 4 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 So, let's say you're using a race that normally has an Intelligence score of 7. You do your point buy thing and decide to leave your Int score at 8. You're supposed to reference this chart and find your score, rather than applying an adjustment. The chart says your Int score will be 6 in the example case. You decide that score would just cost you too many skill points, so you buy your Int score up to a 12. We now reference that row on the table, and our adjusted Int score should be 8. You'll notice the quote above from the SRD mentions another table for scores other than Int. I didn't bother reproducing that one - as far as I can tell, that table works out to be exactly what you would expect with a negative modifier (though, of course, scores can't go below 1). *** Also, I'm a little surprised that the desert variant races from Unearthed Arcana weren't included in the "allowed" sources, sort of like how we included the cold variant races when we did the Frostfell contest... |
| Zherog06-28-07, 11:46 AM | Also, I've updated the master list to include a link to HC10, as well as expanding the section on eligible judges. |
| wrecan06-28-07, 11:50 AM | I will not look too kindly upon characters that try to use Weapon Finesse with morningstars...:D Hey! I resemble that remark!! |
| Apupunchau06-28-07, 01:10 PM | I've never tried any of these before but I'm thinking of trying this one, mostly because I'm currently using a character from a desert in my weekly game. I just have a few questions. 1) I'm not completely up to date on the SRD but are Genasi from FR in any of the books or SRD mentioned. It's ok if they're not a switch of race won't be a problem. 2) Is it ok to reference books that are not on the list of approved book just for character background. Since my game is a faerun game the character background references places and gods in the setting. Again the wording is probably easily adjusted if it's not alright but if it is then I can use my pre existing background. I may have more questions as I decide what to do for my entry. |
| Zherog06-28-07, 01:34 PM | 1) I'm not completely up to date on the SRD but are Genasi from FR in any of the books or SRD mentioned. It's ok if they're not a switch of race won't be a problem. Genasi are definitely not in the SRD. The SRD is basically the core rules minus the flavor text and WotC's intellectual property. I've never seen Genasi in a book outside the FR books. 2) Is it ok to reference books that are not on the list of approved book just for character background. Since my game is a faerun game the character background references places and gods in the setting. Again the wording is probably easily adjusted if it's not alright but if it is then I can use my pre existing background. Generally speaking - yes, that's OK, as long as it doesn't have any mechanical implications. For example, you can say your character is from the Silver Marches. You cannot, however, give yourself a regional feat. Also, it's always a good idea if you provide some basic info about the stuff you're including. For example, if you're character is originally from the Silver Marches, you might want to include a little note at the end that briefly describes the region - it's cold, snowy, brutal, etc. |
| Maekrix_Waere06-28-07, 02:39 PM | Also note that Intelligence doesn't follow the same rules as the "subtract 10 or 11" for the other stats. There's a table you have to reference to determine what your Int score is based upon what you rolled and what the "normal" score for that critter is. Unless the base Intelligence score is >10, which it is in my character. :D Thanks for the table anyway...didn't know about that. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk06-28-07, 03:46 PM | Edit-Dang, what are the rules on Warlock Invocations and Crafting? Specifically, can the Devil's Sight invocation be made into a magical item? If so, does it follow the usual rules for cost to buy as Standard Magical Items? Much to my frustration, I can't find anything that says how to determine the Caster Level of a Warlock. I have found multiple paragraphs that hint that a Warlock has a caster level equal to his class level, but I can't be sure. However, Devil's Sight is the equivalent to a 2nd level spell, so I would price it according to the normal pricing guide for a second level spell out of the DMG. Of course, there is a catch... Normally, the minimum caster level for an item based off a 2nd level spell is 3rd, but for a Warlock, as best I can tell, is 1st (Amounting to a huge difference in price!! Based on the tables in the DMG, your proposed item would be 1,000gp (1 Caster Levelx 2 Spell levelx 2000gpx 1/2 discount for 24 hour base duration), and grant 30 ft. darkvision in regular and magical darkness, why the Goggles of Night from the DMG, which are a CL 3 item, cost 12,000gp, and only give you darkvision in regular, not magical darkness.) Thus... I'm really not convinced that 1,000 is a fair base market price. Did I mention I hate Warlocks? Passionately? Anyways, long and short, as best I can tell... Use the appropriate DMG formulas. Spell Level equivalent is listed in Complete Arcane. Assume your caster level is equal to the lowest level you can use that category of invocation. Apply all other modifiers normally. And watch me rant for many hours afterwards... (I'll still stick to the RAW. I am a fair, if strongly opinionated, judge. Although if someone can find me a portion of the rules I'm missing, let me know. 1,000gp is ridiculously underpriced!) 2) Is it ok to reference books that are not on the list of approved book just for character background. Since my game is a faerun game the character background references places and gods in the setting. Again the wording is probably easily adjusted if it's not alright but if it is then I can use my pre existing background. As Zherog said, as long as you don't use any mechanical information from those books (items, feats, spells, etc...), then that is perfectly fine. One of Mercurius' best submissions was a Forgotten Realms Dwarf, if my memory serves me correctly. (And yes, I have a lot of respect for that entry, even if I came in first.) Speaking of Z, thanks for expanding on the information I gave everyone. I will update my response for the second time. |
| TheChilliGod06-28-07, 07:03 PM | Oh, goody. Desert-themed. Getting the environments all out of the way so that we don't have to look in that section of the Suggested Themes list. I've always wanted to make myself an Ashworm Dragoon. Note that my entry is going to be breaking the rules so many times and so ridiculously that you'll have to disqualify it three times over! Boo-yeah! If... y'know... I get around to actually making it... |
| blackjackg06-28-07, 08:02 PM | Hmmm... are the Environmental Racial (from UA) variants allowed in this competition? I ask because I know they're in the "Hypertext d20 SRD" but I don't see them in the "Official SRD" that's linked in the first post. Are those options off-limits? |
| Zherog06-28-07, 08:25 PM | That's correct - if they're not mentioned in the first post, they're not allowed. |
| Mercurius06-28-07, 10:55 PM | Honestly, I don't think you can actually make a magic item with a Warlock's invocations. That's why they have class features that allow them to mimic spells via UMD when crafting items... They're not supposed to be able to turn their inherent invocations into magic items anyone can use. That's my reading of the rules, though, again, I can't say for sure. I highly suspect you are not supposed to be able to craft invocation-based items, though. |
| Johnny_Angel06-28-07, 11:01 PM | IIRC, the "caster level" of the different invocations depends upon the type of invocation - least, greater, etc. I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in the Warlock class description or in the section that explains the different invocations. lol, now I'm unsure; I'll have to reread it again. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk06-29-07, 12:08 AM | The reason I'm thrown on crafting items w/ a Warlock is that Invocations are considered spell-like abilities, and I can't find a rule, one way or the other, that says you can/can't craft magic items using spell-like abilities. If anyone can point me to a clearer explanation of the rules, either for Warlock Invocation Caster Levels, or of Spell-like Abilities & Magic Item Creation, I would greatly appreciate it. Maybe if I figure Warlocks out a little better, my innate distaste for the class will be abated... Edit: And sorry, we didn't think about the Environmental Variants until you all mentioned them here, leaving them ultimately unavailable for this competition. Had we thought of them beforehand, they'd probably been allowed, but "Hindsight is 20/20." Sorry. However, not all is lost, b/c Sandstorm presents 3 variants on PHB races: Badlands Dwarves, Painted Elves, & Scabland Half-Orcs. That leaves out Gnomes and Halflings, but it isn't a total loss. |
| Endarrion06-29-07, 03:52 PM | I have a question regarding animal companions for druids and rangers. Would a vermin (specifically a Monstrous Scorpion, medium size) be an appropriate animal companion? The creature in question is a CR 1, and so is the wolf which a druid can take at 1st level (or a ranger at 4th). EDIT: On a separate note, is your spellcasting (or manifesting) ability based on your ACTUAL ability scores or your magically enhanced scores? ex: My wizard has a 17 INT, if he puts on a headband of intellect +2 (putting his score at 19) would he then be able to cast 9th level spells (assuming he is of the correct level)? |
| Maekrix_Waere06-29-07, 07:05 PM | I have a question regarding animal companions for druids and rangers. Would a vermin (specifically a Monstrous Scorpion, medium size) be an appropriate animal companion? The creature in question is a CR 1, and so is the wolf which a druid can take at 1st level (or a ranger at 4th). I don't believe you can take vermin as Animal Companions because: A)Vermin Type B)No Intelligence score...not even animalistic intelligence. At least, that's my interpretation of the rules. Also, because I am certain that somewhere I've seen a feat which had the effect of letting you get a Vermin Animal Companion...However, for the life of me, I can't remember where it is. Edit:I found a feat Spider Companion, but it's in Drow of the Underdark...as well as it's prerequisite feat...Vermin Trainer, which has a Prerequisite of: Drow, Handle Animal 4 ranks, and Knowledge (Religion) 4 ranks. However, I can't see a Drow being a very viable choice as a Desert adventurer (the whole Light Blindness problem), nor is the book allowed. |
| Endarrion06-29-07, 07:12 PM | I don't believe you can take vermin as Animal Companions because: A)Vermin Type B)No Intelligence score...not even animalistic intelligence. At least, that's my interpretation of the rules. I was just thinking, "Hey, a scorpion animal companion in the desert?! Sweet!" So much for that. |
| Maekrix_Waere06-29-07, 09:15 PM | Wow...I guess I'm first. Well, here goes nothing. -Cheynchaytion -Male Blue Dragon (Wyrmling) -Medium Dragon (Earth) -(No class levels...yet) Dragon HD-6, LA +4 -Hit Dice:6d12+24 (68 hp) -Initiative:+2 (+2 Dex) -Speed:40 ft. (8 squares) Fly 100 ft. (Average) -Armor Class:23 (10+5 Breastplate+2 Dex+1 Size+5 Natural) -Base Attack/Grapple:+6/+6 -Attack:Bite +10 Melee (1d6+4 Piercing and Slashing, x2) -Full Attack:Bite +10 Melee (1d6+4 Piercing and Slashing, x2) and 2 Claws +8 Melee (1d4+2 Piercing and Slashing, x2) -Space/Reach:5 ft./5 ft. -Special Attacks:Breath Weapon, Create/Destroy Water -Special Qualities:Blindscense 60 ft.,Darkvision 120 ft., Low Light Vision, Immunity to Electricity, Paralysis, and Magic Sleep effects. -Base Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5 -Saves: Fort +9 (+4 Con), Ref +7 (+2 Dex), Will +6 (+1 Wis) -Starting Abilities (28 point buy): Str 13, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 10 -Current Abilities: Str 20 (+1 level, +2 racial, +4 Belt), Dex 15 (+2 Gloves), Con 18 (+2 racial, +2 Amulet), Int 14 , Wis 12, Cha 10 -Skill Ranks: Diplomacy 9, Hide 9, Intimidate 9, Knowledge(Arcana) 9, Listen 9, Search 9, Spot 9, Survival 4.5 -Skills Bonuses: Diplomacy +9, Hide +14 (+2 Dex, +4 Size, -1 ACP), Intimidate +9, Knowledge(Arcana) +11 (+2 Int), Listen +10 (+1 Wis), Search +11 (+2 Int), Spot +10 (+1 Wis), Survival +5 (+1 Wis, -.5 Not Implemented) -Feats: Armour Proficiency (Light), Flyby Attack, Multiattack -Environment: Prefers the Desert, or Warm Underground -Organization:Single, Party (Cheynchaytion and up to four other creatures) -Challenge Rating:....5-ish (+1 Equipment, +1 Attributes) -Possessions:Belt of Giant Strength +4 (16,000gp), Ring of Shades (Casts Darkness on Command, CL 3) (10,800gp)*, Amulet of Health +2 (8,000gp), Gloves of Dexterity +2 (8,000 gp), Sapphire of Devil's Sight (Complete Arcane) (Constant Effect:as Devil's Sight Invocation, CL 1) (1,000gp+6,000gp [Sapphire])**, Mithral Breastplate (4,400gp), Saddlebags (8gp), 500gp, 5920sp. -Languages:Common, Draconic, Elven, Abyssal. -Alignment:Lawful Evil *-(2 x 3 x 1,800)*** Note: This isn’t an actual item, I just wanted to give it a cooler name than “Ring of Darkness” **-([2 x 1 x 2,000]/2)****,***** ***-(Table 7-33 on page 285 of the DMG) Spell Level x Caster Level x 1,800gp. ****-(Table 7-33 on page 285 of the DMG) Spell Level x Caster Level x 2,000gp. *****-x 1/2 discount for 24 hour base duration Breath Weapon(Su):40 ft. Line, 2d8 Electricity, Reflex DC 17 (10+3 [HD]+4 Con) half Create/Destroy Water(Sp):3/Day-As Create Water, but can also be used to destroy water. CL 1, Will DC 13 negates Cheynchaytion is currently a minor bandit near his desert abode. He raids the nearby trade route at least once a month, but is always present to inspect what the various merchants have to offer, and to ply them with questions. The only exception is when he is called away by representatives from House Tormtor, with a request for assistance on some endeavor. Cheynchaytion is the child of the leading suzerain of the Crystal Desert. (Note: Suzerain is an honorary title bestowed and/or claimed by the Blue dragon who is the oldest and strongest of his kind for several hundreds of miles around his lair. Also, this has absolutely no impact on anything at all, its just a little fun fact.) He chose for his lair a crag high up in a small cluster of mountains near the western edge of the desert, known as the Vordeln Mountains. This was not a random decision, of course, as many trade routes join up at the Vordelns, seeing as they are an excellent place to rest and collect spring water for the journey through the desert. Unbeknownst to most, though, the Vordeln Mountains, the Eternal Doorway, are aptly named. Many, shadier, merchants know that they are the most direct route to Erelhai-Cinlu, one of the largest cities of the Drow. As such, it was a great surprise when Cheynchaytion returned to his lair one night to find four dark figures standing outside his lair. After flying up and demanding to know who they were, the four figures explained that they were representatives from Lady Verdaeth, Matron Mother of House Tormtor who had come to deliver a request from the Lady to meet with her to discuss an Alliance of sorts, and that they had come with directions, as well as a good faith offering of 500 gold pieces. His interest piqued, Cheynchaytion agreed. Upon arriving at the meeting area, a large cavern, whose ceiling soared to enormous heights, Cheynchaytion was greeted by none other than Lady Verdaeth herself. After dispensing with the formalities, Verdaeth explained that she believed that it was best if her house began expanding its list of allies on the surface world, and that, rather than conspire with the short lived humans; it would be more desirable to associate with a creature of more majesty, and legacy. (Editor’s Note:*Cough*Kiss Up*Cough*) Eventually, an agreement was reached. Cheynchaytion agreed to ally himself with House Tormtor, and, in exchange, he would be rewarded for anything he did in the House’s favor. His assistance in House-to-House raids has already earned him a ring of Darkness, as well as a Sapphire which allows him to see through Magical Darkness. However, these acts have earned Cheynchaytion several enemies, including the now exterminated House Noquar (Hint, Hint), House Shi’Quos, and House Vae. After barely surviving an attempt on his life, Cheynchaytion relocated to a different lair, though still close to the mountains. Cheynchaytion has constructed his new lair beneath the sands, with assistance from House Tormtor’s “pet” Warlock, Mindshard, out of several chambers supported by sandstone walls (Hint, Hint) up to 30 ft. beneath the surface, which Cheynchaytion then excavated himself. The chambers are ridiculously large for Cheynchaytion, but he knows that, as he ages, he’ll eventually fit right in. With his own safety assured, Cheynchaytion turned his attention back to raiding. Unfortunately for Cheynchaytion, the traders have begun to hire mercenaries to protect their merchandise. Cheynchaytion is slowly coming to the conclusion that, perhaps, it would be best to move on, and find a newer, less risky “profession.” As such, many merchants have recently found Cheynchaytion in a bartering mood, and he has expended much of his horde on magical items to increase his abilities. As well as bartering with merchants, Cheynchaytion has begun inquiring into the whereabouts of any adventuring groups who are looking for a fourth or fifth member to join them. While these new habits have reduced the amount of raiding done, Cheynchaytion still raids some of the poorer caravans, who cannot afford to hire protection. Cheynchaytion is hoping to kick off his second birthday by setting off with a group of adventurers to earn fortune and...er...fortune? -Cheynchaytion’s lair is mostly bare, with the exception of nearly six thousand Silver Pieces, which he uses as a bed. -Cheynchaytion’s diet consists mainly of sand, as hunting around his area is slim, and humanoids are, “Too boney, not nearly enough meat on them…even though their bones do make a satisfying ‘crunch’ when they break. Either way, killing is a sure way to attract attention. The type of attention I do not want as of now.” -Cheynchaytion’s Mithral Breastplate was made by a Master Elven Armourer, who designed it to be loose, so that it would fit until Cheynchaytion is 100 years old. If you ask the Elf about it, he will remark, "It was the most terrifying experience of my entire life." -Cheynchaytion realizes that House Tormtor has it’s own reasons for the alliance, and, as such is trying to stay as much out of their debt as possible. If asked about it, he will reply, “Because, they are like me. And if I weren’t me, I definitely would not want to be indebted to me.” -Cheynchaytion’s usual raiding tactics are to burrow under the sand in front of his target and waiting until they are within 30 ft. before emerging from the sand, emitting a Breath Weapon at a 45 degree angle (so it passes above their heads), and demanding tribute. If things turn aggressive, Cheynchaytion uses his ring to blind his foes before engaging in combat. -Cheynchaytion keeps his Sapphire of Devil’s Sight embedded between the first scale of his neck ridge and the back of his head. In other words, it occupies his Head Slot for magic items. |
| Maekrix_Waere06-29-07, 09:41 PM | I was just thinking, "Hey, a scorpion animal companion in the desert?! Sweet!" So much for that. It doesn't matter what I think, it matter what the judges think. Wait for them to answer before you rule it out. :D To the Judges-I tried to make the Devil's Sight item a bit more appropriately priced by making it out of a sapphire worth 6,000gp. I realized that that gimps me a bit, mechanically, but my character is already much less provincial than the average dragon. I made the "More Fun Facts" Sblock in order to actually include a few personality quirks and sort of...personalize my submission. I don't have a portrait...mainly because there aren't many pictures of Small, Blue, Armoured dragons floating around. I find it humorous that when I heard that is was a desert based competition, I didn't think, "Oh, I better look in Sandstorm," or, "Oh, ToB has a style known as Desert Wind," I think, "Ooooh, Blue Dragons live in the desert!" Note on background flavour:From Drow of the Underdark and the Draconomicon Edit:-Attack:Bite +11 Melee (1d6+5 Piercing and Slashing, x2) -Full Attack:Bite +11 Melee (1d6+5 Piercing and Slashing, x2) and 2 Claws +9 Melee (1d4+2 Piercing and Slashing, x2) I hate when I can't edit posts...especially when it is crunch time. (Last ten minutes available for editting) Next time, I'll remember to double check how many PB points I've used BEFORE I post, so that after I correct them, I won't have to worry about having forgotten to correct mechanics that got changed by spending those last 2 points. |
| Far_Traveler06-30-07, 03:07 AM | Oh jeez, I knew i shouldn't of taken that day or two off from the boards to play starcraft! now i missed posting on the first page! Bah! Ah well, Marauders, Caravans, Oasises, Mirages, what a place to be! I think I know who shall be me... Also, I believe it handy to have some reference charts for the people! HP: d4: 27 + 10xcon d6: 37 + 10xcon d8: 47 + 10xcon d10: 57 + 10xcon d12: 67 + 10xcon BaB: +10 good +7 average +5 poor Saves: +7 good +3 poor skill points: 13 x (class + int) |
| TheChilliGod06-30-07, 03:36 AM | Aw... Don't worry, Far_Traveler. You're still on my first page. Only because I have posts-per-page set to 40, though. Besides, Starcraft > Everything. It was a more-than-fair trade. |
| FRRC06-30-07, 11:02 AM | Heh, I really don't have the time to keep entering into these things now but I'll try none-the-less. However, just two quick questions: For the pusposes of Shapesand which is supplied in a jug, how much does that provide in terms of cubic feet? Also, in the shapesand description it shows how much sand you can control, for example 5ft cube, but can that be manipulated? For example, does an item I create from Shapesand need to be strickly out of a 5 ft cube or can I spread 25 One foot cubes in a line? |
| Maekrix_Waere06-30-07, 12:35 PM | Also, I believe it handy to have some reference charts for the people! (snip) Note:If you are posting a character with a level adjustment, these charts are invalid. |
| Far_Traveler06-30-07, 03:41 PM | Well yeah, multiclass too. But I like to have some charts handy for those single-classers. They get no love. |
| CheeseMan06-30-07, 08:29 PM | first off, i'm a newcomer to hero craftsman, just getting that out of the way. anyway, as i've never played a desert-heavy game, i've got a few questions, some of which might seem stupid. 1.) the PHB only lists prices for conventional mounts. any prices on mules or camels? also, camels can use normal saddles, right? 2.) how much would a map cost? i assume it's a somewhat variable cost 3.) in a desert setting, standard ranger/druid divine focus (mistletoe/holly) are reeally hard to find. just substitute a with normal holy symbol? |
| JasonOrlandoHawk06-30-07, 11:59 PM | Hey everyone, my apologies for taking so long to update this thread. My internet has been giving me trouble the last two days, and I hope that this isn't going to become a pattern. Anyways, the competitor list has it's first entry! (Welcome back, Waere!) Now, for my answers to questions that have been posted: I have a question regarding animal companions for druids and rangers. Would a vermin (specifically a Monstrous Scorpion, medium size) be an appropriate animal companion? The creature in question is a CR 1, and so is the wolf which a druid can take at 1st level (or a ranger at 4th). EDIT: On a separate note, is your spellcasting (or manifesting) ability based on your ACTUAL ability scores or your magically enhanced scores? ex: My wizard has a 17 INT, if he puts on a headband of intellect +2 (putting his score at 19) would he then be able to cast 9th level spells (assuming he is of the correct level)? Ok, two questions here: 1) Scorpion Animal Companion: I checked the PHB and Sandstorm both, and neither allows the Scorpion to be taken as an Animal Companion. I dug a little deeper and noticed a pattern: There are no "Vermin" on the Animal Companion list. (Note: Dire Rat is considered an "Animal.") As a guess, I'd say vermin are probably not allowed b/c of the "Mindless" trait. However, to make this answer as applicable as possible to all future questions: If the animal is not listed as a possible Animal Companion in the PHB or Sandstorm, it is not allowed for this competition. 2) Spellcasting Ability Modifier (Particularly Int): Everything I've read indicates that you use your actual Ability Score plus magical enhancements for purposes of spellcasting. If you have a score of 14 and a +2 Headband, then you are treated as having an Intelligence score of 16 for purposes of Spellcasting. You would only use your actual score for skill points. (If anyone has read otherwise, let me know. However, as far as I can tell, your magically enhanced strength aids you melee attacks, so your magically enhanced intelligence improves your spellcasting.) For the pusposes of Shapesand which is supplied in a jug, how much does that provide in terms of cubic feet? Also, in the shapesand description it shows how much sand you can control, for example 5ft cube, but can that be manipulated? For example, does an item I create from Shapesand need to be strickly out of a 5 ft cube or can I spread 25 One foot cubes in a line? According to metricconversions.org, 1 dry gallon (the amount a jug would hold) = .155557 cubic feet, which means that approximately 6.5 jugs = 1 cubic foot of shapesand. (Note: Thank you wizards for being incredibly vague... Personally, I don't think that seems right, but I don't know how else to call it.) As for the second half of the question, I don't see why not. The chapter indicates that characters could potentially create full-blown castles. Although, if I'm doing my math correctly, you'd have 125 one foot cubes (5x5x5). So... long story short: 6.5 "jugs" of shapesand = 1 cubic foot & yes, you can toy with the space the object takes up, within the limits of the maximum space you can control. 1.) the PHB only lists prices for conventional mounts. any prices on mules or camels? also, camels can use normal saddles, right? 2.) how much would a map cost? i assume it's a somewhat variable cost 3.) in a desert setting, standard ranger/druid divine focus (mistletoe/holly) are reeally hard to find. just substitute a with normal holy symbol? 1) Sandstorm p.103: Dromedary Camel 75gp, Two-Humped Camel 100gp, War Camel 450gp. Nothing in the camel description indicates the need for "exotic saddles," so for purposes of this competition, use the "normal saddle" prices. 2) "Tool, masterwork 50gp" PHB p.129 Personally, I'd say it gives you a +2 circumstance bonus on Knowledge (Geography) checks and Survival checks to "Keep from getting lost/Avoid Natural Hazards." 3) Nothing is Sandstorm indicates the need to have a different focus for Ranger/Druid spells in a desert environment. I'd say you just need to note "Holly & Mistletoe" on your character sheet, and if (on the off chance it ever came up) your character needed a different desert plant as a focus, I'd assume your character had spent the time to acquire it for the same price (free). And now, to add all this information to the FAQs... Edit: Did I miss anyone's question? |
| FRRC07-01-07, 03:58 AM | S'pose that seems reasonable. Having the ability to create 10ft of anything would cost 6000gp - 7000gp. I'm willing to have that for a character :) After reading most of Sandstorm, I think it has to be one of the best suppliment books I've seen. I'd rate it number one over Stormwrack or Frostburn. |
| Heros_Backpack07-01-07, 08:00 AM | 1.) the PHB only lists prices for conventional mounts. any prices on mules? You'll find mules in the PHB too - they're just above the list of horses and ponies and cost 8gp each. Hope that helps. :) |
| Far_Traveler07-01-07, 02:15 PM | In Sandstorm, is there any familiars that grant the general heat resistant trait: +4 to resist hot weather? I'm thinking an Armadillo would do the trick. Any objections? (I'm a huge fan of making up familiar benefits on the spot) |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-01-07, 02:48 PM | In Sandstorm, is there any familiars that grant the general heat resistant trait: +4 to resist hot weather? I'm thinking an Armadillo would do the trick. Any objections? (I'm a huge fan of making up familiar benefits on the spot) The only additional familiar option in Sandstorm is a horned lizard, which grants a +2 bonus on Will saves. As a DM, I would probably allow you to create alternate familiar abilites, but as a judge I must stick to what the books allow. Therefore, if you invent a new familiar (or granted ability), it would be a rules use point deduction. (Again, as a DM, I'd willingly agree to it, but this isn't my personal game, it's a contest.) |
| Far_Traveler07-01-07, 08:08 PM | Dang. Well, what if I used the stats for a rat familiar (+2 fortitude saves) and said it was an Armadillo? Norris wants some time in the sun! |
| Mercurius07-01-07, 09:52 PM | *rubs hands together* I'm getting my character statted up, and I've got most of the nuts and bolts worked out, sans the miscellaneous gear. This character will be very interesting for me, because I've never built a character like this, and I've never really given much actual thought to the desert region of my campaign setting, so this will actually allow me to flesh out an area that I've seldom touched before aside from a few minor and overarching statements. This is exactly why I want to keep competing in these compeitions, btw. I love the opportunity to further flesh out my homebrew in unexpected ways. |
| Darth Sephiroth07-01-07, 11:52 PM | Does the 1st HD still get maxed out or does it also use the 1/2 |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-02-07, 12:17 AM | Does the 1st HD still get maxed out or does it also use the 1/2 1st HD is always max HP. Dang. Well, what if I used the stats for a rat familiar (+2 fortitude saves) and said it was an Armadillo? Norris wants some time in the sun! That should be fine. I seem to remember something like this being done in a previous competition anyways. |
| Leshan07-02-07, 12:33 AM | That should be fine. I seem to remember something like this being done in a previous competition anyways. So would it be safe to assume that the same thing could be done with a vulture instead of an armadillo? I'd probably use the hawks benefits (+3 Spot checks in bright light). If this is okay should I use the hawk's statistics for my familiar, or the vulture's from Sandstorm? I'm surprised they didn't make it so it could be a familiar, but oh well. |
| Far_Traveler07-02-07, 12:37 AM | I would think that most species of vultures would be too big to be a very good familiar. |
| Leshan07-02-07, 12:52 AM | You might be right. I just rechecked the description of the vulture in Sandstorm and it's a small creature, where as I think every other familiar is at most tiny sized. Never mind then |
| Zherog07-02-07, 10:19 AM | So would it be safe to assume that the same thing could be done with a vulture instead of an armadillo? I'd probably use the hawks benefits (+3 Spot checks in bright light). If this is okay should I use the hawk's statistics for my familiar, or the vulture's from Sandstorm? I'm surprised they didn't make it so it could be a familiar, but oh well. I'm not a judge this time around, but here's my opinion on the matter anyway. You're much better off, from a scoring standpoint, if you keep all the stats exactly the same as the creature you're copying, and just change the name. From a rules standpoint, a hawk is a valid familiar while a vulture isn't. What you call the creature is mostly meaningless - though you might actually garner a slight increase to your Thematic Creativity score by renaming the creature to something more theme appropriate. Once you use the stats for a creature who is not a valid familiar, you're outside of what the rules allow. That's going to result in a reduction to your Rules Use score - though by how much would depend on each judge. |
