Post/Author/DateTime	Post
TheChilliGod 01-09-07, 07:00 PM	Welcome to the Hero Craftsmen 6 contest, 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 The Frostfell. "The frost stings sweetly with a burning kiss, As intimate as love, as cold as death" -Roy Campbell Winter makes its descent upon the north, no doubt schools are getting snow days somewhere and the plows and chains are getting fitted on cars. Small surprise, then, that this should reflect on the next campaign you've been invited to. The DM informs everybody that the game will take place in an arctic region of the world, and your character should take this into account. The required level for this competition is 6th level, which gives each character 13,000gp to spend on magic items and equipment, with no more than 4,333gp to be spent on any one item. Make sure to check The Rules for any rules changes, including the allowed sources for this competition. 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. 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 15-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 15 minutes is considered breaking the rules. Hence, we urge you to revise your entry throughly 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: Complete Adventurer, Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Warrior, Expanded Psionics Handbook, and Frostburn. 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. The use of the Arctic Races variant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#arcticRa ces) as described in the linked post as well as in Unearthed Arcana, is also permitted. For this specific contest, no other material may be used, including all of the other variant rules as described in Unearthed Arcana and in some unofficial online SRD's. 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 (and only when) crafting a magic item for your character, the gp cost is 75% of the market price of the item (instead of 50%), and the xp cost is 0, for purposes of this contest. This is to represent that your character may have bought an item prior to crafting it, and the experience that he spent evens out to the required level for the competition. 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. (Ye Be Warned!) It is also very helpful if you list the basic racial stats for such characters. Our list of Eligible Judges are Doopliss, The Chilli God, Zherog, jennibert, JasonOrlandoHawk, Heros_Backpack, and DarkKitsune. The gold-medal winner of each Hero Craftsmen competition will be added to this list as a prize; 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 The Chilli God, Zherog, JasonOrlandoHawk, and DarkKitsune; The Chilli God will be our coordinating judge. This contest starts when this post is posted, and is due to end at 11:59pm on Wednesday the 24th of January 2007 GMT, giving you just over 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.
TheChilliGod 01-09-07, 07:00 PM	Grand List of Entries Dak'na the Crystalseeker (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11173647&postcount=39), by Far_Traveller Rurik Kodgard (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11190130&postcount=50), by Magocrat Giddion Pentant, Captain of Fort Calladine (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11195199&postcount=51), by Mercurius Serenallyan, Winter Nomad (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11208524&postcount=62), by Haruspex Snowstorm Firetongue (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11224528&postcount=71), by Heros_Backpack Gunnar Sharith (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11233992&postcount=75), by Endarrion Anastasia Wenlyforlyffed (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11235961&postcount=76), by jennibert Vagnar Sogan Hammersmith (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11269104&postcount=87), by AmericanYeti Barom Brightstar (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11273023&postcount=89), by Kit_the_Odd Mikokami Yuki (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11274369&postcount=91), by Nani? Avesteri Leafstrider (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11309390&postcount=126), by Zherog (DQ'd for so many reasons...)
TheChilliGod 01-09-07, 07:01 PM	Grand List of FAQ's Q: Where can I send my bribe money to the judges? A: Contact judges via PM, and details can be worked out. :smirk: Q: Can I use different campaign settings (Eg-Forgotten Realms) as the base setting of my entry's background? A: That's fine, we have no problems with material from other settings in backgrounds only. Just, no mechanical material from other settings in your entry's stat block, and if you could explain any vague references that we might not catch, it would help us as well. Q: Are Monsterous races allowed? And if so, do you want the effective character level to be 6 or just the total class level to be 6? A: Anything from the list of allowed sources is allowed; ECL should be 6 when all is said and done. Remember to take both racial Hit Dice and Level Adjustment into account when making the character. Q: Do the sample arrays (in General Rule #7) include bonuses for every 4th Hit Dice? A: Nope. People love to create characters with ECL +1 (and higher), so we have merely provided the Base Stats. It is your job to adjust those stats appropriately during character creation. Also, please note, those are SAMPLE scores. You may use the 28-point buy method for Ability Score Generation found in the PHB. You are not required to use the scores provided. Q: Are spellbooks considered "crafted magic items" [with regard to Rule 8] and how are they considered in the cost of "basic equitment" for purposes of this contest? A: Spellbooks are mundane items (unless enhanced as described in Complete Arcane), and as such are not eligible for Rule 8's benefit, although wizards start with one free spellbook at character creation. Also note that adding spells beyond a wizard's allocated number of free spellbook spells per level costs the character money (for both the scribing materials and the method used to acquire a copyable version of the spell) as normal. Q: The Complete Adventurer presents several masterwork musical instruments that each provide a bonus to a specific bardic music ability. I want my character to use a masterwork violin but the closest thing to it is a fiddle. Can I use a masterwork violin but have it gain the special ability of the fiddle? A: Yes. However, as violins are generally less uplifting than fiddles, the effect of the fiddle might not be appropriate. So be careful. Q: If a character has no effect on the game and isn't statted out, can you use a class from a book that isn't permitted? A: Yes, you can toss such an NPC into the background with something from a different source. However, the use of such material may have a limiting effect on the NPC's use by the DM, which may affect your score slightly.
Zherog 01-09-07, 07:23 PM	This contest starts when this post is posted, and is due to end at 11:59pm on Wednesday the 24th of January 2007, Just to make sure everybody's on the same page - that's GMT, correct?
Endarrion 01-09-07, 08:06 PM	I'll be making a return to the ranks of Hero Craftsman hopeful this time around. I plan to improve on my third place finish from Hero Crafsman 5. Good luck to all the entries!
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-09-07, 09:46 PM	I do love winter! The smell of holiday foods. The sounds of Christmas Carols. The rush I get from pelting any living human being that is foolish enough to come within 30 feet of me w/ snowballs!!! And now, I get to add another favorite activity to my seasonal "to-do" list: Judging a Frostfell contest. I'm putting a challenge out to every member of the HC contest crowd. Break the record for submissions that was set in HC#5. I really do want to see this contest grow!
bhu 01-09-07, 11:52 PM	I will probably have to set this one out. I lost my job on the second and have just gotten a new one, and its a bad paycut so i have to figure a lot of things out. Will return for number 7.
Avalon® 01-10-07, 08:28 AM	:pint: Here goes to my round two.:pint:
Zherog 01-10-07, 09:42 AM	I will probably have to set this one out. I lost my job on the second and have just gotten a new one, and its a bad paycut so i have to figure a lot of things out. Will return for number 7. Wow! Sucktastic. I hope stuff works out for you, Bhu. And remember: if you do find the time to write up a character, you're always welcome to post it.
FRRC 01-10-07, 01:51 PM	Got my character all thought up. Nothing too hard this time round. Nice and simple :)
Far_Traveler 01-10-07, 02:26 PM	Man I wish I had frostburn... I shall throw my hat into the ring though.
Zherog 01-10-07, 02:52 PM	Frostburn's a really nice book (in my opinion at least). I recommend it. However, I think it's entirely possible to build a strong character for this theme using only core material.
AmericanYeti 01-10-07, 03:00 PM	This contest makes me sad...No snow for us so far. But, I'm almost done and I'm going to proofread the hell out of this one.
Zherog 01-10-07, 03:04 PM	This contest makes me sad...No snow for us so far. See, I'm the opposite. I'm quite happy when we go without any significant snow fall. :D
AmericanYeti 01-10-07, 03:07 PM	I love the snow. Plus, I'm in school and we have exams next week so snow=extra good. :D
TheChilliGod 01-10-07, 03:08 PM	Ditto. But it doesn't quite matter right now, since even when it is winter down here (like in July), we never get snow. :( Glad to see so many returning peeps for this round. Maybe we can break last contest's entry record, even given the shorter duration.
Zherog 01-10-07, 03:11 PM	I liked snow when I was younger. But ever since I became a home owner back in '97, I've had to shovel my sidewalk and driveway. If I weren't such a cheap :censored:, maybe I'd pay some neighborhood kid to do it...
AmericanYeti 01-10-07, 03:48 PM	I have to shovel too, and I can't even drive yet!
Zherog 01-10-07, 04:10 PM	Then you must like snow because school gets shut down. :D Work, unfortunately, does not. Back in 1996, our area (Philadelphia and the surrounding area) got hit with a pretty bad snow storm for the area (14 inches, as I recall). At the time, I worked in New Jersey - though I won't say where. The roads there were so bad that the governor declared a state of emergency, which - among other things - made it illegal to drive on the roads except for an emergency. The place I worked was officially open, though. So people had two options - take a sick or vacation day, or get docked a day's pay. On a more on-topic post: I have a 4th level character I play in a play-by-post game on another message board that fits the category. I'm going to see how difficult it will be to alter the character (it's higher point buy, has some goofy house rules, and uses FR material) and then post it just for fun (after advancing him to 6th level).
Endarrion 01-10-07, 05:38 PM	Yeah, I live in Cleveland, Ohio. All I have to say is: LAKE EFFECT SNOW. We've been lucky so far tho. Crazy Cleveland weather, it's been like in the 50s all through December. Now, the snow and cold are catching up, so it'll get interesting from here on out.
Far_Traveler 01-10-07, 09:43 PM	Yeah, no snow here in Texas, except in 2005 when we had the first white christmas in all of Houston's recorded history. 'Twas awesome. I made a snowman. I was looking fer good inspiration in the DMG, and I think I have a winner here. I'll give you this preview: Dak'Na I hope I can add another award to my Ego Sig, Even though I didn't win last time the award I DID get I think was one of the most important. Ah well, we shall see.
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-10-07, 10:12 PM	There's an old saying about the weather in Kentucky: "If you don't like the weather in Kentucky, wait 10 minutes. It'll change." My only complaint is that it hasn't changed to snow yet! I've seen snow once, and it didn't stick around long enough for me to throw a snowball at anyone! Luckily my two jobs are both flexible enough to allow me to enjoy each and every snow day for all it's worth.
Zherog 01-11-07, 12:31 AM	TLuckily my two jobs are both flexible enough to allow me to enjoy each and every snow day for all it's worth. My job too. But that's only because it'd take me about 10 seconds to appreciate it, then I'd remember I have to shovel the driveway. Or drive in it. :rolleyes: I swear, we get hit with snow every winter. Three inches or so at a time is about the average, I'd wager. You'd think people around here had never seen it before, the way they drive. I do, however, get a guilty pleasure from seeing a 4-wheel drive vehicle spun out on the side of the road. :schemes: And more on topic: I looked over the character I'm thinking of posting. He was built on 34 point buy, and has a "free" magic item that may or may not be affordable under the rules here. I also need to rip out all the Shadow Magic stuff - well, at least the mechanics; the fluffy parts can stay. So, I think I'll be able to contribute the character, but no guarantees yet. And a reminder to everybody - if I do post the character, it's simply to let it serve as another resource in this thread. I'm obviously not competing. :D
Magocrat 01-11-07, 09:50 AM	Say what? Hero Craftsman #6 has come, and I see it only now? Anyways, I will be entering this Hero Craftsman with just as much enthusiasm as the fifth Hero Craftsman. Good luck to everyone, and have a blast! (I now I will.) But since everyone's discussing their winter... The weather in here is suitable for fall. Wind force 9 winds and heaven raining down on the ground are the two terms that sum up weather conditions and forecasts here. Just imagine riding a bicycle through weather like that, it's hell. And I haven't even seen a single snowflake through the whole winter. Give me a snow-ridden road over this weather anyday, geez. And my apologies if that wasn't very interesting, just wanted to tell someone. Have a good Hero Craftsman, everyone! Oh, it might also be useful to post who will actually be judging this Hero Craftsman, in addition to the lucky people who are eligible for that task. Just a thought.
Zherog 01-11-07, 10:25 AM	Oh, it might also be useful to post who will actually be judging this Hero Craftsman, in addition to the lucky people who are eligible for that task. Just a thought. From Chilli's post (in the paragraph after the list of eligible judges): Our judges for this contest will be The Chilli God, Zherog, JasonOrlandoHawk, and DarkKitsune; The Chilli God will be our coordinating judge.
AmericanYeti 01-11-07, 03:53 PM	By the way, if, as a Cleric, one is dedicated to a cause, may one choose their own (logical) domains to use? Or do you forsake domains?
Zherog 01-11-07, 04:06 PM	If a cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, he still selects two domains to represent his spiritual inclinations and abilities. The restriction on alignment domains still applies. You pick two domains that represent your philosophy.
AmericanYeti 01-11-07, 04:14 PM	Cool. Thanks a lot.
Far_Traveler 01-11-07, 05:09 PM	Yeah, for example for the gladiator's challenge, i made a cleric of Rage, who's domains were war and strength (in retrospect, it probably would of been better to fit in destruction)
Magocrat 01-12-07, 01:10 PM	Hm, Zherog, you said something about a character you might post as a part of this contest. Does this mean that you have actually played with that character, or is it just a premade character? If it's the former, do you do this often, and might that be the intention of this contest? To take characters you've played with and improve upon them? I guess I still have a lot to learn about the nature of this contest... Anyways, my character (which I made especially for this contest) has a complete character sheet now, so I'll just need to write up the story. Does anyone else care to share his or her character's advancement?
Zherog 01-12-07, 01:18 PM	The character is one I have played, yes. As for how you do the contest: There's no "right" way. You can take a character you already have and tweak it to fit the rules; or you can sit down and make a brand new character with the contest in mind. I was going to post the character simply because I think he has a really interesting background, and it works for the contest theme given the campaign is set in and around Silverymoon in the Forgotten Realms. I keep finding things about the character that'll make converting it tough, though: He uses 34 point buy He has feats from the FRCS and FR Player's Guide Those feats go a long way to defining the character He has stuff from a Dragon magazine article I wrote. :D PCs were given a magic item on top of the cash we had to spend. So I'd have to fiddle with equipment and cash - he likely has too much wealth The character is only 4th level, so after tweaking it to fit the contest parameters, I'd then have to advance him two levels. If I do post him, it's only to give people ideas. Chances are, I'll hold off posting him until after submissions are allowed, so I don't affect anybody one way or another.
Far_Traveler 01-12-07, 05:18 PM	Well, Dak'Na still needs a little fiddling for character sheet, but I also need to get started on writing the backstory. Quite frankly I'm not sure exactly what i want for him, seeing as I still want a fairly effective character.
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-12-07, 05:55 PM	Well, the character I'm submitting for this competition is about 1/3 of the way... What? What's that, you say? I don't get to submit a character!! :eek: :allalone: Oh well. I guess I'll just have to live w/ judging all of the submissions instead. :whatsthis :evillaugh As for my Character Creation method, it really varies. Sometimes, I just have an "idea." For example, my submission to HC#2, Milo Tosscobble, started when the words "Redeemed Rogue" popped into my head. I worked on story and mechanics almost side-by-side. If an idea hits, everything goes to that idea, in whatever order I feel like. If I don't have an obvious inspiration, I work from mechanics first. I pick a concept, then I flesh out the mechanics to make a solid character. Once I'm finished, I go back and look at the mechanics step-by-step and ask myself one question for each phase; "How did I acquire this?" I then use the mechanics to build a story. Granted, since mechanics and story kick around in my head while I'm working on the other, it's not like they are seperate items that only meet when the final product is prepared. I only have one Frostfell character that I've ever played, but I won't bother submitting it. It shows the power of freak-rolling. The character is a Level 3 Dwarven Ranger. The character has legitimately dropped (while at level 1) a Frost Giant. Normally, a level 1 character would not attack such a powerful foe, but the giant stole my axe. So... I grabbed one of his snow goblin minions and beat the giant to death w/ a snow goblin. I'm not making this up. 8 rounds of freak rolls can do it. Oddly, that DM doesn't run for me anymore...
jennibert 01-12-07, 07:21 PM	So, I wasn't going to enter this competition...but then I came up with an idea...so we'll see if I have time:D. As for my characters....the two I have entered so far were both existing builds (though I've never gotten to play either, darn it....I want to put my tiefling paladin in somewhere!) that I tweaked for the competition. But the idea I have here is a totally new character that I'll be working on as I go along.
Far_Traveler 01-12-07, 10:34 PM	Hm. Look's like Dak'Na is about done. I'll go over him tomorrow to check for errors and then post him. Ja Ne! (hey, maybe I'll be the first poster)
FRRC 01-13-07, 05:41 PM	I'm without the Complete books at the moment. Having to make do with just Core and Frostburn. The character itself is almost finished. Just need the history. All 2634 pages of it.....