| wrecan07-02-07, 11:39 AM | Wanted to get this in before the holiday! BALAG Painted elf barbarian 5/bard 4/horizon walker 1 Why should I join your party? That’s a good question. You’re going into the desert, right? You plan on going into some lost tombs, ransacking the place, getting some ancient relics and what-not? Well, I want to come and I want my cut. Just a fair share. I’m not greedy. Oh, and one condition. You find a magic mirror, and I get first crack at it. So to speak. Oh, you want to know why you should let me join your party, eh? Fair enough. I can fight. Don’t let this drum fool you. I know my way around a falchion. Yeah, I can sing an entertaining song and play a mean beat, and if your priest over there falls down, I can get him back up again. But this sword has sliced up its share of desert monsters, I’ll tell you. But more than that, if you’re going into that desert, you’ll need a guide. Nobody knows this desert like I do. I’ve spent decades in there. And let me tell you what I encounter more than anything else. No, not sandworms, or monstrous scorpions or brass dragons. I find corpses. Corpses of adventurers who enter that fool desert without the slightest idea on what they might find. That’s why you should let me join your party. My story? You really want to know? Well, as long as you're buying the firewater, I’ll keep talking. Well, to look at me, you’d think I always lived in this forsaken wasteland of a desert, but it’s not true. You see, I’m a painted elf. Yes, I am actually painted, but no, that doesn’t make you a painted elf. Not many have heard of us. We live in a petrified forest on the edge of the desert. We mostly keep to ourselves, though. There’s not much of value in the petrified forest, so we don’t have a lot of outside enemies. Sadly, that didn’t stop us from having enemies within. When I was younger, I was always considered an angry child. I don’t know why. I really didn’t have anything to be angry about. Only four things kept my rage in check. One was the desert. I used to sit and stare at it. It called to me. When I was young I used to steal my tribe’s sand skiffs and taught myself to sandsail. I don’t know why I did that. I think the desert brings out the worst in people sometimes. The second thing was fighting. My tribe taught me to channel my rage to make me a better fighter. When I came of age, they made me a scout for the tribe. No more stealing skiffs for me. I would spend days in the desert with my friends, exploring the dunes, riding the winds. It was one of the few times I ever felt truly free. Haven’t felt that way in a long time. The third was my music. You spend a lot of time alone as a scout in the desert and the monotony of the dunes can drive people mad. You find ways to occupy yourself. For me, it was drumming. Out in the desert I could sing and drum to the rhythms of the dune winds. And my music had other benefits. Passing caravans would hear my music and pay me a bit of coin. Also, they’d tell me tales about the desert sands and the world beyond the petrified forest. The fourth was Alystra. She was also a scout, and my partner. Where I was unyielding like stone, she was supple as sand. We loved each other since we were children. She was my ground and my muse. She gave me this ring, to sustain me on my forays into the desert. She is the only person who ever truly understood why I sought out the solace of the desert sands… Love, like the desert, can bring out the worst in people. Her father, Jubaliyin, didn’t appreciate my interest in his daughter. He was a druid, a holy man among my people, and he didn’t think his daughter should be with a mere scout and musician. I have to admit I didn’t make things easy on her. Her father and I would argue all the time. I wrote some pretty nasty songs that made the rounds among the camps. And unknown to me, I had another enemy: Efrysth. He was a scrawny kid, even for a high elf. (And painted elves are not nearly as scrawny as high elves.) But he also loved Alystra. Or he thought he did. I remember him as a kid, he used to follow Alystra and me around. I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t treat him well. Frankly, neither did Jubaliyin, who seemed to think this scrawny clumsy elf was even less appropriate for his daughter than I. But however I or Jubaliyin treated him, Alystra didn’t deserve his wrath. Nobody realized it but Efrysth developed sorcerous powers. And these powers went to Efrysth’s head. It filled him with strange ideas, strange cruelties. He thought that if Alystra would hate me that she would love him. I was away, scouting when it happened. As far as I can tell, Efrysth had made or bought or found some striped toadstool. He snuck it into Jubaliyin’s wine, robbing him of his druidic spells. (He was not yet experienced enough to resist poisons.) Then Efrysth altered his appearance to look like me. He picked a fight with Jubaliyin, and stabbed him with a dagger poisoned with bloodroot. That is when Alystra entered the tent, seeing me slay her father. She leapt at Efrysth and in the struggle, Alystra was herself poisoned and she died. In horror, Efrysth fell to the ground in grief, just as the glamer wore off. Jubaliyin saw who the true murderer was. He was not dead, but had been immobilized by poison until that moment. Although he had no spells, he still could wild shape, and he turned into an eagle and flew away. When I returned, I heard what had happened. Efrysth had stolen a skiff and fled into the desert. After his fellow druids removed the poison from his body, Jubaliyin swore a blood oath against Efrysth and flew after him as an eagle. The druids tried to reincarnate Alystra, but her spirit refused to return. I believe it is because she thinks that I killed her and her father. I was grief-stricken, too grief-stricken even for vengeance. For once in my life, all rage drained from me and I was a hollow elf. Then I recalled an ancient legend. The old pharaohs of the desert would be mummified and buried with their treasures. In one legend, one pharaoh had a magical mirror built that peered into the afterlife and allowed his ministers to continue to seek advice from the pharaoh and inform him of the welfare of his kingdom. I believe that I can use that mirror to find Alystra and to explain to her the truth. Were she to discover that it was not I who killed her, she would be willing to return to me. I took a skiff, headed into the desert for that mirror, and never looked back. And that’s why I have spent the last thirty years in this desert, scouring its sands for any signs of that legendary Pharaoh’s tomb. I have made many enemies in my journey. My path has crossed Jubaliyin’s several times. Although his main ire is for Efrysth, a part of him still blames me for her death. I haven’t seen Efrysth, and I don’t know what I’d do if I did. I’ve heard, he seeks me, and blames me for his accident in killing Alystra. He is mad from the desert and from his jealousy. I’ve made other enemies too. I have violated many a tomb in my quest, and there are those who I have disturbed who seek vengeance on me. You should know that if we are to travel together. I cannot name them all, but the most persistent is a janni known as Alkafir who was sacrificing innocent travelers in an attempt to become a true genie. He had a magic mirror that would transport him to the elemental lands of the genies. Let’s just say that mirror did not fare well as a shield set against my falchion. And there is Flochulam, a gnome who travels these parts. He owes me two hundred gold. He claims I cheat at cards. It’s a long story. Maybe I’ll tell you that one once we’re out on the sands. Of course, it hasn’t been a total loss. In that game with Flochulam, I won this nifty fan, which helps me out of all sorts of jams when I need my skiff to really move. And the desert is full of ingredients that help me brew my potions. Once you get past the heat and the thirst, and thanks to my ring and my training, I’ve mastered them both, the desert can be a wondrous place. Deadly, but wondrous. But isn’t that just life writ small? Balag is an elf of about 160 years of age, but the constant exposure to the sun and the wind makes him appear to be about 240. His haunted eyes are piercing blue, and his hair was dirty straw blond, but has since been sun-bleached almost to whiteness. His face is painted in the style of the painted elves, but rather than the vibrant blue, red and purple of his people’s petrified forest, he uses the muted yellow and ocher and orange of the desert sands. He wears elven chain mail under his desert robes, and a dusty veil hides the filter mask he wears as protection against the sandy winds. Over his back are two falchions (his magical one, and a spare), his composite longbow and quiver, and on his waist are two belt pouches, his masterwork drum and a morningstar. He is absolutely committed to finding the mirror and getting his Alystra back. Whether it is really possible to communicate with the dead and convince them to abandon the afterlife for love… well, that is a matter for the DM, and the difference between a happy and a tragic ending. Allies and Enemies Balag has many enemies. Primarily, Efrysth seeks to kill him and blames him for Alystra’s death, even though Efrysth actually killed her. In his travels, Balag has made many an enemy, such as the gnome Flochulam and the janni Alkafir. Jubaliyin is a peculiar antagonist. Often Jubaliyin will be his enemy, blaming Balag that his daughter had the adventurous life of a scout instead of becoming a druid like him. For some reason, he thinks this attracted Efrysth to her and so at some level, he blames Balag for Alystra’s death as well. But other times, they will work together, particularly if it means finding Efrysth. (Jubaliyin does not agree that Alystra can – or should – be brought back to life. He thinks the Pharaoh’s mirror is a myth, and that once a person refuses to return from the lands of the dead, that decision cannot be undone. Balag has allies as well. The elves of the petrified forest still welcome Balag as one of their own, although his time with outsiders has made him something of a curiosity and a stranger to them. And, of course, they have possession of Alystra's corpse, buried under a petrified tree inscribed with her name. Many merchants enjoy Balag’s stories and songs and he is always selling potions and other curios he finds in his travels. (Let it be said that Balag is not above sharing the bed of a beautiful woman, despite his love for Alystra, if only to stave off the dark loneliness for a single night…) BALAG, painted elf1 barbarian 5/bard 4/horizon walker 1 Size/Type medium humanoid (elf), HD 5d12+4d6+1d8+30 (86 hp), Init +0, Spd 40 ft. (8 squares), AC 22 (+8 armor +2 natural armor +2 deflection)2, touch 12, flatfooted 223, BAB/Grp +9/+11, Atk4 +2 falchion +13 melee (2d4+5, 15-20/x2, slashing)5 or masterwork composite longbow +10 ranged (d8+2, 20/x3, piercing) or morningstar +11 melee (d8+2, 20/x2, bludgeoning and piercing), Full Atk4 +2 falchion +13/+8 melee (2d4+5, 15-20/x2, slashing)5 or masterwork composite longbow +10/+5 ranged (d8+2, 20/x3, piercing) or masterwork morningstar +11/+6 melee (d8+2, 20/x2, bludgeoning and piercing), Sp/R 5 ft./5 ft., SA bardic spells (3-3-1 per day, known spells below), rage 2/day, SQ bardic knowledge (+4 to check), bardic music6 4/day (countersong, fascinate, inspire competence +2, inspire courage +1), enchantment resistance (+2), fast movement (40 ft.), favored class (druid), improved uncanny dodge, low-light vision, sleep immunity, terrain mastery (desert) (immune to fatigue, and exhaustion treated as fatigue), trap sense +1, Saves Fort +107, Ref +5 (+6)8, Will +5 (+7)9, Abilities Str 14, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 16, Skills10 Balance -2, Climb +0, Escape Artist -2, Hide -2, Intimidate +12, Jump +411, Knowledge (geography) +8, Listen +12, Move Silently -2, Perform (percussion instruments) +1412, Perform (sing) +12, Profession (sailor) +213, Search +2, Sleight of Hand -2, Spot +6, Survival +9 (+11)14, Swim -2, Tumble -2, Feats Brew Potion, Endurance, Improved Critical (falchion), Power Attack, AL chaotic good, Lang common, elven. SPELLS KNOWN Zero: Detect Magic, Light, Prestidigitation, Read Magic, Resistance, Summon Instrument First: Cure Light Wounds, Expeditious Retreat, Feather Fall Second: Cure Moderate Wounds, Rage EQUIPMENT (all potions are brewed by Balag at half-price, as indicated) Weight Cost Item (lbs.) (gp) n/a 150 Sand skiff15 - - Desert outfit15 - 1 Filter mask15 20 13150 +3 elven chain - 8000 +2 amulet of natural armor - 8000 +2 ring of protection - 2500 Ring of sustenance 8 8375 +2 falchion 3 600 Masterwork composite longbow (Str +2) 3 1 Quiver of 20 arrows 8 75 Spare falchion 6 8 Morningstar 3 100 Masterwork drum 2 5 Spell component pouch .5 1 Belt pouch (10 lb. capacity) - 5500 •Wind fan .6 1200 •6 potions of cure moderate wounds .5 1000 •5 potions of rage .3 150 •3 potions of expeditious retreat .6 75 •6 potions of resistance .2 100 •10 platinum pieces .16 8 •8 gold pieces .18 .9 •9 silver pieces .02 .1 •10 copper pieces 56.06 49,000 TOTAL Notes Painted elves are a racial variant detailed in Sandstorm. As a barbarian, Balag has a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks made by traps As a barbarian, Balag possesses improved uncanny dodge As a horizon walker, Balag gets a +1 insight bonus to attack and damage desert creatures With a two-handed weapon, Balag inflicts 1½ times his Strength bonus and double his Power Attack bonus. According to Complete Adventurer, when using a masterwork drum, Balag grants an extra +1 damage when inspiring courage, but the morale bonus to saves against fear and charm is reduced by 1 (i.e., eliminated). Due to the filter mask, Balag receives a +2 bonus to saves against gas-based effects. As a barbarian, Balag has a +1 bonus to Reflex saves to avoid traps. As an elf, Balag is immune to sleep effects and receives a +2 racial bonus to saves against enchantment effects. Only skills whose aggregate adjustments differ from the appropriate Ability modifier are listed. This includes the bonus Balag receives for having a faster than normal Speed. This includes the +2 circumstance bonus Balag receives for playing his masterwork drum. This includes the +2 circumstance bonus Balag receives from his sand skiff. Balag receives a +2 bonus to avoid natural hazards or getting lost and automatically knows true north because he has more than five ranks in Survival. The sand skiff, desert outfit and filter mask are all detailed in Sandstorm. The sand skiff can carry up to 500 lbs. of cargo. At the moment, Balag has no cargo. Character Progression By Level The following Code Block shows the character's level progression. Each column represents the bonus received on a given character level. Additional columns are also included detailing any adjustments due to race, armor or abilities. Abilities, Skills, Saves, Feats, hit points and BAB progression are all calculated below. CHARACTER LEVEL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CLASS Brb 1 Brd 1 Brb 2 Brd 2 Brb 3 Brd 3 Brb 4 Brd 4 Brb 5 HWk 1 ABILITIES (point buy) Race TOTAL Strength (6) 14 - - - - - - - - - - 14 Dexterity (0) 8 - - - - - - - - - +2 10 Constitut’n (8) 15 - - +1 - - - - - - - 16 Intell’nce (4) 12 - - - - - - - - - -2 10 Wisdom (2) 10 - - - - - - - - - - 10 Charisma (8) 15 - - - - - - +1 - - - 16 SKILLS Subtot. Ability Race Armor TOTAL Balance 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 - -2 -2 Climb 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +2 - -2 +0 Escape Artist 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 - -2 -2 Hide 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 - -2 -2 Intimidate 4 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 9 +3 - - +12 Jump 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +2 - -2 +0 Knowl. (geog.) - 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 8 +0 - - +8 Listen 4 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 10 +0 +2 - +12 Move Silently 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 - -2 -2 Perform (perc) 1cc 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 9 +3 - - +12 Perform (sing) 1cc 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 9 +3 - - +12 Search - - - - - - - - - - - +0 +2 - +2 Sleight of Hand - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 - -2 -2 Spot - - - - - - - - - 4 4 +0 +2 - +6 Survival 4 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 9 +0 - - +9 Swim 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +2 - -4 -2 Tumble 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 +0 - -2 -2 TOTAL RANKS 16 6 4 6 4 6 4 6 4 4 SAVES Ability TOTAL Fortitude +2 +0 +1 +0 +0 +1 +1 +0 +0 +2 +3 +10 Reflex +0 +2 +0 +1 +1 +0 +0 +1 +0 +0 +0 +5 Will +0 +2 +0 +1 +1 +0 +0 +1 +0 +0 +0 +5 FEATS End. Pwr Atk Brw Pot Imp Crt HP (+30 Con) 12 +3.5 +6.5 +3.5 +6.5 +3.5 +6.5 +3.5 +6.5 +4.5 86.5 TOTAL BAB +1 +0 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +1 +9 TOTAL This entry I wanted a character with a bit more darkness than prior entries. I always wanted to do a barbarian/bard and my current campaign is set in a desert, so this is a character I would really want to play. He is not optimized by any means. Cross-class ranks in skills, Brew Potion as a nominally profitable feat. Being a primary combatant with spellcasting. But I thought concept trumps the numbers here. I wanted a man of contradictions. A chaotic ball of rage who has no desire for vengeance against the man who killed his love. A man who has sacrificed everything to bring his love back, and yet sleeps with other women. A character who appears a lone but, as a bard, really works best as the support man in a party. |
| Leshan07-02-07, 12:24 PM | I'm not a judge this time around, but here's my opinion on the matter anyway. You're much better off, from a scoring standpoint, if you keep all the stats exactly the same as the creature you're copying, and just change the name. From a rules standpoint, a hawk is a valid familiar while a vulture isn't. What you call the creature is mostly meaningless - though you might actually garner a slight increase to your Thematic Creativity score by renaming the creature to something more theme appropriate. Once you use the stats for a creature who is not a valid familiar, you're outside of what the rules allow. That's going to result in a reduction to your Rules Use score - though by how much would depend on each judge. Ahhh, okay. That sounds good, thanks for the help. |
| CheeseMan07-02-07, 11:45 PM | thanks everyone for answering my earlier questions, but i've got one more. usually i just use elite array, so i'm a little unfamiliar with point buy, although i do get the basic principles. anyway, my question is: is 28 point buy before the ability increases for 4th and 8th level, or does it include those? i'm assuming the 4th/8th ability increases aren't included in the point buy |
| Kit_the_Odd07-03-07, 12:18 AM | You are correct CheeseMan, the point buy does not include ability increases at levels 4 and 8. (or 12, 16, and 20 either, but that isn't really a factor here is it? :) ) |
| Zherog07-03-07, 12:10 PM | Also, point buy does not include racial adjustments. You add those on after you're finished "buying" your stats. |
| Heros_Backpack07-04-07, 06:46 AM | If you want to keep things simple, you'll also find two 28pt arrays in the first post. |
| Haruspex07-04-07, 08:14 AM | Phew...I'm done with my preliminary judging for the first two entries. History will judge if I was too harsh or not harsh enough. |
| jennibert07-04-07, 09:40 AM | Phew...I'm done with my preliminary judging for the first two entries. History will judge if I was too harsh or not harsh enough. What? Judging early? STOP THAT! You'll make all the rest of us look bad! ;) (Though Mercurius is now pointing out that he judged early once too...I'll have to beat him....) Now off to write my character's background....:D |
| CheeseMan07-04-07, 01:32 PM | here we go! Arae Mihdi Arae Mahdi, only son of Mors and Lin, was raised in the small subterranean village (or ‘fedayn’ as they’re known to the locals) of Al-Rekhan, deep within the allegedly endless Hakrydor Desert. At the age of 11, after being wrongfully accused of the heinous crime of stealing water, he was exiled from his home, left to wander the vast, featureless expanse alone. After two nights of travel through the bleak wilderness, he was miraculously happened upon by a trading caravan headed toward another fedayn. After a few years of drifting among the fedayns, caravans, and nomad herds, he was taken in by a band of traveling Suari warriors at the age of 14. Trained by their chieftan, Andon, his psionically gifted son Ren (who Arae would later make a blood-pact with, effectively making them brothers), and the rest of the tribe, Arae learned the ways of combat, becoming a ranger. During his time with the Andon’s tribe he participated in many vicious battles, including single-handedly defeating a bulette while on patrol, and participating in the tribe’s titanic clash against Ochterka, a powerful adult blue dragon who had been terrorizing the villages of the Thyrik salt flats. Gravely wounded and lost after slaying the bulette, he followed a brown eagle back to camp, taking it as his companion and naming it Leto, and for his brave actions against Ochterka, he was rewarded with his own camel, which he named Arke. The tribe slowly drifted far to the east over the years, out of the lawless of the Hakrydor, into the vast lands of the Ajarkii Kingdom. Heading deep into the Ajarkii wastes, through numerous, downtrodden villages and pasts countless dangers, they reached the Ivory City, the capital of Ajarkii, with a thousand towers reaching up like fingers to scrape the sky. Here he learned from Ren, who in turn had learned from the great wizards and psions of the city, that long ago, what was now a bleak, endless desert was once a lush, green paradise in ages past. After a lifetime of struggle against the desert, never knowing any place else, and after seeing the faces of the innumerable people, beaten down by this harsh land, Arae knew that he must solve the mystery of the desert’s past. He told Andon of what he wished to do, and when the Suari left the Ivory City, continuing east, Arae was not among them. On his own, he rode far to the south, far beyond Ajarkii borders, far beyond the known lands of the Hakrydor, felling terrifying beasts and evil men along the way. It was here, in the unknown, foreign lands of the gnomes, that the Ivory City wizards had told him he would start to unravel the desert’s shadowy history… Arae grew up with his first priority in life being survival, but as his strength grew, and survival became second nature to him, he began dedicating himself to protecting the weak and defenseless of Ajarkii and the Hakrydor. After his learning of the desert’s secret past in the Ivory City, his life’s quest became to uncover those secrets, although he still defends the weak whenever he can. Arae often keeps his appearance masked with his glamered armor and Hat of Disguise, but when showing his true appearance, he is slightly on the tall side, and gaunt and thin, but with plenty of muscle, as many of the desert all. His skin is a deeply tanned and leathery, and his short hair and beard both a pale brown. He wears a mithril breastplate beneath a light cloak, and keeps his lower face wrapped in rags. In combat, Arae is calm and precise, preferring to climb a rocky outcropping when a foe is first sighted and raining arrows on them from long range, but if close combat cannot be avoided, he has no qualm with drawing his greatsword. Male Human, age 27 Ranger 10 Neutral Good, Patron: Fharlanghn Height: 6’ Weight: 150lb Str 14 [+2] (6pts) Dex 16 [+3] (6pts, +1 at 4th lvl, +1 at 8th lvl) Con 12 [+1] (4pts) Int 12 [+1] (4pts) Wis 14 [+2] (6pts) Cha 10 [0] (2pts) BAB: +10/+5 HP: 69 Speed: 40ft (30ft + 10ft boots of striding and springing) Initiative: +3 Grapple: +12 (+10BAB, +2Str) Saves Fort: +8 (+7 base, +1 Con) Ref: +10 (+7 base, +3 Dex) Will: +5 (+3 base, +2 Wis) AC 19 (10 + 6(+1 Breastplate) + 3 Dex) Touch AC 13, Flat-Footed AC 16 Carrying Capacity Light: less than 58lb Medium: 59-116 Heavy: 117-175 Weapons +2 Greatsword (8350GP/8lb): +14 attack bonus, 2d6+4 slashing damage, 19-20/x2 crit, 2 handed (melee) Shocking Distance Composite Longbow [+2 Str] (8600GP/3lb): +14 attack bonus, 1d8+2 piercing damage, x3 crit, 2 handed (ranged) Armor +1 Glamered Shadow Mithril Breastplate (11650GP/15lb), +5 max Dex, -2 armor check penalty, +6 AC bonus, 15% Arcane spell failure Magic Items Worn Hat of Disguise (1800GP/--) - head Eyes of the Eagle (2500GP/--) – eyes Ring of Sustenance (2500GP/--) – ring 1 Boots of Striding and Springing (5500GP/1lb) – feet Possessions on Person (unless specified, all items in Heward’s Handy Haversack) Heward’s Handy Haversack (2000GP/5lb) – on back Traveler’s Outfit (free/free) - worn Bedroll (1SP/5lb) Map Case (1GP/.5lb) Chalk (1CP/--) Mirror (10GP/.5lb) Silk Rope (10GP/5lb) Tent (10GP/20lb) Torch x5 (5CP/5lb) Whetstone (2CP/1lb) Flint & Steel (1GP/--) Spade (2GP/8lb) Tindertwig x10 (10GP/--) Holly & Mistletoe (--/--) – in pocket Studded Leather Barding, Camel fit (100GP/40lb) Cure Moderate Wounds Potion x6 (1800GP/--) Maps [Masterwork tools, Knowledge (Geo)] (50GP/1lb) – in Map Case Spyglass (1000GP/1lb) Quiver w/ 20 Arrows (1GP/3lb) – on back 200PP (200PP/4lb) 500GP (500GP/10lb) 50SP (50SP/1lb) 50CP (50CP/1lb) total carried weight: 35lb Possessions not on Person Camel (75GP), named Arke Riding Saddle (10GP/25lb) – on Arke Arke’s load when ridden: 210lb (light load) total possession value: 48485.58GP Spells 1st level: 1 per day, 1 bonus, DC13 2nd level: 1 per day, 1 bonus, DC14 Skills (skills not mentioned have no modifier) Appraise +1 (+1 Int) Balance +1 (+3 Dex, -2 AC penalty) Climb +5 (5 ranks, +2 Str, -2 AC penalty) Concentration +1 (+1 Con) Craft +1 (+1 Int) Escape Artist +1 (+3 Dex, -2 AC penalty) Forgery +1 (+1 Int) Handle Animal +6 (6 ranks) Heal +7 (5 ranks, +2 Wis) Hide +14 (13 ranks, +3 Dex, -2 AC penalty) Jump (+2 Str, -2 AC penalty, +5 Boots of Striding and Springing) Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +8 (7 ranks, +1 Int) Knowledge (Geography) +10 (7 ranks, +1 Int, +2 Maps) Knowledge (Nature) +10 (7 ranks, +1 Int, +2 Survival Synergy) Listen +12 (10 ranks, +2 Wis) Move Silently +14 (13 ranks, +3 Dex, -2 AC penalty) Ride +8 (3 ranks, +3 Dex, +2 Handle Animal Synergy) Search +5 (5 ranks) Sense Motive +2 (+2 Wis) Spot +17 (10 ranks, +2 Wis, +5 Eyes of the Eagle) Survival +15 (13 ranks, +2 Wis) Swim -2 (+2 Str, -4 AC penalty) Use Rope +3 (+3 Dex) Racial Traits/Class Features Human Traits Favored Enemy (lvl 2): Magical Beast Favored Enemy (lvl 2): Dragon Favored Enemy (lvl 1): Elemental Wild Empathy Woodland Stride Swift Tracker Evasion Feats Track Rapid Shot Endurance Point Blank Shot Far Shot Precise Shot Improved Rapid Shot Weapon Focus: Longbow Languages Common Draconic (gained w/ skill points) Gnoll (gained w/ skill points) Auran (gained w/ skill points) Animal Companion Name: Leto Type: Eagle Medium Animal HP: 17 Initiative: +2 Speed: 10ft, fly 80ft (average) AC: 15 (+2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 12, flat footed 13 BAB/Grapple: +2/+2 Attack: talons +4 melee (1d6+2) Full Attack: 2 talons +4 melee (1d6+2) and bite -1 melee (1d6+2) Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft Special Qualities: Low-Light Vision Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +3 Abilities: Str 15, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 6 Skills: Listen +2, Spot +16 Feats: Weapon Finesse, Flyby Attack Tricks: Attack, Come, Down, Heel, Stay, Perform, Fetch (bonus), Seek (bonus) lets cross our fingers and hope i didnt forget and/or botch something mechanical. judges please PM me with scores & comments (thanks) PM here |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-04-07, 02:40 PM | Contestant List Updated! Welcome aboard, CheeseMan! And, I know I'm going to send shock waves through the entire judge list, but I to, have gotten an early start on judging these entries. I am not as far as Haruspex, but then again, it is the 4th of July, so I must pause and celebrate the birth of my nations with excessive quantities of powerful, dangerous explosives!!! Can't wait for more entries! Jason |
| FRRC07-04-07, 03:25 PM | Just a question of Code blocks. How do you get them all straight and neat? I have to keep going in and out and use Spaces to line everything up. Alot of bother. |
| wrecan07-04-07, 08:37 PM | I do the Code blocks in Word first, using [tab]. Then I cut in paste into the forum, and use preview to make sure they come out straight. Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error. My level progression code blocks were a pain in the badunkadunk. |
| Zherog07-04-07, 10:56 PM | I use notepad rather than word, only because it uses a fixed size font by default, so it makes lining things up easier (at least for me). |
| Haruspex07-05-07, 08:02 AM | HP: d4: 27 + 10xcon d6: 37 + 10xcon d8: 47 + 10xcon d10: 57 + 10xcon d12: 67 + 10xcon Wait, this isn't right. They should be: d4 = 4 + (9x2.5) = 26 + 10xcon hp d6 = 6 + (9x3.5) = 37 + 10xcon hp(this one is correct) d8 = 8 + (9x4.5) = 48 + 10xcon hp d10 = 10 + (9x5.5) = 59 + 10xcon hp d12 = 12 + (9x6.5) = 70 + 10xcon hp For all single-classed LA +0 characters. Unless I made a mistake somewhere. |
| FRRC07-06-07, 11:51 AM | Okay, here is an interesting question. Kheferu, the special material found on page 136 Sandstorm. How does the pricing work with this? It says the weapon costs twice as much to make (Which I take is the base weapon) but then any magical enchantments cost an extra 2000gp. Does this mean a +2 Flaming Spoon costs just 2000gp more (Its a +3 Enchantment in total) or 4000gp more (+2 plus Flaming)? Or is it merely referring to price based enchantments. |
| CheeseMan07-06-07, 12:21 PM | the +2000 covers all enhancements, you only pay it once. i dont own Sandstorm, so i dont know how its worded in there, but Cold Iron functions price-wise the same way, so look it up (DMG pg 284), maybe its more clearly worded |
| Far_Traveler07-06-07, 05:27 PM | for purposes of market price, add 2kgp to the total magic item price for cold iron or similar materials. |
| Zherog07-06-07, 05:42 PM | for purposes of market price, add 2kgp to the total magic item price for cold iron or similar materials. That depends. You have to add 2K every time you add an enchantment. What's that mean? Well, let's look at a +1 flaming longsword as an example. Scenario One I have a masterwork cold iron longsword. I've saved up my money, and now I'm gonna pay my wizard friend to enchant it. I want to add a +1 enhancement bonus. The enhancement bonus costs me 2000 gold pieces, and because cold iron is resistant to magical effects it costs an additional 200 gold pieces, for a total of 4000 gold pieces. I go and adventure a while, and I get a bunch o' gold. I decide that it would be spiffy if my sword produced fire. So I talk to my wizard buddy, and he assures me that he can, in fact, add the flaming property to my weapon. All I have to do is give him 8000 gp - 6K for the enhancement (the difference in cost from a +2 weapon to a +1 weapon), and another 2K because cold iron is so difficult to work with. Grand total spent = 12000 (plus, of course, the cost of the masterwork cold iron long sword) Scenario Two I have a masterwork cold iron longsword, and an assload of gold. I talk to my wizard buddy about what he can do, and I decide to give my longsword a +1 enhancement bonus and add the flaming property, all in one shot. A +1 flaming weapon is a +2 equivalent for cost - or 8K. And working with cold iron adds 2K to the cost. So I need to give my wizard buddy 10K to magic up my longsword. Grand total spent = 10000 |
| Far_Traveler07-06-07, 06:27 PM | That's why I specified For the Purposes of Market Price. I am quite aware of that. Say you wanted to sell your +1 flaming cold iron longsword. Would the buyer give a crap about how much YOU paid for it? He's give you 5000gp either way. |
| Far_Traveler07-06-07, 08:40 PM | Ginkle/Dabble/Greenk/Filtyan/Chordy/Piddo Veytove, Alias 'Mirage' Gnome Illusionist 6/Geometer 4 (Complete Arcane, Pg 39) True Neutral Age: 81 Eyes: Green Hair: Brown Skin: Tanned Height: 3' 6" Weight: 46 pounds Str 6 (0 pts, -2 race) Dex 12 (4 pts) Con 14 (4 pts, +2 race) Int 24 (16 pts, +2 level, +4 headband) Wis 10 (2 pts) Cha 10 (2 pts) HP: 46 (+2 con mod) Initiative: +1 Speed: 20 (15 w/ medium load) AC: 10 + 1 size + 1 dex + 2 shield + 5 armor = 19 AC (+4 dodge vs. Giants) BaB/Grapple: +5/-1 Attack: Sledom-used quarterstaff +4 (1d4-2) (5 bab - 2 str + 1 size) (+1 atk vs. kobolds + goblinoids) Saves: +9 fort, +6 Ref, +11 Will (+2 vs. illusions) (3/3/9 base, 2/1/0 ability, 2/2/2 cloak, +2 Fort (familiar)) Feats: 1st: Spell Focus (illusion) 1st(wiz): Scribe Scroll 3rd: Greater Spell Focus (illusion) 5th(wiz): Extend Spell 6th: Metamagic shool specialization (illusion) (not sure i got the name right, It's in the complete mage, allows me to prepare 3 metamagic'ed illusion spells at 1 lower level) 9th: Spell Mastery (teleport, mirage arcana, Locate Object, Disguise Self, Read Magic(auto), Fly) Class/Race Features Familiar (Armadillo, +2 fortitude saves, Alertness) 1/day Speak with burrowing mammal, Dancing Lights, Ghost sound, Prestedigitation Draw Spellglyph (replace verbal and material components for 25/spell leve plus cost of material) Book of geometry (all spells in spellbook take 1 page) Sigilsight (Trapfinding and elf-sense for magic traps based on runes, glyphs, symbols, etc.) Pass Sigil (as standard action, suppress known magical symbol, caster level check DC 6+caster level of glyph) Skills: (1-7=60 skill points, 8-10=21 skill points) Concentration: 13 ranks Spellcraft: 13 ranks Knowledge (Arcana) 13 ranks Knowledge (Geography) 8 ranks Disable Device 4 ranks (8 skill points) Search 6.5ranks (13 skill points) Decipher Script 13 ranks Total modifiers: Concentration +15 (13+2con) Decipher Script +20 (13+7int) Disable Device +11 (4+7int) Knowledge (Arcana) +20 (13+7int) Knowledge (Geography) +15 (8+7int) Search +13 (6.5+7int), extra +10 for magic traps based on Sigils, runes, glyphs, etc. Spellcraft +22 (13+7int+2syn(KnA)) Survival: +0 (+2syn(KnG) to avoid natural hazards or to avoid getting lost) Listen: +2 (+2 racial, extra +2 when familiar within 5ft.) Spot: +0 (+2 when familiar within 5ft.) Craft (Alchemy) +11 (2 racial +7int +2 lab) Hide: +2 (+1dex, +4 size, -3 load) Move silently: -2 (+1 dex, -3 load) Languages: Common, Gnome, Draconic, Elven, Dwarven, Giant Norris is Mirage's Familiar, one of his many tests in his apprenticeship. Armadillos use the same statistics as rats, with stat alterations at the DM's discretion. Norris, interestingly, doesn't like his name and prefers to be called 'Charles' or 'Chuck'. However, Mirage refuses to acknowledge this and continues to refer to Chuck as Norris. Norris has the benefits of a 6th level wizard, granting him a 8 intelligence, improved evasion, an empathetic link, and extra 3 natural armor, and the abilities to share spells, delivor touch spells, and speak with it's master. Spellbook (All spells require only a single page): All 0th level spells (13 pages, no evoc/necro) 1st Level Spells: Shield, Mage Armor, Mount, Silent image, Nystul's Magic Aura, Disguise Self, Feather Fall, Animate Rope, Expeditious Retreat (9 pages), scribed Fist of Stone* and Identify (2 page) 2nd Level Spells: Minor Image, Mirror Image, Misdirection, Arcane Lock (4 pages), scribed Locate object, See invisibility, Familiar Pocket*, Phantasmal Assailent*, Blur (5 pages) 3rd Level Spells: Displacement, Illusory Script, Sepia Snake Sigil, Sign of Sealing*, Glyph of Warding (geometer bonus spell) (5 pages), scribed Haste, Fly, Heroism, Invisibility Sphere, Major Image, Secret Page, Leomund's Tiny hut (7 pages) 4th Level Spells: Hallucinary Terrain, Greater Invisibility, Scrying, Dimensional Anchor (4 pages), Scribed Dimension Door, Stone Shape, Phantasmal Killer (3 pages) 5th Level Spells: Mirage Arcana, Persistant Image, Wall of Stone, Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum* (4 pages), scribed Leomund's Hidden Lodge*, Overland Flight (2 pages) *Complete Arcane Total Pages used: 58 Spells: 4/4/4/3/3/2 base, 0/2/2/2/1/1 bonus, Save DC 17 + spell level, 20+ spell level if illusion, +1 illusion spell per level (NOTE: All spells are metamagic'ed with the Sanctum Spell metamagic feat) 0th: Ghost sound**, Mage hand, Arcane Mark, Mending, Message 1st: Silent Image**, Nystul's Magic Aura*, Disguise self*, Animate Rope, Identify, Mount, Feather Fall 2nd: Mirror Image**, Minor Image*, Arcane Lock, Familiar Pocket, Phantasmal Assailant*, Locate Object, See invisibility 3rd: Illusory Script**, "Extended Displacement*", Fly, Heroism, Major Image*, Haste 4th: "Extended Greater invisibility**", Scrying, Phantasmal Killer*, Stone Shape, Dimension door 5th: "Extended Mirage Arcana**", Leomund's Hidden Lodge, Overland Flight, Wall of Stone *Illusion spell **Illusion Bonus spell "spell" metamagic reduced Items: (49,000 total) Spellbook (5,100) (see below for details) Headband of Intellect +4 (16,000) Cloack of Resistance +2 (4,000) +1 Mithril Twilight** Chain shirt (5,100) +1 Mithril Buckler (2,015) Hewards handy haversack (2,000) Spellglyphs: (cost 25/spell level + material component cost) 2 Glyphs of Warding (550) 1 Sepia Snake Sigil (575) 2 Signs of Sealing (350) 3 Arcane locks (225) 4 Identify (500) 1500gp of Spellglyph Supplies (1500) Scrolls: (Scribed, prices 125 1st, 250 2nd, 475 3rd, 800 4th, 1225 5th) 1st: Fist of Stone*, Identify 2nd: Locate Object, see invisibility, Familiar Pocket*, Phantasmal assailents* 3rd: Haste, Fly, Heroism, Invisibility Sphere, Major Image, Secret Page, Blur, Leomund's tiny hut 4th: Dimension Door, Stone Shape, Phantasmal Killer 5th: Leomund's Hidden Lodge*, Overland Flight *Complete arcane 8 Potions of CLW (400) 10 doses of Illusory Script ink (500) Spell component Pouch (5) Mapbook (15) (homemade and encoded, DC 25 Decipher Script to translate, DC 30 if translater doesn't know Gnome) Scholar's outfit (5) 6 spare vials of ink (48) 60 spare Parchments (12) 1 Week's Meals (good) (3.5) 7 waterskins (full) (7) Seldom-Used Quarterstaff (0) Scrying mirror (1000) 100ft. Silk rope (20) Alchemist's Lab (500) 15 gold, 31 silver peices, 40 copper peices Weight: (figures are for traveling, most items within hidden lodge when not) Capacity: light 15lbs, medium 30 lbs heavy 45 lbs Buckler+chain shirt- 7.5lbs Spell component pouch - 2lb Handy Haversack - 5 lbs Scholar's outfit- 1.5lbs Cloak of resistance: .25 lb Total: 16.25 lbs, medium load. 11.25 lbs without haversack, 15lbs on the dot without buckler) handy haversake capacity: 20lb, 80 lbs, 20 lbs 20lbs: Ink, Paper, magic ink, Spellglyphs, scrying mirror (10lbs), Seldom-used Quarterstaff (2), 80lbs: Alchemists lab (40), Primary spellbook (6), 7 full small waterskins (7) 20lbs: 100ft. Silk rope (10), Mapbook (3), the week's meals, 8 clw potions **Magic Item Compendium Mirage's spellbook is crafted from Blue dragonhide and uses Ivory for it's pages, costing 300gp for the materials and causing it to have 4 hardness and 6 hit points, and wiegh 6 lbs. The rules for this and the levitating and Glamered enchantments are on page 140-141 of the Complete Arcane. The first line of defense for this spellbook is finding it. When his spellbook is within his house rather then his bag, it is disguised as a globe (the glamer enchantment) that floats (levitation). While it feels like a globe as well as looks like it, touching it provokes a DC 14 will dave to disbelieve. these enchantments cost 4,000gp and the command word is the gnomish word for cheese (I'm not saying which one, that would give you access to my spellbook!). The second line of defense is a glyph of warding, The conditions are touching it without first speaking a particular word in Gnomish, translating to 'Spooky' (or me, I don't have to say the word), and it discharges a spell called phantasmal assailents, a 2nd level spell in the complete arcane. the DC for phantasmal assailents is 22. (will disbelief, fortitude half, 4 wis/dex damage) The third line of defense occurs when someone reads the cover. The cover reads 'The outstanding spells that immediately proceed the discovery by the fantabulous Mirage of the Perfect Geometry! No one touch or else bad things happen! Just like what happens when you read the cover!' a lengthy message, but necessary when you consider the text is warded by a sepia snake sigil, causing a DC 20 Reflex save (yes reflex) to avoid becoming in a state of suspended animation. (see the spell description) The final line of defense is the fact that it's locked. A sign of sealing (also complete arcane) holds it shut, making it difficult to open without speaking one of the Gnomish words of 'Close' Of course, if it is forced open (a possibility) it deals 10d4 damage (reflex dc 20 half) Mirage, although he was known as other names then, was a member of a tribe of nomadic gnomes in a rocky desert. The leader, Cain Snapp, was a prodigous illusionist, safeguarding his people for many years, as had his father, and his father's father, all from the tribe's founding. Cain had no heir, unfortunately, so late in his life, he decided to take on an apprentice. It wasn't easy, as his family was the only sorcerous line in the clan. Cain did, however, know of a place where he could aquire academic knowledge of magic: Tarantutil, the City of Sands. Within Tarantutil, an arcane library housed enough books that he could train his pupil. the problem remained, however, on how could he balance an apprentice's training and the defense of his villiage. So, he had the entire tribe move into and live in Tarantutil in thier own community. This appeared to be a wise move, as only the most stubborn of members objected to the settlement. With this Library, Cain began his search for an apprentice. After a doomed stint of apprentices, he requested aid from the librarian on what would be good criteria. He was delicately informed that he was going about it all wrong. When you are trying to make non-magical affinitied people use magic, you rate them by intelligence, not by thier will or sense of self. When it came to intelligence, he hit the jackpot in a gnome of the Veytove clan. Now known by the title 'Neo-Mirage', the apprentice swiftly took to his studies. Cain requested assistance multiple times to help Neo-Mirage advance in his studies (and pranking abilities, they are gnomes) by requesting and innovating various practical tests, ranging from illusory intimidation to cloaking a group with illusion, with mixed results. But most importantly then any magical instruction, Cain taught him the beauty of the desert, on how that it nurtured thier tribe, giving them just enough, and giving them opportunity to gain more. And how that no matter what happens, the desert will always be thier home. Unfortunately, when Neo-Mirage finally completed the minimum skills required to pass the increasingly difficult training (casting invisibility sphere), the tribe had adapted to the city and were completely unwilling to leave. When Cain and the newly named Mirage looked upon their people, they saw sloth and greed, they did not see thier proud people. With heavy hearts and no family, the two of them set off on thier journey. Even after several more years, they were only able to make token advancement in thier magical fields. At the very end of Cain's life, he passed on his magical equipment and his final words of wisdom, and Mirage was alone. Mirage wandered about the desert, using the magics he learned to sustain himself, occasionally returning to Tarantutil to refresh his supplies. He was lost, and so very frustrated at himself for being unable to make any significant breakthrough in his studies, even though he had made and broken many alliances, delved in tombs, beat away bandits, conversed with a brass dragon or two, but still unable to advance his skills, a great cloud on his mind from the death of his master and the loss of his tribe's spirit. But then, as he wandered a seemingly random valley, a sandstorm brewed up. Taking shelter via a magically conjured hut, he waited out the winds. When the spell expired, the winds were gone, and the firstthing he saw, was pure perfection. Perfection in form, in spirit, and in magic. These shapes and lines and angles and dimensions and placements are indescribable! Already he would see how the shapes exerted thier divine will upon the world, and how the words and numeric minuitae of standard magic was so...bulky! With the same economy of effort that this structure used to speak to him the secrets of magic, he shall execute magic! And so he went into his research, improving by leaps and bounds, gaining most of the secrets he could get from it in only six short years. Unfortunately, Mirage had grown obsessed with it, unrelenting in his study, and had used his more advanced magics to frighten off most people, or at least hide the 'Perfect Geometry', and in the process has attrected some unwanted attention from people who wish to get the treasure in the center of the manifold illusions within the now named 'Illusion crossroads'. The trasure of course is a pure fabrication of the legends that spring up in the desert, but the adventurers that perish tend to leave behnd enough wealth to keep the reasearch funded. Eventually he found he was unable to figure out the final pieces of the puzzle. One day during such puzzling, Mirage found an old stone tablet under the sand. It told of the 'Perfect Geometry' and it's location. or rather, it would have, but the inscription was too faded. What mirage was able to make out, however, assured him that this was not the Perfect Geometry, merely a rock formation known as the Flawless Geometry. He, like the spontaneous person he is, abandoned the site, dropped the illusions, and set off on another journey, with a new fire in his heart. With Mirage's past behind him, as it should be, he prepares to leave the Flawless Geometry behind, to find adventure, power, and a home. First off, Mirage's names are quite simple in thier reason. He's a Gnome. Mirage's alignment is true neutral because I've personally pegged him as one of the most ethically fickle people one could meet. He prizes efficiency and loyalty, but given certain facts he could completely change months worth of planning. On the good/evil axis, I just can't see him as good, he's too greedy and suspicious, on the other hand, greed and suspicion really isn't enough to make one evil. About Norris... Well, Don't Mess With Texas. This was actually the first competition I had access to more then just the three core books, I borrowed a Complete Arcane for the week, and used it to the fullest. I also thumbed through the feats section in a Complete Mage at the gaming store, looking for a reserve feat or something to catch my mind. |
| AllWillFall2Me07-07-07, 03:56 AM | As a question, reading rule 4, I cannot find technically anything wrong with it, but I will ask rather than find out that I am incorrect in my assumption, but: Is collaboration allowed? I am more a crunch guy, and my friend is more of a fluff, so if we were to assemble a character together, would it be eligible for entry? I wouldn't want to violate a rule through sheer ignorance. EDIT: I am also aware I could have done so without revealing it, but I like to think I have greater moral fiber than that. |
| CheeseMan07-08-07, 04:57 PM | crap, 4 days later, i realize i totally botched my HP, it shouldve been 58, not 69. oh well, cant change it now. |
| wrecan07-08-07, 06:00 PM | And somehow I subtracted 500 gp from the value of a ring of sustenance. Don't know how that happened. I'm sure Haruspex found a dozen other errors as well. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-08-07, 09:54 PM | Hey everyone, sorrry I haven't updated in a while. I have had a hectic (if productive) weekend, and it isn't quite over yet. I will try to have this contest updated by tommorrow evening, hopefully around 10:30pm CST. Keep the entries coming! |
| Endarrion07-10-07, 07:40 PM | I should have my entry in by tomorrow. I must say, I really enjoyed the theme. (also, bump) |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-10-07, 08:02 PM | Ok, ok, so I took longer than I said I would... the contestant list is updated! As a question, reading rule 4, I cannot find technically anything wrong with it, but I will ask rather than find out that I am incorrect in my assumption, but: Is collaboration allowed? Personally, I don't see a problem with it, BUT the character will be considered to be the property of the individual who submits it. Thus, as far as I'm concerned, even if GenericForumUserNameHere helps you create the character, and you acknowledge it in your post, you, and not your assistant, will be the one to recieve a score, and if applicable, medals. Edit: In regards to Kheferu... curse you wizards for your poorly worded description!!! To keep things as simple as possible, I'm going to treat Kheferu as Cold Iron in regards to pricing. I'm not exactly what the writers of Sandstorm intended, and the other judges are free to interpret differently if they wish. However, just to make my job as strait-forward as possible, Kheferu and Cold Iron are treated exactly the same for purposes of pricing. (Side note: Since this is a fuzzy area, I will be lenient on "errors" in this area.) |
| Far_Traveler07-10-07, 09:43 PM | Hmmm.... Looking at the current entries, I might actually have a crack at placing in this competition! Silver medal here I come! Also, I'm glad I remembered to put a spellbook in there (screwed me up good last time) |
| Endarrion07-11-07, 02:06 PM | Sa' Relka Some of my inspiration for this character. (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/murderbydeath/rawdeal.html) Sa’ Relka NG male thri-kreen Ranger 3, Psychic Warrior 3. Psychic Warrior in XPH ECL: 10 (6 class levels + 2 racial hitdice + 2 LA) Height: 6’9”……….Weight: 250lbs Deity: Languages: Common AC: 24 (5 Natural Armor + 6 Dex + 3 Armor) Flat footed: 18 Touch: 16 HP: 55 (8d8 + 16 Con) Power Points/day: 7 (3 for high Wisdom + 1 for thri-kreen + 3 for psy warrior) Powers Known: 3 Heat Protection: Level 3 (Improved Heat Endurance) Fire Resistance 5 (Improved Heat Endurance) Speed: 40ft Initiative: +6 Ability Scores Base Strength: 14 (4pts + 2racial) Dexterity: 20 (10pts + 4racial) Constitution: 12 (4pts) Intelligence: 10 (4pts – 2racial) Wisdom: 14 (4pts + 2racial) Charisma: 6 (2pts – 4racial) Current Strength: 16 (+2enhancement) Dexterity: 22 (+2enhancement) Constitution: 14 (+1 level 4 and 8) Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 6 Attacks Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+9 Attacks +1 Deep Crystal Short Sword +14 (1d6 +4/ 19-20x2) +1 Returning Chatkcha +14 (1d6 +4/ 18-20x2) Full Attack Primary Hand: +12 / +7 (1d6 +4/ 19-20x2) 2 Off-Hands: +12 (1d6 +2/ 19-20x2) Saves +2 Fort saves vs fire effects. Fortitude: +8 (6base + 2Con) Reflex: +13 (7base + 6Dex) Will: +7 (5base + 2Wis) Skills +2 on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival against favored enemy. Concentration: +6 (4ranks + 2Con) Craft (armorsmithing): +9 (7ranks + 2Aritsan’s Tools, MW) Jump: +33 (+30racial + 3Str) Heal: +7 (3ranks + 2Wis + 2Healer’s Kit) Hide: +11 (5ranks + 6Dex) or +15 in sandy environments Spot: +7 (5ranks + 2Wis) Survival: +11 (9ranks + 2Wis) Feats Sandskimmer, Heat Endurance and the improved version are in Sandstorm. The two psionic feats are in the XPH. Deflect Arrows: One hand must be free. Once per round, when you would normally be hit by a ranged weapon, you may deflect it and take no damage. Heat Endurance: +2 Fort saves vs fire effects, heat protection level 1. Improved Heat Endurance: Fire resistance 5, heat protection level 3. Multiweapon Fighting: Penalties for fighting with multiple weapons are reduced by 2 with primary hand and by 6 with off hands. Psionic Meditation: Become psionically focused as a move action (instead of a full-round action). Psionic Weapon: Expand psionic focus to deal extra 2d6 damage with attack. Sandskimmer: Treat shallow sand as normal terrain, deep sand as shallow sand, and sand crusts do not break under your feet. Track: Use Survival to find and follow tracks. Weapon Finesse: Use Dex modifier instead of Str modifier on attack rolls. Race and Class Abilities Thri-Kreen Racial Traits +2 Str, +4 Dex, +2 Wis, -2 Int, -4 Cha. Monstrous Humanoid, 2d8 hitdice, +2 LA, 10 skill points, 1 feat, +2 bab. Deflect Arrows bonus feat. 4 arms and natural attacks: claw 1d4, bite 1d4 + poison (initial 1d6 Dex, secondary is paralysis, DC 11 + Con or 13). Leap: +30 on Jump checks. Weapon Familiarity: Chatkchas and gythkas are martial instead of exotic. Naturally Psionic: 1 power point. Psi-like Abilities: 3/day-chameleon, know direction and location; 1/day greater concealing amorpha and metaphysical claw. Manifester level half hitdice (4) DC 8 (charisma based). the names for know direction and location and greater concealing amorpha are different in the thri-kreen description, these names were taken from the official errata on the Wizards D&D page. +4 on Hide checks in sandy environments. Ranger Sandstorm Variant Favored Enemy: Humanoid (human) OR Group (Desert Snakes); +2 on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks as well as +2 on weapon damage rolls. Track feat for free. Wild Empathy: use a check to improve the attitude of an animal (1d20 + ranger level + Charisma bonus = +1). Combat Style: Multiattack feat for free. Heat Endurance: Improved Heat Endurance feat for free (since I already took Heat Endurance). Psychic Warrior 3 power points/day from class. 3 powers known, maximum power level is 1st. Powers known: Biofeedback (1 standard action, 1pp, DR 2/- ); Force Screen (1 standard action, 1pp, +4 shield bonus ); Prescience, offensive (1 standard action, 1pp, +2 insight bonus to damage rolls ). 2 Bonus Feats: I took Psionic Meditation and Psionic Weapon. Equipment +1 Deep Crystal Short Sword (3,310gp) Expanded Psionics Handbook (2) +1 Short Sword (4,620gp) +1 Returning Chatkcha (8,301gp)Expanded Psionics Handbook, thri-kreen Bracers of Armor +3 (9,000gp) Amulet of Natural Armor +2 (8,000gp) Ioun Stone, Pale Blue Rhomboid (+2Str) (8,000gp) Gloves of Dexterity +2 (4,000gp) Heward’s Handy Haversack (2,000gp) Improved Filter Mask (50gp) Goggles (20gp) The Improved Filter Mask is an item crafted with the craft (armorsmithing) skill. Sa’ Relka succeeded at a DC 20 craft check with the help of his friend Arden (complex or superior item, pg 71 PHB). The improved filter mask function just as a normal filter mask (sandstorm pg 100) except that it never gets clogged. The mask resembles a small gas mask of sorts, covering the nose and down to the chin. Straps hold the mask in place. The goggles were also crafted in the same manner, requiring a DC 15 craft (armorsmithing) check to complete (high-quality item). See the elocater on pg 143 for the artwork that inspired the mask and goggles. The price paid for the mask was 50gp which is one-third of the estimated price (150gp) and 20gp for the goggles (60gp). Harness and bangles (clothing) (free at character generation, equivalent to monk’s outfit) Waterskin (1gp) Artisan’s Tools, Masterwork (55gp) Vial of Antitoxin (50gp) Healer’s Kit (50gp) Keepcool Salve (50gp)Sandstorm Rations, Trail (10 days) (5gp) Rope, Silk (50ft) (10gp) Spyglass (1,000gp) Bedroll (1sp) Blanket, Winter (5sp) Flint and Steel (1gp) (3) Potions of Cure Light Wounds ( 150gp) Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds (300gp) LEFT OVER: 26gp 4sp TOTAL: 49,000gp Level Breakdown Feats: 1st hitdie Weapon Finesse. 3rd hitdie (1st ranger level) Heat Endurance 6th hitdie (1st Psy Warrior level) Sandskimmer 1st Psy Warrior Bonus Feat Psionic Manifestation 2nd Psy Warrior Bonus Feat Psionic Weapon Monstrous Human 1-2 Skills (8 at first 2 at second) 1= 4 ranks in Hide and Spot. 2= 1 rank in Hide and Spot. Ranger 3-5 Skills (6/lvl) 3= 3 ranks each in Survival and Craft (armorsmithing). 4= 4 ranks in Survival and 2 ranks in Craft (armorsmithing). 5= 1 rank in Survival, 3 ranks in Heal, and 2 ranks in Concentration. Psychic Warrior 6-8 Skills (2/lvl) 6= 2 ranks in Concentration. 7= 2 skill points (1 rank, cc) in Survival. 8= 2 ranks in Craft (armorsmithing). Appearance and Personality Note: I use the Dark Sun Campaign Setting as a fluff basis. The pdf can be found here (athas.org). There is a big difference in size averages between the XPH and Dark Sun thri-kreen. Sa’Relka is a bit on the short side for average thri-kreen (for Dark Sun thri-kreen, that is). He has the usual dusty colored carapace and large, bulbous eyes. He wears several decorative bangles and a leather harness to protect himself and hold his weapons. The most noticeable part of his presence is his incredibly deep, booming voice (think Michael Clark Duncan). Brooding is a very apt description of Sa’ Relka, at least at first blush. After spending some time with him one would note a deep lack of self worth and a strong desire to make those around him proud. His protective nature is somewhat overbearing and it would not be out of the question for him to attack someone for merely insulting a friend or ally. Sa’ Relka is intelligent and contemplative, often sinking into long periods of self-analysis or pondering the creation of the universe, or the meaning of love, loyalty, and friendship. Background In every society there is at least one malefactor. The ideal thri-kreen society known as Kadar was no different. When Sa’ Relka was 5 (just before adulthood) he helped in the destruction of the great city. Sa’ Relka was born and raised in Kadar, but he was very different from his thri-kreen brethren. Sa’ Relka was individualistic and selfish. He constantly played mean tricks on the other thri-kreen and slacked off in his work. At first he was tolerated by the Elder Druid and the other thri-kreen, but eventually his actions took their toll on the no-nonsense thri-kreen. The final straw that broke the camel’s back was when Sa’ Relka had a hand in the burning of a thri-kreen home. At the tender age of 5 he was cast out of the city, never to return. Sa’ Relka was furious with disbelief that they would throw him out of the city. At first he tried to make his own way in the desert, but he was inexperienced because of his lack of attention during lessons and work. Eventually he got lost and holed up in a small cave. He was found by a group of bandits. The bandit leader, known as Kang, was intrigued by the lone thri-kreen and struck up a conversation. After gleaning some information from Sa’ Relka he gave the thri-kreen an offer, and a chance at revenge; “Show us where Kadar is and we will make you very rich.” Sa’ Relka was always fascinated by gold and greedily accepted the human’s offer; he soon lead the group to Kadar. All thri-kreen were forbidden from allowing outsiders into Kadar or revealing the location of the city to non-thri-kreen. Sa’ Relka’s desire for revenge and the indignation he felt pushed him to violating the greatest law of his people. A week later the small group of bandits met up with a larger group. The reality of what lay ahead finally dawned on Sa’ Relka when he realized that he was now part of the infamous Desert Snake gang. The Desert Snakes were a huge group of bandits that numbered in the thousands. They had a network of crime and murder all over the Great Desert. A plan was formed for the bandits to move in and seize Kadar and enslave the thri-kreen. Thri-kreen slaves would sell for a lot of gold and Sa’ Relka liked the idea of forcing his brethren from their home just as they had done to him. He relished the idea of taking them for all that they had and leaving them completely destroyed. The following night the Desert Snakes launched a surprise assault on Kadar. Although the thri-kreen outnumbered their assailants, they were subdued by the superb planning of Kang and his bandits. Sa’ Relka took part in the killing and capture of his mates and, at the end of the mayhem, was able to confront the Elder Druid. “Ha! Look at your great city now Elder! See what you have wrought by throwing me away!” Sa’ Relka stood triumphant over the subdued Elder. “So, you are the one who brought this ruin upon us. This is an unforgivable transgression.” “You presume to punish me?!” The Elder Druid started mumbling strange words and his hands traced strange symbols in the air. Before Sa’ Relka or the bandits could stop him, the Elder Druid’s spell was cast. The bandits and Sa’ Relka were frozen by fear of what the Elder Druid had just done. “Sa’ Relka,” the Elder intoned, “for this, the ultimate act of crime against your people, I put this geas on you. You will do now what you could not do before. Yours is the task of protection. You will save those who are in danger and heal those who are hurt. Until you perform these deeds to the satisfaction of your ancestors, you will be in constant turmoil. This is the judgment of the Elder.” All of the bandits, including Sa’ Relka, stared in disbelief. Eventually the foreboding feelings wore away and the Elder Druid was dragged off. Sa’ Relka was unsure of what had happened, but he did not seem to suffer any immediate ill effects, so he cast aside the Elder’s words as just that: mere words. Sa’ Relka was very wrong. The Elder had cast a lesser geas on him and in the following days he was wracked with pain and weakness. The Desert Snakes abandoned Sa’ Relka and he was left to die in the desert with only his gold to keep him company. It was then that Sa’ Relka realized what he must do. He knew he must atone for his misdeeds and heed the Elder’s words. At first his compliance to the geas was only to rid himself of the curse. His own guilt kept him in constant pain, though, until he truly repented. For three years Sa’ Relka has traveled the desert in search of people to save and wrongs to right. Although the geas has long since ended, he still believes to be under its effects. The psyche is a powerful thing, and it is Sa’ Relka’s own guilt and desire for absolution that keeps him in pain. Sa’ Relka would eagerly join a group of adventurers. He would see the group as a reincarnation of his lost thri-kreen brethren. He would protect them to the death and be as loyal as any friend. This is truly Sa’ Relka’s only chance at self-redemption. Friends and Enemies Sa’ Relka does not have many friends or enemies. One definite friend and ally is Arden Bosworth, a traveling merchant that Sa’ Relka saved from quicksand. Arden is the one who helped Sa’ Relka craft his Improved Filter Mask and Goggles. His potential friends would be any of the multitudes of people he has saved from various dangers or helped through arduous tasks, although he has kept in touch with only Arden. His enemies are those who would oppress or harm innocents. He has launched a personal campaign of destruction against the Desert Snakes and hopes to stop them from ruining more lives, and to save his soul in the process. The Desert Theme: I believe this character is all about the desert and could really only exist in the desert. First of all, he’s a thri-kreen. Then there’s all the desert flavor: saving people from various desert-y hazards, etc. Also, his equipment reflects his environment: he has the mask and goggles for the sandstorms and such, he has a winter blanket for those cold desert nights, and the silk rope for pulling people up cliffs or out of sinkholes. Also, the sandskimmer feat really creates a cool image of a sand-surfing thri-kreen savior, I think. On the Imp. Filter Mask and Goggles: I simply used what sounded like a good price for these items. I based the craft checks on the various locks in the PHB. I don’t mind if I paid too much for the items, but I really don’t think that I paid too little. On Sa’ Relka The Savior: The ranks in Heal are to show how Sa’ Relka might help an injured person, as well as his antitoxin for those scorpion stings, and the keepcool salve for those who are overcome by the heat. Mostly his way of saving someone would involve driving off some monster or animal or saving them from some perilous happenstance (such as quicksand or heat exhaustion). |
| Mercurius07-11-07, 09:15 PM | Well, here's my entry. This has been an excellent chance for me to get a good opportunity to detail a country in my campaign setting that has been woefully ignored to this point. Thanks a bunch for this topic. I look forward to seeing how I fare this time. The old crone leaned in closer, bringing the light from the blazing sun outside to highlight her shriveled features. "When the heathen goddess Ryl'Bea came to our land, she laid a terrible curse upon it. She rendered it unto a desert, which she then populated with her accursed spawn. The dragons were a plague upon the people of our land, preventing the magics that might heal our land from ever flourishing again. The other nations may claim that the dragons have all left Agris, but those who have set foot in the blistering dunes of Canin know better..." The high screech of a signal whistle from outside the caravan cut the crone short. The soldiers who had been once more listening to their wise-woman's lore hurried outside, drawing their swords and spears as they went. The clutch of wyverns that swept above the dunes toward them hurtled in at amazing speed, their ruddy-brown scales glinting in the sun, scorpion-tipped tails twitching with anticipation. The soldiers on guard fired arrows at the aerial predators, but they glanced off their tough hides. As the dragons dove in to the slaughter, the honor guard of the Canites entered their battle frenzy and charged into battle with falchions drawn. Steel met talon as feral instinct clashed against reckless fury. A rasping roar echoed across the sands, barely heard above the din of battle. The beleaguered guards looked about for the source, and saw the silhouette of a massive beast on the hill. As it began to charge over the dunes, they turned back to the wyverns they battled with renewed fervor. They no longer had to win the battle, but simply hold out for a few more moments - their own dragon had arrived. History In 820 AR, the shamaness of the Red Sun gave birth to her first son, Siddig El Khaldun. Raised as a shaman by his mother, Siddig was inducted into the mysteries of Cheldrya's elite priests. His gifts for magic were great, though he was taciturn and detached, making him rather disagreeable with those he lived alongside. His tribe's problems were greater than an uncharismatic priest, however - the dragons of Canin were becoming increasingly prevalent in their area, and the nomads could not seem to move fast enough to escape their increasing hunting grounds. The fang dragons struck in the night, slaying the guards with savage fury. As the tribe scrambled to respond, Siddig's mother summoned forth the servants of Cheldrya to bolster their numbers. It was not enough. The scythe-like bladed tail of one of the dragons clove the priestess in half. Siddig was separated from his tribe as it scattered to the winds, and he found himself wandering in unfamiliar territory, alone and surrounded by darkness on all sides. As he stumbled in the night, he fell into a vast pit of quicksand. Weary from the battle and spent of magics, he did not even struggle as the sands dragged him below the desert. He awoke in a massive cavern, where he wandered, lost, in search of an exit. Alone and with no food, he was grateful for his druidic training - conjuring food and water kept him alive when natural food was scarce, and summoned allies helped him against the monstrous beasts that he encountered in the Night Below. He honed his skills against a clutch of daemon-twisted elementals, and fought an ancient aquatic terror in a subterranean lake. After over a year of wandering the twisting caverns, he came upon a massive opening, full of great reptiles. There, hidden beneath the sands of Canin and deep within the Night Below, Cheldrya showed Siddig El Khaldun her greatness. The reptilian beasts were many in number, gifted with razor sharp claws and teeth, some blessed with leather wings of great expanse. Many were bipedal, with short but deadly arms and powerful, rending legs. Despite their resemblance to dragons, they were animals - the blessed creations of a goddess of nature weary of the depredations of the children of Ryl'Bea. She had grown an army of true dragons beneath the sands, and she had brought Siddig to reveal them to him. He found his way out into the sands of his homeland again with a "land dragon" alongside him. The animal, Ajay, was a boon to Siddig, traveling quickly across the desert sands and bearing him quickly back to civilization. With the stars to guide him, the druid and his companion managed to find their way to the oasis city Dahaban within a week, where Ajay was met by fear. That fear was quickly overcome when a fang dragon descended upon the city, and Siddig and his dragon mount slew the abomination singlehandedly. There was something different about the body of the dragon - something unnatural. Close examination by a learned sage determined that the dragon was imbued with the daemonic essence of the Without. The fiendish dragon raised a great number of questions - it was too young to have been born before Ryl'Bea died, and its heart-scales were engraved with arcane runes and sigils. As a reward for his bravery, Siddig was given the hand of the daughter of the city's chieftain, a beautiful girl named Karima Shapandar. Begrudgingly, he accepted their betrothal, as a refusal would have brought shame upon the girl, who was very eager to please her new fiance. Unable to contribute directly to her betrothed's quest to find the origin of the fiendish dragons, she remained in her home city, which Siddig used as a base of operations. In time, he came to care very dearly for Karima. Meanwhile, he spent several years tracking the source of the fiendish dragons, honing his battle techniques against the dragons who preyed upon the people of Canin. In his dreams, he began to delve deeper into the truth of the rare gift Cheldrya gave him. He saw larger, greater true dragons than even Ajay, who was twice his height and longer than a horse. He mastered the ability to transform into a beast like Ajay, and found the ability to transform his dreams into reality - to become even larger than the great dragons he saw so many years before. His trail of slain dragons provided him with not only clues to their origins but the materials he needed to fashion for himself a full suit of armor, which he wore into battle even in his ferocious dragon forms. Finally, after over five years of tracking dragons and fighting fiendish wyverns and fang dragons, he found the source - Wrack, the demon dragon. A monstrous creature from the Without, Wrack had attacked Agris repeatedly since the Incursion War. He had often been banished back from whence he came, most recently some twenty years before