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-13-07, 08:36 PM	I'm without the Complete books at the moment. Having to make do with just Core and Frostburn. The character itself is almost finished. Just need the history. All 2634 pages of it..... :waits: Normally I wouldn't hand out advice as it might be seen as giving one competitor an advantage over the other, but I think it might be necessary in this case... I think you might want to consider editing your backstory. In particular, I would suggest editing the length...
TheChilliGod 01-13-07, 08:43 PM	Oh, *Tsk* I don't mind. It just means I get to zap 878 kittens. And spend a good 13 weeks reading the thing. Bonus credit if you can even write 2634 pages in the just under 10 or 11 days that we have left.
Far_Traveler 01-13-07, 09:15 PM	Well, here is the first entry to Hero Craftsman Competetition #6: The Frost has fallen. I'm a bit worried over my score in certain areas, but I think he's a solid character for a Frostfell Campaign. It should be noted that I do not have any complete book nor Frostburn (I wish I did though, frostburn is a kickass book) Dak'Na the Crystalseeker Lawful Nuetral Arctic Kobold Rogue 6 Small Humanoid (reptillian) Abilities: Str 10 (12-2 racial) Dex 20 (15+2+1+2 racial&leve&gloves) Con 10 (12-2 racial) Int 14 Wis 8 (10-2 racial) Cha 12 HP: 23 AC: 21 (1 natural, 5 dex, 1 size 4 armor)(+2 vs. traps) BaB/Grapple: +4/+0 Saving Throws +2/+9/+1 (+4/0/0 vs. cold weather, 0/+2/0 vs. traps) Languages: Draconic, Common, Undercommon Speed: 30 feet Attack: MW Short Sword +5 melee, +1 Composite Shortbow +9 (+1 within 30ft) Damage: MW Short Sword 1d4, +1 Composite Shortbow 1d4+1 (+1 within 30 feet) Feats/class/racial abilities: Point Blank Shot Shot on the run Leadership (score: 7) Trapfinding Sneak attack +3d6 Evasion Uncanny Dodge Trap sense +2 Light sensitivity Skills (81 points) Profession (miner) +4 (5 ranks, -1 modifier) Knowledge (architecture & engineering) +4 (2 ranks, +2 modifier) Search +13 (9 ranks, +2 modifier, +2 racial) Craft (Trapmaking) +13 (9 ranks, +2 modifier, +2 racial) Disable Device +13 (9 ranks, +2 modifier)(note: ask DM about synergy with trapmaking) Hide +18 (9 ranks, +5 modifier, +4 size) Appraise +11 (9 ranks, +2 modifier)(+2 with traps) Decipher Script +11 (9 ranks, +2 modifier) Diplomacy +12 (9 ranks, +1 modifier, +2 synergy) Bluff +10 (9 ranks, +1 modifier) Move silently +14 (9 ranks, +5 modifier) Equipment (13,000) Masterwork Short Sword (310) +1 composite short bow (2375) +1 Studded leather (1175) +2 gloves of Dexterity (4000) Handy Haversack (2000) 500 arrows (25) 2 elixers of vision (500) 3 elixers of sneaking and 3 of hiding (1500) 9 potions of cure light wounds (450) Moaning Diamond Model (100) Screaming Ruby Model (100) Screeching Emerald Model (100) Crying Saphire Model (100) Everburning Torch (110) 250ft. Silk Rope (50) 5 bags of caltrops (5) Bullseye lantern(12) 10 chalk (0.1) 5 pints of oil (0.5) Flint and steel(1) Crowbar(2) Map case(1) 14 sheets of parchment (for maps) (2.8) 2 ink (16) 2 inkpens (0.2) Waterskin x2 (2) 10 days miner's rations (5) Cold Weather outfit(8) 10 pitons (1) hammer (0.5) miner's pick (3) Thieves tools (30) Trapmaker's Tools (5) 8 gold pieces, 17 silver pieces, 20 copper peices carrying capacity: 25 light 26-50 medium 51-75 heavy 5 pounds for haversack, with the following items within: 1st pouch: Map case (0.5) parchments, both inks and inkpen(in case) (-) 5 pints of oil, bullseye lantern, and flint+steel (8) 5 chalk pieces (-) 4 gem models (-) Miner's Pick (10) Everburning Torch (1) 19.5/20 2nd Pouch: Both Waterskins (2) Thieves tools(1) Hammer (2) Crowbar (5) Pitons (5) Trapmaker's tools (5) All potions, except as noted below (-) 20/20 Main Pouch 250ft of silk rope (25) 460 arrows (34.5) Rations(2.5) 3 caltrop bags (3) 65/80 On person Cold Weather outfit (2) +1 Composite Shortbow (1) MW short sword (1) Studded Leather (10) 1 Sneaking Potion (-) 1 Hiding Potion (-) 3 Light healing Potions (-) Gloves of Dexterity (-) 40 Arrows (3) 2 caltrop bags Total Load: 24, Light Load Cohort: Nuk'Ya, True Nuetral Arctic Kobold Sorceress 4 Notable Spells: Spider Climb, Silent Image, Ghost Sound, Ray of Enfeeblement, Feather Fall Lizard Familiar named 'Squick' Backround: Dak'Na was a miner in a turbulent time in Crystal Keep's long history, what with the war against the Arctic Dwarves of Thurgadin. But after proving his worth in skirmishes and later with his ingenuity as head of one of the mining operations and even his creativity as an Officer of Trapsmithing (it should be noted that Crystal Keep, while the most prosperous of the Arctic kobold nations, was not particularly prosperous). The Dwarves discovered a secret, an ancient power to freeze Crystal Keep, combining magic of Ice and Time. It was a terrible night when they unleashed it. Fortunately, Crystal Keep had quite the spy network, and they were able to save the areas around the main geothermal vents as well as the altar of the (stolen) Moaning Diamond. One fateful day, while praying at the altar of the (stolen) Moaning Diamond for help in saving Crytal Keep, he noticed something more in the inscription. Apparently, there were more, similarly attuned gems! The legend told of when the moaning diamond was created, the elemental balance of the world tilted towards earth, so the gods created three tragedies: The Painful Pyre, the Terrifying Typhoon, and the Tragic Tsunami. These tragedies borne balancing gemstones: The Screaming Ruby, the Screeching Emerald, and the Crying Saphire. Bringing them together can allow one to have power over life and death, and certain combinations can allow powers over intermediate elements. After he finished deciphering the script, he recieved a vision: Terrible Eathquakes, Catyclysmic Fires, Horrible Waves, and Mighty Tornadoes. After the vision Completed, The inscription was replaced with a message with four gemstones below: These are guides to what you seek, trials overcome and allies gained, after you're done you are promised a seat. According to Crystal Keep Lore, heroes are placed on a council to help guide the rulers (This council functions as the diety of Crystal Keep, clerics from crystal keep have the Domains Strength, Law, Protection, and War) Because a seat on the Council is one of the gratest honors he could get, he gathered the gems. As all of this divine mojo was occuring, Dak'Na's girlfriend, Nuk'Ya, stood astonished. As he gathered the gems, she asked him what just happened (she could not speak undercommon). He responded: "I shall be on the council!" After some more explanations to her, his parent's, his boss, and the church, he was supplied and off on his quest. But first, He had to escape the ice-curse that the dwarves unleashed. The Church rallied all thier clerics and prayed. The King rallied everyone else and had them mine or attack with flame. But Dak'Na had a better plan. He went with Nuk'Ya to the Altar with a sample of the ice and placed the ice upon the altar, surrounding it with the gems. As he placed the last gem around the altar, the ice suddenly filled the entire antechamber. But oddly, Dak'Na and Nuk'Ya were unimpeded. They heard a single word: 'Hurry!' So, they grabbed their gear, the gems, told the king (who was doing some mining of his own) that the problem was solved, ran right through the ice to the surface, and then it was on to high adventure!
Nani? 01-13-07, 11:30 PM	8) One special rule regarding Crafting: When (and only when) crafting a magic item for your character, the gp cost is 75% of the market price of the item (instead of 50%), and the xp cost is 0, for purposes of this contest. This is to represent that your character may have bought an item prior to crafting it, and the experience that he spent evens out to the required level for the competition. Questions 1) Are spellbooks considered "crafted magic items" and how are they considered in the cost of "basic equitment" for purposes of this contest? All the Best, Nani?
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-14-07, 12:11 AM	Wizard's Spellbook (blank) 15gp (PHB pg. 128) From "Adding Spells to a Wizard's Spellbook: Spells Gained at a New Level" (PHB pg. 179) "...Each time a character attains a new wizard level, she gains two spells of her choice to add to her spellbook. These spells represent the results of her research. The two free spells must be of spell levels she can cast." (emphasis mine) Other Notes (PHB pg. 179): -Spellbooks have 100 pages. -Spells take up one page/spell level (or, one page for cantrips). -It costs 100gp/page to record a new spell. -Typically, if you use another wizard's spellbook to copy a new spell, they charge you an additional 50gp/spell level. Summary The Spellbook costs you 15gp. The spells you start with, as well as the spells you gain automatically at each level, don't cost you anything, nor does that modify the "price" of your spellbook. However, if you go beyond the set 2 spells/level and add more spells, then I would expect to see that accounted for in your final gp totals. Something to the effect of "Add Spell "See Invisibility (Sorc/Wiz 2) to Spellbook: 300gp (100gp copying rights, 200gp materials & page space)" Final Note, unless stated otherwise (and I can be hard to convince), I will assume that all additional spells in your spellbook were copied from another wizard's spellbook, incuring the aforementioned "copy fees." Do note that this is my personal response, and other judges may vary in their opinion on this matter.
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-14-07, 12:14 AM	Other notes I forgot to mention: *Specifically, No, a spellbook is not considered a magic item, but rather basic gear. *If memory serves me correctly, there are some "Spellbook Enhancements" that are offered in Complete Arcane. If you decided to use the "Craft Wonderous Item" feat (think that's the one that applies) to create a spellbook w/ those features, THEN rule 8 would apply.
Nani? 01-14-07, 12:26 AM	Thanks.
TheChilliGod 01-14-07, 01:12 AM	Entry added (Yayfullness!) and FAQ+A paraphrased and added. Allow me to add that, as a mundane item, it is possible to craft your own (empty) spellbook using the craft skill; in which case, you'd only have to pay 5gp for the base materials of the book. On an entirely different note, how on Oerth can we possibly call these FAQ's if only one person asks them? :D
Zherog 01-14-07, 12:28 PM	Summary The Spellbook costs you 15gp. This is only correct if you have more than one spellbook. A wizard begins play with a spellbook... Maybe I've misinterpretted that ever since 3.0 came out. But the rule says the wizard has the spellbook, and it contains all the cantrips (the part after the elipse that I left off). It doesn't say she has to buy one, and then gets to add all the cantrips to it for free. Now, granted, that's an extrapolation. And I thought there was someplace in the rules where it said a wizard gets a spellbook at the start for free, though I can't find it in the SRD right now - and my books are all the way on the other side of the room. ;) Otherwise, I agree with Jason. In my games, I allow players to add a few extra spells to their spellbooks to account for running into people and such. But in a contest, that sort of hand-waving of the source is difficult. Another source for new spells, though, is scrolls. You would still need to account for that in your treasure, though.
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-14-07, 03:45 PM	I stand corrected. Granted, I wasn't really focusing on that issue, but Zherog is correct. A wizard (as far as I can tell in the rules) begins play w/ one free spellbook. That means you don't have to worry about purchasing a new spellbook until you've filled one-hundred pages. Consider that errata to my previous answer. Additionally, Chilli, they are considered FAQ's b/c we operate under the assumption that all people who post on the HC threads have Multiple Personality Disorder.