Siddig had even been born. But though he held no direct influence in the world, there were those who dedicated themselves to his power and sought to return him to the world and reap the rewards. One such devotee was Ibhn Shaitana, a powerful wizard dedicated to the infernal dragon. He had learned a technique whereby he could infuse the powers of the Without into a willing draconic vessel, and had set about building an army of fiendish dragons in Canin to increase Wrack's ties to the world. Siddig clashed with Ibhn and his bodyguard, Nasir Al-Subaai, and, after a great battle, his magics brought the wizard's hellish laboratory and temple crashing down into the sands of Canin's desert. The druid returned to his home, triumphant, and proceeded to wed his fiancee. The celebration lasted a week. Ibhn, however, was neither dead, nor a man to forgive or forget, and cared little for honor. He marshaled his draconic minions, including an entire tribe of Canites whom he had infused with the blood of his fiendish dragon spawn, and set upon Dahaban with a vengeance. In the battle, Siddig was injured, and Ajay died at the blade of Nasir. Tauntingly, Ibhn casually tossed the slain body of Karima at Siddig's feet, her heart torn from her chest. The dragons set upon the city, razing it to the ground, and the druidic champion was thought dead. Rising from the ruins the following day, the broken man known as Siddig El Khaldun laid the body of his beloved fiancee upon a makeshift altar of stone and ash, and ignited a bonfire to cremate her remains. As the flames burned higher, he recited the ritual he had prepared for that morning, bringing her soul back from beyond and into a new body, so that she would not be lost. He appealed to Yarin, god of death, to allow her soul to travel back into A'Thea, and as the flames consumed the last of her body, the ashes rose into the sky and were swept away by the winds. From the muddy waters of the oasis beyond, Karima's new body emerged. A titanic land dragon, dwarfing Ajay and equal in size to Siddig as his dreamform took shape, Karima approached her fiance and nuzzled against him. Though her soul, bound to his by love and destiny, had returned, her death and subsequent rebirth had locked away her heart and mind - though she lived again, she was no longer a human, in mind or spirit. She had instead been reborn as his dragon, an instrument of vengeance to destroy Ibhn and his spawn. Siddig and Karima set out from the ruined city after he fashioned for her a suit of armor and saddle. They had a great deal of work still ahead of them before Canin would be free of the scourge of Ryl'Bea's abominable children. Adventures Siddig and Karima adventure to destroy the dragons that plague his homeland, and the fell priests and devotees of Wrack that would further his aims. In particular, he seeks to find and defeat Ibhn and his servants. He will readily join with adventurers who share his aims, and he is willing to divert his attention if he believes a small side-quest might yield greater power in his true quest. Character Siddig: Siddig is a tall (for a Canite - he's only 5' 7"), lean man of forty-three with swarthy skin and black hair. He wears his hair short, and sports a very shabby beard. His face is scarred thoroughly from his numerous exchanges with beasts over the years, and he is very stand-offish with others. Much of this is due to his inability to relate to his fellow men, having spent so long campaigning against his foes, and much of it is due to his desire to keep himself from getting attached again after Karima's murder. He is, however, known throughout Canin, and even in the neighboring nations the legends of the "Dragon Bane Knight" have been heard. He rides to battle dressed in his hand-crafted dragon-hide full plate, which he has forged from the scales of dozens of fang dragons and wyverns. Tactically, he uses his bow to down aerial foes (those he fails to ground via earthbind, and engages ground foes in deinonychus form, which he then augments with expansion to become huge size. If the need arises, he summons additional deinonychus support via Summon Nature's Ally, and then bolsters them and Karima with Enlarge Animal. He believes strongly in handling dragons without putting others at risk. Karima: Once a beautiful desert flower, Karima has been reborn into the body of a megaraptor through divine magic. She lacks any true memories or intelligence from her former existence, and acts as is typical for an animal companion of her sophistication. She is ferocious in battle, leaping upon prey with Siddig delivering a devastating charge attack with his lance. Ibhn Shaitana: A deadly and powerful wizard, Ibhn has pledged himself to the otherworldly dragon known as Wrack, and seeks to use the secrets of the demon dragon to gain greater power in Canin. He dreams of oneday leading his draconic soldiers and carving a domain of his own, if not conquering the entire land. Nasir Al-Subaai: The loyal servant of Ibhn, Nasir is a warrior with a modicum of spellcasting talent. Like many of his fellow Canites, he is a barbarian, but his limited training as a duskblade has allowed him to transform himself through Ibhn's rituals into a man partially draconic. He is ruthless and callous, and delights in chaos and death. Setting Information Canin: A land of deserts and rocky mountains, Canin is located in the northwestern corner of Agris. Surrounded to the north, west, and south with mountains which cut off access to the ocean beyond, Canin borders the much more arable land of Kerubina. In truth, Canin is not so much a "nation" as it is a "region" that other nations have little interest in. It is largely desolate, and the mountains keep the area extremely hot year round, and the area is, of course, plagued with the remnants of the dragons that invaded during the Incursion War. The people of Canin are scattered into nomadic tribes that travel between oases. Barbarians and rangers are common in Canin, and druids and other divine casters are highly sought after for their talents at creating water. Dragons: On the continent of Agris, dragons are particularly rare. Almost eight-hundred years prior to Siddig's birth, they almost all migrated across the oceans to parts unknown and for reasons no one has determined. With some exceptions, the only real dragons still in Agris reside in Canin, and are little more than beastial predators. They are wyverns and fang dragons mostly, and almost all lack breath weapons. Ryl'Bea: Despite what the crone and others might insist, Ryl'Bea, the Mithril Dragon, was neutral. The mother of all dragons, she came to A'Thea during the Incursion War, when the banished goddess of pain, Lisseth, made war on her fellow gods in an effort to regain her position. Ryl'Bea no longer exists in the pantheon of foreign gods, though, unlike Minagin or Felagund, no scholars can explain what has caused her disappearance. It should be noted, however, that her sudden vanishing preceeded the vast migration of dragons from the continent. Cheldrya: The goddess of nature and head of the druidic pantheon, Cheldrya espouses a communal living with nature and defense against those who would despoil it. Psionics: It should be noted that in A'Thea, psionics is the magic of dreams. For Siddig, his psionic ability of expansion is the manifestation of his dreams of greater and more powerful "dragons." He never uses the power when he is not wild shaped. Siddig El Khaldun Neutral Good Human Druid 9/Psychic Warrior 1 (PHB & XPH) Strength: 15 (+2) = 13 base + 2 Enhancement (Gauntlets of Ogre Power) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: 12 (+1) Intelligence 13 (+1) Wisdom: 20 (+5) = 16 base + 2 levels + 2 Enhancement (Periapt of Wisdom) Charisma: 9 (-1) Fortitude: +9 = + 6 Druid +2 PsyWar + 1 Constitution (+4 vs fey spell-like abilities) Reflex: +4 = + 3 Druid + 1 Dexterity (+4 vs fey spell-like abilities) Will: + 11 = +6 Druid + 5 Wisdom (+4 vs fey spell-like abilities) BAB/Grapple: +6/+8 Initiative: +1 Armor Class: 21 = 10 + 1 (Dex) + 9 (+1 Beast Skin Dragonhide Full Plate) + 1 (Masterwork Light Wooden Shield) Touch: 11 Flat Footed: 20 Hit Dice: 9 + 9d8 + 9 = 58.5 hp Speed: 20' = 30' Base - 10' Armor Attack Routines +1 Dragonbane Mighty (+2) Composite Longbow +8/+3 (1d8+3, 20/x3) / +10/+5 (1d8 + 5 + 2d6 vs dragons, 20/x3) +1 Lance +9/+4 (1d8 + 3) Masterwork Scimitar +9/+4 (1d6 + 2, 18-20/x2) Tactics Depending on his foe's apparent strength, Siddig charges into combat atop Karima and delivers a charge attack with his lance, backed by Karima's pounce. He then dismounts and wild shapes into deinonychus form and engages in melee. If his foe is aerial, he attempts to disable them via Earthbind and then uses his longbow as necessary. Skills {Class Skill max ranks 13, cross class 6.5, 72 druid/ 4 psychic warrior skill points total) Concentration (Con) +14 = 13 ranks + 1 Constitution Craft (Armor Smithing) (Int) +14 (+16) = 13 ranks + 1 Intelligence (+2 Artisan's Tools) Handle Animal (Cha) +11 (+15 w. Karima) = 12 ranks -1 Charisma (+4 with animal companion) Knowledge (Nature) (Int) +15 = 10 ranks + 1 Intelligence + 2 Nature Sense +2 synergy Listen (Wis) +5 = 0 ranks + 5 Wisdom Ride (Dex) +14 = 13 ranks + 1 Dexterity Search (Int) +1 = 0 ranks +1 Intelligence Sense Motive (Wis) +8 = 7 ranks +1 Wisdom Spellcraft (Int) +8 = 5 ranks + 3 Intelligence Spot (Wis) +8 = 3 ranks +5 Wisdom Survival (Wis) +19 (+21 above ground) = 12 ranks +5 Wisdom +2 Nature Sense (+2 synergy when above ground) Languages Davin (native language of Canin), Druidic (bonus), Terran Feats 1st Level - Spell Focus (Conjuration) (+1 DC for Conjuration spells) - Augment Summoning (human bonus) (Summoned animals gain +4 enhancement to STR and CON) 3rd Level - Natural Bond (+3 to effective druid level for animal companions, max "EDL" of character level) (Complete Adventurer pg 111) 6th Level - Natural Spell (Cast spells while wild shaped) 8th Level - Mounted Combat (Psychic Warrior Bonus) 9th Level - Extra Wild Shape (+2 Wild Shapes/day) (Complete Divine, pg 81) Proficiencies All simple and martial weapons, all armor and shields (but not tower shields). Note that Siddig cannot wear metal armor without losing access to all many of his class features for 24 hours. Spells 6/6/5/4/3/2 Druid Spell List Save DC 15 + level (+1 for Conjuration Spells) Orisons Create Water Detect Magic Guidance Resistance Cure Minor Wounds Cure Minor Wounds 1st Cure Light Wounds Longstrider Magic Fang Cold Fire (SC 50) (Typically used to provide "air conditioning" to others when necessary) Hawkeye (SC 110) Snake's Swiftness (SC 193) 2nd Restoration, Lesser Bite of the Wererat (SC 28) Earthbind (SC 76) Master Air (SC 139) Earthbind 3rd Cure Moderate Wounds Bite of the Werewolf (SC 29) Charge of the Triceratops (SC 45) Dehydrate (SC 62) 4th Cure Serious Wounds Air Walk Wind at Back (SC 239) 5th Animal Growth Heal Animal Companion (SC 110) Psionics 2 power points Powers Known: Expansion (level 1, 1 pp, increase manifester's size by one category, sundry other benefits) (XPH pg. 105-106) Special Abilities +1 skill point per level [Human] First level bonus feat [Human] Favored Class: Highest level (Druid) [Human] Animal Companion (as 10th level druid) [Druid] Nature Sense (+2 Knowledge Nature and Survival) [Druid] Wild Empathy +8 (+9 Level - 1 Charisma) [Druid] Woodland Stride (move through undergrowth without penalty) [Druid] Trackless Step (Never leave a trail) [Druid] Resist Nature's Lure (+4 vs fey spell-like abilities) [Druid] Wild Shape 5/day (Large Size) (As per Alter Form and Wild Shape abilities, see Errata) [Druid] Venom Immunity [Druid] Spontaneous Summon Nature's Ally [Druid] Spells [Druid] Bonus Fighter or Psionic feat [Psychic Warrior] Psionics [Psychic Warrior] Equipment --On Siddig-- +1 Beast Skin (MIC pg 7) Dragonhide (DMG) Full Plate (12,300 gp) + Least Crystal of Adaptation (MIC pg 24) (500 gp) Light Wooden Shield (3 gp) Gauntlets of Ogre Power +2 (4000 gp) + Wilding Clasp (MIC 190) (4000 gp) Periapt of Wisdom +2 (4000 gp) + Wilding Clasp (MIC 190) (4000 gp) +1 Dragonbane Mighty (+2) Composite Longbow (8600 gp) * +1 Lance (2310 gp) * MW Scimitar (315 gp) * 60 Arrows (3 gp) * Ring of Sustenance (2200 gp) Quiver of Ehlonna (1800 gp) Everburning Torch (110 gp) * Backpack (2 gp) Spell Component Pouch (5 gp) Holly & Mistletoe (0 gp) Waterskin (1 gp) ^ 50' Silk Rope (10 gp) ^ Tanglefoot Bag (50 gp) ^ Traveler's Outfit (free) Signal Whistle (0.8 gp) ^ Wands: * Spider Climb (1 charge) (90 gp) Cure Moderate Wounds (2 charges) (180 gp) Cure Light Wounds (6 charges) (90 gp) --On Karima-- Masterwork Exotic Military Saddle (250 gp - please note that Complete Adventurer does not list a masterwork cost for exotic saddles. This total was figured by comparing the price of regular military and exotic saddles) Masterwork Studded Leather Barding (1400 gp - Total determined by multiplying regular MW studded leather by 8. No listed formula for huge barding) + Least Crystal of Adaptation (MIC pg 24) (500 gp) Ring of Sustenance (2200 gp) (Created from the wedding ring Siddig gave Karima) Saddlebags (4 gp) Tent (10 gp) # Bedroll (0.1 gp) # Flint & Steel (1 gp) # Winter Blanket (0.5 gp) # Masterwork Artisan's Tools (55 gp) # Bit & Bridle (2 gp) * Carried in Quiver of Ehlonna when not in use ^ Carried in Backpack when not in use # Carried in Saddlebags when not in use Remaining Gold: 8.6 gp Notes 28 point stat-buy STR: 6 points = 14 - 1 Aging DEX: 5 points = 13 - 1 Aging CON: 5 points = 13 -1 Aging INT: 4 points = 12 +1 Aging WIS: 8 points = 15 + 2 Level + 1 Aging CHA: 0 points = 8 + 1 Aging Skill Expenditure: Skill Druid Psychic Warrior Concentration 12 ranks 1 rank Handle Animal 12 ranks 0 ranks Knowledge (Nature) 10 ranks 0 ranks Ride 12 ranks 1 rank Survival 12 ranks 0 ranks Craft (Armor) 11 ranks 2 ranks Spot 3 ranks 0 ranks Karima, Megaraptor Huge Animal Hit Dice: 8d8+48 (84 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 60 ft. (12 squares) Armor Class: 19 (–2 size, +2 Dex, +6 natural, +3 Studded Leather Barding), touch 10, flat-footed 17 Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+19 Attack: Talons +9 melee (2d8+5) Full Attack: Talons +9 melee (2d8+5) and 2 foreclaws +7 melee (1d4+2) and bite +7 melee (2d6+2) Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Pounce Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent Saves: Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +6 Abilities: Str 21, Dex 15, Con 21, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 10 Skills: Hide +5, Jump +27, Listen +12, Spot +12, Survival +12 Feats: Iron Will, Improved Toughness (Complete Warrior 101), Multiattack (Monster Manual 304) Alignment: Always neutral Karima's current incarnation is a larger version of the deinonychus, standing about 12 feet tall with a total length of 24 feet. She has the a thick, leathery hide the color of sandstone, mottled with a red-clay hue. Her eyes are a brilliant amber, and she bears a gold and silver ring on one of her foreclaws. She is protected in battle by a layer of specially crafted studded leather barding. Pounce (Ex): If Karima charges, she can make a full attack. Skills: Karima has a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Jump, Listen, Spot, and Survival checks. Note, I'm building Siddig using the new Alternate Form errata from WotC. This actually gets me the pounce ability of the deinonychus ability, which is a pretty big bonus, all things considered. Initiative: +2 Speed: 45 ft. (guessing on speed for heavy armor with 60 foot base) Armor Class: 16 (25) (–1 size, +2 Dex, +5 natural, (+9 Armor)), touch 11, flat-footed 14 (23) Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+15 Attack: Talons +10 melee (2d6+5) Full Attack: Talons +10 melee (2d6+5) and 2 foreclaws +5 melee (1d3+2) and bite +5 melee (2d4+2) Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Pounce Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent, spells, Wild Shape 5/day Saves: Fort +12, Ref +5, Will +11 Abilities: Str 21, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 13, Wis 20, Cha 9 Siddig in deinonychus form is a ruddy brown along his back and flanks, with a much lighter shade of the same color on his underside. The body has darker spots or stripes. His tail extends straight out behind him, held aloft by an intricate structure of bony supports, thus allowing its weight to be carried entirely by the back legs. He weighs about 600 pounds. Combat Siddig relies upon his increased strength and speed, as well as defense, to attack his foes. He typically further augments his size with Expansion (which nets him a +2 STR, -2 DEX, - 1 Attack, - 1 AC, and increases his damage by one category). He commonly expends two wild shape uses when he transforms, allowing him to keep his full plate in beast form (giving him a vastly improved AC). His Periapt of Wisdom and Gauntlets of Ogre Power remain in his beast form as well, due to their attached Wilding Clasps Pounce (Ex): If Siddig charges, he can make a full attack. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-11-07, 09:43 PM | New Entries have been added to the official list... For a while, I thought my job would be far too simple. However, things are starting to pick up. |
| Longtime_Lurker07-11-07, 10:36 PM | Hello there, I have been lurking these boards for several years now and thought it was about time I introduced myself and actually posted something. I have followed the last 4 Hero Craftsman competitions and really admire the effort both the competitors and judges display in organising them. Please find my entry Saraliss "The Dunerunner" below for your perusal. I do hope everything is OK with it - it should be as I have been editing this post for over 2 hours now (that doesn't include any of the time spent writing the character). If the judges would prefer a .doc version (with slightly easier to read formatting) please do feel free to PM me. Many thanks At the top of a nearby dune you make out a human-sized figure apparently driving some sort of spear, painted a rich red colour and topped with a streamer of red silk, into the ground; shaking it to ensure that it is secure. Glancing around you realise that each of the 5 tallest dunes ahead of you are similarly marked with scarlet poles. You turn back to find the figure, who has closed much of the distance between you in a few brief seconds, moving swiftly towards you with one hand raised in greeting. You note that the figure leaves no trail during his rapid descent of the dune. As the figure gets closer you can see that he is male, about 6 feet tall and clothed from head to foot in supple leathers and silks dyed in scarlets, yellows and blues. A pair of goggles covers his eyes and not a scrap of flesh can be seen. In his left hand he carries a short, sharply recurved bow, sheathed in a chill mist despite the raging heat. A sturdy pack of red leather on his back is flanked by two quivers, one yellow, one blue and his belt is laden with pouches. “What brings you to the wastes?” he asks, his accent refined and not at all coarse like the Desert Nomads you have encountered thus far on your travels but it is also blunt, terse and to the point. Without waiting for your reply he casts his eyes quickly over your group as if evaluating you, spending more time on your packs, waterskins and clothing than your faces. “You look fairly well equipped.” His tone slightly warmer now “I patrol the wastes for 100 miles around, keeping the trails marked as best I can” He nods in the direction of the scarlet pole on the dune. “As long as you follow the scarlet trails they will lead you to civilisation eventually. I assume you know where you have been?” He chuckles mirthlessly at his feeble joke “But of course you do. Anyway, continue to follow the trail south if you wish to reach Marbiads Oasis, it’s still four days from here but worth the trip, tell old Marbiad that I’m fine and will be in to see him soon. Oh yes, and be careful not to stray to far to the east, the goblin tribe have recently lost their chieftain and the warriors are all eager to claim riches in order to bid for the title. If you get lost then look for the scarlet markers, if you get really lost send up smoke and I will be with you as soon as possible.” And with that he turns and jogs away, perpendicular to the trail you are on, running across virgin sand, leaving not the slightest trace. Within a few seconds he is gone, vanished into the swirling sands. You then realise that he didn’t even give you a chance to speak. Saraliss “The Dunerunner” Human Scout 5/Cleric 5: CR 10; ECL 10; Progression: Scout 1 – 5 then Cleric 1 - 5 Size: Medium Alignment: Neutral Good Deity Worshipped: Many (offers prayers to the spirits of the desert) Hit Dice: 10d8; HP: 68 = 8 [first level] + 9x4.5 [4 Scout + 5 Cleric HD] + 10 [Con 12] + 10 Initiative: +5 = +3 [Dexterity 16] +1 [Gloves of Dexterity] +1 [Battle Fortitude Class Feature]{competence} Speed: 50 ft = base 30 ft +10ft [Scout Level 3] {enhancement} +10ft [Celerity Domain] {unnamed} Armour Class: 21 = 10 [base] +3 [Dex] +1 [Gloves of Dex] +6 [Chain Shirt +2]{armour} +1 [Ring] {deflection} Touch AC: 15 = 10 [base] +3 [Dex] +1 [Gloves of Dex] +1 [Ring] {deflection} Flat Footed: 21 = 10 [base] +3 [Dex] +1 [Gloves of Dex] +6 [Chain Shirt +2]{armour} +1 [Ring] {deflection} Dexterity Bonus retained when flat footed due to uncanny dodge Skirmishing: 24 = 10 [base] +3 [Dex] +1 [Gloves of Dex] +6 [Chain Shirt +2]{armour} +1 [Ring] {deflection} +1 [Skirmish Class Feature]{dodge} +2 [Expeditious Dodge Feat]{dodge} Skirmish Class Feature bonus only applies if moving 20ft+ in the round, Expeditious Dodge bonus only applies if moving 40ft+ in the round BAB: +6/+1; Grapple: +8 = +6 [bab] +2 [Str 14] [B]Common Attacks Composite Shortbow of Frost To Hit: +11 = +6 +3 [Dex 16] +1 [Gloves] +1 [+1 Bow]{Enhancement} Damage: 1d6 [arrow] + 2 [Str] +1 [Shortbow +1] + 1d6 [Frost Bow]{Cold} +1 Longspear To Hit: +9 = +6 [bab] +2 [Str 14] +1 [+1 Spear]{Enhancement} Damage: 1d8 [spear] +2 [Str] +1 [Spear +1] If moving 20ft or more before the attack is made gain +2d6 damage [Skirmish] [B]Saves Fort +9 = +1 [Scout 5] + 4 [Cleric 5] +1 [Con 12] +1 [Amulet] +1 [Vest]{resistance} +1 {Competence} Additional +4 Bonus against environment challenges [Endurance Feat]{unnamed} Additional +2 Bonus against Fire effects [Heat Endurance Feat]{unnamed} Ref +10 = +4 [Scout 5] + 1 [Cleric 5] +3 [Dex 16] +1 [Gloves] +1 [Vest]{resistance} Additional +2 Bonus against Fire effects [Heat Endurance Feat]{unnamed} Will +9 = +1 [Scout 5] + 4 [Cleric 5] +3 [Wis 16] +1 [Vest]{resistance} Additional +2 Bonus against Fire effects [Heat Endurance Feat]{unnamed} [B]Stats (Breakdown) Str. 14 +2 (6 points, Base Score 14) Dex. 18 +4 (8 points, Base Score 15 + 1 [level 4] + 2 [Gloves of Dexterity] {Enchantment}) Con. 14 +2 (4 points, Base Score 12 + 2 [Amulet of Health] {Enchantment}) Int. 10 +0 (2 points, Base Score 10) Wis. 16 +2 (8 points, Base Score 15 + 1 [level 8]) Cha. 8 -1 (0 points, Base Score 8) Languages spoken: Common , Dwarf, Elf, Giant [Speak Language Skill] [B]Skills: Skill Points = 87 = 8x4 [1st level scout] + 8x4 [scout 2-5] + 2 x 5 [Cleric 1-5] + 13 [human] All skills purchased as class skills. Skill Total (+Ranks +Stat Bonus +Synergy +Other) Climb +10 (+6 +2 +0 +2 [Tools] {Circumstance}) Craft (Bowyer) +10 (+8 +0 +0 +2 [Tools] {Circumstance}) Craft (Leatherwork) +10 (+8 +0 +0 +2 [Tools] {Circumstance}) Heal +17 (+10 +3 +0 +2 [Tools] {Circumstance} +2 {Competence}) Jump +9 (+5 +2 +2 [tumble] +4 with running start [Run Feat]) Knowledge (Geography) +8 (+8 +0 +0) Knowledge (Nature) +7 (+5 +0 +2 [survival]) Search +5 (+5 +0 +0) Speak Lang. +3 (+3 +0 +0) Spot +16 (+8 +3 +0 +5 [Goggles] {competence}) Tumble +14 (+8 +4 +2 [jump]) Survival +16 (+13 +3 +varies + Varies See Below) Survival - Avoiding Hazards in Desert: Total +22 as above, +2 [Map]{circumstance}, +2 synergy [Know Geog.], +2 synergy [Know Nature] Survival – Tracking Outdoors: Total +20 as above, +2 synergy [Search], +2 synergy [Know Nature], An additional +4 {circumstance} bonus applies on survival checks against harsh weather when using Pup Tent (below). Feats Run – [Character Level 1 Feat] Track – [Human Bonus Feat, Character Level 1] Expeditious Dodge – Races of the Wild - [Character Level 3 Feat] - +2 dodge bonus to AC when moving 40ft+ Endurance - [Scout Level 4 Bonus Feat, Character Level 4] Heat Endurance – Sandstorm – [Character Level 6 Feat] Craft Wondrous Item - [Character Level 9 Feat, Qualify as Cleric 4] Armor Proficiency (Heavy) - [Cleric 1 Bonus Feat, Character Level 6] Armor Proficiency (Light) - [Scout 1 Bonus Feat, Character Level 1] Armor Proficiency (Medium) - [Cleric 1 Bonus Feat, Character Level 6] Shield Proficiency – [Cleric 1 Bonus Feat, Character Level 6] Simple Weapon Proficiency – [Scout 1 Bonus Feat, Character Level 1] – also proficient in shortbow [B]Special Abilities: Trapfinding – [Scout 1] – can locate traps with DC greater than 20 Battle Fortitude – Complete Adventurer - [Scout 2, Character Level 2] - +1 {competence} Fort saves and Init. checks Uncanny Dodge – [Scout 2] – retain Dex. Bonus when flat footed or against an invisible opponent Trackless Step – [Scout 3] – Does not leave tracks Fast Movement – Complete Adventurer [Scout 3] - +10ft enhancement bonus to speed Evasion – [Scout 5] – no damage on successful reflex save. Skirmish – Complete Adventurer - [Scout 5] - +2d6 damage and +1 dodge AC if moving 20ft or more in a round Aura of Good – [Cleric 1, Character Level 6] Celerity Domain – Spell Compendium - [Cleric 1, Character Level 6] - +10ft move speed when lightly encumbered Travel Domain - [Cleric 1, Character Level 6] – Free action 5/rounds per day, Survival is Cleric Class Skill Spontaneous Casting - [Cleric 1, Character Level 6] - Healing Turn Undead - [Cleric 1, Character Level 6] – 2 uses per day. Turn Check 1d20-1 [Cha 8] Saraliss usually has the following spells memorized whilst travelling. Spell DC = Spell Level + 3 [Wisdom 16] Caster Level = Cleric 5 Spells = 4/3+1[domain]+1[Wis]/2+1[domain]+1[Wis]/1+1[domain]+1[Wis 0 – Create water, Detect magic, Detect poison, Light, Mending, 1 – Expeditious Retreat [Domain Spell], Comprehend languages, Conviction - spell compendium, Delay disease, Endure elements, 2 – Cat’s Grace [Domain Spell], Bears Endurance, Delay Poison, Divine insight – spell compendium, 3 – Fly [Domain Spell], Dispel Magic (Dispel Check 1d20+5), Protection from Energy, He does not have any spells running as standard. Possessions Location - Item - Cost/Weight Worn - Traveler's Outfit (Soft leather of various hues) 1gp/5lbs Body – Mithril Chain Shirt +2 of Easy Travel – Magic Item Compendium 6750gp/12.5lbs Hands - Gloves of dexterity +2 4000gp/- Neck - Amulet of health +2 4000gp/- Face - Eyes of the eagle 2500gp/- Torso - Vest of Resistance +1– crafted [Craft Wondrous Feat] - Complete Arcane 500gp/1lb Head - Watch lamp – Magic Item Compendium 500gp/- Finger - Ring of protection +1 2000gp/- Belt - Healing belt – crafted [Craft Wondrous Feat] - Magic Item Compendium 375gp/1lb Primary Weapon – Composite Shortbow (+2 str) +1 of Frost (+1d6 Cold Damage) - called "Orik" 8525gp/2lbs Sheathed at Belt - Cold Iron Masterwork Dagger 304gp/1lb Sheathed at Belt – Wand of Cure Light Wounds (33 charges) 495gp/0.1lb subtotal 29,950 22.6 Belt pouch 1gp/.5lbs Flask of Acid 10gp/1.25lbs Tanglefoot bag 50gp/4lbs Potion of hide from Undead 50gp/.1lbs Potion of hide from Animals 50gp/.1lbs Potion of invisibility 300gp/.1lbs Potion of Lesser Restoration (2) 600gp/.2lbs subtotal 1,060 5.75 Map or scroll case 1gp/0.5lbs 5 x Map of the Deserts – as detailed in competition rules 250gp/- subtotal 251/0.5 Belt pouch 1gp/0.5lbs Flint and steel 1gp/- Small steel mirror 10gp/0.5lbs Spyglass 1000gp/1lb 43 gold pieces 43gp/0.8lbs 33 silver pieces 3.3gp/0.7lbs subtotal 1,058.3/3.5 Efficient Quiver 1800gp/2lbs 5x Arrow +1 (dragon bane) 830.25gp/EQ 10x Arrow +1 (shock) 1660.5gp/EQ 5x Arrow +1 (vermin bane) 830.25gp/EQ 5x Arrow +1 (magical beast bane) 830.25gp/EQ 10x Arrow +1 (alchemical silver/undead bane) 1660.9gp/EQ 11x Arrow (adamantine) 660.55gp/EQ 18 x Javelin- sized red wooden poles with scarlet streamers 18gp/EQ subtotal 8230.7/2 Efficient Quiver 1800gp/2lbs 20x Swiftwing arrow – races of the wild – reduced range penalties 20gp/EQ 20x Serpentstongue arrow – races of the wild – slashing damage 3gp/EQ 20x Arrow 3gp/EQ Shortbow, Composite (+2 str. bonus) Masterwork 525gp/EQ Longspear +1 2305gp/EQ (9lbs) 18 x Javelin- sized red wooden poles with scarlet streamers 18gp/EQ subtotal 4674/2 Heward's Handy Haversack 2000gp/5lbs Everlasting Rations – crafted [Craft Wondrous Feat] - Magic Item Compendium 175gp/HHH Replenishing Waterskin – crafted [Craft Wondrous Feat] - Magic Item Compendium 500gp/HHH Replenishing Waterskin – crafted [Craft Wondrous Feat] - Magic Item Compendium 500gp/HHH Magic Bedroll – crafted [Craft Wondrous Feat] - Magic Item Compendium 250gp/HHH Medium Pup Tent, honey leather – Races of the Wild 60gp/HHH Silk rope (50 ft.) 10gp/HHH Masterwork artisan's tools (bowmaking) 55gp/HHH Masterwork artisan's tools (leatherworking) 55gp/HHH Healer's Kit 50gp/HHH Climbers Kit 80gp/HHH Silver Holy Symbol 25gp/HHH Sunrod (5) 10gp/HHH subtotal 3770/5 Spell Component Pouch 5gp/4lbs Wooden Holy Symbol 1gp/0.1lbs subtotal 6/4.1 Total Value of possessions: 49,000gp Total Carried Weight of Gear: 45.45lbs Light Load: Up to 59lbs Medium Load: Up to 117lbs Heavy Load: Up to 179lbs Items marked HHH (Hewards Handy Haversack) or EQ (Efficient Quiver) in the weight column are stored in the relevant item and are weightless for encumbrance calculations. Items crafted by Saraliss are marked – crafted [Craft Wondrous Feat] – I have not reduced the equipment costs for mundane equipment despite the fact that he makes his clothing etc. Arrows and wand charges have been calculated based on each arrow/charge costing 1/50th the cost for a full wand or 50 arrows. Saraliss was not born in the Desert that he has called home for the last 8 years. He was born to a noble family in the greatest City of the North. His father was a rich merchant who had travelled extensively in his youth and left it until late in life to start a family with his much younger wife. As a child Saraliss was enchanted by his fathers tales of far off places, of monsters and of strange exotic creatures. At 16 he begged his father to let him leave the household and explore the world. His father agreed, provided that Saraliss travel in the company of Marbiad, an elven acquaintance of his fathers skilled in the magical arts. Saraliss was thrilled with this arrangement, as Maribiad had lived longer, and travelled even more extensively than his father. Marbiad too was happy with the arrangement, although he left much of Saraliss’ initial training to an aging human ranger named Illmun. Saraliss learned fast and the companions, completed by the Warrior Cleric Orik Thunderfist (a Dwarf) soon made a name for themselves throughout the middle lands as heroes of no mean skill. Of particular note was the defeat of the Hill Giant chief, Boulderstrike, his army of Gnolls and Orcs crumbling without his leadership, averting potential disaster for the town of Dalehove. Illmun retired following the Battle of Dalehove and settled down to start a family of his own, the people of Dalehoven were so grateful to the companions that they elected him Mayor the following year. Saraliss and the other companions though were not ready to hang up their swords just yet. Taking employment with a merchant from Dalehoven they travelled far to the south, to where the sun burned the land and the sky was always blue. His first journey through the Desert was a spiritual experience for Saraliss, the place seemed to talk to him, promising adventure and the unknown. He began to offer prayers to the spirit of the desert itself, to grant him the speed and endurance to travel so inhospitable, yet so captivating, a place. After several years of travels in the south Marbiad came across rumours of blue dragon, dwelling a weeks travel from the nearest city in a mountain containing a deepwater spring. It did not take much to convince Saraliss and Orik that such a journey could prove both profitable and exhilarating. Gathering supplies and the services of a few local warriors the companions struck out south into the deep wastes. After 3 weeks of searching, and the loss of both of the hired warriors to marauding Wyverns the companions located the lair of D’kervel, an adult blue dragon and made their plans to sneak in during one of D’kervels hunting trips, steal what they could and escape into the dunes before the Dragon realised what had happened. However the companions had underestimated the cunning of Dragons. After 3 days observing the lair D’kervel emerged from a low entrance tunnel to small rocky mountain and took to the skies, heading east to an area the companions had witnessed her hunting previously. Swiftly the companions headed into the lair, only to discover that D’kervel was waiting for them, having sent an illusory double out “”hunting” to lure them in. Instantly battle was joined with the dragon appearing from her invisibility spell with a roar. As the companions struggled to react to the surprise appearance of several tons of angry dragon she swept Orik up into her jaws, crushing the unfortunate dwarf before dashing his brains against the wall and tearing his now lifeless body apart. Only Marbiad prevented the slaying of them all, unleashing spell after spell upon the Wyrm from his hidden perch high in the cavern. For his part Saraliss remained cloaked thanks to a spell from Maribad and contributed arrow fire when he could be sure the dragon would not be in a position to retaliate. It took merely moments for the conflict to be resolved, with D’Kervel dying a withered husk, Orik dead and Marbiad and Saraliss severely injured and exhausted. With the battle won Marbiad and Saraliss recovered Oriks body, which they buried at the site of his death as per his wishes, and began to explore D’Kervels lair. What they found was remarkable. Within the small rocky mountain was a deep water stream of coolest pure water as well as a small mining complex, apparently dwarven, which had not been worked in centuries. Marbiad also located a library of ancient dwarven texts within a section of mine complex that was furnished as a living quarters. Over the course of several weeks Marbiad decided to retire from the travellers’ life and establish his new home here in the mountain which