Zherog 01-14-07, 07:28 PM	Zherog is correct. No matter how often I hear it, I never get tired of it. :D
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-14-07, 10:01 PM	That's what happens when I notice a question after midnight and can't wait until morning to answer it. Oh well... :bump:
jennibert 01-14-07, 11:25 PM	Well, my character is coming together, stats-wise, but need to write her background. Will try to keep it shorter this time....I wouldn't want to be responsible for the zapping of any more kittens--Chilli might hit one of mine!:D :bump:
Magocrat 01-15-07, 02:57 PM	Rurik Kodgard CR 6 Male dwarf ranger 3/fighter 3 LN Medium humanoid (dwarf) Initiative +2; Senses Listen +4, Spot +4, darkvision 60 ft. Languages Common, Dwarven AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 16; +4 against giants, Two-Weapon Defense hp 51 (6 Hit Die) Resist +2 on saves against spells and spell-like effects, +2 on Fortitude saves against all poisons, stability (+4 against bull rush and trip), cold weather outfit (+5 on Fortitude saves against exposure to cold weather), Endurance, +1 light fortification breastplate (25% chance to negate critical hits and sneak attacks) Fortitude +9, Reflex +8, Will +3 Speed 20 ft. (4 squares) Melee masterwork dwarven urgrosh (axe-side) +10/+5 (1d8+4/x3) or Melee masterwork dwarven urgrosh (spear-side) +10/+5 (1d6+4/x3) or Melee +1 dwarven waraxe +10/+5 (1d10+5/x3) or Melee alchemical silver short sword +8/+3 (1d6+3/19-20/x2) or Melee spiked chain +5/+0 (2d4+3/x2) or Ranged composite longbow +8 (1d8+2/x3) Base Attack +6, Grapple +9 Attack Options Power Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, favored enemy animals +2, +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against orcs and goblinoids Abilities Strength 15, Dexterity 14, Constitution 16, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 12, Charisma 9 Special Qualities stonecunning Feats Diehard, Endurance ¹, Power Attack ², Skill Focus (Survival), Track [B]¹, Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting [B]¹*, Weapon Focus (dwarven urgrosh) [B]² [B]Skills Appraise +0 (+2 for stone or metalwork), Climb +11, Craft (metalworking) +2, Craft (stoneworking) +2, Heal +7, Jump +11, Knowledge (geography) +6, Listen +4, Spot +4, Survival +11 Possessions alchemical silver short sword (100 gp), belt pouch (1 gp), cold weather outfit (8 gp), composite longbow (+2 Strength bonus) (300 gp), +1 dwarven waraxe (2,330 gp), everburning torch (110 gp), gauntlets of ogre power (4,000 gp), +1 light fortification chain shirt (4,250 gp), masterwork/masterwork dwarven urgrosh (650 gp), 4 potions of cure light wounds (200 gp), 5 quivers with 20 arrows (5 gp), ring of protection +1 (2,000 gp), spiked chain (25 gp), trail rations for 5 days (2 gp, 5 sp), 1 pp, 8 gp, 15 sp ¹ Ranger bonus feat. ² Fighter bonus feat. *Rurik only gains the benefit of this feat when he wears light or no armor. [B]Armor Class 10 + 4 armor + 1 deflection + 2 Dexterity + 1 enhancement Hit points (8 + 4.5 x 2) ranger + (5.5 x 3) fighter + (3 Constitution x 6) Saving throws Fortitude 3 ranger + 3 fighter + 3 Constitution Reflex 3 ranger + 3 fighter + 2 Dexterity Will 1 ranger + 1 fighter + 1 Wisdom Attack bonuses Dwarven urgrosh 6 + 3 Strength + 1 Weapon Focus Dwarven waraxe 6 + 3 Strength + 1 enhancement Short sword 6 + 3 Strength Spiked chain 6 + 3 Strength – 4 not proficient Longbow 6 + 3 Dexterity Damage bonuses Dwarven urgrosh (3 Strength x 1.5 two-handed) Dwarven waraxe (3 Strength x 1.5 two-handed) + 1 enhancement Short sword 3 Strength Spiked chain (3 Strength x 1.5 two-handed) Longbow 2 Strength (composite longbow +2 Strength) Abilities Strength 15 + 2 enhancement Dexterity 13 + 1 level Constitution 16 + 2 racial Intelligence 10 Wisdom 12 Charisma 11 - 2 racial Skills Climb 9 ranks + 3 Strength – 1 armor check penalty Craft 2 racial Heal 6 ranks + 1 Wisdom Jump 9 ranks + 3 Strength – 1 armor check penalty Knowledge 6 ranks Listen 3 ranks + 1 Wisdom Spot 3 ranks + 1 Wisdom Survival 6 ranks + 2 cross-class points (1 rank) + 1 Wisdom + 3 Skill Focus Level-by-Level Table* Level Class hp BAB F R W Feats Skills (in ranks) Special 1st Ranger 8 +1 +2 +2 +0 Skill Focus, Track [B] Climb 4, Heal 4, Jump 4, Knowledge 4, Listen 4, Spot 4, Survival 4 Dwarf racial traits, favored enemy 2nd Ranger 4.5 +1 +0 +0 +0 Endurance [B] Climb 1, Heal 1, Jump 1, Knowledge 1, Listen 1, Spot 1, Survival 1 3rd Ranger 4.5 +1 +1 +1 +1 Diehard, Two-Weapon Fighting [B] Climb 1, Heal 1, Jump 1, Knowledge 1, Listen 1, Spot 1, Survival 1 4th Fighter 5.5 +1 +2 +2 +0 Weapon Focus [B] Climb 1, Jump 1 5th Fighter 5.5 +1 +0 +0 +0 Power Attack [B] Survival 2 (cross-class) 6th Fighter 5.5 +1 +1 +1 +1 Two-Weapon Defense Climb 1, Jump 1 *This table lists what Rurik Kodgard gained each level. Appearance "Before you lies a short and stocky figure, obviously a dwarf. The wet and tarnished, snow-ridden fur of a polar wolf adorns his back and shoulders, its paws serving as shoulder pads and its head as a snowcap. A shirt of chainmail, even more worn than his fur coat, serves as his armor, and he is armed to the teeth. You can discern a dwarven spear-axe, a dwarven waraxe, and a longbow, the former two of which ascertain his race. A jagged piece of chain, seemingly from his chainmail armor, dangles from underneath his coat." "His black hair is unkempt and rugged, flowing past his ears. He wears a beard, as befits a dwarf, which is braided in four braids, each adorned with a simple metal ring. His green eyes seem to be glazed and duller than you would assume to be possible, and his gaze seems to be dull and absent-minded as well, as if he was in deep thought. However, his eyes stare deep into your eyes. He raises a shivering hand, covered by a rough hide glove. The glint of a ring of purest gold catches your eye, even though it is in his left hand, while he extends his hand, gesturing to be pulled on his feet. 'Who are ye?'" Something the observer wouldn't be able to see, is the mark of Levistus on the palm of his right hand; the hand with which he shook the amnizu's hand. Personality As far as dwarves go, Rurik is quite an affectionate character. However, because he always doubts whether the people he speaks to knew him before he lost his memory, he might shy away from conversations, being more than content with the more charismatic characters of the party doing the talking. He has his heart in the right place, and he will handle strangers with kindness, although he won't take risks to help anyone he hasn't known for less than a year. Rurik never laughs out loud, preferring a faint smile whenever he sees it as fit. This is because he thinks that he will only become truly happy and at peace with himself when he recovers his past. Of course, then all of his withheld joy will be unleashed. Whenever Rurik finds something that he thinks can salvage his memories, he will jealously covet it, essentially protecting it with his life. Needless to say, his striving to retrieve his memories is one of his greatest weaknesses, one which can be easily exploited, if only someone could pry that secret from him. Background Rurik grew up in the Kodgard clan, where he was the son of one of the clan's hunters and one of the clan's tanners. (When he was young, his father would often jokingly tell him he had met his mother when he was searching for a bearskin bed sheet, and came home with someone to share it with.) When he came of age, his father proudly took Rurik with him whenever he was hunting. It didn't take long for Rurik to become an adequate hunter himself, and after a decade or two of hunting with his father, he decided to take hunting trips without his father. Because the Kodgard clan was a thriving clan, nearly all of the animals near the clan's stronghold were hunted down within a few decades. This made the hunters of the clan travel farther for their quarry, but Rurik definitely didn't mind this. He loved the outdoors, and he could spend days contently tracking his quarry down. Of course, when he traveled back to the clan's stronghold, he took the time to admire the shifting arctic landscapes. Rurik became quite settled into the Kodgard clan. He married with Ilde Kodgard, and together they had a family, which tended to shorten Rurik's hunting trips, knowing that he had someone to come home to and love. One day, however, Rurik came upon quite an unusual quarry; a party of adventurers, freezing to death and injured. Rurik took the party to the clan's stronghold, where he gave them his dwarven hospitality and tended their wounds. With Rurik's care, they had quickly healed their wounds, and were ready to move on. However, the party had lost their warrior in a battle with a devil, and asked whether Rurik wanted to join them. He agreed to accompany them through the harsh arctic landscape, but only to defeat the devil to whom they had lost a friend. The devil came to the plane through a planar rift, which was tightly connected to a glacier. On the other end of the gateway was Stygia, the hellish realm of ice. It was the party's quest to seal the gateway and slay any of the demons that had already come through. Fortunately, the party's wizard and cleric had found a way to seal the gate; now they just needed to do it. When the party had arrived at the glacier, they found several lemures, which were easy prey, even for Rurik on his own. However, the tide turned against them when a chain devil came through the gateway. Even as the gate was closing, he killed the wizard and cleric, but not before they could bring down some of their might on the kyton. The devil, wanting to return to Hell, simply threw Rurik into one of the streams that poured out of the glacier. The stream's water was also a branch of the river Styx, whose essence quickly erased Rurik's memories. Verging on hypothermia, but not grievously injured, Rurik climbed out of the water, confused after his memory had been wiped out. The kyton had seen this, and wanted to taunt the dwarf, just to inflict even more damage on his already shattered psyche. He assumed the visage of Ilde, whose face Rurik recognized, but just could not place. However, he felt that this visage was important to him, and it enraged him. Wanting to kill the son-of-a, he furiously charged the kyton like only a dwarf could, and quickly struck down the already wounded chain devil. After his encounter with the chain devil, the hypothermia struck Rurik as he fell to the ground. As he fell unconscious, he was visited by an amnizu, as a representative of Levistus, the lord of Stygia. The devil proposed to Rurik that his lord Levistus was willing to salvage his memories for him, if only he did what Levistus told him to do 'every once in a while'. Normally, Rurik would have fought the devil at the sheer thought of serving a devil lord, but the amnizu caught him at his weakest moment. Reluctantly, he shook the hand of the devil. However, he awakened just then, finding the hand not of the devil who had recruited him, but of an adventurer. Relationships Ilde Kodgard: Rurik's wife, with whom he has raised a family. Although he does not remember Ilde, she remembers him, and worries about him. Rurik remembers Ilde's face, and how he loves her, but she does not know anything else of her, even her name. However, Levistus might want to indulge Rurik with that knowledge. Kodgard Clan: Beside Ilde, most of the Kodgard clan knows Rurik and respects him. However, they too do not know where the clan's hunter currently resides. Some fear the worst, while those who are more familiar with Rurik cling to the hope that he is still somewhere, alive. Levistus: The Archduke of Stygia, and the one whom Rurik has reluctantly agreed to serve. As time passes, he might present himself to Rurik, giving him back his memories piece by piece, slowly manipulating him to fulfill whichever fiendish scheme the Archduke has made that needs Rurik. However, his allegiance to Levistus has made Rurik a hated enemy of all the other devils. Of course, anyone else who knows something of Rurik's past and is willing to share it with him can be counted among Rurik's friends, whether they like it or not.
Mercurius 01-15-07, 11:03 PM	I guess I'll throw my hat into the ring for this one. For the first time ever, this won't be a character I've actually played or considered playing. Made up entirely for the competition, he is. He also exists primarily in my home-brew campaign setting, though he's not the first Hero Craftsman entrant who has been (Jennibert entered a character from my setting in the first competition...) Judges, I give you Captain Giddion Pentant. History Caesar Pentant graduated from the Virsuit Military Academy in Tollone in his twenty-fifth year, and promptly proposed to his childhood sweetheart, Andra. Their union was hurried, because Caesar was expected to join Kerubina's standing army within two months of his graduation, and there was no time to spare. It was the wish of both Pentants to have a large family, because Andra was a good, nurturing woman and devout believer in community and family, while Caesar wished for a true reason to continue fighting to protect his nation. It was not until a brief leave between posts that Caesar and Andra conceived their first son, Giddion. Giddion grew up only occasionally seeing his father, but his mother doted upon him with a great deal of affection. He grew up in the poorer areas of Tollone, watching his mother use her limited divine gifts to better the lot of the impoverished. Alas, her own magical abilities were not enough to stave off the string of miscarriages she suffered from after Giddion's birth. When Giddion's own latent magical abilities became apparent, he was terrified to learn that, while his mother's gift from Miara was to heal and give life, his was to destroy and maim only. On his tenth birthday, his father and mother used what limited funds they had to send Giddion to a mage academy in Fatha, in the east of Kerubina. His tutors and teachers were strict disciplinarians, watching over Giddion's magical nurturing with callous and wary eyes, as he lacked the ability to master basic spells like his fellow students, but his magical abilities were still very clearly there. While his classmates were learning rudimentary skills in creating Magic Missiles or Orbs of Cold, Giddion continued only to create bolts of raw arcane energy that were both dangerous and seemingly without limitation. In his twelfth year, news reached him that Caesar had died in an orc attack upon the northern border, thereby further reducing the finances he could benefit from at the academy. He was put to work as an errand boy for Cassus Ettalodes, one of his senior instructors, in order to accrue the additional revenue required. Just two weeks before his thirteenth birthday, he was notified that his mother, Andra, had died due to complications in childbirth, and that his infant brother had been taken to an orphanage. Giddion implored his mentors to allow him to return home, but his lack of funds and indentured servitude to the heartless Cassus prevented his reunion. When he finally did graduate from the Fatha Warmage Academy at the age of twenty-two, he returned to Tollone to find his brother. With such a disparity of years since Andra's death and his return, Giddion was greeted with an insurmountable amount of red tape and misinformation, and left Tollone without ever finding his brother. With no family and the last of his funds expended in a fruitless search, Giddion did what so many in Kerubina do – he joined the military. His training as a battle caster garnered him a reasonable position as a living artillery, and his keen eye allowed him to support his allies without fear of friendly fire. After a two year stint in a traveling unit, Giddion was transferred to Fort Magina, along the border of the Icy Vale in eastern Kerubina. For years, he acted as a watchman, keeping an eye on the manifest zone to the elemental plane of Cold that enveloped the valley and fighting to keep back the infrequent incursions of wolves, winter wolves, and ice paraelementals from the frigid wastes. Here, Giddion's keen intellect, good aim, and personable nature allowed him to make strong bonds with his fellow soldiers and many of his commanding officers, who had little time or inclination for the more menial concerns of the military. After all, they were constantly fighting monsters of ice and cruelty, and all eyes in the Kerubinan military were seemingly focused on the northern borders and the occasional orc invasions. Under the harsh conditions at Fort Magina, Giddion's magical abilities grew greater and greater, and he began to feel a great fire welling inside. At times, his breath would appear as smoke, and he soon learned to exhale a cloud of smoky miasma to tire his enemies and conceal him. He began to eschew more than lip service to Alran-Kor, that rigid god of honorable combat who had sent his father to his death and had deprived him of family, and instead secretly prayed to Flammaryon, god of fire and the forge. Amongst his teammates, he became good friends with a young human archer skilled in the ways of scouting by the name of Methamne. Methamne hailed from a small farming community, so he lacked much of the traditional combat training, forcing him to rely upon natural strength and a somewhat reckless disregard for his own safety to carry him through melee combat when the ice mephits landed upon the parapets. Interaction with adventurers and entrepreneurs who sought to make a fortune off the rare "frozenwood" of the Icy Vale or the long lost secrets of the Atelier hidden deep in its frigid depths garnered Giddion a greater understanding of the region, and he began to consider what exactly he could do aside from spend his life battling the monsters the wolf maiden Istalas would continue to send against the defenses Kerubina could muster. Eventually, he began to study a few tomes of elemental and planar lore left behind by an ill-fated wizard who entered the Icy Vale. First, he managed to unlock the fire within his breast, turning his arcane magics into pure fire, smiting his icy adversaries with the flames of his soul. His new talents led to a rapid promotion, granting him a small retinue and greater stipend. Now a Captain, Giddion requested Methamne be appointed his lieutenant, and he also put together a small squad of other soldiers at the fort; Thetta and Thassir Blanfir, fraternal twins skilled at stealth and skirmish tactics; Arthur Alanken and Halen Nadess, two skilled archers and trackers; Flowe Carren, Malista Cartwright, and Ellenna Halberka, front line warriors; Guided Squire Merinna Moran, a battle-priestess of Alran-Kor. His squad assembled, he was placed in charge of Fort Calladine, reporting directly to Chaplain Rowe Flaness, who oversees the operations of the Icy Vale. Though he is glad to guard to perimeter with his squad, Giddion harbors a quite different goal – to enter the Icy Vale itself, and break the connection between the valley and the plane of Cold, returning the land to his people. Finally, the fire within his soul will be used to bring hope and life, rather than simply to destroy. Adventures Giddion has several hooks that could bring him into an adventure: 1) He could receive orders from the military to set out on some adventure or quest for which his talents would be suited. 2) Giddion wishes to gain a greater understanding of planar cosmology and mechanics, to better understand how to break the manifest zone that allows the Icy Vale to exist. He would very much like to follow up on any opportunity to gain this power, even if it means deserting his position for a time to do so. 3) Any opportunity that would further his mastery over his magical abilities could bring him into an adventure, as the stronger his magics become, the more likely he is to succeed at his personal goals. 4) Adventuring parties entering the Icy Vale may be able to provide him with more intelligence about the region, or possibly aid him in his endeavors. He is most interested in seeing the inner regions of the valley, as well. Character Giddion has the dark skin and black hair of his fellow Kerubinans, and stands at an unassuming 5' 7" in height. He is lean and lacks muscle, weighing only 132 pounds. His most distinguishing characteristic is his eyes, which are deep black with faint traces of red, like the embers of a recently extinguished fire. He wears his hair shaggy and shoulder length, and has a thick, unkempt beard and mustache. Giddion is 30 years old. His years with his mother left their mark on Giddion, who seeks to treat others with fairness and dignity, no matter their station. His time at the Academy gave him a healthy disrespect for those who rely upon order, station, and skill to determine standing, and he has little love for order. However, he understands social situations to a certain degree, allowing him to maneuver the bureaucracy of Kerubina's military with a small degree of finesse, relying upon his own magical skills to earn him a level of merit in the military. He is very loyal to his friends, but only Methamne and the rest of his hand-picked squad know of his true ambitions. Setting Information There are several pieces of information in Giddion's backstory that probably should be explained. Most of it is from my own personal home-brewed campaign setting. Kerubina: Kerubina is a theocracy dedicated to Alran-Kor. It has a strong tradition of militarism and chivalry, and is currently the first line of defense against invasions from the orcs from north of the continent. Many of its citizens are soldiers or receive training in combat so that they can serve in militia units if need be. Kerubina is located near the equator, and its people have chocolate-brown or reddish brown skin and black hair, much like the natives of India and Persia. Tollone is Kerubina's capital city. Alran-Kor: The Lawful-Neutral god of honorable battle, Alran-Kor is the patron deity of Kerubina. He believes in honor and chivalry, and his priests are known as Chaplains, though they are structured into strict ranks. Entry level chaplains are called "Guided Squires." Flammaryon: The Chaotic-Good god of fire and the forge, Flammaryon is an ascended mortal who encourages his followers to live life to the fullest and to follow their hearts, as well as to create things of lasting value. Miara: The Lawful-Good goddess of love, mercy, and healing, Miara encourages her clerics to heal the injured and provide succor to the needy. She is much beloved throughout the world. Mytherys: Mytherys is the god of the hunt, and is Chaotic-Neutral. He believes in survival of the fittest, but that one should live as part of nature, following the natural laws of hunter and prey. Istalas: A deity who entered the world from another plane, Istalas appears as a great white wolf. She is the Neutral-Evil deity of ice and revenge, and created a manifest zone to her planar domain long before Kerubina was founded. Though she is beholden to another god, she holds a strong desire to cover the world in ice and snow. the Icy Vale: A frozen valley tied eternally to the elemental plane of Cold, the Icy Vale is known for two things: its ice related monsters and its unique mineral, frozenwood. Frozenwood is strong as steel and a potent component in cold-related magics, and is formed from plants infused with the raw power of elemental cold. Here, I consider frozenwood to simply be a high quality material, which is only accounted for in the price of the personal trinket of Giddion's. The Pentant family: Giddion's brother, whose name is Eliot, was given to an orphanage, where he was raised by the matron to become a Corrupter, an evil paladin variant devoted to Baumol, the serpent god of lies. He played an important role in a campaign I ran about two years ago, but he was killed when his machinations got out of control. His body was stolen from the authorities, however, and he may have been raised or reincarnated. Eliot had no idea he had an elder brother. Giddion Pentant Chaotic Good Human Warlock 6 Strength: 8 (-1) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: 12 (+1) Intelligence 14 (+2) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 14 (+2) Fortitude: +3 = + 2 Base + 1 Constitution Reflex: +5 = + 2 Base + 3 Dexterity Will: + 6 = +5 Base + 1 Wisdom BAB/Grapple: +4/+3 Initiative: +3 Armor Class: 22 = 10 + 3 (Dex) + 6 (Armor) + 2 (Shield) + 1 (Deflection) Touch: 14 Flat Footed: 19 Hit Dice: 7 + 5d6 + 5 = 29.5 Speed: 30' = 30' Base Attack Routines Eldritch Blast: + 8 (+4 BAB +3 Dex) + 1 Weapon Focus) --- 3d6 damage, 250' range, (damage is typically fire damage) Eldritch Blast w/in 30': +9 (+4 BAB, +3 Dex, +1 Weapon Focus, +1 Point Blank Shot) --- 3d6 + 1 damage (Damage is typically fire damage) Shortspear (Most commonly used during attacks of opportunity): +3 (+4 BAB - 1 Str) --- 1d6 - 1 damage, 5' reach Tactics Giddion primarily attacks from a distance, using his eldritch blast to greatest effect. In most settings, he uses both Eldritch Spear and Brimstone Blast, especially when fighting creatures vulnerable to fire. If fire proves to be inefficient, he stops using Brimstone Blast. If engaged in melee, he either takes a 5' step away, relies upon his concentration check to cast defensively, or tumbles if he believes he can. He uses his shortspear primarily as a weapon for any available attacks of opportunity. If he is attacked by multiple opponents, he uses his Miasmic Cloud effect to provide concealment and hopefully fatigue his opponents. Skills {Class Skill max ranks 9, cross class 4.5, 45 skill points total) Bluff (Cha) +8 = +2 Charisma + 6 Beguiling Influence Concentration (Con) +10 = 9 ranks + 1 Constitution Diplomacy (Cha) +8 = +2 Charisma + 6 Beguiling Influence Intimidate (Cha) +8 = +2 Charisma + 6 Beguiling Influence Knowledge (the Planes) (Int) +4 = 2 ranks + 2 Intelligence Spellcraft (Int) +7 = 5 ranks + 2 Intelligence Spot (Wis) +5 = 4 ranks (cross class) + 1 Wisdom Survival (Wis) + 3 = 2 ranks (cross class) + 1 Wisdom Tumble (Dex) +7 = 4 ranks (cross class) + 3 Dex Use Magic Device + 11 (+13 w. Scrolls) = 9 ranks + 2 Charisma (+2 Synergy) Languages Common Draconic Celestial Feats 1st Level - Point Blank Shot - Precise Shot (human bonus) 3rd Level - Weapon Focus (Ranged Touch spells) 6th Level - Leadership [Leadership score: 10 (12 for followers) = 6 + 2 Charisma + 1 Fairness and Generosity + 1 Special Power (fire magic in cold climate) (+2 Base of Operations: Fort Calladine)] {Cohort: Methamne, CG human Ranger of Mytherys 2 / Barbarian 2. Followers: 8 1st level human soldiers (2 rangers, 2 scouts, 3 fighters, 1 cleric of Alran-Kor)} Proficiencies All simple weapons & light armor. Invocations (Caster Level 6) Least - Eldritch Spear (Blast Shape Invocation) (250' Range to Eldritch Blast) - Beguiling Influence (Other Invocation) (+6 bonus on Bluff, Intimidate, and Diplomacy checks.) - Miasmic Cloud (Other Invocation) (Cloud of smoke in 10' radius around Giddion, Fort save DC 13 or all other creatures in area are fatigued) Lesser - Brimstone Blast (Eldritch Essence Invocation) (Reflex Save DC 15 or catch fire. Fire duration: 1 round) Special Abilities Invocations Eldritch Blast (3d6 damage) Detect Magic at will Damage Reduction 1/Cold Iron Deceive Item (may take 10 on Use Magic Device checks. UMD checks are always 21 {or 23 with scrolls}, allowing successful activation of wands and scrolls of up to 3rd level caster) Bonus Feat at first level +1 Skill Point per level (4 bonus skill points at first level) "standard" vision Favored Class: Any (highest level class) Equipment (13,000 gp total character wealth) Shortspear (1 gp) (3 lbs) +2 Mithral Chain Shirt (5100 gp) (10 lbs) [Note: No Arcane Spell Failure chance or Armor Check Penalty] Ring of Protection +1 (2,000 gp) +1 Mithral Light Shield (2,009 gp) (3 lbs) [Note: No Arcane Spell Failure chance or Armor Check Penalty] 2 Resist Energy (Cold) Scrolls (150 gp each = 300 gp) Wand of Cure Light Wounds (50 charges) (750 gp) Boots of the Winterlands (2,500 gp) Everburning Torch (110 gp) (1 lb) Explorer's Outfit (free) (Not on person) Cold Weather Outfit (8 gp) (7 lbs / Clothing worn does not apply to encumbrance) Verato, Combat Trained Wolf (assuming 160 gp cost as no price included in PHB, and Riding Dogs are comparable-ish) + Harness (Pack Saddle - 15 gp) and Bags (4 gp) Soap (1 lb) (5 sp) (not on person) Bedroll (1 sp) (carried by Verato) Blanket, Winter (5 sp) (carried by Verato) Rope, silk. 50 ft. (10 gp) (carried by Methamne) Tent (10 gp) (carried by Verato) Small Hand-Carved Statuette of a Fox, carved from Frozenwood (15 gp) (1 lb)(A gift from Methamne) Case, Map or Scroll (1 gp) (.5 lbs) Remaining Money: 5 gp, 9 sp Weight Carried: 16 lbs Level Progression Giddion's Dexterity increased by one point at 4th level, giving him his current score. At 6th level, Giddion gained access to a few tomes detailing planar lore, which he has studied voraciously, leading to his two ranks in Knowledge (the planes).
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-15-07, 11:25 PM	Two more entries. Excellent! Welcome back Magocrat and Mercurius. Good to see you again! I have no clue when Chilli will update the list, however...
TheChilliGod 01-15-07, 11:54 PM	I don't wanna! Okay! List updated.
Avalon® 01-16-07, 09:35 AM	Quick question: The Complete Adventurer presents special abilities for masterwork instruments. They then present several musical instruments that each provide a bonus to a specific bardic music ability. I want my character to use a masterwork violin but the closest thing to it is a fiddle. Can I use a masterwork violin but have it gain the special ability of the fiddle? For reference, the rules are found on page 124-126 of the Complete Adventurer
Zherog 01-16-07, 09:40 AM	If this were one of my players asking, I would tentatively say yes, with the caveat that I'd read it over tonight and make a final determination. I like when players begin to think a little outside the box, and I try to work with them when they do. A different DM (and possibly even one of the judges) may have a different answer. I see now real reason why a fiddle can't be treated as a violin, but I'll give the rules a look-over this evening and give you my final opinion. Of course, if another judge comes along and says he wouldn't accept it, my opinion becomes moot. :)
AmericanYeti 01-16-07, 01:01 PM	Just a question. If a character has no effect on the game and isn't statted out, can you use a class from a book that isn't permitted?
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-16-07, 01:13 PM	NPC's can be whatever you want, as far as I'm concerned. However, all stats given should be derived from the books listed as acceptable for this contest. As for the fiddle, if you wish to treat it as a violin, I'm cool w/ that. I'd suggest letting the other judges chime in on the subject as well, though I suspect they probably won't object too much.
TheChilliGod 01-16-07, 01:38 PM	Avalon®, I don't know. If a player asked me this, I'd probably spend about a week or two thinking about something else watching the player squirm it before giving an answer. Instinctual answer would be yes. But let Z get back to you on that first. I suppose that this is the case where calling a fiddle a violin could simply be a name change, if not one with a bit of bad flavor; I doubt that violins would put men in high spirits, after all. (Rant: Why do they have Perform: String Instruments instead of Perform: Fiddle & Perform: Lute and such? I'm an 8th-grade (I think) classical guitar player but have never played the violin and would no doubt suck at it!) AmericanYeti, if you asked that question to a DM, he'd most likely say no, because the classes and books that he disallowed wouldn't be fit for the game's world, no matter who it is. There are no Walkers of the Waste in a frostfell setting, after all. Mind you, this is a competition, and the setting is always different with each and every entry. So it wouldn't matter as much. But just be wary. I'll FAQ these Q's when Zherog gets back.
DarkKitsune 01-16-07, 02:01 PM	@ Avalon: I agree with the other judges on the ruling of the fiddle/violin question. Just keep in mind that the violin has a different 'sound flavour' than the fiddle and you should be fine :) @ AmericanYeti: If the character is, as you say, not having any effect on the game and not statted out, I see no reason why you would need to explicitly state "this character is from class X". You might need to pad the character writeup a bit to get around the preconcieved character notions we would get from having the 'class' listing to read, but it would get around the restriction on this contest, as well as throwing the ball into the DM's court that he can use material that is within his 'campaign limits' should he choose too bring that NPC into play :)
Zherog 01-16-07, 02:14 PM	(Rant: Why do they have Perform: String Instruments instead of Perform: Fiddle & Perform: Lute and such? I'm an 8th-grade (I think) guitar player but have never played the violin and would no doubt suck at it!) I tend to agree. 3.0 had one extreme - you had ranks in one skill, and each time you gained a rank you picked a new type of performance. This got insnane. For example, I had a bard who was 10th level when he died (saving his love interest from a ref dragon's breath). He had 13 ranks in Perform. It was really tough thinking up 13 different types of performance to add to his list. And it was weird that he was equally good at playing the lute, reciting poetry, dancing, storytelling, and so on. 3.5 split them into groups. This is cool - now your bard can be a really good storyteller, an OK lute player, and totally suck at dancing. I do, however, think that sometimes the groups are too broad. You pointed out a good example - there's not much similarity between a lute and a fiddle. But they fall under the same Perform skill. AmericanYeti, if you asked that question to a DM, he'd most likely say no, because the classes and books that he disallowed wouldn't be fit for the game's world, no matter who it is. There are no Walkers of the Waste in a frostfell setting, after all. Mind you, this is a competition, and the setting is always different with each and every entry. So it wouldn't matter as much. But just be wary. I think I'm somewhere between Jason and Chilli on this one. But let's make sure I understand, by means of an example. You want to have a beguiler (a PHB2 class) or a marshal (Miniature's Handbook) somewhere in the player's background? (again, just as an example) Assuming I understand the question correctly... I agree with Jason in that you can say just about anything you want about an NPC in your background. But, I agree with Chilli in that you need to be careful how you do it. I'm notorious, for example, for yanking NPCs in a player written background and using them. Dead people have come back to life, or returned as undead; family members and old friends ask for favors; mentors seek to find how their pupils are doing; villains who have been defeated seek revenge; and so on. If my campaign world doesn't include stuff from PHB2, your use of a beguiler in your background limits what I can do as a DM. So yes - you can toss an NPC into the background and that NPC could be something from a different source. But if I think the use of that material in the background limits the usefulness of the background material to me as a DM, it's likely going to have a small effect on your final score. Hopefully that makes sense.
AmericanYeti 01-16-07, 04:05 PM	Alright. It's not necessary, it was just a way of putting the stats. The change of class has little to no effect on the character.