would, over time, come to be known as Marbiads’ Oasis. Marbiad was joined by a small coterie of apprentices as well as about 100 local Desert folk who had followed the rumours that the dragon was dead and her dwelling now inhabited by welcoming, goodly folk. Saraliss though, now nearing his 22nd year, had no wish to become a councilman, or to dwell once again in a bustling town, surrounded by the smells and noises of people rather than the soothing winds of Desert breeze. For weeks he travelled back and forth, from Marbiads’ Oasis to the nearest town, El’Gebra, marking his trails with bold red sticks atop dunes along the route. After nearly a years worth of such trips, guiding new settlers to Marbiads Oasis or carrying the wealth of D’Kervels horde to the bazaars, the road from El’Gebra was well established and considered one of the safest in the region thanks to the efforts of “The Dunerunner”. Many a traveller caught without food, shelter or water was saved by the arrival of a terse stranger, garbed in colourful leathers and silks who spoke few words and gave no more than was needed to keep them alive. By the morning after the rescue he would be gone, vanished into the dunes leaving nothing but a map of the area as evidence of his passing. It is said that anyone may request the assistance of the Dunerunner by sending a plume of red smoke into the sky, traders in many of the towns within a few weeks travel of the Oasis do a bustling trade in special red smoke sticks made for just this purpose. With the road to El’Gebra no longer a challenge or adventure Saraliss began to establish trails to the other towns near to the Oasis and “The Dunerunner” was soon known throughout the region, his title far more famous than his real name, his face even less well known than that. Fame however has also brought complications, a group of bandits, or perhaps just one, have taken to clothing themselves in similarly bright garb to Saraliss in order to lure travellers into ambushes. Saraliss is concerned with the evil of these deeds as well as angry at the slight to his reputation and he would be very keen to eliminate this problem should the opportunity arise. At the present time Saraliss has been away from Marbiads’ Oasis for over a year, although he truly intends to return soon. He also means to return home to visit his father at some point, for it has been many years since he was last in touch. That said; adventure has always called strongly to him and it would not take much to entice him into joining with a like minded group of wanderers. Saraliss is ill at ease in company, preferring his own company or the companionship of a few well chosen friends. He is not deliberately rude, but his shyness and awkwardness in social situations can make it appear so. He crafts his own clothes and tools and finds it difficult to trust the workmanship of others. Almost all of his wealth has been spent creating, or providing funds to Marbiad to create, the perfect tools for his survival away from civilisation. Even if visiting a city Saraliss drinks his own water and eats his own food, sleeping rough outside the city gates rather than seeking comfort within. Since he first left his fathers house Saraliss has seldom spent more than a few days at a time in any one place and then generally only to replenish his supplies and craft whatever he needs to continue his travels. Saraliss favours bright colours, primarily Red, Yellow or Blue and the majority of his equipment is dyed one of these colours. Never one for stealth Saraliss is likely to approach any he sees directly, should they react with hostility he trusts in his speed and evasion skills to get him to safety, or fights a running battle until his opponent is exhausted or defeated. Saraliss is evangelical about the purity of the Desert, believing it to be the most perfect place in the world. Those people who have managed to get him to elaborate on his beliefs say that he worships no god but instead believes that the Desert itself answers his prayers. At dawn each morning he can be found at the base of the steepest available Dune offering prayers which roll and undulate in volume and intensity like a swirling wind. Without his clothes, which conceal his skin, face and hair entirely Saraliss is surprisingly pale, with a thin face, grey eyes and lank dark hair to his shoulders. He seldom shaves and sports an unruly beard as a result. His body is thin, but hardy with tightly knotted muscles used to long journeys and a harsh existence. Saraliss' magic bow was created by Marbiad to Saraliss specifications. He has named the bow Orik in honour of his fallen comrade. Saraliss is an excellent tracker and leaves no tracks himself in natural terrain. His equipment and skills mean that outside of combat, he is almost entirely self-sufficient yet can contribute to the party in a variety of ways – most likely filling the ranger/archer role as he lacks the skills required of a true skill-monkey. His high movement rate and freedom of movement ability (from the travel domain) mean that he is very hard to pin down and could be an aggravating opponent. Should things go badly he is more than willing to drink his potion of invisibility and simply run away, he is not shamed by defeat. He is most likely to advance as a cleric of the desert, probably picking up the improved skirmish, improved heat endurance and craft magic arms and armour feats along the way although if his wanderlust called him away from his beloved desert then Horizon Walker may offer another path. Not very optimised, I realise that and rejected far more “powerful” characters in favour of Saraliss because I liked the way he came together. I realise some ranger levels (or a prestige class or two) may make the build mechanically more powerful but I have always liked simple builds and in this case the two classes represent two very different periods in Saraliss’ life. Books Used (all non core sources marked - in Italics – as relevant in the text) Races of the Wild (Variant Arrows, Honey Leather Tent, Expeditious Dodge Feat) Complete Adventurer (Scout Class and Features) Spell Compendium (Celerity Domain, Divine Insight Spell) Magic Item Compendium (Various Items and the Easy Travel armour enchantment) Complete Arcane (Vest of Resistance) Sandstorm (Heat Endurance Feat) Oh and generally the stat text reads as Blah +Bonus [source of bonus]{type of bonus} although I hope it is all reasonably clear. |
| jennibert07-12-07, 12:02 AM | The armies battle, the clang of swords on armor and screams of pain and death echoing from the wall that guards the city. A tall figure, a violet cloak blowing around its thin shoulders, makes its way onto the parapet. From the moment of its appearance, a whisper goes up among the defenders below: "The angel...the angel is coming!" The figure reaches the rail, and draws a thin silver sword, gesturing grandly across the field. Her mouth opens, and through the sounds of battle can be heard a sweet, lilting voice... I was born in the city of Khafla, during one of the times when the city and its nation of Sa'har Le'parn were at...not peace, but at least cold war with the neighboring nation of Sarduk Noir. That had not been the case a little over a year before, however, when an all-out conflict between the nations had occasioned the creation of a special unit from some traveling adventurers...my elven father among them. My mother has never said much about him, and even as a child I often got the impression that she barely knew him. I knew only that his name was Dallas Moonrain, and that he left the city long before my birth. My mother, Jamila, is a member of the Guard. Not the Divine Wind, the elite unit that guards the Wall across the pass to Sarduk Noir, but the regular city guard. She enjoyed her work, but I could always sense a slight bit of shame beneath the surface. That's probably why she was always so set on me being part of the Divine Wind, even from before my birth. But I was always smaller than my peers, and grew more slowly. There being few elves in Khafla--and fewer half-elves--we didn't know that this was normal. My mother just thought I was weak. Not that she ever said anything, but I could feel her disapproval. She had higher hopes for my brother. Kamal is five years my junior, and a full human. He's everything my mother could have hoped for--physically stronger and bigger than me. And not occupied with silly things like singing and music. Music would never get me ahead--strength was what was needed on the Wall. I tried to listen, I tried to be stronger. I trained and trained, but I was never as good with weapons as my brother--I mastered only a few. Kamal and I tried out for the Divine Wind on the same day; he made it, but I failed. Even though I had known it likely, I was still devastated. My mother, to her credit, tried to be supportive, but it was very difficult to console one child while rejoicing for the other. I solved the problem by hooking up with a passing group of adventurers and leaving the city. I spent the next several years drifting from one group to another, sometimes in the city, sometimes out. I developed my abilities with my music, and for the first time really put it to use and learned the sorts of things I could do with it, and with the arcane power I was manifesting as well. I had a part in killing monsters near the city (once it was a blue dragon!), and running reconnaissance into Sarduk Noir, to keep an eye on our enemies there. I seldom returned to the city, not wanting to see the undertone of pity in my mother's eyes, or the triumph in my brother's. It went well for a while--I fell in with a group of people I really liked, all human, but not superior about it like many people in Khafla. But then, they were largely not from my home city, which is what gave us an advantage on sneaking into Noiri territory. So we did, often...usually with me as the front person. Most of them were very successful--we got information, or helped countrymen who were captured or stranded. But one such mission did not go so well. We were to be meeting with a Khaflan agent in the government of a Noiri town a few days' journey from the border. We made contact with our agent, Anya Rasmussen, and realized only after she had lead us into the trap that we were talking not with her, but her animated corpse, glamoured to look still alive. Her master, Sergey Connelly, was a powerful necromancer who had already packed the room with his minions, both living and undead. I managed to distract his living assistants with my music, who successfully blocked the undead's progress long enough for my comrades to escape. The necromancer was livid, and ordered me to be taken alive. "Such a pretty thing," Sergey crooned as his minions held me helpless. "And such interesting talents as well. I could make use of you..." "Never," I snapped in return, doing my best to appear fearless...and to keep from shaking from head to toe. "I don't believe you'll get a say in the matter," he said mildly. "I think I know what to do...you'd make a perfectly lovely vampire." He ran his finger along my cheek, and I shivered involuntarily, much to my chagrin. He smiled at that, a dark, knowing smile that made my blood run cold. "Of course, it will take me a few days to make the necessary arrangements, as I am not yet powerful enough to cast the spell myself..." He locked me in a cell, but made a mistake. He gave me a human guard. I waited until the cover of darkness, and then sang to the guard until he let me out. Sergey figured out what had happened quickly enough and sent his minions after me. We played cat and mouse for the better part of a week as I tried to get to the Sa'haran border, thinking I would be safe once I crossed into my home country. I was wrong. Sergey's minions did cease chasing me once I was in Sa'haran territory, but they were not the only threat I faced. When I had outfitted for this mission, I had expected to stay to well traveled paths, or in the reasonably temperate forests that were the majority of Sarduk Noir. I hadn't expected to be trekking through the desert by myself. I had a general idea of where I was, but that told me only that I was about five days' journey from the city...and I had less than two days worth of supplies. I collapsed on the afternoon of the fourth day, parched with thirst. As I lost consciousness, sure that I was dying, I offered a prayer to whatever gods might be listening that my family might find my body so they would at least know of my death. The next thing I remember is waking up in a tent that was, if not actually cool, at least less warm than the scorching sands I had fallen on. Someone was in the tent with me. I could see at first only that he was reasonably stocky and had rather shaggy dark hair but as he turned to offer me some water, I got a look at his face and let out a scream. The snub nose and rounded cheeks and chin were typically Noiri....and almost exactly like Sergey's. I tried to pull away, but I was far too weak to escape him. "It's okay," he said, his voice soft, gentle, and accented from the Northern continent despite his Noiri features. "Don't worry, little sister. It'll be all right." He reached a hand to run through my hair, but I turned away. "I'm not your sister," I said as fiercely as I could manage. He merely smiled and pulled the candle that had been flickering on the other side of the tent so that I could see his face more clearly. I could see, with the light, the slightly pointed ears that marked him as a half-elf like me; the high cheekbones that looked odd with his rounded cheeks; and, most strikingly, the eyes that were the same peculiar blue-violet as my own. I stared at him in shock, having never in my life seen someone with the same eye color as myself. "My name is Grable Moonrain," he said, and I gasped. "I see that does mean something to you then. Nice to meet you..." I gave him my name, and began asking him endless questions. I learned that he was nine years my elder, the son of Noiri woman our father had had a brief liaison with. Grable had lived with his mother until the age of eight, when Dallas had successfully taken him to live with him and his family on the Northern continent. I apparently have a whole passel of half-siblings there...My mind started spinning as Grable tried to tell me about them all. Grable was on his way to Khafla as well, to visit an old friend of our father's who still lived there, so we traveled together to the city. Naturally I offered to escort him to his destination, but I was shocked at its end. "You're going to visit General Wyvernsbane?" I gasped. "The Lord of the Wall? The leader of the Divine Wind?" He offered to let me meet the General, but I declined, stating that I should probably check that my companions had returned to the city safely, and fled. I did give Grable directions to my mother's home, where I would staying while in the city, with the offer that he could remain there as well. He stayed a few days and then left for the north...long before I found out what had happened to my companions. It seemed that Sergey's minions had chased them as well, despite my efforts. They had been less lucky in their travels than I...only the cleric, Aurora Hasek, had made it back to the city, and she was trembling in terror and horror after having been attacked by the zombies of our former comrades. She left Khafla vowing never to return, and I was suddenly without companions. Despite my newly acquired survival items, I had little desire to traipse around the desert by myself, so I remained in the city, offering my services wherever they might be needed. Sometimes the city guard would ask me to use my gifts to aid them, but for the most part I sang on street corners or at parties. It would have been a boring life, but for one thing: Nuhad Mannan. He was a friend of my brother's, and a celebrated warrior on the Wall. He was also dashing, and handsome, and all of those other things that make a woman fall for a man. He found my exotic looks fascinating, and loved to be seen with me on his arm. I was head over heels for him, and declined an offer from passing adventurers to accompany them into Noiri territory because I didn't want to leave him. I was expecting Nuhad, who was to be taking me up to the Wall, when I answered the door to find an unfamiliar figure on my mother's doorstep. He was slim and tall, standing even above my own six feet, with pale skin and hair that shimmered red-gold in the Khaflan sun around his long, pointed ears. "Zaina?" he asked, a smile spreading onto the handsome, almost aristocratic face that contrasted with his plain, almost shabby leather clothes and armor. I blinked at him in confusion. "I'm Dallas Moonrain." My jaw dropped. Grable had told him about me, and so he'd come all the way from the Northern continent just to see me. My mother all but drooled at his appearance, but he politely declined her advances, and asked me to spend time with him. He was charming and cheerful and always smiling, and seemed ridiculously pleased with my accomplishments, such as they were. Unlike undercurrents of disapproval and incomprehension that I always had gotten from my mother, Dallas made it clear that he was proud of how I had turned out, as long as I was happy. When he found out that I harbored a desire to fight on the Wall, he offered to introduce me to General Wyvernsbane, but I refused, insisting that I wanted to earn my position. He smiled at that, clearly pleased by my determination. Dallas stayed for nearly a month before he had to return to his family in the North, but he gave me a gift before he left: a silver choker set with amethyst, with an amethyst pendant in the shape of an angel in the front. I protested, but he insisted I take it. "I've not gotten to spoil you all your life the way I have the others," he said, his voice soft. "Let me give you this." I relented, and he told me that he'd had a friend enchant it for him as well--it would aid me in speaking with people. I protested again that it was too much, but was unable to hold up against his innocent smile....though I did hear him mutter something along the lines of "Just don't tell Raven how much I spent on it." Nuhad was clearly glad to see my father's back. The two did not get along: Dallas thought Nuhad not good enough for me, and Nuhad naturally resented that. I had seen less of him while Dallas was there for that reason, and had to do some careful talking to keep him from leaving me all together. As part of my attempts at mollifying him, I started visiting him regularly on the Wall, mostly so he could show me off to his friends there. It was during one such visit that the Noiri attacked. Nuhad yelled for me to get back to the city, that he would protect me, but I wasn't about to run away. I'd been in combat before, even if not in war. I knew that I wasn't much use with my sword, but I could at least be of some use. I got back a safe distance, and began to sing. The necklace my father had given me grew warm around my neck, and I could feel it giving me strength. My voice soared above the sounds of battle, and I could see the faces of the soldiers around me hardening with resolve as they heard my song. The enemy, consisting largely of undead, was beaten back, and the soldiers, almost as one, turned to me and acclaimed me as the reason, calling my voice that of an angel. I protested, but I was given an honor escort and finally taken to meet General Nimr Wyvernsbane. I was rather startled to discover that the general was a half-elf like me--and the human half was clearly Noiri. He smiled as he was introduced to me, recognizing me immediately as "Dallas's daughter," thought he called me so only in private. He also made it clear that the position he was offering me as part of the Divine Wind was entirely due to my assistance that day, and had nothing to do with my being related to his old friend. I was thrilled to be finally granted my dream, an my mother and brother fairly burst with pride. I went to see Nuhad to tell him what had happened, and found him, after a long search, sitting at a bar, getting drunk. The moment he saw me he began to shout. I had stolen his glory. He'd fought bravely in the battle, without any help from my silly little song, and I'd gotten all of the credit. He claimed that I'd come to the Wall for only that reason, that ever since I'd met my father I'd been trying for glory. I stared at him in shock as he told me that he'd been trying to get me to give up my ridiculous notions that a woman could be useful outside of the home. As I listened to his condemnations, I suddenly saw why my father hadn't liked him. I'd allowed myself to be blinded by his good looks. I told him off and stalked from the tavern, angry and disgusted with him and with myself for falling for him in the first place. I vowed then never to fall for such a man again. Since then I have been part of the Divine Wind, reporting directly to General Wyvernsbane. When things are quiet on the border, he sends me on missions with other operatives or passing adventurers, similar to those I had been on before. But when the Noiri threaten, the men begin to call for the Angel, and I go to the Wall. Appearance and Personality Zaina stands a full six feet tall, with a slim, willowy build. Her shoulder length black hair has just the slightest bit of a red tinge, and is held back from her face with silver combs set with amethysts. The face is slender, with high, aristocratic cheek bones under her brown skin. Her eyes are the most striking, however--almond shaped like those of an elf, with a color so dark that from a distance they seem black, but up close one can see that they are a very dark shade of blue-violet. She wears a flowing cloak, lavender in color, over practical traveling clothes in assorted shades of purple that complement her beautiful eyes. Zaina is soft-spoken and often seems almost shy, though she is very personable once one gets her talking. She is quick to smile and has a sharp sense of humor. Her anger is slow to rise over her usual good nature, and disappears quickly even when it does, but for the short time it is present, it is terrible to behold. Few people are aware of just how strange and slightly uncomfortable Zaina finds her new notoriety, as she is relatively successful at hiding her feelings. People to Know About Allies: Jamila al-Birren. Zaina's human mother is a rather well respected member of the Khaflan City Guard, though her advancing age (over 50) has relegated her to desk work over her previously preferred street beat. She is exceedingly proud of the fact that both of her children are members of the Divine Wind. Kamal al-Birren. Zaina's brother is a lieutenant on the Wall, and well respected there. He loves his sister, though he doesn't really understand her, but he is very proud of her new status. Despite his previous friendship with Nuhad (which he ended after he found out about the latter's treatment of his sister), Kamal is a good person, dedicated to the defense of his city and his family. Nimr Wyvernsbane. The Lord of the Wall, is, like Grable, a half-Noiri half-elf. He and Dallas worked together at about the time of Zaina's conception, and he keeps an eye on his old friend's daughter, though he wouldn't admit it to her. Grable Moonrain. Like Zaina herself, Grable is a bard, though his focus is telling stories more than music. Approximately nine years her senior, Grable's travels occasionally bring him in the vicinity of Khafla, and he always stops by to see her when he is nearby. Grable considers himself the ally of any good-aligned enemy of Sarduk Noir, and does everything in his power to undermine the evil government that dominates the country of his birth. Dallas Moonrain. A druid of rather considerable power, Zaina's father is half grey elf and half high elf, a combination his aristocratic grey elf family finds intolerable. Dallas prefers to ignore the family completely, and lives instead on the edge of the forest with the two women he loves and their assortment of children. He usually remains there, but keeps up a regular correspondence with Zaina by mail. Zaina's half-siblings. Before he settled down, Dallas enjoyed a well-deserved reputation as a lover of women. He has at least half a dozen children that he knows of, and it is entirely probable that he has several more he doesn't. Most of the children share Dallas's blue-violet eyes, and the large majority are half-elves. The only of the "legitimate" children likely to show up is Tabitha Moonrain, a half-elf psion (telepath). (Note: Half-siblings are only probably allies....:) ) Enemies: Nuhad Mannan. Zaina's ex-boyfriend is a captain on the Wall, and resents her new status. He is attempting to undermine her status, and is intelligent enough to not make it too obvious. Sergey Connelly. The Noiri necromancer hasn't forgotten Zaina. He resents that she outsmarted him and that she got away. He is one of the necromancers controlling the undead army attacking the Wall, and has recognized her when she sings. He is determined to have her. (Note: Grable has not told Zaina that Sergey is his half-brother on his mother's side, and has asked Dallas to conceal this information as well, for Zaina's own good. Sergey has severe issues with his elder brother, and would likely torment Zaina even more if he knew they were related.) Notes on Setting Zaina lives in a world known as Zion's Abyss, that was created by a friend of a friend. A couple of things to know: Elves in this setting are very tall. Particularly grey elves. Thus Dallas's 6'2", and Zaina's 6', are both entirely normal. (Especially in the latter case, as Sa'harans also tend towards being taller than average.) The territory now known as Sa'har Le'parn was dominated by the country of Sarduk Noir for hundreds of years, until about 25-30 years before Zaina's birth. Thus the Sa'harans are very protective of their country. The Wall and Divine Wind follow from this. Bards are not terribly common in Sa'har Le'parn, and even less so in Sarduk Noir. Thus Sergey being unfamiliar with what Zaina could do was not quite as stupid a mistake as it may seem. I think there was something else I was going to say, but I cut this section to move it and forgot to paste it in again, and thus am not sure I remembered everything. Let me know if something seems off. Zaina al-Birren Half-Elf Bard 10 Neutral Good 30 years old Base Ability Scores (Level 1) STR 10 +0 (2 pts) DEX 14 +2 (6 pts CON 12 +1 (4 pts) INT 14 +2 (6 pts) WIS 10 +0 (2 pts) CHA 15 +2 (8 pts) Final Ability Scores (Level 10) STR 10 +0 DEX 17 +3 (+1 8th level, +2 enhancement (gloves)) CON 12 +1 INT 14 +2 WIS 10 +0 CHA 18 +4 (+1 4th level, +2 enhancement (cloak)) Hit Points: 47 (6 + (3.5*9) + 10 CON) Armor Class: 23 (10 +3 DEX +6 armor +3 shield +1 deflection (ring)) Touch: 14 Flat-Footed: 20 Speed: 30 feet Base Attack Bonus: +7/+2 Languages: Automatic: Common (I am knowingly foregoing her automatic Elven, as there was no one to teach it to her) Bonus (+2 INT): Celestial, Draconic Special Abilities Class: Bardic Knowledge +14 (10 levels +2 INT +2 synergy (Knowl(history))) Bardic Music 10/day (11 with songblade drawn) Countersong Fascinate Inspire Courage +2 (+3 under inspirational boost) Inspire Competance Suggestion Inspire Greatness Race: Immune to sleep spells and similar effects Elven blood Low-Light Vision (Others (such as skill bonuses) listed where appropriate.) Items (other than listed elsewhere): Under effects of endure elements Saves Fortitude +6 (+1 CON +3 Bard +2 resistance (vest)) Reflex +12 (+3 DEX +7 Bard +2 resistance (vest)) Will +9 (+0 WIS +7 Bard +2 resistance (vest)) +2 vs enchantment spells or effects Feats Lingering Song (1st)* Weapon Finesse (3rd) Versatile Performer (dance and stringed instruments) (6th)* Chant of Fortitude (9th)* *Feats marked with star found in Complete Adventurer. Chart page 104-5. Attacks Songblade (+1 rapier) +11/+6 (+7/+2 BAB +3 DEX +1 magic) Damage: d6 +1 (magic) (+d6 cold (crystal)) Crit: 18-20x2 +1 Shortbow +11/+6 (+7/+2 BAB +3 DEX +1 magic) Damage: d6+1 (+d6 cold (crystal)) Crit: 20x3 Range: 60 ft Dagger +10/+5 (+7/+2 BAB +3 DEX) Damage: d4 Crit: 19-20x2 Club +7/+2 (+7/+2 BAB +0 STR) Damage d6 Crit: 20x2 ranged touch +10 (+7 BAB +3 DEX) Skills Balance +12 (10 ranks +2 synergy (Tumble)) Bluff +19 (10 ranks +4 CHA +5 competance (choker)) Concentration +14 (13 ranks +1 CON) Diplomacy +28 (13 ranks +4 CHA +2 racial +2 synergy (Bluff) +2 synergy (Sense Motive) +5 competance (choker)) Gather Information +6 (+4 CHA +2 racial) Jump +7 (5 ranks +0 STR +2 synergy (Tumble)) Knowledge (history) +7 (5 ranks +2 INT) Listen +10 (9 ranks +0 WIS +1 racial) Perform(sing) +22 (+24) (13 ranks +4 CHA +5 competance (choker) (+2 enhancement (when songblade is drawn))) Perform(dance) +17 (+19) (counts as 13 ranks (Versatile Performer) +4 CHA (+2 enhancement (when songblade is drawn))) Perform(string instruments) +19 (counts as 13 ranks (Versatile Performer) +4 CHA +2 circumstance (MW instrument)) (seems like she couldn't hold a weapon and play a mandolin at the same time...) Search +3 (+2 INT +1 racial) Sense Motive +13 (13 ranks +0 WIS) Spot +1 (+0 WIS +1 racial) Tumble +18 (13 ranks +3 DEX +2 synergy (Jump)) Spells Caster Level 10 Base Save DC 14 (10 +4 CHA) Per day: 0th level: 3 1st level: 4 (3 +1 for high CHA) 2nd level: 4 (3 +1 for high CHA) 3rd level: 3 (2 +1 for high CHA) 4th level: 1 (0 +1 for high CHA) Known: 0th: (6) detect magic, know direction, light, mage hand, pretidigitation, read magic 1st: (4) charm person, cure light wounds, inspirational boost,* targeting ray* 2nd: (4) calm emotions, detect thoughts, heroism, speak to allies* 3rd: (4) cure serious wounds, dispel magic, haste, good hope 4th: (2) dimension door, shadow conjuration *Spells so marked are from the Spell Compendium. Pages 124, 219, and 197 respectively. Equipment Songblade (6400) (Complete Adventurer pg 130) Lesser Crystal of Energy Assault (cold) (3000, typically attached to songblade) (Magic Item Compendium pg 64) +1 Shortbow (2330) Dagger (2) Club (0) +2 mithril chain shirt (5100) +2 mithril light shield (5009) ring of protection +1 (2000) Gloves of Dexterity +2 (4000) Cloak of Charisma +2 (4000) Vest of Resistance +2 (4000) (Magic Item Compendium pg 147) Lesser Choker of Eloquence (6000, made of silver and set with amethyst) (Complete Adventurer pg 132) Ring of Sustenance (2200) Least of Crystal of Adaptation (500) (Magic Item Compendium pg 24) Replenishing Skin (1000, carried for helping others rather than for herself) (Magic Item Compendium pg 173) Heward's Handy Haversack (2000) Wand of Cure Light Wounds (50 charges) (750) Spell Component Pouch (5) Everburning Torch (110) Silver combs set with small bits of amethyst (200) Amethyst pendant in the shape of an angel (150) Masterwork Mandolin (100) Bedroll (.1) Winter Blanket (it gets cold in the desert at night) (.5) Inkpen (.1) Ink (3 vials) (24) Parchment (10 sheets) (2) Small Steel Mirror (10) Sewing Needle (.5) Signal Whistle (.8) Silk Rope (50 ft) (10) Whetstone (.02) Traveler's Outfit (free) Entertainer's Outfit (3) 92 gp, 9 sp, 8 cp (or the equivalent) Please excuse any typos...my current text editor doesn't have a spell checker... I had a lot of fun putting this character together...I'm currently playing a character in a desert based campaign, but with the Book of Exalted Deeds not available I couldn't build him properly, so I give you his daughter instead...:) One last note: Her name is properly pronounced "za-ee-na" with the emphasis on the middle syllable. Because I thought it sounded cooler:D. |
| jennibert07-12-07, 12:07 AM | There we go. I finally got my entry together. Her background took way longer than it should have to write.... Glad to see we're picking up so many new contestants! I wish you the best of luck in your entries, and hope that you will continue to submit for future competitions! We always like to see new people. Hope to see more entries still coming as well....I like competition:D Off to bed....good luck to the judges as you sift your way through the entries.... |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-12-07, 03:09 PM | Contestant list updated! Welcome Longtime_Lurker. I'm glad you've gone from lurking to competing. Always good to have jennibert back in the ring. Who else wishes to step into the ring? Any other takers? |
| Far_Traveler07-12-07, 04:12 PM | Looks good people! at this rate I'll be heading straight to the positon of 'A mediocre entry'! Keep it up! *emo* |