Haruspex 01-17-07, 10:32 AM	Serenallyan, Winter Nomad Female Arctic Elf Nomad 6 Character Summary Serenallyan Medium Humanoid (Elf) Hit Dice: 6d4 (psion) +12 (Con) +10 (Psionic Body) (38 hp) Initiative: +1 (+1 Dex) Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares) Armor Class: 11 (+1 Dex), touch 11, flat-footed 10 Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+18 Attack: Deep crystal longsword +4 melee (1d8/19-20) or masterwork longbow +5 ranged (1d8/x3) Full Attack: Deep crystal longsword +4 melee (1d8/19-20) or masterwork longbow +5 ranged (1d8/x3) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Psionics Special Qualities: Arctic elf traits, +2 racial bonus to Craft (trapmaking) Saves: Fort +6 (+10 against cold weather or exposure), Ref +3, Will +6 Abilities: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 19 (+1 levels, +2 headband), Wis 12, Cha 10 Skill Ranks: Concentration 9, Knowledge (nature) 9, Knowledge (psionics) 9, Psicraft 9, Survival 9 Skill Modifiers: Concentration +11, Craft (trapmaking) +7, Hide +6 (+5 cloak), Knowledge (nature) +13, Knowledge (psionics) +13, Listen +3, Psicraft +15 (+17 when dealing with psychoportation), Spot +3, Survival +10 (+12 in arctic environments, +12 in aboveground natural environments, +14 in aboveground natural arctic environments) Feats: Martial Weapon Proficiency (longsword)(B), Martial Weapon Proficiency (longbow)(B), Martial Weapon Proficiency (rapier)(B), Martial Weapon Proficiency (shortbow)(B), Psicrystal Affinity (Hero)(B), Psionic Body, Psicrystal Containment, Psionic Endowment(B), Greater Psionic Endowment Power Points Per Day: 47 (+35 class, +12 Int) Powers Known: 5/4/4 – (1) burst, force screen, know direction and location, crystal shard, inertial armor, (2) dimension swap, energy push, psionic identify, psionic levitate, (3) energy bolt, energy burst, energy retort, time hop Environment: Any Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 6 Equipment: Deep crystal longsword (1,015 gp), masterwork longbow (375 gp), 20 arrows (1 gp), crystal mask of languages [Aquan, Auran, Ignan, Infernal, Terran] (2,500 gp), backpack (2 gp), cold weather outfit (8 gp), masterwork trapmaking tools (55 gp) boots of the winterlands (2,500 gp) headband of intellect +2 (4,000 gp), cloak of elvenkind (2,500 gp), 10 day’s trail rations (5 gp), spare money (39 gp) Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Languages: Elven, Common, Goblin, Draconic, Dwarven, (Aquan, Auran, Ignan, Infernal, Terran) Advancement: By character class [b]Level Adjustment: - Serenallyan is a 5’ 5” female arctic elf with pale ivory skin. Her face is covered by a crystal mask, which she always keeps on among strangers. All arctic races have the following racial trait. Cold Endurance: Members of arctic races have a +4 racial bonus on Fortitude saves made to resist the effects of cold weather or exposure. Arctic elves have the general arctic racial trait described above and all elf racial traits, summarized with additions and exceptions as noted below. -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, immunity to magic sleep effects, +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effect, low-light vision, Martial Weapon Proficiency feats for the longsword, rapier, longbow and shortbow as bonus feats, +2 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks, favored class wizard, +2 racial bonus on any one Craft skill, +2 racial bonus on Survival checks made in arctic environments, no racial bonus on Search checks, no special ability to notice a secret or concealed door within 5 feet without actively looking for it. Serenallyan’s Psicrystal (Hero) Diminutive Construct Hit Dice: As master’s HD (19 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), climb 20 ft.* Armor Class: 18 (+4 size, +2 Dex*, +2 natural), touch 16, flatfooted 16 Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–17 Attack: — Full Attack: — Space/Reach: 1 ft./0 ft. Special Attacks: — Special Qualities: Construct traits, hardness 8, psicrystal granted abilities (improved evasion, Hero personality, self-propulsion, share powers, sighted, telepathic link, deliver touch powers, telepathic speech) Saves: As master’s saves Abilities: Str 1*, Dex 15*, Con —, Int 8 (+2 master’s levels), Wis 10, Cha 10 Skill Ranks: Climb 4, Concentration 9, Knowledge (nature) 9, Knowledge (psionics) 9, Listen 4, Move Silently 4, Psicraft 9, Search 4, Spot 4, Survival 9, Skill Modifiers: Climb +14, Concentration 9, Knowledge (nature) +8, Knowledge (psionics) +8, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Psicraft +8, Search +3, Spot +6, Survival +9, Feats: Alertness Environment: Any Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: Included with master Treasure: None Alignment: As master Advancement: — Level Adjustment: — *With self-propulsion ability activated. COMBAT Construct Traits: A psicrystal has immunity to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromancy effects, mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is harmless. It is not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain. It cannot heal damage, but it can be repaired. Psicrystals do not have the usual construct traits of darkvision and low-light vision. Psicrystal Granted Abilities: The psicrystal described here has the special abilities of self-propulsion, alertness, improved evasion, share powers, telepathic link, sighted, deliver touch powers, telepathic speech, and personality (If its master chooses not to activate the self-propulsion ability, the psicrystal reverts to a speed of 0 feet and has no Strength score and no Dexterity score.) Skills: A psicrystal (with its self-propulsion ability activated) uses its Dexterity modifier instead of its Strength modifier on Climb checks. It has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10, even if rushed or threatened. Strength 10 (4) Dexterity 12 (2) Constitution 14 (6) Intelligence 16 (10) Wisdom 12 (4) Charisma 10 (2) Nomad 1: Psychoportation, Martial Weapon Proficiency (longsword)(B), Martial Weapon Proficiency (longbow)(B), Martial Weapon Proficiency (rapier)(B), Martial Weapon Proficiency (shortbow)(B), Psicrystal Affinity (Hero)(B), Psionic Body, burst, inertial armor, know direction and location, +4 ranks Concentration, +4 ranks Knowledge (nature), +4 ranks Knowledge (psionics), +4 ranks Psicraft, +4 ranks Survival. Nomad 2: crystal shard, force screen, +1 rank Concentration, +1 rank Knowledge (nature), +1 rank Knowledge (psionics), +1 rank Psicraft, +1 rank Survival. Nomad 3: Psicrystal Containment, dimension swap, psionic identify, +1 rank Concentration, +1 rank Knowledge (nature), +1 rank Knowledge (psionics), +1 rank Psicraft, +1 rank Survival. Nomad 4: +1 Int, energy push, psionic levitate, +1 rank Concentration, +1 rank Knowledge (nature), +1 rank Knowledge (psionics), +1 rank Psicraft, +1 rank Survival. Nomad 5: Psionic Endowment, time hop, energy bolt, +1 rank Concentration, +1 rank Knowledge (nature), +1 rank Knowledge (psionics), +1 rank Psicraft, +1 rank Survival. Nomad 6: Greater Psionic Endowment, energy burst, energy retort, +1 rank Concentration, +1 rank Knowledge (nature), +1 rank Knowledge (psionics), +1 rank Psicraft, +1 rank Survival. Serenallyan grew up among the elven tribes of the tundra, a society of elves whose ancestors were not from that region. They had settled there ages ago to escape the troubles of society such as rampaging dragons, mad wizards, and bloodthirsty warlords of all types. The elves of the tundra had brought with them all the knowledge of their people to their self-imposed exile, so they remained a civilized people. Not long after settling in the tundra, the elves found a massive formation of crystals sprouting out of the ground. The crystals were as clear as ice, but much harder. Curious, the elves approached the crystals only to hear voices in their heads. The voices claimed to be the spirits of the crystals, and made an offer to the elves. The crystals would protect the elves from the denizens of the tundra, and in return the elves would send those of their young chosen by the crystal spirits to be their servants. Having recently lost some of their number to savage snow goblins, the elves agreed to the bargain. Those sent to the crystals disappeared and were never seen again, much to the dismay of the elves. But the crystals kept their word, and the elves were never plagued by snow goblins or other creatures again. This continued for centuries until one day when a young elf by the name of Serenallyan was chosen by the crystals. She was the daughter of hunters, and unlike the others she was already a century old when the crystals called her. The others had been much younger. Arriving at the crystals, Serenallyan was immediately transported to a chamber constructed of crystal. There she was met by a floating glowing sphere which told her that she was chosen to learn the secrets of the mind. These arts were preserved by the crystal spirits, whose civilization was destroyed when the glorious ice age was brought to a premature end by their enemies. She was to learn the mind’s eye, and in time use these powers to bring about an endless winter. Though scared by the crystal’s plans, Serenallyan had no choice but to agree, and thus began her training. Serenallyan learned how to draw upon the potential in her mind, and found that she had a knack for it. The sphere seemed to have anticipated this, and was not surprised. After a year of training, she was introduced to five of the other students. She was to be the winter nomad, with the others being the winter shaper, egoist, seer, kineticist, and telepath. Their ultimate goal was to recover six artifacts of psionic power, and use these to bring about the endless winter. Serenallyan noticed that none of them seemed comfortable with their mission, but went along anyway. She kept this in mind just in case it proved useful later on. The sphere explained that the six artifacts could only be used by truly powerful psions, which they were not yet. Because their physical bodies were destroyed, the crystal spirits could not use said artifacts even if they had them. So it fell to their elven servants to activate the artifacts. At the end of the meeting, all six were magically transported to different locations to begin their search, with Serenallyan sent south to the mountains. Before leaving, each of the elves was given equipment to aid them, with Serenallyan receiving a crystal sword as well as a crystal mask that enabled her to understand certain tongues. Though she was not a mountaineer, Serenallyan found her hunter training useful in the rugged peaks. Despite the temperate environment, the elf found herself feeling cold for no reason at all. Regardless, she continued her search for the artifact. She received whispers in her mind telling her where to go, but all she encountered were tribes of goblins and other savage creatures. She defended herself successfully, but each battle left her feeling colder and colder. Worse still, she found that the only way she could focus her mind was to envision a frozen wasteland. After a few years battling monsters in the mountains, she encountered an aged bounty hunter by the name of Mad Arrow. He was a half-giant, the only one Serenallyan had ever seen, and was also versed in the psionic arts. The two traveled together, as their chances were greater than if they were alone. The half-giant was stalking a druid who had destroyed an entire city block in his ‘war on artifice’. Serenallyan introduced herself as a wandering psion trying to gain experience in the world. It was the cover story given to each of the six elves by the crystal spirits. Despite many false trails and unexplained animal attacks, the pair finally found the druid holed up in an ancient cave. He was prepared for them however, and assaulted them with ferocity. He hurled a spear at the elf, who instinctively responded by erecting a disk of force to deflect it. Suddenly feeling inspired, Serenallyan hurled a shard of razor-sharp crystal at the druid. He dodged her attack, but was struck instead by a half dozen of Mad Arrow’s arrows. As he tried to limp away, Serenallyan leapt at him with her crystal sword and ran him through. Impressed by her prowess, Mad Arrow gifted her a bow which he had crafted himself. He then returned to the lowland city with the druid’s body in tow. Serenallyan followed him, as she sensed the crystal spirit’s approval regarding this matter. In the city, which was still being repaired, Serenallyan followed Mad Arrow to the place where he found his work, the bounty hunter’s office. The half-giant took her on as his assistant, giving her a ten percent cut of the bounty. Though she was annoyed at this, the crystal spirits told her to go along with it for the time being. Together the two apprehended many wanted criminals, from petty forgers to hardened killers. The elf developed her powers as she went on, learning how to instantly swap places with Mad Arrow and how to identify psionic items, but the mysterious cold in her heart was growing worse. One day when the pair was apprehending a slave trader, Serenallyan suddenly felt the coldness overwhelm her and she unwittingly released it towards the trader. The impact of the blast pushed him into the stone wall, cracking his skull open and killing him. Shocked by the release of her power, Serenallyan was at a loss for words. She felt the coldness within abate, but she felt uneasy about how things turned out. She later found out that she would feel better each time she unleashed cold energy in that fashion. Unleashing any other sort of energy made her feel worse. When Mad Arrow asked her what the matter was, she dismissed his concerns. She wanted to tell him but was worried that the crystal spirits would come after the half-giant if he discovered the truth. Because of the relief granted by unleashing cold energy, eventually Serenallyan became unable to produce any other sort of energy. This was a psychological limitation, not a material one. Her demeanor also became more cold, something which Mad Arrow noticed. When they had cornered a fugitive, Serenallyan callously used her powers to repeatedly push him against the wall despite him having surrendered. The act seemed to please her, and made the half-giant feel uneasy. The bounty hunter sought out his own psionic mentor and asked for his help. The psion immediately noticed that Serenallyan’s mind was being manipulated by some distant power. Before they could try to help her, the two of them were attacked by a group of five polar bears which seemed to materialize from thin air. As they were in the middle of the city, chaos ensued and the crystal spirits strongly urged Serenallyan to leave. Though sad to leave her friend and business partner, Serenallyan obeyed and traveled further south at the behest of the crystal spirits. She eventually reached a land of conflict, where each person was either in a battle, or supporting someone who was. In this chaotic region Serenallyan found her place as a psionic mercenary. In one battle she made the enemy commander disappear, decimated his bewildered troops, and then finished him off when he returned from the trip she had sent him on. During her many exploits she found an enchanted headband and thus gained the predictable nickname ‘ice queen’. She then entered into an exclusive contract with the most powerful faction under the elven Commander Jezzail (also a nickname). With her help Jezzail conquered the other factions within ten years and became king of the region. He offered her the position of queen, but the crystal spirits told her to keep moving. Reluctantly she left Jezzail and traveled even further south. Before she left the Commander granted her a pair of enchanted boots and an elven cloak as a token of gratitude. Driven by the whispers of the crystal spirits, Serenallyan continues to search for the unknown artifact but secretly hopes to be free of their cold influence. [b]Acquaintances Crystal Spirits: The crystal spirits still contact Serenallyan, though not as frequently as before. This may be because they cannot, or because they are satisfied with the path she is taking. Mad Arrow: The half-giant survived the polar bear attack, though his mentor did not. He is still concerned about the forces manipulating Serenallyan, though he does not know what exactly they are. Destroyers of Artifice: The druid Serenallyan killed when she first met Mad Arrow was in fact part of a larger secret society. The elf has encountered many of their agents while traveling, and perhaps even more in disguise. They are aware of the crystal spirits and their plans, and watch Serenallyan closely to see if she can actually find the winter artifacts. King Jezzail: The elven warlord is still in contact with Serenallyan, and has promised aid if she ever calls.
TheChilliGod 01-17-07, 09:13 PM	Added to listie. Less than a week left! I know that this time the theme is a bit tough, but you can do it! ... (Stealth bump!)
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-17-07, 10:13 PM	Chilli, This may be hard to say, but I think the contestants take after the judges in this contest. Deadline? What deadline? Oh!!! I've got how long?!? I suspect we will get two or three posts in the next 5 days, and then 4 or 5 posts in the last 24 hours. Which is fine, b/c that's how I judge... How long has it been since the contest is over? I need to post scores by when? Oh!!! One minute... I distinctly recall doing over 90% of my judging for HC#5 in the 24 hours before I posted the scores. :cool: If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done around here! :cool:
Kit_the_Odd 01-17-07, 11:57 PM	I've got a question about a feat. Page 181 of the Complete Arcane has 2 feats that are listed as being available (at the DMs option) to reflect special training in spellcasting. I would like to use Precocious Apprentice. The special training is a part of my characters background, but since the feat is specifically listed as being DM optional I decided I'd better ask first.
TheChilliGod 01-18-07, 12:09 AM	We allowed Leadership without being asked, didn't we? :D Go ahead, IMO.
Zherog 01-18-07, 08:25 AM	Yep, go for it. *** Avalon: I've had a chance to read the stuff on the fiddle in Complete Adventurer. The flavor is most decidedly about the fiddle - I can't see a kobold playing a violin while prancing about. That's flavor, though. I really don't see why the mechanics couldn't work with a violin. So, yes: I think it should be OK, especially if your flavor (character background) works well to bridge the stuff in CAdv to your character.
Avalon® 01-18-07, 09:44 AM	Literary inspiration for the contest: The Music of Erich Zann.
Zherog 01-18-07, 10:13 AM	Chilli, This may be hard to say, but I think the contestants take after the judges in this contest. Deadline? What deadline? Oh!!! I've got how long?!? Oh - we're supposed to read the entries? Heh... Every contest I say I'm going to get a head start and begin judging before the deadline. I lie to myself a lot.
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-18-07, 12:38 PM	Oh - we're supposed to read the entries? Heh... That's why it takes me so long to judge... Knew I was doing something wrong! :cool:
Heros_Backpack 01-18-07, 08:07 PM	Snowstorm Firetongue A white-on-white outline congeals away from the banked snow and steps forward into the firelight to reveal a human face. The clan’s children look up, squeal with delight and run to mob him. ‘The Snowstorm man is here! The Snowstorm man is here! Tell us a story, Snowstorm man!’ The adults simply welcome him in with a smile and ask, ‘What news do you bring, Firetongue?’ The man tosses back a white fur hood to reveal white-blond hair above a pale face and gives them an enigmatic smile. ‘I see Rumor precedes me on silent wings,’ he says and raises his arm for a snowy owl to land on it. Snowstorm Firetongue Male human Ranger 4/ Bard 2 CG medium humanoid Initiative +2 (+2 Dex), Senses: Listen +1 (+3 vs animals), Spot +8 (+10 vs animals) Languages: Common, Elven Age 30, Height 5’ 9”, Weight 175 lb Deity: Fharlanghn AC 15 (+1 armor, +2 dex, +1 nat armor, +1 deflection) Touch 14, Flatfooted 13 HP 28 (4d8 + 2d6) Fort +4 (+4 Ranger) (Endurance adds +4 to resist non-lethal damage) Ref +9 (+4 Ranger, + 3 Bard, + 2 Dex) Will +5 (+1 Ranger, + 3 Bard, +1 Wis) Speed 30’ Melee: Masterwork Handaxe, att +8, dam 1d6 (1d6+2 vs animals), crit 20 (x3) Alternative Melee: Dagger, att +7, dam 1d4 (1d4+2 vs animals), crit 19-20 (x2), range 10 yds Ranged: +1 Composite Longbow (+0), att +8, dam 1d8 +1 (1d8 + 3 vs animals), crit 20 (x3), Range 110 yds BAB +5 (+4 Ranger, +1 Bard) Grapple +5 Base Abilities (28 pt array - 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10) Str 11 Dex 14 Con 10 Int 12 Wis 13 Cha 15 Current Abilities (modifier) Str 11 (+0) Dex 14 (+2) Con 10 (+0) Int 12 (+1) Wis 13 (+1) Cha 16 (+3) (+1 level) Special Abilities Animal Companion (owl) Bardic Knowledge (+3) (+2 bard level, +1 Int) Bardic Music Combat Style (archery) Countersong Fascinate Favoured Enemy: Animal (+2) Inspire Courage +1 Wild Empathy +9 (+4 ranger level, +3 Cha, +2 synergy - Handle Animal) Feats: Dodge, Endurance (Ranger bonus), Point Blank Shot (Human bonus), Precise Shot, Rapid Shot (Ranger bonus), Track (Ranger bonus), Weapon Finesse. Skills: Appraise +1 (+3 with leather objects) (+1 int, +2 synergy - Craft (leather)) Bluff +3 (+5 vs animals) (+3 Cha, (+2 favoured enemy)) Concentration +9 (9 ranks) Craft (leather) +12 (+1 Int, +9 ranks, +2 circ - mwk tools) Handle Animal +10 (+3 Cha, 7 ranks) Hide +5 (+2 Dex, 3 ranks) Knowledge (geography) +6 (+1 Int, 5 ranks) Knowledge (nature) +12 (+1 Int, 9 ranks, +2 synergy - Survival) Listen +1 (+3 vs animals) (+1 Wis, (+2 favoured enemy)) Move Silently +9 (+2 Dex, 7 ranks) Perform (Orate) +7 (+3 Cha, 4 ranks) Perform (Sing) +7 (+3 Cha, 4 ranks) Ride +4 (+2 Dex, +2 synergy - Handle Animal) Sense Motive +1 (+3 vs animals) (+1 Wis, (+2 favoured enemy)) Spot +8 (+10 vs animals) (+1 Wis, 7 ranks, (+2 favoured enemy)) Survival +8 (+10 vs animals) (+1 Wis, 7 ranks, (+2 favoured enemy)) (+10 in above ground natural environments - +2 synergy - Knowledge (nature)) (+10 to avoid getting lost and to avoid hazards - +2 synergy - Knowledge (geography)) Use Magic Device +4 (+3 Cha, 1 rank) Use Rope +4 (+2 Dex, +2 circ - silk rope) Spells: (Arcane Spell Failure n/a) Ranger (Save DC 11 + spell lvl) - 1st: 1/day Usually prepared: Speak with animals Bard ( Save DC 13 + spell lvl) - 0th: 3/day, 1st: 1/day Spells known - 0th: Flare, Ghost Sound, Know Direction, Prestigitation, Read Magic 1st: Cure Light Wounds, Silent Image Possesions: (On self) Furred Suit (Furs layered with quilted cloth to form a combined cold weather oufit and Padded Armor) (13gp) Ring of Protection +1 (2000gp) Ring of Sustenance (2500gp) Amulet of Natural Armor +1 (2000gp) +1 Composite Longbow (+0) (2400gp) Mwk Handaxe (304gp) Dagger (2gp) 10 arrows (5sp) Waterskin (1gp) Spell Component Pouch (5gp) Belt Pouch (1gp) Containing: Flint & Steel (1gp) 1 flask alchemist’s fire (20gp) 4 fishhooks (4sp) (In Heward’s Handy Haversack (2000gp)) 1 Everburning torch (110gp) 5 Tindertwigs (5gp) 1 flask alchemist’s fire (20gp) Bedroll (1sp) Winter Blanket (5sp) Tent (10gp) 1 day’s fuel (1cp) Cooking pot (5sp) mwk artisan’s (leather) tools (55gp) Shovel (2gp) 50’ silk rope (10gp) Traveller’s Outfit (1gp) 10 standard arrows (5sp) 10 cold iron arrows (1gp) 10 silver arrows (2.5 gp) Wand of Summon Monster I (50 charges) (750gp) 2x Magic Weapon (oil) (100 gp) 2x potion of Mage Armor (100gp) 2x potion of Endure Elements (100gp) Scroll case (1gp) Containing: 1 scroll of Identify (125gp) 2 scrolls of Purify Food and Drink (25gp) 2 scrolls of Detect animals and plants (50gp) Cash: 282gp, 9sp, 9cp TOTAL OWNED: 13,000gp Rumor - Snowy Owl Animal Companion TN Tiny male animal Init +3 Senses: Listen +14, Spot +6 (+14 in shadowy areas - racial) AC 17 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +2 natural) Touch 15, Flatfooted 14 HP 4 (1 HD) Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2 Speed 10’ (ground), 40’ (flying - average) Melee: Talons att +5, dam 1d4-3 BAB +0 Grapple -11 Abilities: Str 4, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 4 Special Abilities: Lowlight vision Skills: Listen +14, Move Silently +17, Spot +6 (+14 in shadowy areas) Feats: Weapon Finesse Tricks Known: attack, come, down, fetch, heel, perform (bonus trick), seek. Background 8 years ago Snowstorm (then known simply as ‘Jack’) was out hunting for his young family when a white dragon attacked his village. By the time he hurried home, it was too late. His wife, Kara, and their three-year-old daughter were among the five dead, his baby son was close to death and the dragon had carried off two more adults - presumably to eat. Jack flung his kill down in his now empty house, left his sister-in-law (who doubles as the village healer) to give his son the last rites, and stormed out with every intention of chasing down and killing the dragon. By the time he came to his senses, he was far out on the open snow plain without food, fire or shelter, and a blizzard was raging around him. Jack didn’t care. Convinced that his entire family was dead and knowing that he could never kill an adult dragon on his own, he decided he no longer had anything to live for. He would push on into the storm until he died. Luckily, when he finally fell, he tumbled through the top layer of snow into a hollow beneath and the partial shelter combined with his hunting clothes saved him from more than minor frostbite. Honed instinct made him catch a lemming as a group of them fled past, and the food allowed him to recover enough to cope with the tail-end of the storm. Still full of grim despair, he named himself after the snowstorm that had brought him to his senses and swore that never again would he need anyone so badly that he would die if he lost them. Returning to his old village was just too painful, so he began to travel constantly, never staying anywhere for long and earning his keep at each clan with songs, stories and news gathered from other clans and tribes. His practice of apparently shaping flickering firelight and tiny flames into story illustrations (using prestigitation) quickly earned him the nickname ‘Firetongue’. Last year, while he was travelling between clans, he stumbled on the abandoned nest of a snowy owl, complete with two half-fledged chicks and took one with him as hunting aide and additional performer. Description Snowstorm wears a home-made furred suit made only white furs in a conscious attempt to mimic the snow he has named himself after. On the rare occasions he changes into more ordinary clothes, he is revealed as a slightly stocky man, with slanted grey eyes and frostbite scars on his hands and feet. After his experience in the storm, Snowstorm has become more careful about his own survival and always carries the makings of fire, hunting equipment and guarenteed food and water. Since acquiring Rumor, he has taken to carrying a full waterskin under his clothes so that his body heat will keep it warm and he doesn’t have to stop and thaw water every time Rumor wants a drink or a bath. Outwardly Snowstorm is friendly, cheerful and outgoing, and has even been known to act as a guide to new travellers, but beneath the surface cheer he keeps everybody at arm’s length. Recently, however, Rumor has begun to worm his way closer into Snowstorm’s heart, leaving Snowstorm torn between breaking his vow and abandoning the bird that he has, however unwillingly, begun to love. Contacts Sharai, the village healer: after Jack/Snowstorm left, Sharai was determined not to let the last of her kin, her infant nephew, die too and determinedly nursed him back from the brink several times. She hopes that her Jack has survived and will someday come back and maybe even marry her in her sister’s place. Young Jack: named after his father and brought up by his aunt Sharai, who has always told him simply that his father went after the dragon and never came back, is now approaching 9 years old and his favourite game is ‘dragon-killing’. He wishes his hero father would come back and take him out to see the wide world - or just do anything that the other fathers in the village do. Level 1 - Ranger 1 Feats: Point Blank Shot (Human bonus), Track (Ranger bonus), Weapon Finesse (level). Skill Ranks (24 class pts + 4 Int + 4 Human): Concentration 4, Craft (leather) 4, Handle Animal 4, Knowledge (geography) 4, Knowledge (nature) 4, Move Silently 4, Spot 4, Survival 4. Level 2 - Ranger 2 Feat: Rapid Shot (Combat Style - archery) Skill ranks bought (Total): Concentraion 1 (5), Craft (leather) 1 (5), Handle Animal 1 (5), Knowledge (geography) 1 (5), Knowledge (nature) 1 (5), Move Silently 1 (5), Spot 1 (5), Survival 1 (5). Level 3 - Ranger 2/ Bard 1 Feat: Dodge (level) Skill Ranks bought (Total): Concentration 1 (6), Craft (leather) 1 (6), Knowledge (nature) 1 (6), Perform (orate) 1 (1), Perform (sing) 3 (3), Use Magic Device 1 (1). Level 4 - Ranger 3/ Bard 1 Feat: Endurance (Ranger bonus) +1 Cha Skill Ranks bought (Total): Concentration 1 (7), Craft (leather) 1 (7), Handle Animal 1 (6), Hide 1 (1), Knowledge (nature) 1 (7), Move Silently 1 (6), Spot 1 (6), Survival 1 (6). Level 5 - Ranger 3/ Bard 2 Skill Ranks bought (Total): Concentration 1 (8), Craft (leather) 1 (8), Hide 1 (2), Knowledge (nature) 1 (8), Perform (orate) 3 (4), Perform (sing) 1 (4). Level 6 - Ranger 4/ Bard 2 Feat: Precise Shot (level) Skill Ranks bought (Total): Concentration 1 (9), Craft 1 (9), Handle Animal 1 (7), Hide 1 (3), Knowledge (nature) 1 (9), Move Silently 1 (7), Spot 1 (7), Survival 1 (7). Notes: A Furred Suit uses the insulating properties and the natural armor of thick layered furs and quilted cloth to form a combined cold weather outfit and suit of padded armor and costs and weighs as much as both put together. A Snowy Owl is identical to the standard owl except that a snowy owl is active during both the day and the night and its natural environment is cold plains rather than temperate forest.
TheChilliGod 01-19-07, 02:10 AM	Listings Added to the. I don't really bother with trying to judge in advance. I know that I'll procrastinate it until the contest is already over, and also that, no matter when I leave judging till, I'll never be the last to finish. Cuz I've never been last. I don't get held up by this "life" or this "job" of which you speak. These forums fuel me, give me all I have to live on throughout the weariness of day-to-day life at home in front of a computer for 10 hours a day! And I'm not lying. :evillaugh ... Stealth Bump! (Neener neener! You can't find me!)
Magocrat 01-19-07, 01:24 PM	Well, madness is definitely a prerequisite to enter this contest, isn't it? :D Fortunately, I wholely meet that one. Also, TheChilliGod... tag, you're it! Found you! Heros_Backpack, nice character. I like the way you introduce him, really like some sort of folk hero. But then again, he is a bard. Maybe I should take notes on that. Heck, we are here to learn from one another's ups and downs, I think. At least, I'm learning here. Your character looks good, and I like the 'furred suit' thing, very flavorful. *wanders off and whips out a notepad with pen* Oh, did I mention that I wish everybody good luck with the competition? :P
Heros_Backpack 01-19-07, 03:13 PM	Heros_Backpack, nice character. I like the way you introduce him, really like some sort of folk hero. But then again, he is a bard. Maybe I should take notes on that. Heck, we are here to learn from one another's ups and downs, I think. At least, I'm learning here. Your character looks good, and I like the 'furred suit' thing, very flavorful. *wanders off and whips out a notepad with pen* :blush: Thanks. I guess reading all those ice age novels paid off.
Endarrion 01-19-07, 07:51 PM	Gunnar Sharith Gunnar Sharith Lawful Neutral Male Maenad Wilder 5, Cryokineticist 1 (XPH pg 29, Frostburn pg 54) Height: 6’5” Weight: 235lbs Deity: None (see background) Languages: Common, Maenad, AC: 19 (1Dex + 5armor + 3shield) Flat footed: 18 (5armor + 3shield) Touch: 13 (1Dex + 2Cha) HP: 46 (5d6, 1d8 + 24) Power Point Reserve: 32 (2 Maenad, 5 Cha, 25 Wilder,) XPH pgs 13, 18, 29 Speed: 30ft Initiative: +1 Ability Scores Base Strength: 12 Dexterity: 12 Constitution: 15 Intelligence: 12 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 14 Current Strength: 14 (+2 enhancement) Dexterity: 12 Constitution: 16 (+1 4th level) Intelligence: 12 Wisdom: 10 Charisma: 14 Attacks Base Attack: +3 Grapple: +5 +1 Hvy. Mace: +6 (1d8 + 3/ 20x2) Masterwork Lt. Crossbow: +5 (1d8/ 19-20x2) Full Attacks: as base attacks Saves Conditional: +5 fort vs exposure to cold weather. Charisma modifier on will saves vs. mind-affecting spells and abilities. Fortitude: +6 (3base + 3Con) Reflex: +4 (3base + 1Dex) Will: +4 (4base) Skills 43 total points (40 wilder + 3 cryokineticist) Autohypnosis* +9 (9ranks) Bluff +4 (2ranks + 2Cha) Climb +5 (2ranks + 2Str + 2climber’s kit – 1armor check) Concentration +12 (9ranks + 3Con) Craft (alchemy) +2 (1rank + 1Int) Intimidate +5 (2ranks + 2Cha) Knowledge (Psionics)* +3 (2ranks + 1Int) Listen +2 (2ranks) Profession (sailor) +2 (2ranks) Spot +2 (2ranks) Survival (cross-class) +4 (4ranks) Tumble +2 (2ranks + 1Dex – 1armor check) *XPH pg. 35 Feats 1st: Endurance 3rd: Force of Personality (Complete Adventurer, pg. 109) 6th: Improved Toughness (Complete Warrior, pg. 101) Special Abilities Maenad 2 bonus power points. 1/day energy ray: manifester level = 3. Outburst: 1/day, 4 rounds, -2 Intelligence and Wisdom, +2 Strength. Wilder Wild Surge +2, Psychic Enervation, Elude Touch, Surging Euphoria +1, Volatile Mind (1 power point). XPH pg. 29. Cryokineticist Glacial Ray (15ft ray, 1d12 cold, ranged touch). Frostburn pg. 54. Powers Power Points/day: 32 Powers Known: 2/1 (total 3) DCs: 13/14 Modifier: +2 (Cha) 1st- Control Flames, Defensive Precognition. 2nd- Energy Emanation Equipment +1 Chain Shirt (1,250gp) +1 Heavy Mace (2,312gp) +1 Heavy Steel Shield (1,170gp) Gauntlets of Ogre Power (4,000gp) Boots of the Winterlands (2,500gp) Masterwork Light Crossbow (335gp) Bolts (20) (2gp) Cold Weather Outfit (Free at char gen) Backpack (2gp) Sunrod(3) (6gp) Snowshoes (15gp) Pouch, belt (1gp) Rations, trail (6) (3gp) Flint and Steel (1gp) Climber’s Kit (80gp) 50ft Silk Rope (10gp) Flask of Brandy (5gp) LEFT OVER: 1,308gp TOTAL: 13,000gp Level Breakdown Wilder 1-5 Cryokineticist 6 Appearance and Personality Gunnar Sharith stands head and shoulders over most and has a lanky, but solid, frame. He has long black hair that he lets hang loose over his handsome face. Gunnar dresses in the practical clothing of a man of the Frostfell. Under the heavy clothing is a story of the harsh life he has lived. Scars given to him from assassination attempts, monsters he has killed, and other perils he has faced cover his torso and limbs. Gunnar carries himself with an air of quiet confidence. His eyes speak volumes. His voice is deep and soothing and quite pleasant to the ear. His charisma and confidence in himself have allowed him to prosper where others may have failed. Perhaps his strangest character trait is his utter lack of faith in the divine. Gunnar is of the mind that mortals are capable of more on their own than by using the crutch of faith. He came to this conclusion on the cold wasteland of the Frostfell. Background “It is the will of the gods.” Gunnar heard that from the time that he was first able to grasp the idea of gods. When Gunnar was seven, his little sister Ella died of a fever. She was only two years old. Gunnar’s parents told him that it was the will of the gods that Ella die. Gunnar asked them why she, only a little child, should deserve to die. They told him that, “The gods work in mysterious ways.” When Gunnar turned ten, a man was carried into the village by some of the hunters. He was a traveler and near death because he was ill prepared for the harsh environment. The village took pity on him and nursed him back to health. The man was staying with a friend of Gunnar’s parents. Only a month after he had gotten back on his feet, the man murdered his host family and stole all of their belongings. He fled into the night. Gunnar was frustrated because he thought that the gods should have struck down the man. His parents told him that the man would get punished eventually for his evil deed. Later Gunnar snuck in on a village meeting that his father was attending and overheard the men saying that they believed that the murderer may have belonged to a cult of the evil god Iborighu. The next morning Gunnar confronted his father about the meeting and the presence of an evil god. He was only scolded for sneaking out of the home so late at night. Gunnar’s life continued in that vane for the next fourteen years. He saw good people die and bad people go unpunished for their evil deeds. It all reached a boiling point when, on Gunnar’s fourteenth birthday, his parents wanted to take him to a temple in a nearby village. They intended to leave him there so that he could become an acolyte. Gunnar was outraged and a screaming match between him and his parents ensued. Gunnar stormed out of the house as his father yelled for him to never come back, that the gods would punish him for being so unruly towards his parents. Gunnar ran to a cave a mile outside of the village. When he got inside he curled up on the ground and sobbed. He cried himself to sleep, unaware of the snowstorm moving in. He awoke to the howling winds and swirling snow and waited the storm out huddled inside the small cave. When morning came he found the cave entrance completely blocked by snow and ice. Not being able to get out he decided to explore the rest of the cave. Upon delving further into the cave he fell into a huge hole in the cave floor that was hidden by darkness. He tumbled down the shaft and crashed at the bottom. He sobbed for his predicament for a while, and then built a small fire with his flint and steel and some nearby twigs. He watched the fire and became increasingly angry until he was overcome with rage. He raged at the gods who were so unjust and his parents who were so much like sheep. His rage grew and coalesced into a guttural scream. To Gunnar’s surprise the fire flared with his scream. After several attempts at manipulating the fire, he realized that he had some talent for psionics. He had heard stories of great psions in the family. His great grandfather was a very accomplished kineticist and built the village with the help of the other founders who were also psions. Since his great grandfather, his family’s knack for psionics had died. Gunnar was elated with his discovery and knew that he had the tools necessary for escaping the cave complex. It took Gunnar one month to find an exit. During that month he subsisted on small plants and a snow hare here and there. He had to climb through a fifty-foot shaft to reach the outside. After some wandering he found his way back east to his village. It was exactly one month and ten days since Gunnar ran away from home. When he returned his family was relieved and very happy to see him. He was happy as well, despite himself. He spent the next four years venturing out into the wilderness and earning his scars. He developed his powers and became the best warrior in his village. Soon after, he was named Chief Warden. Eventually he became bored with his life at home and his restless spirit pushed him to pursue the life of an adventurer. He had convinced some of the villagers to forsake the gods in favor of belief in themselves, but his family frowned on this practice and so did most of the village. Gunnar’s interest in adventuring coincided nicely with the village’s decision that he leave. He gave over warden-ship to his younger brother, Ko, who also developed psionic powers. Although they had their differences, Gunnar left the village on good terms and adventured with his three “disciples” for a year before they took their separate paths. During that time Gunnar fully developed his philosophy and garnered the attention of several more villages. Now, Gunnar continues his wandering and exploring, hunting down bounties for money and spreading his word. He would join an adventuring party quite readily, as he is a social creature and likes companionship. His only reason for being a loner is that his philosophy is quite at odds with most, and he finds little to no acceptance in any of the villages he visits. Friends and Enemies Gunnar’s family: Ardro (father), Milsha (mother), Ko (brother). The first disciples: Brandor, Nali, and Valnor. Gunnar does not consider these three “disciples.” That is a name that they gave themselves. He merely considers them three very good friends. Gunnar’s enemies: There are several people who would not mind seeing Gunnar dead. The cult of Iborighu has gotten wind of Gunnar’s words and has sent an assassin after him. The assassination was foiled and the cult grows increasingly irritated with him. The man who murdered the family in Gunnar’s village is named Darshaav. He remembers Gunnar from the village and plans on attacking him at some point.