| FRRC07-12-07, 04:39 PM | Aned "Sand Dancer" Manah Before you stands is a slender figure. Thinner than an Elf, taller than a Human. Her skin is brown like the sand and shows signs of dryness. She is wrapped in tight fitting studded leathers which appear to be designed for streamlined use, but remains mostly naked covering up only what she needs for the sake of modesty. Her skins glows as bright as the sun, blinding you for a moment as she disappears into the sand. Aned "Sand Dancer" Manah Female Asheratis Fighter 4, Ranger 1, Dervish 5 Chaotic Neutral Medium Humanoid Deity: Solanil Language: Asherati, Common, Goblin Height: 5ft 6" Weight: 100lb Age: 28 -------------------- AC 23 (10 +2 Dex; +6 Armour; +1 Natural; +2 Un-named; +2 Deflection) Conditional: +1 Dodge; +4 vs Attack of Oppertunity Flatfooted 21; Touch 16 Initiative +2 (+2 Dex) HP 78 Hit Dice 4d10+8 + 1d8+2 + 5d10+10 Saves: Fort: +10 (+2 Con; +4 Fighter; +2 Ranger; +1 Dervish; +1 Cloak) Ref: +10 (+2 Dex; +1 Fighter; +2 Ranger; +4 Dervish; +1 Cloak) Will: +9 (+1 Will; +1 Fighter; +4 Dervish; +2 Feat; +1 Cloak) Conditional: +2 vs Fire Effects Space / Reach: 5ft / 5ft Base Attack / Grapple: +10 / +16 Speed: 40 ft (40ft Sandswim) -------------------- Weapons Halberd: +17 (10 Base; +4 Strength; +1 Feat; +2 Enchantment) Full attack Weapon: +17/+12 (1d10; +6 Strength; +2 Enchantment; +2 vs Magical Beast; Crit: x3) Special Attacks: Dervish Dance(Ex) 3/day 6 Rounds +3 Damage, -------------------- Special Qualities: Natural Dryness(Su), Sandswim, Body Lamp(Su) DC15, Weapon Familiarity (Eagle Claw), Water Vulnerability, Favoured Enemy (Magical Beast +2), Wild Empathy, AC Bonus(Ex) +2, Movement Mastery(Ex), Slashing Blades, Fast Movement(Ex) 10ft, Dance of Death -------------------- Base Abilities: Str 14 (6); Dex 14 (6); Con 12 (4); Int 13 (5); Wis 13 (5); Cha 10 (2) Abilities: Str 18 (+4); Dex 14 (+2); Con 14 (+2); Int 13 (+1); Wis 13 (+1); Cha 10 (+0) ------------------- Feats 1 - Heat Endurance (Asheratis) 1 - Combat Expertise 1 - Weapon Focus, Halberd (Fighter) 2 - Dodge (Fighter) 3 - Mobility 4 - Improved Trip (Fighter) 5 - Track (Ranger) 6 - Power Attack 8 - Spring Attack (Dervish) 9 - Iron Will Skills Intimidate: +7 (7 Ranks) Jump: +10 (5 Ranks; +4 Strength; +2 Armband; -1 Armour) Perform: +13 (13 Ranks) Survival: +8 (7 Ranks; +1 Wis) Tumble: + (13 Ranks; +2 Tumble) Conditional: +2 Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot and Survival Vs Magical Beast +2 Hide, Move Silently Racial bonus +2 Hide Racial bonus if in Sandy area -------------------- Equipment Weight Allowance: Light (<100); Medium (101-200); Heavy (201-300) Current Load: 36 lb Ring of Protection +2 8,000gp Ring of Sustenance 2,500gp Amulet of Health +2 4,000gp Armbands of Might 4,100gp Gaunlets of Ogre Power - 2lb - 4,000gp Cloak of Resistance - 1lb - 1,000gp Pouch, Belt (Holds Potions) - 1/2lb - 1gp Weapons and Armour: Kheferu Halberd +2 - 12lb - 10,620 Cool Studded Leather Armour +3 - 20lb - 11,575gp Potions: 2x Potion of Bear's Endurance - 300gp each 2x Cure Serious Wounds - 750gp each Protection from Arrows 10/magic - 300gp Sheild of Faith +3 - 300gp 503gp left Fighter 1 2 3 4 Ranger 5 Dervish 6 7 8 9 10 Intimidate 4 1 1 - - - - - - 1 Jump - 2 - 1 - 1 1 1 - -- Perform 2 - 1 - - 2 2 2 2 2 Survival - - - - 7 - - - - -- Tumble 2 - - 1 - 2 2 2 3 1 Red = Cross Class BAB 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Fort 2 3 3 4 6 6 6 6 7 7 Ref 0 0 1 1 3 5 6 6 7 7 Will 0 0 1 1 0 3 4 4 5 5 Ability Bonus - - - S - - - S - -- S = Strength I know there is alot of "hoo-haa" about backgrounds being rumours, but for the purposes of the character, all events described in the background are true for the character. However, for roleplay purposes they would be somewhat fabricated. I just wanted to try something new. The last light flickers in the old man's smoking pipe. He inhales one last time, savouring the flavour of the Bhuka desert weed. He blows the smoke out through his long nose. Dancers with weapons appear in the smoke, playing out the ritual dance of the Asheratis. The old man emptied out the burnt contents of his pipe on the ground and pulls out a new bag of weed, a special blend he purchased from a merchant from the grasslands. Smells like summer flowers and tastes of fruit. A row of children sit infront of the old man and his pipe, waiting for his next story. The old man lights his pipe and says with a smile "Shall we continue? I've told you the story of Tour-deke, the stubborn dwarf who crossed the desert in metal; and I've just told you about the tale of Smuck the Goblin and his one day as Emperor of Mirage'n, our fair city. No, no I won't till it again. I'll tell it tomorrow. Now is a time for a story that was once myth but became legend. A story of Aned the sand dancer." The old man closed his eyes and tilted his head as if trying to remember, and then began his story... It begins a just under a decade ago, during the time of Emperor Het. Curse Him. The people of Mirage'n and the Asheratis of the eastern sands were to be considered friends. They traded with each other, aided each other in times of need. They lived in peace. Our Emperor, curse him, however was greedy. He grew fat eating pricey food and surrounded himself with naked Harlots who cared little for him. However, the people of both societies lived happy. There were no complaints. Not until new religious group of Ashworm riders appeared. The proclaimed themselves to be heroes, eradicators of the un-pure. Humanoid purists. Racists. They claimed that the Asheratis and Bhuka were to be considered un-natural, alien to this world, and were to be purged as was the will of their deity. Many point out flaws in their logic but it was in vein. They were stubborn and listened only their deity. Soon after their arrival, the attacks began. The Bhukas were the first to go. Most of them were wiped from the desert. Some say a small group still live in the desert, but they remain in hiding in fear of the Ashworm Dragoons. After the Bhukas, everything went down-dune from that. The city stopped trade with the Asheratis and when they asked for aid, the Emperor, curse him, ordered the guard to send them away and attack them if they persisted. No-one from the city had witnessed the battle since it was mostly done underground. The Asheratis clan had little hope against the rampaging Dragoons and their worms. All the Asheratis were presumed dead. Over a year or two, the area where the Asheratis were had turned into Blacksand, cursed as the Asheratis' last attempt to kill the Dragoons. They say if you near the area you can hear the Phantom voices of the Asheratis, although they constantly ask for water, they do offer help to travellers. None go near the Blacksands though. It wasn't until a few years later that the appearance of an Asheratis was mentioned. Many laughed, thought of it a fairy tale. Some even said it was the dead, come to seek revenge on the cowardly city dwellers. It wasn't until the discovery of two warriors of the Dragoon cult was found dead, slashed up by a blade made from Kheferu, which the Asheratis had used. Weeks went on; warrior after warrior was found dead. The Dragoons had sent out their Worm riders but the desert was far too big to find one Asheratis. After so long, the Dragoons left the desert, said they were needed in another land. After they had left, the rumours of the Asheratis were found true. Caravan merchants who found themselves in trouble with the local wildlife would be rescued by a female dancer. She would leap out of the sand brandishing a Halberd of Kheferu. With this weapon she would move in a blur of strikes and then dive back into the sand without a trace. Merchants rescued by this mystery woman would leave small trinkets or supplies as a thank-you and also as an offering for safe passage, but they would never see her again that day. They say that she watches those who travel the desert, although no-one knows why. All they see is two white eyes moving around sand. She would never be spotted in the city as some say she plans to kill the Emperor as revenge. What she really does though is take children, who have been naughty, back to the Blacksands. This Asheratis was given many names: Sand Dancer, Desert Queen, Asheratis Spirit Warrior and sometimes she would even be called the Avatar of Solanil. Rumours are a funny thing, but sometimes they become legends... The last light flickers in the old man's smoking pipe. "That was a boring story" says one of the children; "Tell us about Smuck again" says another. The old man sighs and thinks of when he used to adventure with her. He takes one last puff of his pipe before emptying out the contents. Informative Background Aned Manah is the last of the Asheratis belonging to this desert. She was young during the time of attack and had fleed during the first signs of trouble. She had already been training as a warrior which involved a dancing ritual. The level in Ranger is self taught. The skills were needed so she could learn how to better survive. She began her training when a group of Dervish performers were travelling through the desert. Aned would watch them during their training and then train herself. The weapon that Aned weilds is one that she's had since she was first trained as a Fighter. Aned has had only a few companions. The main being Old Man who is a Wizard that she found almost dead. They quested a few times together in the desert. Aned does adventure with others if found and asked/been offered a gift. However she will not leave the desert. This is because she does want to kill the Emporer, but is unable to because he is protected. Aned is not good at trusting but tries to get by. she will trust thoughs who trust her. aned lives under the sand. She lurks near the Blacksands and often talks to the Phantom Voices, despite their lack of conversation. Her typical stlye is leap out of the sand, attack and then dive back in. If on rocky ground she will use her Dervish abilities or go for the nearest lot of sand. With this character I really wanted to try something different, both from a roleplay aspect and in terms of writing the background. The Asheratis' abilities are very scary and I imidiately thought a character that would use these abilities to intimidate in sense. For the background, I thought I'd write a story and then provide some more information on the character for the DM. I just felt like trying something new that the general "Mr Spoon did this, then this, then this.". Phew. Tough stuff. Went through like 5 or 6 character concepts. 0_o |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-13-07, 12:14 AM | List Updated! Just to let everyone know, my work schedule is interfering w/ my ability to call time, so Heros_Backpack will be calling time on my behalf tommorrow night. Keep the entries coming! (I know it's a lot of work for me, but I'd like to set a new entry record w/ this competition.) |
| narcoleptic_dolphin07-13-07, 07:01 AM | greetings! this is my first hero craftsman, so here goes nothing. i know it's kinda last minute, but better late than never i suppose. Submitted for your approval: one desert denizen by the name of Zaldef Raincloud. what he thought was going to be a normal day was in fact a trip into "the hero craftsman zone." Background: Zaldef was "adopted" by a very loose-knit group of rangers known as the Scarabs at an early age. This as a result of his being the only survivor of a bandit raid on his home village after they claimed they were not given water they had been promised. Up until adulthood, this information was kept from him so that it wouldn't hinder his training. When he found out, he immediatly set out on a reckless mission of revenge. But time has a way of forgetting in the desert, and as the shifting of sand so to went the hope of completing that task. Hope still remained however. With the insult of his past fresh in his mind, he set forth to ensure that what happened to his home would never happen again. Eventually he came to another conclusion: the desert folk need more than water, they need justice. To that end, he chose to use his training not just to survive, but to protect. At first he was thought of as a common thug and a best a vigilante, but slowly after what seemed to be a waste of time, the people soon began to respect him as a wandering guardian of sorts. Soon the desert dwellers even starting putting empty clay jugs with special markings out by their doors. These markings indicated that they needed his help. With his help, peace was at last descending like the much sought after rain. Every once in a while though, Zaldef coudn't help but wonder where or who those bandits were that day; and as he looks out at the horizon, he thinks of what he might find beyond it. Character Information Name: Zaldef Raincloud Class and Level: Ranger Lv.10 Race: Human Alignment: LN Deity: St. Cuthbert Size: M Age: 21 Gender: M Height: 5'8" Weight: 125 lbs. Eyes: Green Hair: Black Skin: Dark tan Stat Block Ability/Modifier STR: 18/+4 (10 pt. buy, +2 gauntlets of ogre power) DEX: 15/+2 (6 pt. buy, +1 ability increase at lv. 8) CON: 12/+1 (4 pt.buy) INT: 12/+1 (4 pt.buy) WIS: 11/+0 (2 pt. buy, +1 ability increase at lv. 4) CON: 10/+0 (2 pt. buy) HP: 58 (8 at lv. 1, 4.5 at lv. 2-10, +1 con modx10) AC: 16 (10 + 4 mithral chain shirt + 2 dex mod) TOUCH: 12 FLAT-FOOTED: 14 INITIATIVE: 6 (2 dex mod + 4 improved initiative) SPEED: 30 SAVING THROWS: FORTITUDE: 8 (7 class + 1 con mod) REFLEX: 9 (7 class + 2 dex mod) WILL: 3 (3 class + o wis mod) BASE ATTACK: +10/+5 GRAPPLE: +14 (10 base attatck + 4 str mod) ATTACKS: +1 Scimitar of magical beast bane Attack bonus: 14/9 (10/5 base + 4 str mod + -2/-2 two weapon fighting lv.2 ranger + 1 magical weapon + 1 weapon focus) Damage: 1d6 + 5 (4 str mod + 1 magical weapon) Critical: 18-20/x2 Type: slashing Price and Weight: 8,315 gp, 4 lbs. +1 Keen shortsword Attack bonus: 13/5 (10/5 base + 4 str mod + -2/-5 improved two weapon fighting lv.6 ranger + 1 magical weapon) Damage: 1d6 + 5 (4 str mod + 1 magical weapon) Critical: 17-20/x2 Type: piercing Price and Weight: 8,310 gp, 2 lbs. Distance seeking composite longbow (+4 str bonus) Attack bonus: 14/9 (10/5 + 4 str mod) Damage: 1d8 +4 (str mod) Critical: x3 Range and Type: 220 ft., piercing Price and Weight: 8,800 gp, 3 lbs. Ammo: arrows x20, 1 gp, 3 lbs. ARMOR: Mithral chain shirt Type: light AC bonus: +4 Max Dex: +6 Check: 0 Spell Failure: 10% Speed: 30 Weight: 25 lbs. Price 1,100 gp. OTHER GEAR: (name, price, weight) Gauntlets of ogre power, 4,000 gp, 4 lbs. Decanter of endless water, 9,000 gp, 2 lbs. Dust of dryness X2, 1,700, - Bag of holding (type II), 5,000 gp, 25 lbs. Backpack, 2 gp, 2 lbs. Waterskin X3, 3 gp, 12 lbs. One day's trail ration 5 sp, 1 lb. Bedroll, 1 sp, 5 lbs. Flint/steel, 1 gp, - Explorer's clothing, 10 gp, 8 lbs. Holy symbol (St. Cuthbert), 1 gp, - Total Weight Carried: 96 lbs. (12 weapons, 25 armor, 59 gear) Light load: 100 lbs. Medium load:200 lbs. Heavy load: 300 lbs. Lift over head: 300 lbs. Lift off ground: 600 lbs. Push/drag:1500 lbs. Funds: 2,756 gp 4 sp SKILLS: (class skills and usable untrained with modifiers) Appraise: 1 (int mod) Balance: 2 (dex mod) Climb: 7 (3 ranks + 4 str mod) Concentrate: 4 (3 ranks + 1 con mod) Craft: 1 (int mod) Escape artist: 2 (dex mod) Forgery: 1 (int mod) Handle Animal: 4 (4 ranks + 0 cha mod) Heal: 6 (6 ranks + 0 wis mod) Hide: 14 (10 ranks + 2 dex mod + 2 scorpion's instincts) Jump: 9 (5 ranks + 4 str mod) Knowledge (dungeoneering): 4 (3 ranks + 1 int mod) (geography): 7 (6 ranks + 1 int mod) (nature): 7 (6 ranks + 1 int mod) Listen: 10 (10 ranks + o wis mod) Move silently: 12 (10 ranks + 2 dex mod) Ride: 2 (dex mod) Search: 9 (8 ranks + 1 int mod) Spot: 12 (12 ranks + o wis mod) Survival: 10 (10 ranks + 0 wis mod) Swim: 4 (str mod) Use rope: 10 (8 ranks + 2 dex mod) SPECIAL ABILITIES: (note: ranger of the waste variant in effect. sandstorm pg. 48) Favored enemy: +6 magical beast +2 animal +2 Dunewinder (waste hunter) Track Wild empathy Combat style (two-weapon fighting) Heat endurance Animal comanion (see below) Improved combat style (improved two-weapon fighting) Sandskimmer Switft tracker Evasion FEATS: Improved initiative Scorpion's instincts Scorpion's resolve Quick draw Weapon focus (scimitar) SPELLS: Spells per day: 1 lv.1, 1 lv.2 spells commoly prepared: lv.1: pass without trace, speak with animals, exacting shot lv.2: freedom of breath, protection from energy LANGUAGES: Common, Draconic ANIMAL COMPANION: Name: Descent Race and Level: Eagle lv. 5 (10 ranger/2 = 5) HP: 14 (3d8 +1) Initiative: +2 Speed: 10 ft. fly 80 (average) AC: 16 (10 + 1 size + 2 dex + 3 natural) Touch: 13 Flatfooted: 14 Base attack/grapple: 0/-4 Attack: talons +3 melee (1d4) Full attack: 2 talons +3 melee (1d4) and bite -2 melee (1d4) Special: low-light vision, link, share spells, evasion Bonus tricks: fetch, heel Saves: fort./3, reflex/5 (+1 ability increase), will/2 Abilities: str 11 dex 16 con 12 int 2 wis 14 cha 6 Feats: weapon finesse Skills: spot +14 |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-13-07, 12:10 PM | Welcome aboard Sir Dolphin! Your character has been added to the master list. Any other takers? |
| TheScapegoat07-13-07, 06:29 PM | Didn't have much time to work on this (less then 2 days in fact) but glad I got it done. All names and locations are based on my Homebrew. Gresh of the Khamshin Bugbear Scout 4/ Fighter 2 [ECL 10 = Scout 4+Fighter 2+Racial 3+LA 1] Alignment: Chaotic Good Hit Dice: 3d8 + 4d8 + 2d10 + 27 + 9(improved toughness) (82 hp) Initiative: +11 (+5 Dex*, +4 Improved Init., +1 B.F., +1 Quick Recon.) Speed: 40 ft. (30 base + 10 skirmish) Armor Class: 22 (10 base, +4 chain shirt, +3 racial, +1 skirmish, +4 Dex) Base Attack/Grapple: +7 (+2 racial, +3 Scout, +2 Fighter) / +11 (+7 BAB, +4 str) Attack: +13/+8 melee Keen Falchion +1 (2d4+7 16-20x2 slashing), +12/+7* ranged Composite Longbow +1 (1d8+5 20x3 piercing) Class Abilities: Battle Fortitude (B.F) +1, Fast Movement +10 ft., Skirmish (+1d6, +1ac), Trackless Step, Trap Finding, Uncanny Dodge. Racial Abilities: +4 racial bonus to move silent, Dark Vision 60 ft, scent Saves: Fort +9 (+3 Con, +4 classes, +1 racial, +1 B.F.), Ref +11 (+4 Dex, +4 classes, +3 racial), Will +5 (+1 Wis, +1 classes, +1 racial, +2 Iron Will Feat) Abilities: Str 18, Dex 21*, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Climb 6, Hide 13(14*), Knowledge (geography) 6, Knowledge (nature) 6, Listen 10, Move Silently 16*, Search 5, Spot 10, Tumble 9* Feats: Alertness , Combat Expertise , Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness, Iron Will, Quick Reconnoiter, Track, Weapon Focus (Falchion) Languages: Common, Goblin and Elven *All Dex based Skills, Initiative and Ranged Attacks get +1 as long as Gresh has the Deep Red Ioun Stone equipped. Magical Equipment: 46,700gp Keen Falchion +1 – 8,450gp/8lbs Composite Longbow +1 (+4 Str Bonus) – 2,900gp/3lbs Boots of Speed – 12,000gp/1lbs Spell Resistant Chain Shirt +1 – 9,350gp/25lbs Deep Red Ioun Stone (+2 Dex) – 8000gp/ - 8x Potion of Cure Serious Wounds – 6,000gp/ - Mundane Equipment: 341gp 9sp 2cp Traveling Clothing Backpack – 2gp/2lbs 2 Scroll Case (Maps) – 2gp/1lbs Flint and Steel – 1gp/ - Grappling Hook – 1gp4lbs Lantern, Bullseye – 12gp/3lbs 3 Flasks Oil – 3sp/3lbs 50 ft Silk Rope – 10gp/5lbs 1 Tanglefoot Bag – 50gp/4lbs 40 Arrows – 2 gp/6lbs Two-Humped Camel – 100gp Riding Saddle – 10gp/25lbs Saddlebags – 4gp/8lbs Tent – 10gp/20lbs Bedroll – 1sp/5lbs 15 Days Trail Rations – 7gp 5sp/15lbs 10 Water Skins – 10gp/40lbs 2 Torches – 2cp/2lbs 10 ft Silk Rope – 20gp/10lbs 2 Tanglefoot Bags – 100gp/8lbs 1,958 gp, 98cp – 41.12lbs Starting Abilities: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 8. Abilities after Racial Bonus: Str 18, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 6. Level Advancement: +1 Dexterity and both 4th and 8th level. Racial Skills: Hide 6, Listen 3, Move Silent 4, Search 2, Spot 3 Level 1 (Scout): Knowledge (geography) 2, Knowledge (nature) 2, Survival 5 Level 2 (Fighter): Climb 1, Tumble 1 (2 points) Level 3 (Scout): Knowledge (geography) 2, Knowledge (nature) 2, Survival 2, Tumble 3 Level 4 (Scout): Hide 3, Listen 2, Move Silent 2, Spot 2 Level 5 (Scout): Knowledge (geography) 1, Listen 2, Move Silent 2, Search 2, Spot 2 Level 6 (Fighter): Climb 1, Tumble 1 (2 points) Starting Feats: Alertness (racial), Combat Expertise (racial), Track (starting) Level 2 (Fighter Level 1): Improved Initiative Level 3 (Bonus): Improved Toughness (Complete Warrior Pg. 101) Level 5 (Scout Level 4): Quick Reconnoiter (Complete Adventurer Pg. 112) Level 6 (Bonus, Fighter level 2): Iron Will (Bonus), Weapon Focus (Falchion) Of all the denizens that call the Ferdren desert home there is no group that can boast a legacy of desert fairing as the Khamshin Clan. As a Long lived family of Bugbear who call the southern deserts their home, the Khamshin have mapped out every corner of the Ferdren. They have aided in the establishment of many merchant roads using their knowledge of the many oasis that pocket the blazing sands. Today the Khamshin have a small village at the aptly named Khamshin Oasis near the eastern boards of the Ferdren. Gresh like all able bodied men of the Khamshin took up training at an early age, being taught how to survive in the desert. Taught how to use what little resources he could muster to stay alive even if caught out in the vastness of the Ferdren with no civilization in sight. He was trained to use the desert itself as a weapon to protect himself, how to move with grace in the shifting sands and how to move without being seen even in the fast openness. A fine warrior Gresh became, he was born for the fight. The speed and strength passed down by his family linage was known greatly in the clan. His father was head guardian of the tribe, and justly so, he was one of the greatest warriors in all of the Ferdren. He past Gresh this legacy not only in genes but in training and it soon became all of what Gresh was. To do battle was Gresh wished over all else. As all men of his tribe when Gresh was sixteen he was sent out and as a test to become a man he must map out the 6 greater Oasis that lead from the Khamshin Oasis west until he reached the grand city of Olbwyer. The journey itself was fair, his training was the finest in the lands of Ferdren and finding the Oases was merely a matter of time as long as he managed his supplies well. It was on his tenth day of travel that Gresh met his greatest challenge. While resting at the 4 oasis on his journey a group of humans arrived to quench there thirst or so Gresh thought. Before he knew it the men where on top of him, attempting to take the supplies he needed to complete his task. His strength and size saved him that day as Gresh was able to free himself from his attackers and flee into the desert. The men did not fallow as then knew he would have to return. While he had his supplies Gresh had not yet refilled his dust filled canteens, he would need to return and fight off these men or else his journey was over. Waiting until the cold night, Gresh then used his speed and cunning to retaliate against his attackers coming out of the darkness, striking and retreating once more until all the men lay dead. It was the rush of battle Gresh had been yearning now for some time. Not only that but justice had been served, who knows what dark deeds this men had done before encounter Gresh. With new vigor his mission pulled him forward. This test served as a turning point in Gresh’s life as it did for all men of his tribe. Some would return at stay serving the clan as a guardian, while others would set out in the world to serve the greater of the Ferdren and in that spreading the legacy of the Khamshin. Gresh chose the latter. The Words of me, Mildren Stray, during our crossing of the Burganden Road. Day 1 My fellows and I have been hired by the Haliberden Company to guard some caravans heading east toward Olbwyer. We would be traveling with a few other companies as well so the numbers will be in our favor. This is yet another job I am grateful to be in the company of Dalbin and Gresh. Those two couldn’t get lost at the bottom of the sea. This journey should be quick and the coin is fantastic. Day 2 Well this job is off without a hitch; we have arrived at the first water hole and are going to camp here. That oaf Jurian was grating on my last nerve today, yes its hot. It’s a bloody desert. Day 4 Nothing can go easy can it, nothing! One of the other companies, Sword and Steel, decided that Gresh’s route was too slow. He is a damn Khamshin and they are going to question him? Gresh didn’t handle it well I must say in the other mans defense. He didn’t need use such... colorful expressions to get his point across. Then again Gresh is never hired for his words. I doubt they make it to Olbwyer now, I bet that idiot Jurian 5 pieces that that won’t. Easy money I wager. We should arrive at the second spot in a couple days. Day 5 The day is won! Some foolish Dune Runners decided they wanted to have a little tussle with a merry band. I mean did they really thing we would give them everything? I mean its nice they asked and all but NO. The bloody orcs didn’t bring enough friends. I probably boast his praises too much but I can help it Gresh is magnificent in all he does. He took on nearly 20 himself if I would wager a guess. AT LEAST! I am glad I found that beautiful Bugbear back in Turon two years ago. My coin purse is forever bulging with his exploits. Day 7 We finally arrived at the second Oasis. Jurian is still whining and the sun is still baking. How do we travel with a man for two years and he hasn’t stopped complaining about the heat since day one. Some people are just so very odd. Day 10 Hard to write when all you have going on is walking, the sun, and more walking. Today was a bit interesting however. We met a group traveling west. They claimed that Dune Runners had taken most of their belongings and left them enough food and water to make it to the next oasis. For bandits they have an odd respect for life. They also told us a story of what the called The Sand Witch. Supposedly she has been causing much problem in the lands between here and Olbwyer. I thought it was probably just a fairy tell but Gresh said not to be so sure. Day 12 Well I may be 5 pieces richer but I am a bit troubled by how I received it. We came across a couple of men that where part of the group traveling from the Sword and Steel, they where terrified and half dehydrated when we did. They told us what happened, a strange women attacked there group. She had robes of flowing sand and summoned scorpions from the depths of the earth. The Sand Witch those men spoke of must be true. Gresh seems no more eager then ever to move forward. Either he wishes to find this witch and face here or get out of the desert as soon as possible. I can never tell with him. Day 15 That damn creature truly was real! It attacked us yesterday, and we where so close to Olbwyer. She was… just evil. Attacked us with out mercy for what? She seemed to have no aims, reason would not work with here and damn did we try. Now Jurian and Dalbin are dead and that witch got away. Gresh nearly got the wench after our friends had fallen. He fought like a demon after that, his passion for battle always astounds me but I could see that then he fought for revenge. At least we two are safe now in Olbwyer. We shall pay our respects to our fallen friends for a few days but soon we must seek new employment and move along to the next job. Description At 6 foot 7 and 280 pounds Gresh is an Imposing figure, he is very lean and very muscular. He has the look of any other bugbear you could imagine seeing. Dirty brownish skin, large maw, deep set eyes, a brute if there ever was. He wears black robes over his armor to keep cool in the desert climate. His bracers on both arms bear the symbol of his Clan, a desert dune with 2 eyes set within. Personality Quiet yet never calm, Gresh tries to keep his mouth cloths at all times. He is always blunt and often seen as rude in his honesty. His love is the desert and when cooped up in city walls he is often restless. He thirsts for battle and adventure and it drives him to greater goals. He is always helpful if a bit crass and is eager to contribute to the legacy of his clan. Great money can be earned in traveling the merchant roads of the Fedren and that is always good for Gresh in both pocket and mind. Allies Milden Stray – A very skilled Bard who has been traveling with Gresh for two years. Where Gresh is the warrior, Milden is the statesmen. Most of Gresh’s work is gotten through Milden’s ability to negotiate and barter. Until the events with the Sand Witch the two where also accompanied by a Fighter name Jurian and a Ranger named Dalbin. Such as this Milden has always had a special role in a group of great swordsmen. Enemies Dune Runners – The greatest threat despite the nature in the expanse of the Ferdren is the Dune Runners. They are hordes of orcs who raid the deserts and then trade the stolen goods in the backwater lands of the desert. Those that give up willingly are often spared and sent off with ample resources to survive to their destinations. In this way they cause enough chaos to be feared but not enough to draw trade to a halt in the region. The Sand Witch – A dark and foul creature that has caused Gresh aguish in recent times, nothing is known of The Sand Witch but Gresh and Milden would like nothing more then to destroy the wretch. |
| Heros_Backpack07-13-07, 08:01 PM | Calling time, calling time, come in! ;) P.S. This competition is now closed. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-13-07, 11:10 PM | List Updated. Last minute, but still made it in Scapegoat. Time for the judges to do what they do so... last minute: JUDGE!!! Let the manical laughter begin... :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh Just to give everyone a head's up: I have checked my schedule, and unless I find some free time somewhere, it will probably take me about 2 weeks to finish. Also, don't forget that the ultimate purpose of these competitions is to foster conversation so that people improve their character creation skills... a.k.a: feel free to comment on each other's characters back and forth. |
| Zherog07-16-07, 03:41 PM | So - are the scores done yet? :angelhide |
| Heros_Backpack07-16-07, 04:00 PM | Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can... ;) You might notice it takes more than two days to shovel through the pile of submissions. :pile: :whatsthis |
| Zherog07-16-07, 04:48 PM | I never claimed to be a virtuous person... ;) |
| wrecan07-16-07, 06:17 PM | I think virtues were the prior competition. :) |
| Far_Traveler07-17-07, 01:45 AM | That's why I didn't enter that one. |
| FRRC07-17-07, 09:04 AM | The thing that suprised me with this comp was the amount of books that were available. Races of Stone and Destiny along with Sandstorm. Any special reason or was it just for amount of demand for those books to be included? |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-17-07, 12:05 PM | To be entirely honest, the scores are already finished, averaged, and ready to be posted... BUT we the judges decided to be cruel and force you to wait two whole weeks to see the results. :D No, sadly, the scores will probably take a while. I won't truly get started until tonight, and as I said before, it will probably be next weekend before I'm done. Another judge has mentioned that they too will have some time issues. Still, we promise to eventually get around to looking over your entries. As for the number of books... Kit was strongly in favor of allowing Races of Stone, so it was decided that if one Races book was included, they should all be. (Side note: no one had Races of Eberron or Dragon.) However, to fill the anxious hours as you await the judges to actually do their job, you can always chatter and offer comments back and forth (which we judges can then browse so that we don't have to work as hard judging...:incog: ) As a side note: Zherog, we already know how to handle you... FASCINATE |
| wrecan07-17-07, 02:38 PM | CHARACTER PORTRAITS (to pass the time) I apologize ahead of time that the artwork really only barely describes the subjects. It's the best I could do with a half-hour of google imaging. Anyway, I just thought I'd see what I could find! http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG72.jpg http://images.gfxartist.com/images/ArtworkItem/image/79773.jpg http://www-atm.physics.ox.ac.uk/user/wilson/Mali/Mali-Senegal%201999_files/camel.jpg http://www.enworld.org/Pozas/Pictures/Iconics/nebin.jpg http://thaumus.com/images/thri-kreen.jpg http://www.collectiondx.com/gallery2/gallery/d/14090-4/c2.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/7/8420049_757cde5a6b.jpg http://www.motiv.de/images/schleier.jpg http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/altonmsx/asheratisdervish.jpg[/img] http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Biographies/MainBiographies/D/Dallmeier/250a2c9d0.jpg http://elementallands.tripod.com/images/artists/bugbear2.jpg |
| FRRC07-17-07, 05:01 PM | Hey! You cheated! You used a stock image for mine :P All a bit of fun. I'll see if my photoshop skillz can come up with something - which appear to be zero: http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/altonmsx/asheratisdervish.jpg Super-impose for the win! :D |
| wrecan07-17-07, 05:31 PM | I'm afraid I could find no other female Asherati drawings in all of google. :) Heck, it was hard enough finding a bugbear that didn't weild a morningstar! |
| Mercurius07-17-07, 05:52 PM | http://www.hadler.de/LV-Con/Alexander-Siddig.jpg |
| FRRC07-17-07, 06:37 PM | EDIT |
| Far_Traveler07-17-07, 07:47 PM | I was sort of disappointed that there wasn't any Geometric magical symbols in my portrait. Ah well. Not bad for a way to pass to time. |
| wrecan07-17-07, 08:32 PM | A possibility for mine Find me a picture of Alexander Siddig on a megaraptor and I'll edit it into the post!!! :D |
| wrecan07-17-07, 08:34 PM | Super-impose for the win! :D I've stuck your piece into the post! Nicely done! |
| CheeseMan07-17-07, 10:48 PM | hmm, mysterious... |
| Maekrix_Waere07-17-07, 11:04 PM | I only have three issues with my character's portrait: 1-It is a picture of a fully grown Blue Dragon. 2-It does not have any of the equipment...not even the armour. 3-It was taken straight from www.wizards.com. However, these are also the same issues I had with Google image search when I looked for a character portrait, so you may pass them on to Google. |
| TheScapegoat07-17-07, 11:04 PM | Had a question for the judges and also those who are qualified to judge in future contests. Is there a consensus on sblocks? I personally like them as they really clean up everything and condense what can be a very long post, but I think it is better to do it however the judges prefer. I saw it mentioned in the last contest but didn't see anywhere that it was discussed fully. |
| jennibert07-18-07, 12:00 AM | I like the character portraits. Not exactly what I had pictured for Zaina, but it works. And what a cool idea! Way to go wrecan! 10 virtual bonus points from someone who isn't actually judging this competition.... As for TheScapegoat's question....it varies by judge. Too many sblocks make it hard to copy and past the post neatly into Word. Also it make the stat block a little choppy. On the other hand, I do like sblocks in small amounts just for keeping the page less long:). So...sblocks are okay, but you don't need 8 of them. But that's my opinion. As I said, it does vary by judge. |
| wrecan07-18-07, 09:33 AM | Woo hoo! 10 Virtual bonus points! That makes me the virtual winner! |
| Mercurius07-18-07, 10:01 AM | I had a character once in a competition (Aline Llestai, from Welcome to the Monastery), who had sblocks out the wazoo. There were complaints that I had over-used them and it annoyed some judges. So now, I typically break up stats and history into two sblocks, and use maybe one or two more for "nonessential" stuff that may or may not be useful to a judge and that doesn't need to necessarily be there, cluttering everything up. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-18-07, 12:37 PM | I prefer stat blocks, but then again, everything copies neatly for me. I've never understood why most judges don't like them. I might count off for stat blocks if there were 10 or more in one entry, but even then, I don't know if it would bother me enough to make me want to do that. However, most judges apparently hate them, so it would be wise to keep them to a minimum in most competitions. |