jennibert 01-20-07, 12:15 AM	Well, here's my entry for this go-round..... Anastasia Wenlyforlyffed Halfling Wizard and Cleric of Istalas, the Wolf Maiden. In the rolling hills of the eastern part of the country of Kerubina lies a region known as the Icy Vale. Though the rest of the country is temperate, even bordering on tropical, in the Vale perpetual winter reigns. Ice demons and paraelmentals range through the Vale, making it an even more dangerous place to travel. And yet adventuring parties often enter the Vale, seeking the frozenwood favored for creating icy weapons, or as components in cold spells. Additionally, rumors persisted of an atelier buried deep within the Vale, filled with the magical wonders of the Utopia that had existed in the land millenia before. Anastasia Wenlyforlyffed had grown up seeing adventurers heading into the Vale. Her nomadic clan of halflings made their home in the hills near the Vale, and often saw adventurers heading in. Less often, they gave succor to those lucky enough to emerge from the cold alive. As her father, Mikhail, was the clan chieftain, and her mother, Spasiba, its chief healer, Anastasia was very familiar with how dangerous the region could be. Yet it did not stop her from wanting to go there—rather the opposite. If she could survive the Icy Vale and come home, perhaps her father would consider her worth to the clan. Though Anastasia was the eldest of Mikhail’s children, it was Subotai, the only son, who was being groomed to rule the clan. Anastasia was trained as a wizard, but Subotai was taught to fight and track. Further, as soon as he was ready, Subotai would be sent to the Brande Military Academy for further training, and to perhaps find allies to call on in times of need. Anastasia had suggested for years that she too might be well served in attending some sort of school—perhaps one of the wizarding academies in neighboring Maverol if the Brande was too expensive—but to no avail. Unless she found a way out, her main benefit to the clan was through forming a marriage alliance, or, at best, as an advisor. So when a group of travelling adventurers offered to take her with them into the Vale to look for frozenwood, Anastasia jumped at the chance. They promised to not travel in very deeply, and she felt sure that they would return safely. Knowing her father would object, Anastasia told only Subotai where she had gone, swearing him to secrecy unless she failed to return as scheduled. It was only their second day in the Vale when they were set upon by winter wolves. Most of the group tried to run, only to be hunted down by the fierce predators. Anastasia, however, fought courageously, but soon found herself under the paws of one of the wolves. Determined to meet her death bravely as her clan taught, she looked her attacker directly in the eye as it leaned down to rip out her throat…and was amazed when it stopped. “Do you not fear death, girl?” it growled. “Yes,” she admitted. “For now I will never prove my worth to my father.” The beast regarded her for a moment, and then cuffed her on the side of the head. Everything went black. Anastasia woke up in the winter wolf’s den, scarcely able to believe that her life had been spared. “Why?” she asked. “You fought bravely and well for one who was clearly inexperienced,” was the reply. “You have potential.” Anastasia learned the winter wolf, Maraven, was a priest of Istalas, the Goddess of Ice and Vengeance. He taught her that her comrades in the adventuring party had deserved their death, for they were weak. Only she, who had faced her death bravely and not run from the attack, had proven worthy of survival. The weak are to be culled, not coddled. Maraven also fostered the resentment she felt towards her father and to a lesser extent towards her brother. It was Anastasia, with her newfound powers as a devotee of Istalas, who should be the one to lead the tribe. Some day, Mikhail and Subotai would pay for dimsissing her as they had done. Life in the Vale was hard, even with Maraven to help her, and there were many times when Anastasia nearly died. But her determination to win her rightful place and take vengeance upon her father saw her through. Finally, Maraven determined that it was time for Anastasia to go off on her own. If she was truly worthy, she could find her way out of the Icy Vale without his assistance. The way was hard, but Anastasia managed it. She had intended to return to her clan, but meeting a group of adventurers heading into the Vale just as she emerged changed her mind. Maraven had suggested that more training would serve her well, and this would be a good way to get it. The adventurers even unintentionally offered word of her family, with whom they had dined just the day before she had met them. She learned from them that in the three years she had been gone, Subotai had left for the Brande. Anastasia revelled in the news that he was gone. His years of schooling would keep him away long enough for her to gain more power, and the takeover would be easier with only her father to kill. And so Anastasia returns to the Icy Vale, her vengeful plans churning in her mind. Appearance and Personality Anastasia is slender and of slightly above average height for a halfling, with ruddy skin, light brown hair, and ice blue eyes. She is dressed practically for the cold weather (though her outfit is somewhat mismatched, having been asembled from raiding the gear of fallen adventurers). She makes no effort to hide the holy symbol of Istalas she wears around her neck. Anastasia introduces herself using only her first name, not wishing knowledge of her adventures to get back to her family. She is rather secretive and speaks little of her past, though her companions will often hear Maraven’s name (probably without knowing that he is a winter wolf). She is very self-reliant, and can usually be counted on to use her survival skills to find food for the party if they don’t have enough—in fact she prefers this, calling such finds the bounty of her goddess. She also refuses to start fires, even for cooking, though she will not object if a companion starts one, as long as it remains small. In a fight, Anastasia prefers to hang to the rear and buff the party with her cleric spells first, and then shoot off her attack spells. She dislikes pausing to heal in the middle of combat, but is known to do so when it seems in her own best interest, though she ususally uses the wand over wasting her own spells. She tries to avoid melee combat, and relies on her concentration to cast while threatened if she can’t manage to get out of range. Anastasia has been working on how her arcane and divine power compliment each other, and is poised to take her next level as Mystic Theurge. Anastasia Wenlyforlyffed Halfling Wizard 3/Cleric 3 (Devoted to Istalas) Neutral Evil Base Ability Scores (Level 1) STR 7 -2 (1 pt, -2 racial) DEX 14 +2 (4 pts, +2 racial) CON 13 +1 (5 pts) INT 15 +2 (8 pts) WIS 15 +2 (8 pts) CHA 10 +0 (2 pts) Final Ability Scores (Level 6) STR 7 -2 DEX 14 +2 CON 13 +1 INT 18 +4 (+1 4th level, +2 headband) WIS 15 +2 CHA 10 +0 Hit Points: 28.5 (9 Wiz +13.5 Clr +6 CON) Armor Class: 14 (10 +2 Dex +1 deflection (ring) +1 size) Touch: 14. Flat-Footed: 12 With Mage Armor: 18 Speed: 20 feet Base Attack Bonus: +3 (+1 Wiz +2 Clr) Languages: Automatic: Common, Halfling Bonus (+2 INT): Draconic, Elven Special Abilities Domains: Air, Cold (Frostburn, pg 84) Rebuke Undead 3/day Rebuke check: +2 (+0 CHA +2 synergy (Knowl(rel))) Rebuke “damage”: 2d6+3 (+0 CHA +3 cleric level) Turn earth creatures and rebuke air creatures (granted power of Air Domain). Turn fire creatures and rebuke cold creatures (granted power of Cold Domain). Saves Fortitude +6 (+1 CON + 1 Wiz + 3 Clr +1 racial) Reflex +5 (+2 DEX +1 Wiz +1 Clr +1 racial) Will +9 (+2 WIS +3 Wiz +3 Clr +1 racial) +2 morale bonus to saves against fear. Feats Endurance (1st) Scribe Scroll (Wizard Bonus) Snowcasting (3rd)* Piercing Cold (6th)* *Feats marked with star found in Frostburn. Chart page 46. (Will continue tree that begins with Snowcasting with future feats.) Attacks ranged touch attack +6 (+3 BAB +2 DEX +1 Size) Damage: varies with spell Crit: 20x2 Shortspear +2 (+3 BAB –2 STR +1 Size) Damage: d4 – 2 STR Crit: 20x2 Masterwork Light Crossbow +7 (+3 BAB +2 DEX +1 Size +1 MW) Damage: d6 Crit: 20x2 Skills Climb +0 (-2 STR +2 racial) Concentration +10 (9 ranks +1 CON) Hide +6 (+2 DEX +4 size) Jump +0 (-2 STR +2 racial) Knowledge (arcana) +10 (6 ranks +4 INT) Knowledge (geography) +5 (1 rank +4 INT) Knowledge (religion) +10 (6 ranks +4 INT) Listen +4 (+2 WIS +2 racial) Move Silently +4 (+2 DEX +2 racial) Spellcraft +15 (9 ranks +4 INT +2 synergy (Know(arcana)) Survival +6 (4 ranks +2 WIS) Skills per Level Breakdown: Lvl 1 Wizard (4*(2 +2 INT)=16): Concentration 4, Knowl(arcana) 3, Knowl(geog) 1, Spellcraft 4, Survival 4 (cross class yields 2 ranks) Lvl 2 Wizard (2 +2 INT=4): Concentration 1, Knowl(arcana) 2, Spellcraft 1 Lvl 3 Cleric (2+2 INT=4): Concentration 1, Knowl(rel) 2, Spellcraft 1 Lvl 4 Cleric (2+3 INT=5): Concentration 1, Knowl(rel) 1, Spellcraft 1, Survival 2 (cross class yields 1 rank) Lvl 5 Wizard (2+3 INT=5): Concentration 1, Knowl(arcana) 1, Knowl (rel) 2, Spellcraft 1 Lvl 6 Cleric (2+3 INT=5): Concentration 1, Knowl(rel) 1, Spellcraft 1, Survival 2 (cross class yields 1 rank) Spells Wizard: Caster Level 3 Base Save DC 14 (10 +4 INT) Per day: 0th level: 4 1st level: 3 (2 +1 for high INT) 2nd level: 2 (1 +1 for high INT) Spellbook: All cantrips listed in PHB 1st level: mage armor, true strike, identify, magic misile, expeditious retreat, lesser orb of cold, lesser orb of electricity 2nd level: resist energy, heat leech* * Spell from Frostburn, page 97. Typically prepared: 0: message, ray of frost, acid splash, prestidigtation 1: mage armor, lesser orb of electricity, ray of frost (piercing cold) 2: lesser orb of cold (piercing cold), heat leech Cleric: Caster Level 3 Base Save DC 12 (10 +2 WIS) Per day: 0th level: 4 1st level: 3+1 (2 +1 for high INT, 1 domain) 2nd level: 2+1 (1 +1 for high INT, 1 domain) Typically prepared: 0: detect magic, read magic, light, cure minor wounds 1: divine favor, magic weapon, shield of faith. Domain: obscuring mist (Air) 2: bull’s strengh, shatter. Domain: chill metal (Cold) Equipment Headband of Intellect +2 (4000 gp) Ring of Protection +1 (2000 gp) Boots of the Winterlands (2500 gp) Wand of cure light wounds (750 gp) Wand of magic missile (1st level) (750 gp) Heward’s Handy Haversack (2000 gp) Scroll of identify, true strike (x3), expeditious retreat (x2). (Crafted by herself, 212.5 total gp as per the item creation rules for the contest (I assumed she’d still need the full 100 gp pearl component for identify.)) Scroll of resist energy (x2) (crafted by herself, 225 gp) Everburning Torch (110 gp) Shortspear (favored weapon of her goddess) (1 gp) Masterwork Light Crossbow (335 gp) Crossbow bolts (50) (5 gp) Dagger (more utility knife than weapon) (2 gp) Spell Component Pouch (5 gp) Silver Holy Symbol (25 gp) Waterskin (1 gp) Scroll Case (1 gp) Cold Weather Outfit (8 gp) Bedroll (1 sp) Winter Blanket (2) (1 gp) Silk Rope (50 ft) (10 gp) Sewing Needle (2) (1 gp) Signal Whistle (8 sp) Parchment (20 sheets) (4 gp) Inkpen (1 sp) Ink (2 oz) (16 gp) Wheel of Good Cheese (childhood favorite, 10 gp)* 10 days worth of trail rations (5 gp) 21 gp 5 sp...or the equivalent. *Price of cheese extrapolated from prices in Player’s Handbook. Assuming a “wheel” equals two “hunks,” and that the markup on “good” as opposed to “common” is the same as with wine. The concept is actually based on a background note for a PC in a campaign I played in...I have to give the friend who played Subotai credit for the name "Wenlyforlyffed." (His sister disappeared into the Icy Vale....he and the DM later determined that she'd been a wizard, and was his elder. The rest is all mine....)
Magocrat 01-20-07, 07:53 AM	Cool, a good example of a character who is evil, but able to work with good characters anyhoo. I think you've got another well-made character there. May I ask how you do it? *whips out notepad and gives a puppydog stare* Gunnar looks awesometastic too. You've made good use of the maenad's deep-seated emotional problems* and incorporated it nicely into the crunch. However, would gnolls, of which Iborighu is the patron, even be comfortable in the frostfell, where food is scarce? Anyways, cool that there's another character with a fiendish connection. *Cookie to whomever gets the reference!
Mercurius 01-20-07, 08:53 AM	I realized that it behooves me to mention one bit of information about Giddion that I failed to account for in the stat block: tindertwigs/flint and steel and waterskins. Due to his brimstone blast ability, I don't see any reason why he couldn't just use his own innate fire power to melt ice when he needed water, or start a small fire with some wood. Therefore, I didn't see the need to purchase that equipment. Hopefully the judges can consider this information while judging his gear.
jennibert 01-20-07, 09:34 PM	Cool, a good example of a character who is evil, but able to work with good characters anyhoo. I think you've got another well-made character there. May I ask how you do it? *whips out notepad and gives a puppydog stare* Thank you! Anastasia's my first attempt at an evil character, actually--well, other than NPCs when I've DM'd, but that's not quite the same. As for how....well, I build characters in my spare time. It amuses me to sit in front of the TV with half a dozen books around me....I'm such a nerd.... Though, I must say, your own character seems very well built (I didn't go through and "judge" him or anything, just a cursory glance) and he certainly has an interesting background that gives a DM plenty of evil things to do to him....:schemes:
Endarrion 01-20-07, 09:52 PM	Well Magocrat, in Iborighu's entry, it says that he's depicted as a huge fiendish uldra. I see nothing of gnolls. So, unless this is a deity that has appeared elsewhere as a deity of gnolls, I do not see where you're coming from. Thanks for the compliment though. Rurik looks spiffy too.