| wrecan07-18-07, 12:42 PM | Yeah, I had eight I think last time, and someone dinged me. This time I kept it to three. |
| Kit_the_Odd07-18-07, 02:06 PM | I like to put large categories in sblocks. One for Fluff, one for crunch. one for gear, level breakdown, stuff like that. But as long as it is clear and easy to follow I'm cool with it. |
| Zherog07-18-07, 10:22 PM | Had a question for the judges and also those who are qualified to judge in future contests. Is there a consensus on sblocks? When I judge, I prefer fewer sblocks - and for me it has nothing to do with copy/pasting, since I don't copy/paste entries. ;) I find them to be annoying when an entry is filled with a bunch of them. I think one for your stats, one for your background, and one for your notes is plenty. Nested sblocks are even worse, in my opinion. ;) |
| Zherog07-22-07, 01:26 PM | This isn't a :bump: . What would make you think this post is a :bump:? |
| Far_Traveler07-22-07, 01:46 PM | Well, I for one would like a word or two on how the judging is coming along. |
| Zherog07-22-07, 04:29 PM | Slowly, I assume. :D |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-22-07, 05:31 PM | Crazy weekend. Half-way through one entry... ...but I don't work for the next 4 days, so I should have everything done by Friday. As for the other judges, I don't know. |
| Kit_the_Odd07-23-07, 03:01 AM | Despite being on vacation I've gone trough all the entries and given preliminary scores for Thematic Creativity and Background Content. I am approximately 1/3 of the way done working on the Rules Use scores. Then I'll go back and look at the non-copy/pasted entries before giving my Clarity scores. I expect I'll be able to finish judging by this Friday or Saturday, but I may not have internet access until Monday night (going to the mountains). So I expect my scores will be in by the evening of the 30th, and my comments should be done by then or shortly thereafter. Sorry for the delay, this trip wasn't planned when I volunteered to judge and work was busy getting ready for the trip so I didn't get to do much before I left. And I certainly never guessed just how hard and time-consuming this judging gig is before now. :ton::weep: |
| Heros_Backpack07-23-07, 04:56 AM | I'm about halfway through - adding more every time I get the piles of work low enough that I can see over them. ;) |
| Mercurius07-23-07, 06:06 AM | And I certainly never guessed just how hard and time-consuming this judging gig is before now. :ton::weep: One of the many reasons I've been competing rather than judging lately. |
| Zherog07-25-07, 11:36 AM | Time to bring this back up to the front of the list - if for no other reason than to put pressure on the judges. :) |
| JasonOrlandoHawk07-25-07, 01:30 PM | What was I supposed to be doing again? :thinks: Little over half way done, and I have quite a bit of time on my hands tomorrow, so I will almost certainly be done by Friday. As for the other judges, Haruspex has sent in his scores (vastly earlier than the rest of us), but I haven't gotten anything from the others. Of course, I could always pretend that it's taking so long to judge because of the colossal number of errors that I'm having to take note of... |
| Zherog07-25-07, 03:32 PM | Of course, I could always pretend that it's taking so long to judge because of the colossal number of errors that I'm having to take note of... Alternatively, it could be because the sheer awesomosity of the entries is making it a challenge to find even the most nit-picky things to comment about... |
| jennibert07-26-07, 10:08 PM | Alternatively, it could be because the sheer awesomosity of the entries is making it a challenge to find even the most nit-picky things to comment about... Indeed. I am even known to laugh evilly when I finally discover the one thing I can subtract points on for Rules Use....:D |
| wrecan07-27-07, 03:57 PM | That's why I make obvious errors. So you won't look too close and find all those non-obvious ones. Yeah... they'll buy that... |
| jennibert07-27-07, 06:19 PM | I only just now noticed that I misspelled "Hero" in my sig announcement of this competition. I hope people haven't been going around the boards looking for the "Heor Craftsman" Competition... |
| wrecan07-27-07, 07:33 PM | What? This isn't the Heor Compatition? No wonder I've been scoring so low.... |
| TheChilliGod07-28-07, 04:39 AM | *Is hideously bored* Buhh... *Decides to check up on WotC forums* Argh...! *Looks at subscribed threads* Guh. *Checks Hero Craftsman* Urgh...? *Notices judging still isn't done* Whah? *Checks date of deadline* Uhh... *Does a few quick calculations* Hah! ... *Checks what's on TV tonight* Hee! That's right, I'm now down to single-syllable guttural sounds. New Low, High Five! |
| FRRC07-28-07, 08:11 AM | I've used gutteral sounds all my life. It's like a secret language me an my brother have. We know what each "Ungh", "Mmmegh", etc all mean when we say it. On a thread related note: I did actually have a dream last night about work where I was in deep trouble. Oh, and I also had one where I came first in this competition. :D |
| TheScapegoat07-28-07, 11:33 AM | You guys seem to be learning the undead language so when the Zombies hit and kill you you will already know how to communicate. Traitors! |
| FRRC07-28-07, 11:46 AM | The Undead are cool. Intelligent PC Undead are better. |
| wrecan07-30-07, 11:45 AM | To pass the time, I divvied up the entries into the four "classic" party slots. Flankers Balag (Brb/Brd), Gresh (Ftr/Sct), Saraliss (Clr/Sct), Zaina (Brd) Melee Combatants Aned, Arae, Cheynchaytion, Sa'Relka, Zaldef Divine Casters Siddig Al Khadun Arcane Casters Ginkle Looks like Siddig and Ginkle have guaranteed spots in the desert party! |
| Far_Traveler07-30-07, 06:22 PM | Neato! maybe we could do a online campaign! oh yeas and when referring My entry as a single name, just use 'Mirage' |
| CheeseMan07-30-07, 07:58 PM | sooo.... shouldnt those judges be pretty close to being done judging? also, after reading through the rest of the entries, my ranger concept seems really original :pbbbtt: ... |
| Mercurius07-30-07, 11:43 PM | To pass the time, I divvied up the entries into the four "classic" party slots. Flankers Balag (Brb/Brd), Gresh (Ftr/Sct), Saraliss (Clr/Sct), Zaina (Brd) Melee Combatants Aned, Arae, Cheynchaytion, Sa'Relka, Zaldef Divine Casters Siddig Al Khadun Arcane Casters Ginkle Looks like Siddig and Ginkle have guaranteed spots in the desert party! Ironically, Siddig acts largely as a melee combatant, though he does make an effort to have some cure spells of every level available. Wouldn't want to let poor Karima die again, after all... |
| jennibert07-30-07, 11:44 PM | Judging should be done? Possibly. However, having been there and seen the way that life seems to throw all kinds of random crap at you exactly when you're supposed to be doing the judging.....Yeah. It'll be done eventually. Hopefully soon....But not to rush the judges or anything....:) |
| Endarrion07-30-07, 11:58 PM | Melee Combatants God of Death!!1shiftone Sa'Relka There. Fixed it. ;) |
| CheeseMan07-31-07, 12:12 AM | http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa103/balanced_breakfast/rush_movingf.jpg you mean like this? sorry, couldnt help it seriously judgely dudes, we really do appreciate the work you do |
| FRRC08-01-07, 12:34 PM | I just want to... *Ah!* I...*Ah!* I just... *Ahchoo!!!!* I was gonna say something but the sneeze made me forget. |
| TheScapegoat08-01-07, 12:49 PM | Bumped it and got my hopes up... :mad: |
| JasonOrlandoHawk08-01-07, 03:07 PM | One judge ran into some travel delays, which is holding up the scoring process. However, I have PM'd the judge, and been assured that, at the absolute latest, I will have the scores and be prepared to post them tomorrow (Thursday) night. My apologies for the delays. Nothing happens until you have a deadline... |
| TheScapegoat08-01-07, 05:30 PM | No problem o Capitan, we know the drill. :D |
| wrecan08-02-07, 03:40 PM | Just want to point out that the last Master DM competition, began, ended, has been judged and results announced almost entirely since this competition ended. Just saying. :devil: |
| FRRC08-02-07, 04:57 PM | Creating characters is a complex process that does not compare on the same level as those pesky DMs. There's alot of rules to check and stuff thats like complex and things...yeah. Those DMs just look at something and say "That's good, that sucks". I jest. |
| wrecan08-02-07, 05:39 PM | To be fair, this last MDMC was very rules light. |
| Mercurius08-02-07, 07:30 PM | Well, this is one of the downsides of having as many judges as this contest did - there's a better chance that one of them will be delayed, thus delaying everyone. That said, working as a judge once or twice, I could tell you that it's not easy to go through and check the math on all these things. It gets increasingly worse the more entries and higher in level you get, because there's more variables and things to check. It's not an easy job, and I honestly didn't enjoy it enough to keep at it. I do like competing, though.:D |
| Kit_the_Odd08-03-07, 04:24 AM | I just sent my scores to the coordinating judge. I apologize to everyone that has been waiting so patiently. I won't bore you with my sob story, but believe me when I say that getting my scores in has been on my mind daily for the last 2 weeks, but life has conspired against me in many ways to keep me from it. I will post comments much quicker than I did the scores. Promise. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk08-03-07, 02:36 PM | For those of you just joining the program, this is the story thus far... Yet again, the sounds of war rang out. A duel of champions :duel: , the Hero Craftsman competition was about to begin... Four brave judges, JasonOrlandoHawk :teach: , Heros_Backpack :incog: , Haruspex :detect: , and Kit_the_Odd :lop: assembled together to bring judgment on those who dared step forward. The arena was a blistering desert, seared by the unforgiving sun... Despite these harsh conditions, the warriors came... :pile: When time was called, the judges began the difficult work of nitpicking each entry. The work was seemingly endless... :ton: Meanwhile, the contestants waited patiently for the results... :waits: And, the judges still weren't finished... So, the contestants continued to wait patiently for the results... :hoppingma And the judges still weren't finished... So, the contestants continued to wait patiently... :fett: "Hello, judges, I've been sent to kill you if you don't hurry up and finish the scores." Now, the hour draws near. Who will emerge as the new Hero Craftsman Champion? ________________________________________ _ l (pretend it's a microphone hanging by a wire) l b :teach: May I have your attention please. It's time for tonight's main event! We will reveal who has won the Hero Craftsman #10: Denizen of the Desert contest. So, for the thousand in attendance, and the millions watching around the world... LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE <Insert bad Techno music here> The first order of business is to announce the winners of the "Best of" categories for each area that our contestants were graded on during this competition. These awards are chosen by nominations from each judge, and while they do not effect the final scores for each character, they do represent excellent work worthy of recognition. Our first category is Thematic Creativity... Aned "Sand Dancer" Manah by: FRRC Balag by: wrecan Ginkle/Dabble/Greenk/Filtyan/Chordy/Piddo Veytove, Alias 'Mirage' By: Far_Traveler Saraliss "The Dunerunner" by: Longtime_Lurker We have a tie!!! Aned "Sand Dancer" Manah by: FRRC and Balag by: wrecan Our next category is Background Content... Siddig El Khadun by: Mercurius Zaina al Birren, aka "The Angel" by: jennibert Saraliss "The Dunerunner" by: Longtime_Lurker Zaina al Birren, aka "The Angel" by: jennibert Our next category is Rules Use/Mechanics... Sa' Relka by: Endarrion Siddig El Khadun by: Mercurius Zaina al Birren, aka "The Angel" by: jennibert Zaina al Birren, aka "The Angel" by: jennibert Our final category is Clarity... Balag by: wrecan Zaina al Birren, aka "The Angel" by: jennibert Zaina al Birren, aka "The Angel" by: jennibert Let's hear it for our Best in Winners!!! Now, we move on to our actual medal winners for this competition. Remember, the gold medal winner will be added to the list of eligible judges, and other medal winners will be on their way to claiming the title of Hero Craftsman Judge. These are our medal winners for Hero Craftsman #10. Coming in 3rd place, with a composite score of 26.18/35, our Bronze Medal winner is... Saraliss "The Dunerunner" by: Longtime_Lurker Coming in 2nd place, with a composite score of 26.38/35, our Silver Medal winner is... Sa'Relka by: Endarrion And coming in 1st place, they claimed the Gold Medal with a composite score of 27/35, the Grand Champion of Hero Craftsman #10 is... Balag by: wrecan :king: Let's hear it for all of our medal winners!!! :bow: :cheer: :bow: Finally, here are the final composite scores for each contestant... Aned "Sand Dancer" Manah by: FRRC 26.11/35 Siddig El Khadun by: Mercurius 26.1/35 Ginkle/Dabble/Greenk/Filtyan/Chordy/Piddo Veytove, Alias 'Mirage' By: Far_Traveler 25.64/35 Zaina al Birren, aka "The Angel" by: jennibert 24.98/35 Cheynchaytion: By: Maekrix_Waere 23.44/35 Gresh of the Khamshin: By: TheScapegoat 22.44/35 Arae Mihdi: By: CheeseMan 21.81/35 Zaldef Raincloud: By: narcoleptic_dolphin 21.41/35 It has been a pleasure to judge this competition. Congratulations to each and every participant. It has been fun! |
| JasonOrlandoHawk08-03-07, 02:41 PM | Congratulations to everyone! I'm afraid that I have a very busy weekend ahead of me, so I probably won't be able to post my comments until Sunday Night or Monday afternoon. Anyone who wants me to PM their comments to them, please let me know before then. If I don't hear from you, then your comments will be considered public domain. Btw, CheeseMan, do you still want your comments to be private, or do you want them to be posted publicly. Despite the nitpicking that occurs, they are intended solely to help you improve your character creation skills. For anyone involved, in regards to any judges' comments, please remember that these comments are solely to help you improve. They should not be taken as insulting or belittling. The fact that you took the time to compete is, in and of itself, a compliment to your abilities. |
| FRRC08-03-07, 03:00 PM | Sweet, Fourth! Never been so high. I'm a little...tipsy so I'm not really in the excitement, perhaps tomorrow. Can't believe I was on a few decimals away from third. |
| Endarrion08-03-07, 03:26 PM | OMGWTFBBQ!!oneshift1!!@ Second Place! W00t! I'm moving up. I have a bronze and a silver. Now only a gold to get. EDIT: And once again my metal comes without a "best in." This is just weird... |
| Far_Traveler08-03-07, 03:29 PM | Well, I've never been quite as high as 6th place, so woohoo! Of course, I am still saddened that I cannot judge. |
| CheeseMan08-03-07, 03:42 PM | Btw, CheeseMan, do you still want your comments to be private, or do you want them to be posted publicly. you can just post the comments publicly. when i posted mine and said i'd like the stuff pm'd to me i didnt realize i'd get to see'm regardless |
| FRRC08-03-07, 03:49 PM | Just need Best in Background to complete the set ^_^ |
| Mercurius08-03-07, 11:43 PM | Ouch. This one really hurt. I wasn't even in the top three for once. The great Mercurius will ever regret this. And here I thought Siddig would do a bit better than that. Some stiff competition for this one. Le sigh. Congrats to the winners, and to the judges for getting through it all. I enjoyed fleshing out Canin and the dynamics of the area even just a little bit, but I probably could have managed something a bit better if I'd had more free time. I look forward to the next one, though I hope that there's enough space that it doesn't fall right during the major work haul that I've got coming up. Especially if it's a topic as cool as what was suggested elsewhere... |
| JasonOrlandoHawk08-04-07, 04:44 AM | Overall, I must say that this was a surprising competition. The difference between 1st and last place was less than 6 points in regards to the composite scores. My biggest surprise: The most heavily nominated character: Zaina al Birren, came in 6th place. My jaw hit the ground when I finished the totals and realized that had happened. Every entry was very solid. I made a point of increasing the amount I deducted for mistakes in this competition (after noticing that my scores were statistically too high), which caused errors to be worth 1.25x to 1.75x more points than normal... ...and the scores were still very high. This round of judging took a lot of work! Mercurius, don't feel ashamed of your entry. You were less than one point away from the 1st place winner, and (though I don't have my old scores to do an actual comparison) if memory serves me correctly, this was the second highest scoring character (as far as my scores were concerned) that you've ever submitted. In fact, everyone did very well. Well, I must be at work in less than 5 hours, so I will save the rest of my comments for after the weekend is over. |
| Longtime_Lurker08-04-07, 07:36 AM | Wow, my first Hero Craftsman and a third place, with two nominations in best of... :D :embarrass Thanks to the judges and don't worry about being delayed, real life often gets in the way of the more important things ;) So when's the next one? I need some more medals to qualify as a judge! Cheers all, Longtime Lurker |
| Endarrion08-04-07, 10:43 PM | I just thought of something that's been bothering me. How do you get the winners in the "best of" categories? If it's by score in each individual category... then jennibert should've won. But since she didn't, that leads me to believe that these conclusions are arrived at in some other fashion. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk08-05-07, 04:45 PM | Typically, the "Best of" Categories are nomination based. Each judge picks their favorite for each category, and nominates them. After each judge has submitted their nominations, the entry w/ the most nominations wins the "Best of" Award for that category. When scores are reported, the judges break down the scores into each category, as well as giving a final score. If there is no clear majority vote for a "Best of" Award (which happened for Thematic Creativity and Clarity this time around), then each nominee's scores in that category only are averaged, with the highest category average taking the award. Interestingly, FRRC and wrecan had the exact same average for their T.C. scores this time, so they both got the honorary award for "Best in Thematic Creativity." Btw, I hope to have my character comments posted in the next few hours (casting Detect Real Life Catastrophe)... |
| JasonOrlandoHawk08-05-07, 05:35 PM | General Comments First, as I am so fond of saying, please do not take offense at any character comments that I (or another judge) may post. The work of judging is largely negative, in that we are nitpicking your characters trying to find as many errors, mistakes, and omissions as possible. It can be painful. However, that doesn't mean that your character was poorly made. Each character submitted has potential for use in real games. The characters were enjoyable, entertaining, and well thought out. Take my comments, as well as those by other judges, as suggestions for improvement rather than belittling remarks. If it makes you feel any better, just remember that every judge on this panel had to go through what you're experiencing, and we've made our fair share of mistakes as well. (In fact, there was one judge who was apparently incapable of reading the prerequisites for his PrC in a previous competition... :embarrass ) It's all part of the growing process. Thematic Creativity I tend to judge this category very quickly. Does your character feel strongly tied to the desert? If I could change one thing in your entry (the setting), without severely altering your character, you scored low in this category. I also looked for your character's ability to survive in the desert. If all you owned was a Ring of Sustenance (as far as survival gear was concerned), I probably docked points. In harsh environments, it pays to have a back-up plan in case of emergencies. The following imagery typically scored well: Illusions, Mystery, Extreme Heat, Lost Civilizations/Treasures, Camels (or other waste creatures), etc... However, I was very disappointed that no one submitted a character who had earned wishes from a Djinni... Background I may be a teacher, but when it comes to Background, I grade on Content, not Format (I save that for Clarity :D ). I was looking for several things: 1) Did your background match your abilities? 2) Is your background appropriate for a level 10 character? (At least one or two examples is nice.) 3) Do you provide the DM w/ handy-dandy ways to incorporate this character into his campaign? (Allies, Antagonists, Character goals, etc...) For example, a level 10 character might: 1) Have 1 major antagonist (of a slightly higher level), or a band of lower CR foes (i.e.: Bandits) that they are battling. Note: An Antagonist that you can defeat, as is, w/o help, is not a worthy foe. 2) Earn the trust of a small village/town, or alternately have folk hero status in a larger town. Providing 2-3 NPC contacts/allies (lower level than yourself) or 1 NPC mentor (possibly higher level) is helpful from a DM's perspective. 3) Provide a character goal. Note: A Goal should be something that would take a minimum of two games to accomplish, with some help. (Slay the Dragon. Character Goal. Slay the Catfish. NOT a character goal.) One final note on background. Though it wasn't as much of an issue in this competition as normal, I also look to see how well the character could fit into an adventuring party. A character who refuses to work w/ others and/or constantly backstabs or cheats others will not be welcome in my games. Rules Use/Mechanics Ok, there are two terms: Mechanics: This means Rules As Written. Is your BAB correct? Are your HP and skill rank totals correct? This is simply a measurement of rules-accuracy. Mechanics accounts for roughly 3/4 of your score in this category (when I judge). Rules Use: Weak characters can be interesting, but it is my experience that statistically inferior characters will eventually be dumped in favor of more solidly built characters. Why? No one wants to miss every other attack, constantly fail their saves, or prove ineffective at whatever role* they should fulfill for a party. A rules use comment reflects the idea that a character build is sub-standard, which could lead to frustration at the gaming table. Rules Use accounts for about 1/4 of your score in this category (when I judge). *Note: For comparisons under Rules Use, I typically use the NPC tables on pg.110-126 of the DMG. If your stats are significantly lower than the class most directly comparable to you (at your character level), then I worry about your ability to contribute in game. For specific items, refer to the forthcoming individual comments. Clarity Clarity was scored as follows (by me): Red Ink: 1 point: Typos, Grammatical Errors, & the other typical Teacher remarks Cite Sources: 1.5 points: Any non-core material should be cited (Source/Page # is all you need). I operate under the assumption that everyone who reads this thread wants to know where you found those cool feats/spells/PrC's, and that you should let us know. Also, it makes things easier to find when I know where to look them up. Format*: 1.5 points: This applies to the background and the stat block. On the background, I'm checking for readability issues (such as white space). On the stat block, I need to be able to back into everything (skill point totals, HP, etc...) smoothly. Other: 1 point: If you Rage, Summon monsters to fight for you, Wild Shape, or commonly buff yourself w/ a specific set of spells prior to battle, I want you to provide those stats. Trying to calculate your new attack bonus every time you Rage or cast a spell really eats up game time. *-1: I am completely indifferent to s-blocks. They do not affect your scores. *-2: Tables are a hit/miss thing for me. They tend to copy poorly when I transfer the characters to Word, so they quite often end up completely useless. Thus, I typically don't even look at tables (if provided) when calculating scores. *-3: B/c I say it so often, I need one condensed Full Attack section w/ any appropriate modifiers listed to the side. Every attack should take up one line. If you want to break it all down, do so later at the bottom of the submission. |
| JasonOrlandoHawk08-05-07, 06:10 PM | Thematic Creativity: •No complaints here. Very well done! Neatly tied to the desert. Background: •I really like the format for your story. The “Old Man” is a nice touch and solid narrator for Aned’s tales. •The Emperor and the Ashworm Dragoons are both solid DM tools. •Overall, I felt like I needed more detail about Aned herself. Her personality (beyond defending travelers) is pretty vague. I disagree with her alignment, however. She is not Chaotic Neutral. Someone who takes that many risks for others is a solid Chaotic Good. Rules Use/Mechanics: •Mechanics #1: XP Penalties: You have a -20% penalty on all XP rewards b/c of the difference in your character levels. While that doesn’t affect you here (since you have a theoretically unlimited amount of time to gain your levels, even w/ a penalty), it would affect your character were she actually played in a game. No one wants to level up at 4/5 the rate of everyone else in the party. •Rules Use (minor) #1: Again, I disagree w/ your alignment. Your deity is NG and you are CN. While I understand you are not a Cleric, and there is no alignment restriction, you don’t share one aspect of your alignment w/ your deity. (However, since I’ve already said that you strike me as CG…) Clarity: •Minor Red Ink. •Please Cite your Sources!!! Asherti? Heat Endurance? Kheferu? Dervish? Cool Armor? (Is it fashionable or something?) Sure, I know where to find them, but someone new to the game might be clueless as to where to find these options. •When you list your Dervish Dance stats, I would add a note that indicates you gain the benefits of the Cleave feat while dancing (from the Dance of Death ability). •You don’t need a separate Weapon and Full Attack section since the final totals are the same. You can just write down your Full Attack, and if the circumstances prevent a Full Attack, you would only use the first attack modifier listed. Also, your damage was confusing. I would write everything as follows: Full Attack: +2 Halberd: +17/+12, 1d10+8 (+2 vs. Magical Beasts), 20/x3. After that, you could list appropriate modifiers. Thematic Creativity: •Desert Nomad seeking out the mysteries of the desert. Definite Desert Denizen! •Excellent First Entry! Background: •Your character definitely has a Level 10 background, with a rich history and strong goals. Well written. Plenty of DM material here. •My one wish would be a better list of antagonists for Arae. A level 10 character is probably going to have offended someone in the past. A good villain would have clenched this character well. Rules Use/Mechanics •Rules Use #1: By my calculations, you should have 58 HP. 8 @ 1st level + (9 x 4.5) = 40.5 @ 2-10 level + 10 (Con modifier) = 58.5 (rounded down) HP. •Rules Use #2: To place special abilities on a weapon (such as Shocking or Distance), the weapon must first have at least a +1 Enhancement bonus (DMG 223). Your Longbow does not. Also, you should list the range increment on your Longbow, especially since it is modified. Finally, your Longbow would deal 1d8 + 1d6 shock + 2 damage. •Rules Use #3: I couldn’t back into your skill points. You should have 104 skill points, and that covers every skill that you put ranks into. However, you wouldn’t have any skill points left over to purchase additional languages. Your Int. modifier would give you one bonus language at character creation, but that still leaves two languages unaccounted for in this entry. •Rules Use #4: At the risk of contradicting my Clarity comments on skills below, it is a good thing that you spelled out your Jump modifier. However, you missed something: You have an additional +4 (unnamed) bonus on Jump checks b/c your speed is higher than normal. •Rules Use Omission #1: Ok, so this isn’t wrong, so much as not listed… You should spell out your iterative attacks with both weapons for when you make a Full Attack. Your stats look fine, but you need to show me the Full Attack as well. •Rules Use Omission #2: You forgot to list Manyshot in your feat section (from Improved Combat Style), which could be seen as a major problem since it is a pre-requisite of Improved Rapid Shot. (No big deal, but remember to double check everything before posting it.) Clarity •Moderate Red Ink. •Cite your Sources: Improved Rapid Shot. •On your skill section, I can appreciate you listing every modifier for all every skill you have, but it is mostly unnecessary. Usually, you can just use the appropriate ability modifier (i.e.: Int for Appraise) when using a skill untrained. Listing every single skill (that doesn’t have ranks, anyways) just consumes a lot of space. Spell out skills w/ ranks or several modifiers (see Jump comments above), but leave the rest out. You don’t need them. •Warning, teacher comment imminent!!! Work on breaking up your background into neat paragraphs. It’s easier to read when the words aren’t jumbled all together. Thematic Creativity •This character had a really strong “voice.” I could picture this character in my head really well, and (more importantly) I could picture him as a Desert Warrior. Background •First off, let me state again: I really enjoyed how this entry was composed. Excellent work. •The variety of NPCs in this entry was nice. Excellent enemies. Excellent Sometimes-Enemies/Sometimes-Friends. (Allies were a tad underdeveloped in comparison, but still quite usable.) •Your character’s main goal (the mirror) would be very easy to incorporate into a campaign, but adds quite a bit of depth at the same time. Excellent plot hook! Rules Use/Mechanics •Rules Use #1: Your BAB is +9, not +8. This means that your Grapple score is too low. Oddly, some of your attacks are correct anyways, and some of them are incorrect. (Not sure how you pulled that off.) •Rules Use #2: Your Jump total should be higher. While your armor check penalty and strength modifier cancel each other out, you also have an additional +4 modifier b/c of your higher than normal speed. •Rules Use #3: Profession (Sailor) is not a class skill for Barbarian. Thus, even though you still use your level +3 to determine max ranks (b/c of your Bard levels), when you purchase the skill as a Barbarian, you still have to pay double. Clarity •Minor Red Ink. •Cited Sources (with nice foot notes). •Also, on note 13… I’m sure you meant “provides a +2 bonus on Profession (Sailor) checks.” Thematic Creativity •The “Year of the Dragons” Hero Craftsman has already been done… but I still appreciated this character quite a bit. A Blue Dragon has a lot of potential in a desert setting. •I like the fact you took ranks in Survival, even though it was Cross-Class for this character. This shows that your character has at least some skill to help keep you alive. •The only downside to your Thematic Creativity score was the inclusion of the Drow. Don’t get me wrong, you portrayed them well (as usual), but they are an “Environment: Underground” plot point in a Desert competition. I think Efreeti would have been a good replacement for the Drow in this situation, as the story could remain basically the same. Background •My compliments on this character. Very strong entry and very usable background. Major compliment: Though Evil, I can see this character actually working w/ a group, making him much more welcome in a game! •Multiple usable plot points. I like how well you explain his items. •I truly have only one issue w/ this character (in terms of background): He hasn’t had his second birthday yet… Don’t get me wrong, your background is very appropriate for Level 10, but very hard for me to buy for a (not-quite) two year old, even if that toddler is a dragon. The MM notes that a Dragon is considered a wyrmling until 5 years of age, which (while still a bit of a stretch) would have been easier to accept. •Question: How does your character relate to your father, seeing as Blues are Lawful Evil? I doubt all contact has been cut off, but you really don’t expand on that relationship. Or… is there a reason you sought out your own lair before your first birthday? (Insert Maniacal DM Grin) Rules Use/Mechanics •Rules Use #1: You already caught your mistakes on your attacks, but to reiterate: Bite: +12/1d6+5/x2, 2 Claws: +10/1d4+2/x2. Remember that Small creatures gain a +1 size bonus on attack rolls. Also, according to the MM (p.312), a Bite attack deals Piercing, Slashing, and Bludgeoning damage. •Rules Use #2: Your Grapple modifier is wrong. You add your BAB (+6), your Strength modifier (+5), and your Size modifier (-4), which leaves you with a final total of +7. •Rules Use #3(a): You overcharged yourself for the Mithral Breastplate. The total is 4,200gp, not 4,400gp. I’m not sure the exact source of confusion, but one thing that might help: Don’t forget that you don’t pay the cost for the Masterwork component of Mithral Armor, b/c Mithral Armor already accounts for (and overrides) that cost. •Rules Use #3(b): You overcharged yourself for your Amulet of Health +2 and Gloves of Dexterity +2. They are 4,000gp each, not 8,000gp each. I imagine that you took half the price of the Belt of Giant Strength +4 since these had half the bonus, but that’s not how the formula works. The actual formula for ability enhancing items is bonus squared x1000gp. •Typo? #1: You listed your size as Medium, but you are actually a Small character. However, since you remembered (some of) the appropriate modifiers for small size, I suspect that this is truly just a typo. •Mechanics #1: “LA+4.” You will hate playing this character for that singular reason. Creatures w/ a LA of +3 or higher are almost worthless as PCs. Your character is much more susceptible to HD based spells, your saves and attacks tend to be weaker, and at higher levels, your damage potential will plummet compared to other characters. While Dragons are not as bad as other LA+4 creatures (d12 Hit Die, HD/BAB progression, All good saves, nice abilities), your lower HD will really be felt the first time someone casts Holy Word. (I speak from experience: in one game, a friend was playing a Gold Dragon Paladin, and he averaged 7 damage a strike… at level 12.) Clarity •Very Minor Red Ink: You misspelled “Blindsense.” •Cited Sources: Excellent work! •I had a very easy time double checking your work. Very neat. •You forgot to list your Burrow Speed in your Speed section, though you remembered to include it in your tactics. Thematic Creativity •Of all the characters in this competition, I would say that Gresh is the most prepared for a desert environment in terms of Mundane Gear. Many of the other entries burnt a feat or bought a nice magic item and wrote off the desert heat. You just carry enough food to feed a small company of men. Background •Decent list of allies and enemies. Very usable DM material. •Gresh’s only real character goal is that he’s always itching for a fight. I would’ve liked to see some more depth. While he may be a warrior, first and foremost, even hired swords typically have a higher motivation. Rules Use/Mechanics •Rules Use #1: Armor issues: First, you noted that your armor grants Spell Resistance, but you didn’t list how much. Try and write out SR (13) so that you don’t have to look it up. Also, you charged yourself too much for the armor. MW chainmail is 300gp, not 350gp, which leaves you w/ an extra 50gp to spend. •Mechanics #1: Multi-Classing Penalties: Since neither Scout nor Fighter is a Bugbear’s Favored Class, you would take a -20% XP penalty b/c of the disparity between your two classes. As I’ve mentioned before, no one wants to level up at 4/5 the speed of everyone else in the party. •Typo Alert: You have numerous typos in your entry. While the totals may be correct, the information provided isn’t. For example: You don’t get +10 speed from Skirmish, you get it from Fast Movement. You don’t get a +3 “Racial” bonus to AC, you get a +3 “Natural Armor” bonus to AC. These can really add up quickly. •You need to provide your Touch and Flat-Footed AC. •All of my griping aside, you have built a very solid melee character. If you cleaned up the character sheet, and filled in the missing information, you’d have a very effective character. Clarity •Red Ink! •Minor Citation Issue: Scout Class. (You cited your feats, just not the class.) •You listed ranks in Survival in your level breakdown, but you forgot to list your total skill modifier in your skill section. Thematic Creativity •I’ll compliment you later, but I had to dock you somewhere. To be honest, I didn’t feel like you really created a Desert Denizen. You stuck this character in the desert, but you could drop him in almost any setting, and the story wouldn’t change a bit. You don’t seem tied to the desert, even if you happen to be located there. Background •Ok, complaints about the general lack of strong ties to the desert aside, I really enjoyed this character. If there are any gnomes in my games, they typically earn about 1 nickname/game session. (One of the best nicknames ever: Stumble Duck. The gnomish Necromancer terrified to the point of instant panic at the sight of a duck.) •You have a solid goal that a DM can use to tie you to a party, the hunt for Perfect Geometry. •As for your familiar Norris: Is it true that he has counted to infinity… twice? Also, can he really kill two stones with one bird? I was tempted to give you a bonus point for submitting a familiar themed after the Texas Ranger, but ultimately I realized that the real Chuck Norris would never submit in any fashion. •On a more serious note, I would’ve liked to see a more developed antagonist for your character. You have a goal, but no one I can conveniently use to hinder it. Rules Use/Mechanics •Ok, second compliment: I love the Geometer class!!! (One of two characters I have ever played extensively enough to retire was a Wizard/Geometer/Fatespinner named Olus Snikda. Fatespinner: Magic is controlled by Probability. Geometer: Magic is controlled by Divine Geometric Shapes. Can you figure out where I went with that one? My old character was Desert-themed, to an extent… maybe I should submit him.) Recommendation: Geometers love the Blessed Book of Boccob, when you can save up enough gp to get it. •Rules Use #1(a): GP issues were your major problem w/ this character. First, I added up your GP totals, and I couldn’t come up w/ 49,000gp. I always ended up about 1,500-2,000gp short. •Rules Use #1(b): However, I don’t think you charged yourself enough for the spellbook. It costs 100gp/page to record any extra spells. Since you have 19 spells, that is 1,900gp. Also, there is typically a copying/research fee for additional spells (50gp x Spell Level) which would be 2,750gp for your extra spells. Materials were 300gp. Special Enchantments cost 4,000gp. The final cost would have been 8,950gp. This is well above the 5,100gp total you gave (which I honestly couldn’t back into anyways). •Rules Use #1(c): Your Scholar’s Outfit is free at character creation. •Rules Use #1(d): Technically, you’re probably not walking around w/ “Good Meals,” but rather “Rations.” The price is technically the same, so it’s not a big deal, but I doubt that you are carrying around a week’s worth of 3 course dinners. (Btw, does it scare anyone else that Good Meals and Trail Rations are the same price? I mean seriously, Fine Cooked Roast Beef = Trail Mix? I don’t think so!) •Rules Use #2: You state that every spell is prepared using the Sanctum Spell Metamagic feat, but you don’t have that feat… holdover from a previous build? •Outside of the Sanctum Spell and GP total issues, I could back into everything else on this character. Well done! (Sorry if I got to technical, but I’m a big Wizard player, so I tend to nitpick quite a bit. You really did create a solid caster.) Clarity •Cited Sources! Excellent! (Although, so you know, it’s Metamagic School “Focus”) •No major red ink issues. •Compliment: Your skill section was one of the easiest to judge, ever! I’m not sure why it worked so well, but thank you for a skill section well done! •Could’ve used a little more white space in the background. •Though I doubt this will surprise you, your spellbook section confused me. After 5 attempts, I gave up on trying to match your 5,100gp price. Thematic Creativity •While I believe that your background could apply to any setting, I strongly agree that this is a solid desert character. •You accounted for the dangers of the desert on multiple fronts, from Improved Heat Endurance to Keepcool Salve & a Healer’s Kit. Your character is very prepared for any desert adventure. Background •Short, simple, but very usable. I would have no trouble incorporating this character into a game. •Multiple (vague but still present) allies. Very usable antagonists. Very strong character motivation. Very solid character. •I would really like for Wizards to release a 3.5 version of the Dark Sun Campaign Setting. I only played two games of AD&D, but the Dark Sun game is still a game I remember to this day. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: Your Grapple score is actually +10 b/c of your +3 Strength bonus. Clarity •No Red Ink! •Cited Sources! •Your feats section was confusing. I would have cited pg. 304 of the MM for Multiweapon Fighting. Thematic Creativity •This character has adapted nicely to the desert, and carefully carved out a niche for himself. Interesting twist, taking levels in Cleric (of the Desert), but very nicely done. Background •Considering the powerful wanderlust this character suffers, I would say he is probably more CG than NG, but he is definitely a character I would allow into one of my games. •You have a large list of potential allies, which the DM can easily use. I do have one problem w/ your background: You defeated an Adult Blue Dragon (CR 14), and that’s well before you hit ECL 10. I know you adventured w/ more powerful allies, but still… •Speaking of antagonists, your only current problem are bandits (portrayed as low CR opponents) who are dressing like “The Dunerunner.” As a DM, I would likely bump the CR of these bandits to something much more deserving of your ECL. •Overall, your character is very usable, if a bit of a stretch in terms of story & numbers. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: You have an additional +8 to jump checks b/c of your higher than average speed. •Mechanics #2: A Traveler’s Outfit is free at character creation. •Mechanics #3: You charged yourself too much for your armor. You don’t have to pay for the masterwork component of Mithral armor b/c Mithral armor is already considered masterwork, and that is factored into the price. •Rules Use #1: Multiclassing: I know that you’re not concerned w/ the penalties you take for multiclassing, but you should be very careful. Your character is on par w/ other characters of the same level in all but one way: Your BAB is only one point higher than a wizard of the same level (and you clearly are not a caster). In all other regards, this character is solid, but I’m afraid that this you might find this character missing a more often than you would like in combat. Clarity •Minor Red Ink. •Cited Sources! •Sometimes, you can give TOO MUCH detail. I like to have one line that neatly sums up your attacks (and then you can give me a detail later, if necessary). For example: Orik: +11/+6, 1d6 + 1d6 [cold] + [2d6 skirmish] + 3, 20/x3, 70ft. I now know everything I need to know for this character, and the information is easier to understand and use in a game. •Note that I provided information for your Full Attack above. Since you have iterative attacks, you should account for them in your attacks section. •Also, when you list your Ability modifiers, just give me the final ability modifier. Dex. mod. +4 is much more concise. Don’t list “Dex mod. +3, Gloves +1.” I’ll know how your score breaks down from your actual ability score section. Thematic Creativity •The Year of the Dragons competition already took place… oh wait, those are Dinosaurs. As always, taking more notes about your campaign setting to use for my own games... •More than many of the other contestants, I think you did a good job of capturing the brutal, harsh nature of the desert environment. Background •Why didn’t you just say “Dinosaurs?” It would’ve made understanding the story so much easier (at least the first time through). •As noted above, I really felt that this entry had the right “struggle for survival” feel. I also liked the effect of using your old wedding ring as the basis for a Ring of Sustenance (wonderful symbolism, but it’s already been done before in the Frostfell competition, so I couldn’t give you a bonus point). •Very usable list of allies, antagonists, etc… Well done. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: A Ring of Sustenance costs 2,500gp, not 2,200gp. •Rules Use #1: Multiclassing in two classes w/ a ¾ BAB is headache inducing (and the reason that I’m considering switching to Fractional BAB progression). As it stands, your BAB is barely ahead of a wizard of comparable levels, and since this is a melee character, this could become problematic for you. Not a major issue, but it could become one in the future. •Compliment: I enjoyed seeing a character who took aging penalties. Not many people willingly create such a character. Well done. Clarity •No Red Ink. •Cited Sources! •I would’ve liked to see some stats for your frequently summoned monsters, especially since they are affected by the Augmented Summoning feat. •I would probably include some notation to indicate which of your prepared spells are conjuration spells b/c of your Spell Focus (Conjuration) feat. Thematic Creativity •I really think you lost some of your focus with this character. You have a character that can survive in the desert, but you don’t really have a desert-themed character. •This character, as written, is more of an Urban Hero. You serve valiantly in the Divine Wind, boldly protecting the city of Khafla… With a few exceptions, Zaina doesn’t seem to venture out into the desert much. •The desert is a nice place to visit, but do you really live there? A quick switch in focus on the background would’ve gone a long way. Background •Previous comments aside, as always, you have an excellent background. Solid allies. Solid Enemy. Very usable DM material. •If I could recommend one thing that might improve the background, ever so slightly, it would be a solid character goal. •As a side note, I really liked how well you incorporated some of your items into your background. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: A Ring of Sustenance is 2,500gp, not 2,200gp. Clarity •No Red Ink. •Cited Sources. •Very, very well organized! Attack section was still a little more complicated than I prefer (one line is all I need), but otherwise, it this entry was very neat. Thematic Creativity •Solidly tied to the desert. I think the Scorpion Heritor PrC would be an excellent progression for this character in the future. Background •Your entry was brief… but at the end of a huge stream of entries, that is not necessarily a bad thing. •You provide enemies (in a vague, distant sort of way), allies (Scarabs, people you’ve helped), and character goals (seek out the people who destroyed your village). All of this is usable by the DM. (Side note: I like the character detail of people setting out particular stone jars as a way of summoning aid.) •A little extra detail would have clinched this character nicely, particularly if you had included a developed antagonist. Still, overall, short, sweet, and usable. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: Spells: Rangers need a high Wisdom to cast their spells, particularly, they need a Wisdom of 10 + Spell level. Since your Wisdom is 11, that means that your Wisdom is not high enough to cast your second level spells. •Mechanics #2: Enchanting Weapons: Your Composite Longbow is improperly enchanted. You must have a +1 magical enhancement bonus before you can add magical special abilities. •Mechanics #3: An Explorer’s Outfit is free at character creation. •Mechanics #4: Don’t forget your synergy bonuses for your skills. They are on pg. 66 of the PHB, and they boost your skills. For example, your ranks in Survival give you a +2 bonus on Know (Nature) checks. Clarity •Red ink. •Cited Sources. •You should list conditional modifiers to your saves (like Heat Endurance and Scorpion’s Resolve) in your save section so that you don’t forget your modifiers. •Your attack section is (in my opinion) too complex. As far as I’m concerned, you can typically keep it to one line. Try: +1 Scimitar: +14/+9, 1d6 + 5, 18-20/x2 (+2, +2d6 vs. Magical Beasts) •Though it doesn’t apply to your typical spells here, for future contests, you should remember to include your spell Save DC’s. |
| jennibert08-05-07, 08:27 PM | First off, congrats to wrecan and Endarrion and Longtime_Lurker! Yay for new faces in the winner's circle! And I must further say...Wow....the only time I haven't placed. Well, I didn't think she was my best character, and I'm kinda relieved to have *not* taken up another winner slot so we can get some fresh judging blood, but still....I like to win. And I got lots of best in category awards! Speaking of that...I got three best in category awards....and came in seventh? Wow...Not that I mind the honor, but how does that work? Did I get consolation prizes or something? ;) Anyways, a fun competition as always. And I will just go ahead and say now that since the next competition will fall over back to school and then wedding prep I am decidedly NOT available for any sort of judging. Which is a shame, but I really don't want to intentionally create delayed results (instead of my usual pattern of being the last judge done by accident....). Thanks, judges!! |
| wrecan08-05-07, 08:28 PM | Woohoo!! I went from last to first in just two contests. I'm so exceited. I'm glad the judges liked Balag. I really enjoyed writing him up. I've always liked Bard/Barbarians as a class combo and have had Balag rumbling around in my head ever since I go Sandstorm. This was a great competition with a lot of great entries. Rules Use #1: Your BAB is +9, not +8. This means that your Grapple score is too low. Ooops! I have it calculate correctly in the character progression, but had a typo in the stat block. some of your attacks are correct anyways What did I miss? Rules Use #2: Your Jump total should be higher. While your armor check penalty and strength modifier cancel each other out, you also have an additional +4 modifier b/c of your higher than normal speed. Duh!! Thanks! Rules Use #3: Profession (Sailor) is not a class skill for Barbarian. Thus, even though you still use your level +3 to determine max ranks (b/c of your Bard levels), when you purchase the skill as a Barbarian, you still have to pay double. Phooey! I've been getting that wrong all these years. Meh. I didn't even want to give him Profession (sailor). I erroneously thought he needed it to pilot the sand skiff. Also, on note 13… I’m sure you meant “provides a +2 bonus on Profession (Sailor) checks.” You may be right. I don't have the Arms & Equipment Guide, so I always assumed "Profession (sailor) +2" meant you needed a +2 bonus to operate the vehicle, not that it gave you a bonus to the Profession (sailor) roll. Stupid sourcebooks not explaining what the entries mean. |
| CheeseMan08-05-07, 09:32 PM | comments appreciated, J, and yea, i've been silently fuming for the past couple weeks over the glaring mechanics botches (hp, longbow, skills :banghead:) mad props to all competators on a job well done |
| Longtime_Lurker08-06-07, 09:16 AM | Thematic Creativity •This character has adapted nicely to the desert, and carefully carved out a niche for himself. Interesting twist, taking levels in Cleric (of the Desert), but very nicely done. Thank you very much. :) Background •Considering the powerful wanderlust this character suffers, I would say he is probably more CG than NG, but he is definitely a character I would allow into one of my games. I though about this for a while myself and only decided on Neutral Good at the last minute. I can see him fitting either alignment but this is a fair point. •You have a large list of potential allies, which the DM can easily use. I do have one problem w/ your background: You defeated an Adult Blue Dragon (CR 14), and that’s well before you hit ECL 10. I know you adventured w/ more powerful allies, but still… I realised that I had not been very clear on this story after I published it. Saraliss was at this point effectively the cohort of Marbiad (he only became an adventurer in his own right after Marbiad effectively retired). I am aware that he was very low level for this encounter. •Speaking of antagonists, your only current problem are bandits (portrayed as low CR opponents) who are dressing like “The Dunerunner.” As a DM, I would likely bump the CR of these bandits to something much more deserving of your ECL. Again, I was not really clear enough and my use of the word "bandit's" was a bit misleading. This really was put in as a 'hook' for the DM to abuse as he sees fit. My actual thought was that the fake Saraliss was a fairly major threat, besmirching Saraliss good name in an attempt to lure him out. Completely fair point again really. •Overall, your character is very usable, if a bit of a stretch in terms of story & numbers. Again, due to a lack of clarity on my part, should re-draft more thoroughly next time Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: You have an additional +8 to jump checks b/c of your higher than average speed. You know I had completely missed this section of the Jump skill description for some reason. Thanks for that, I learned a new rule ;) . •Mechanics #2: A Traveler’s Outfit is free at character creation. •Mechanics #3: You charged yourself too much for your armor. You don’t have to pay for the masterwork component of Mithral armor b/c Mithral armor is already considered masterwork, and that is factored into the price. Doh! •Rules Use #1: Multiclassing: I know that you’re not concerned w/ the penalties you take for multiclassing, but you should be very careful. Your character is on par w/ other characters of the same level in all but one way: Your BAB is only one point higher than a wizard of the same level (and you clearly are not a caster). In all other regards, this character is solid, but I’m afraid that this you might find this character missing a more often than you would like in combat. Yes this was a concern of mine as well. If I played him in a party I would have to come up with clever tactics or look for situational advantages where I could. As a solo character he would avoid combat as much as possible, or fight running battles where time would be on his side. Clarity •Minor Red Ink. •Cited Sources! •Sometimes, you can give TOO MUCH detail. I like to have one line that neatly sums up your attacks (and then you can give me a detail later, if necessary). For example: Orik: +11/+6, 1d6 + 1d6 [cold] + [2d6 skirmish] + 3, 20/x3, 70ft. I now know everything I need to know for this character, and the information is easier to understand and use in a game. •Note that I provided information for your Full Attack above. Since you have iterative attacks, you should account for them in your attacks section. •Also, when you list your Ability modifiers, just give me the final ability modifier. Dex. mod. +4 is much more concise. Don’t list “Dex mod. +3, Gloves +1.” I’ll know how your score breaks down from your actual ability score section. Cheers for the advice, choosing how much detail to go into was the thing I found the hardest about this to be honest. I generally use all sorts of weird shorthand and cryptic notes for my own characters (mainly NPC's as I am primarily a DM) which would make no sense at all to anyone who isn't me. Thanks for the guidance. Overall I really enjoyed being a part of this competition and eagerly await the next one. Many thanks to the judges for their work and (more than) fair constructive critique. Creating Saraliss really got me thinking and the ideas generated by the other entries triggered some really good new ideas for my (under construction) campaign setting. So thanks to everyone who contributed. Next time I go for gold :w00t: Longtime Lurker |
| Zherog08-06-07, 12:14 PM | Congrats to the winners. :tiphat: |
| wrecan08-07-07, 11:11 AM | I revised Balag to correct some typos and rules errors (including those identified by JasonOrlandoHawk). |
| Far_Traveler08-07-07, 02:56 PM | Thematic Creativity •I’ll compliment you later, but I had to dock you somewhere. To be honest, I didn’t feel like you really created a Desert Denizen. You stuck this character in the desert, but you could drop him in almost any setting, and the story wouldn’t change a bit. You don’t seem tied to the desert, even if you happen to be located there.I was afraid of that. I always have trouble with that part on Terrain-based characters. Background •Ok, complaints about the general lack of strong ties to the desert aside, I really enjoyed this character. If there are any gnomes in my games, they typically earn about 1 nickname/game session. (One of the best nicknames ever: Stumble Duck. The gnomish Necromancer terrified to the point of instant panic at the sight of a duck.) Awesome •You have a solid goal that a DM can use to tie you to a party, the hunt for Perfect Geometry. To be honest, the flawless geometry was a last minute addition that I thought gave him an excuse. •As for your familiar Norris: Is it true that he has counted to infinity… twice? Also, can he really kill two stones with one bird? I was tempted to give you a bonus point for submitting a familiar themed after the Texas Ranger, but ultimately I realized that the real Chuck Norris would never submit in any fashion. I'm a Texan, I had to! I even have a stone armadillo named Norris on my lawn! •On a more serious note, I would’ve liked to see a more developed antagonist for your character. You have a goal, but no one I can conveniently use to hinder it. Also tends to be a problem area for me. Rules Use/Mechanics •Ok, second compliment: I love the Geometer class!!! (One of two characters I have ever played extensively enough to retire was a Wizard/Geometer/Fatespinner named Olus Snikda. Fatespinner: Magic is controlled by Probability. Geometer: Magic is controlled by Divine Geometric Shapes. Can you figure out where I went with that one? My old character was Desert-themed, to an extent… maybe I should submit him.) Recommendation: Geometers love the Blessed Book of Boccob, when you can save up enough gp to get it. Funny story about that actually. He used to just be a Wizard 10 with a blessed book, but then I borrowed a complete arcane and was looking at the alternate spellbooks, when I saw the arcane geometry section. I followed the reference to the Geometer class, and I just HAD TO USE IT. •Rules Use #1(a): GP issues were your major problem w/ this character. First, I added up your GP totals, and I couldn’t come up w/ 49,000gp. I always ended up about 1,500-2,000gp short. •Rules Use #1(b): However, I don’t think you charged yourself enough for the spellbook. It costs 100gp/page to record any extra spells. Since you have 19 spells, that is 1,900gp. Also, there is typically a copying/research fee for additional spells (50gp x Spell Level) which would be 2,750gp for your extra spells. Materials were 300gp. Special Enchantments cost 4,000gp. The final cost would have been 8,950gp. This is well above the 5,100gp total you gave (which I honestly couldn’t back into anyways)The 5,100gp wasn't for the spellbook contents, it was for the spellbook itself, the fancy materials, the enchantments, and the material components for all the spells I loaded into it. I made a section labeled 'spellbook notes', the scribed spells are under scrolls.. [/B] •Rules Use #1(c): Your Scholar’s Outfit is free at character creation. •Rules Use #1(d): Technically, you’re probably not walking around w/ “Good Meals,” but rather “Rations.” The price is technically the same, so it’s not a big deal, but I doubt that you are carrying around a week’s worth of 3 course dinners. (Btw, does it scare anyone else that Good Meals and Trail Rations are the same price? I mean seriously, Fine Cooked Roast Beef = Trail Mix? I don’t think so!) He has a holding bag, yes he CAN carry aroud good meals. •Rules Use #2: You state that every spell is prepared using the Sanctum Spell Metamagic feat, but you don’t have that feat… holdover from a previous build? Yes, Originally i had him bound to the flawless geometry. •Outside of the Sanctum Spell and GP total issues, I could back into everything else on this character. Well done! (Sorry if I got to technical, but I’m a big Wizard player, so I tend to nitpick quite a bit. You really did create a solid caster.) phew! Clarity •Cited Sources! Excellent! (Although, so you know, it’s Metamagic School “Focus”) Thank you. •No major red ink issues. •Compliment: Your skill section was one of the easiest to judge, ever! I’m not sure why it worked so well, but thank you for a skill section well done! •Could’ve used a little more white space in the background. Hold on, let me note that for further competitions •Though I doubt this will surprise you, your spellbook section confused me. After 5 attempts, I gave up on trying to match your 5,100gp price. once again, the spells weren't worth 5,100gp, the spellBOOK was worth that much with all the magic it had, and the blue dragonhide cover and the ivory pages. I only hope that Jason was the only judge to misunderstand my spellbook price, if he wasn't I could have a medal now! I thought i was clear enough! EDIT: I checked my equipment math again, and I was over! Grumble... I edited my personal copy to compensate, but still.... (also deleted the sanctum spell memo) EDIT2(boy am I edit-happy today): Will the other judges put up thier comments? |
| Heros_Backpack08-08-07, 06:43 AM | I'll try and get comments up in the next day or three (when I get my head above work for a moment), but they may be late and they'll probably be short. |
| Kit_the_Odd08-10-07, 12:29 PM | Finally, here are my comments. These are basically just the things that stuck out to me. There may be other things (good or bad) that I noticed about your character, but they didn't jump out at me when I sat down to write these comments. As Jason has pointed out, please remember that I think all of these characters are very good, and that these comments are in the spirit of helping you improve, not tearing you down. Let me know if you want further feedback, either here on the board or in a PM. Very strongly tied to desert mechanically and background. Lone avenger not terribly original, but a nice fit in general. Some typographical issues in the background. Be careful in using color in your tables, it works but doesn’t always come through clearly. Good quest, nice thematic tie. HP, should be 58.5, not 69 damage on greatsword adds +3 Str (2 handed is 1.5 Str bonus) ACP –1, not –2 Weapons must have at least a +1 bonus to have other special abilities Missing Many Shot from your list of feats, and it is a pre-req. for Improved Rapid Shot You say you learned languages with skill points, but a) there is not listing of it in your skills sections and b) you don’t have any skill points left for them. HP – Horizon Walker gets a d8, not d6 BAB – right in level break down, wrong in stat block Ring of Sustenance price (a very common error for some reason) Whitespace is your friend!!! Not a big fan of code blocks, especially when I have to scroll sideways, but it was very well laid out. I really got a ‘wasteland’ vibe from this guy, very good. I also like the Barb/Bard combo, but you took it in a very different direction than me. I was expecting to see blue dragons, just not as PCs. That choice, while a very nice thematic touch, caused you a lot of problems. I’ll assume you listing as a medium is a typo since you account for your true size of small everywhere else. I’ve got some questions on your background. 1) if this location is so perfect to control the trade routes, why isn’t anybody else here already? 2) What exactly is it that Chen is doing for the drow that they can’t do better themselves? 3) Where can I meet the armorsmith that can design armor that will still fit when Chen has grown from Small to Large? 4) He’s evil, why does he not use his breath weapon to kill people? 5) How did he fit all of this stuff into a single year? +2 ability items are 4000gp, not 8000 I like the background style, both overview and an insight into how others see him. I’m seeing Combat Expertise with an Int of less than 13, I shouldn’t be. Some places you have +4 Dex, other +5. I’m guessing you missed a few after getting the Iuon stone. I really like the connection between the desert and the Geometer class, very nice. Had some issues with the skills. I really could have used a level break down for these. Great ties to the desert (quests, enemies, attitude) damage on longspear adds +3 Str (2 handed is 1.5 Str bonus) 4 0-level spells /day your armor is 6600, you don’t need to add 150 for MW, it is already in the mithril price. (I made this same mistake in one of the earlier HC) Wand of CLW (33 charges) is 495, not 375 (25 charges) Very good ties to the desert. Having that kind of ‘mistake’ in your background has a lot of potential, both good and bad, as far a playing with others. Very unique, but without a setting where dragons are mostly a desert thing the wasteland theme wouldn’t tie as well. damage on lance adds +3 Str (2 handed is 1.5 Str bonus) should have one more 4th and 5th level spells Ring of Sustenance price (a very common error for some reason) – but I only counted against you once, despite having 2 of them Forgot Dex bonus to Balance Ring of Sustenance price (a very common error for some reason) An excellent character, with top marks in every category…except for Theme. Despite having some experience in the desert and being capable of living there, there just wasn’t much of the wasteland theme in the character herself. But an awesome example of a bard (one of my favorite classes). Weapons must have at least a +1 bonus to have other special abilities Wandering vigilante/sheriff. Classic wasteland theme, but nothing realy new. Also very little background for a character of this level. |
| wrecan08-10-07, 03:04 PM | HP – Horizon Walker gets a d8, not d6 Doh! I can't believe I missed that!! HWalker's are my favorite Prestige Class. BAB – right in level break down, wrong in stat block I'm so ashamed. Ring of Sustenance price (a very common error for some reason) Ugh. Even more shame! Whitespace is your friend!!! Not a big fan of code blocks, especially when I have to scroll sideways, but it was very well laid out. I have been trying for forever to figure out an easy readable way to show level progression for a character. This is the best I've been able to devise. I'm not a big fan of code blocks either, but until I can figure out something better, this is what I'll use. I really got a ‘wasteland’ vibe from this guy, very good. I also like the Barb/Bard combo, but you took it in a very different direction than me. Thanks!! Out of curiosity where would you have gone with the combo? In disclosure, this character was originally conceived as a human, not a painted elf, for a campaign I'm running in a Bronze Age Mesopotamian-style setting that does not use Sandstorm. (The campaign began pre-Sandstorm and we don't introduce new sourcebooks mid-campaign.) As I was going through Sandstorm for the contest, I saw the painted elves and realized Balag would work perfectly there. So, yeah, it is for a Wasteland type of campaign. (The germs of Balag originated with Darksun, one of my most favorite campaign settings.) Glad you enjoyed it! |
| wrecan08-10-07, 03:05 PM | By the way, the MDMCs are on hiatus until September. So if you need me to judge, I'm in, though I'd rather compete. I refuse to coordinate, though. |
| Haruspex08-10-07, 11:16 PM | I don't really have any comments, anyway I'm kinda busy at the moment. I'm sure the other judges have pointed out anything I'd notice. I probably wont be available for judging (or even participating) until I sort my stuff out either. Cheers. |