Magocrat 01-21-07, 07:26 AM	Whoops, sorry. I confused Iborighu with Yeenoghu. My mistake. Anyways, thank you both for the compliments. :) I'm convinced that Rurik will fare a bit better than the Darokk, because I've learned from everyone else's character write-ups. Which gives me a good reason to bump the Hero Craftsman Comments thread. :plotting:
Nani? 01-21-07, 05:58 PM	Does this end in a few hours or is that tomorrow night? All the Best, Nani?
TheChilliGod 01-21-07, 06:01 PM	Contest ends on the very last minute of the 24th. It's barely the 22nd yet, so I'd give you roughly 3 days and an hour. ;) Don't scare me like that, I've barely had time to get ready!
Nani? 01-21-07, 09:00 PM	Somehow, I had the 22nd in my mind. Ooops, my bad.
Endarrion 01-22-07, 04:34 PM	:bump: :)
jennibert 01-22-07, 11:14 PM	It occurs to me that this competition is a character milestone for me. For the first time ever, I've created a D&D character who isn't a child born of a union outside of marriage, or who, at the least, has one in his/her background. Go me! Oh, and the real point of this post: :bump:
AmericanYeti 01-23-07, 05:38 PM	Vagnar Sogan Hammersmith Lieutenant Vagnar Sogan Hammersmith ECL 6 Race Dwarf Build Barbarian 5/Cleric of Exploration 1 (NG) Height – 4’1” Weight – 242 lbs Age – 38 years old Deity – Moradin NG Size/Type Medium Humanoid (Dwarf) Init +1 Languages – Common, Dwarven, Goblin, Terran Senses Listen+4, Spot+10, Darkvision 60 ft Leadership Score 10 (6 [Level]+0 [Charisma]+4[Fairness, Great Renown])= 7th level Cohort (reduced to 4th, 5 1st level followers) Str 14 (14 Base) Dex 13 (13 Base) Con 17 (15 Base, +2 Racial) Int 14 (14 Base) Wis 14 (13 Base, 4th Level Ability Increase+1) Cha 10 (10 Base, -2 Racial, +2 Enchantment) AC 17 (+1 Dex, +4 Armor, +2 Shield) touch 11 (+1 Dex) flat-footed 17 (+1 Dex [Uncanny Dodge], +4 Armor, +2 Shield) hp 60 (+53 Barbarian, +7 Cleric) (6 HD) Resist +2 on Saving Throws vs. Poison, Spells and Spell Like Abilities Melee +8 (d10+3/20x3, Waraxe) Melee +7 (d4+2/20x3 Punching Dagger) Ranged +6 (d10/20x3, Heavy Crossbow) Base Atk +5; Grp +8 Atk Options – Formation Expert, Power Attack, Rage 2/day, Turn Undead 3/day Fort +9 (+6 Base, +3 Ability) Ref +2 (+1 Base, +1 Ability) Will +5 (+3 Base, +2 Ability) Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Special Qualities – Stability, Fast Movement, Trap Sense+1, Special Abilities – Rage 2/day, Uncanny Dodge, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Turn Undead 3/day Domains Community*, Liberation* Spells per Day 0 – 3, 1 – 2+1 Domain Spells Bless, Omen of Peril* Typical Spells Prepared 0-Level Guidance, Mending, Purify Food and Drink, 1st Level- Endure Elements, Omen of Peril, Remove Fear Str – 18 Con – 21 AC – 15/11/15 Hp – 72 Attack - +10 (d10+5/20x3, Waraxe) +9 (d4+4/20x3, Punching Dagger) Will Save – +7 Skills Climb+4 (+4 Ranks, +2 Strength, +2 Equipment, -4 Armor Check) Concentration+4 (+1 Rank, +3 Constitution) Craft (Metalworking)+5 (+4 Ranks, +1 Intelligence) Intimidate+4 (+4 Ranks) Listen+4 (+2 Ranks, +2 Wisdom) Profession (Sailor)+6 (+4 Ranks, +2 Wisdom) Ride+3 (+2 Ranks, +1 Dexterity) (-1 to fast mount/dismount) Spellcraft+3 (+2 Ranks, +1 Intelligence) Spot+10 (+8 Ranks, +2 Wisdom) Survival+10 (+8 Ranks, +2 Wisdom) Feats Formation Expert** Leadership Power Attack Magic Items +1 Dwarven Waraxe (2,330 gp) Cloak of Charisma+2 (4,000 gp) Boots of the Winterlands (2,500 gp) +1 Amulet of Natural Armor (2,000 gp) Mundane Equipment 4 Vials of Antitoxin (200 gp) Scale Mail Armor (50 gp) Backpack (2 gp) Winter Blanket (5 sp) 2 square yards of Canvas (2 sp) Map Case (1 gp) Climber’s Kit (80 gp) Heavy Crossbow with 40 bolts (54 gp) Holy Symbol, Wooded (1 gp) 5 Fishing Hooks (5 sp) Flint and Steel (1 gp) Clay Mug (1 cp) 20 days of Horse Feed (1 gp) Miner’s Pick (3 gp) Mule (8 gp) Horse, Heavy (200 gp) 5 oz. of Ink (40 gp) 2 pens (2 sp) 20 sheets of paper (8 gp) 4 Pitons (4 sp) Iron Pot (5 sp) Punching Dagger (2 gp) 10 days of Trail Rations (5 gp) Saddle, Pack (15 gp) Saddle, Rider (30 gp) 100 Feet of Silken Rope (20 gp) Sealing Wax (1 gp) Signet Ring (5 gp) Spell Component Pouch (5 gp) Spyglass (1,000 gp) 8 Sunrods (16 gp) Tent (10 gp) Waterskin (1 gp) Heavy Wooden Shield (7 gp) Money 401 gp 6 sp 9 cp Level 1 – Barbarian 1: Climb+4, Craft (Metalworking)+4, Intimidate+4, Profession (Sailor)+2, Survival+4, (20 Skill Ranks), Phalanx Fighting, Fast Movement, Illiteracy, Rage 1/day, +2 Fort Save Level 2 – Barbarian 2: Listen+1, Ride+1, Spot+2, Survival+1, (5 Skill Ranks) +1 Fort Save Level 3 – Barbarian 3: Spot+2, Profession (Sailor)+1, Survival+1, (5 Skill Ranks), Power Attack, +1 Reflex Save, +1 Will Save Level 4 – Barbarian 4: Listen+1, Spot+3, Survival+1, (5 Skill Ranks), +1 Fort Save, +1 Wisdom Level 5 – Barbarian 5: Profession (Sailor)+1, Ride+1, Spot+1, Survival+1, (5 Skill Ranks), +1 Fort Save, +1 Reflex Save, +1 Will Save Level 6 – Barbarian 5/Cleric 1: Concentration+1, Spellcraft+2, (3 Skill Ranks), Leadership, +2 Fort Save, +2 Will Save Background When Vagnar Sogan Hammersmith was born, it was decided arbitrarily that he would serve the Dwarven kingdom of Njeira like a proper Dwarf: he would be a blacksmith. His family moved North to the capital, Fruyr when he was six years old, Vogan was placed in the employ of the Mastersmith Bunna, the personal smith of King Rieldar. There, he befriended the Mastersmith’s son, Ideid. For years, he toiled and worked in the hot, stinking workshop at first as a simple aide running errands, and then as a proper smith, all the while learning about the different metals that were best worked in what ways. Everyday, he would come home to his mother and father, Lara and Odiron where he would dream of going on great adventures like King Rieldar, who was beloved by the entire kingdom. After many long years, he got his chance. The mighty Hobgoblin nation of the mountains was perilously close to war with the Dwarves. Recruiters were thick in the streets as the Hobgoblin army descended from the mountains in a huge force. Vagnar eagerly accepted, having grown tired of smithing. Doing this, however, caused a rift to form between him and his family, who had decided before he was even born that he would be a smith. Ideid enlisted along with him. Soon, they were placed in the Honor Guard, under the command of King Reildar himself. Vagnar drilled and drilled while in the army. When the Hobgoblins finally assaulted Fruyr, they swept over the Dwarven army until they finally met the Honor Guard, who were set up in the last, narrow pass between the advancing army and Fruyr. Vagnar showed courage and fury in the heat of battle, slaying thirty-six goblins before the Hobgoblins retreated in the face of Dwarven might. After the furious battle, Vagnar was given a medal for his courage and valor while facing a superior force by King Reildar himself, granted a magical axe and was given a small command, the Fourteenth scouting unit. Ideid immediately requested a transfer, and was placed under Vagnar’s command. The Fourteenth, which was only seven strong including due to casualties, was soon placed on expeditionary duties, sending Vagnar and his unit out to explore new lands and report their findings. They were placed on the ship Courage’s Fire, and set sail from the eastern port of Brierd due south across the Great Sea. Soon after their journey began, Vagnar began to have vague visions of the future that he could not control. The only thing he knew was that to the south lay grave danger, and that the north held magnificent treasure. While headed north, Vagnar began to control his visions. He began to meditate every morning in order to access his new powers. Weeks passed and finally they landed on the northern shore of the Great Sea. Huge ice sheets coated the barren, windswept landscape. After gathering all their supplies, Vagnar and the Fourteenth scouting unit of the Dwarven Army set out into the unknown North. A week into their journey, they encountered a long-lost colony of forty Gnomes that had long turned feral. Attacked on sight, Vagnar and the Fourteenth were given no choice but to kill them. Among the bodies, they discovered several magic items that had apparently been given to the Gnomes for protection. Vagnar, still haunted by his massacre at the camp, declared that the Fourteenth had to march on to continue mission out to the frozen wastelands… Personality/Physical Qualities Vagnar is a happy dwarf who laughs easily and often. While he takes offence to many things, he soon forgets them. He does not, however, forget any true grievances he has with anyone. His wrath is a fearful thing to behold indeed. Vagnar is an average-height Dwarf (4’11”), but is still a large being, weighing in at almost 250 lbs. His long blond hair is tied back in a series of intricate braids and his blue eyes shine with youth and enthusiasm. His eyes have adopted a slightly hollow look of late, however, after experiencing war and the slaughtering of the Gnomes. On his back is a glowing axe, inscribed with archaic runes of power. Tactics Vagnar is a formidable combatant with a good knowledge of tactics. He can direct his followers and Ideid (The Fourteenth) with skill and precision. When he fights, he makes good use of a phalanx with his unit. An aggressive fighter, as soon as he feels it is a good time for a counterattack, he will enter a Rage and cut a bloody path through his foes. King Reildar, LG Dwarf Fighter 10/Paladin 9 Mastersmith Bunna Geohil Axemaster , LG Female Dwarf Wizard 14 Ideid Geohil Axemaster, NG Male Dwarf Rogue 4 (Cohort) *Complete Divine **Complete Warrior Hope I do well... ;)
TheChilliGod 01-23-07, 08:46 PM	Added to list. Less than a day left, and there's, what, four entries left to meet the quota? Ah well, we can always still hope. (Stealth Bump!)
Kit_the_Odd 01-24-07, 12:09 AM	Barom Brightstar Barom Brightstar was, despite being the son of minor nobles, happy as a bard in the court of Archendria. He had loved the ancient epics of heroes from childhood and eventually decided to make his life sharing those stories himself. He was an decent student with most of the private tutors his parents hired, but he was a natural in the magical arena and his talents really began to shine when he started studying with the local bardic guild. His parents were Sir and Lady Brightstar, captain of the Princes' Guards. They were killed (deliberately but indirectly) by court intrigue. There was an attempt on the life of the King's youngest son, who was attending the theatre with Sir and Lady Brightstar that night. The King's son was saved when the rest of the Guards arrived, but it was too late to save the Brightstars. Barom's older brother Dareth is the inheritor of the Brightstar estate. While Dareth attended to the needs of the estate Barom sought the truth of what happened that night. He felt it odd that the assassins ran off so quickly when they could have finished off the Prince with only minimal risk that the attacking Guards could stop them. The Royal Justicars felt that it was due to cowardice and left the investigation at that, but Barom didn't believe it. With a new purpose in his life Barom left behind his studies and began to investigate his parents death. In his investigations he found that his parents had actually been the target of the attack as much as the Prince. His parents were killed because his father had used his influence with the King to block the appointment of Duke Reginald as Royal Treasurer. He found that Reginald had ordered the attack with the intent to kill the Brightstars, and if the Prince was killed it was a bonus. Unfortunately his evidence was not enough to satisfy the Justicars. Dareth is a good man, but only willing to work within the system. Barom cared more about avenging his parents death than keeping the peace. So he used the evidence he did have and his skills as a bard to start a rumor and gossip campaign that would destroy Reginald's reputation and his public power. This was not easy, especially once Reginald realized what was happening and began to try and stop Barom. Despite his relative inexperience, and with a lot of luck, Barom was able to not only survive but he was successful in his efforts. Unfortunately, without any evidence that could be used against the Duke officially, Reginald was able to retain his title and money. Barom left on an expedition to Frostfell with a group of adventurers barely a half-step ahead of assassins and other attempted vengeance from Duke Reginald. Dareth and Barom had discussed his leaving previously and decided that to protect the family name and estate from Reginald's revenge Dareth, now the Lord Brightstar, would formally disown his brother. During the expedition was impressed by the paladin that was part of the team, Lady Aurora Killian. Despite being another member of the nobility of Archendria she kept herself free of the ugly workings of the court. Barom found his disgust with court intrigue mixing with respect for paladin and a growing love and appreciation of heroic histories and epics. Before meeting Lady Killian he had always believed that people like in the songs were "too good to be true", but now he had found someone that was that good and honorable. He also found the difficulty of living in Frostfell forced a clearer distinction between good and evil. When each choice could mean life or death it soon became very apparent who was choosing for the good of all, and who was acting purely for themselves. While Barom had always considered himself to be on the side of "good" these experiences strengthened and solidified his commitment to that ideal. One other experience made a drastic impact on his new views of the world. In their travels to the Frostfell, the expedition came across the remains of town littered with too many bodies for the few remaining survivors to deal with. The adventurers helped to bury the dead, but were shocked to find that the town had not been attacked for outside. Rather the town had destroyed itself when a blood feud between families had gotten out of control and dragged the entire town into destruction. Barom saw how the chaos of revenge could destroy and wondered if he hadn't done the same type of thing in his fight against Duke Reginald. But he felt doubt that Archendria could truly work under the rule of law when people like Reginald were able to pervert the law to their own devices, and hide their misdeeds behind a public façade. Only Barom's ability to rip apart that mask had kept Reginald from completely succeeding. These reflections left Barom feeling like a 'pre-disillusioned' idealist. He found that he respected and honored the concept of the Rule of Law, but also found it all but impossible to believe that it could work in the real world. The expedition was successful. The item that they had been sent to recover had been stolen and the thieves lost it and their lives to the Urskans. Barom, however, was able to make peace with the Urskans rather than fight them. He and the rest of his team were also made honorary members of the tribe after they helped save some of the tribe from a drift of snowcloaks. The item was a helmet that increased the wearers mental abilities incredibly (Helmut of Intelligence and Wisdom +6). It was an artifact and treasure of Archendria that the rulers used to improve their abilities as rulers. Barom was worried however, because he saw how this could be used for evil and chaos as well and good and law. The spiritual leader of the Urskans heard his concerns and told him of a method she had heard of to align a magic item. This task required spending several days alone with the item. His teammates reluctantly allowed him to go a small way from the village of the Urskans for this. The Barom that returned from this vigil was quite different than the man they had known. He seemed to glow with an inner light and hope and power. The helmet had indeed been aligned so that only a person that was good and/or lawful could use it, and that anyone evil or chaotic would actually be damaged by it. In the process, however, Barom had been visited. He never said exactly who, or what, had visited him but it was clear that his life path had changed drastically. While he lost none of his previous talents or abilities he began to exhibit the abilities and talents of a paladin. The only thing he would say was that he now believed that his ideals were not hopeless after all and that he would spend the rest of his life trying to make them a reality. He was unsure if he wanted to return to Archendria or not. As they began to return to Archendria they met a messenger from Dareth that told them that his enemies had succeeded in formally banishing Barom from his homeland. The messenger also brought a gift from Dareth, their father's court sword. The sword was an adamantine rapier, and their father had often pointed out that, just like this sword, being part of refined civilization did not require giving up strength. Barom knew that Dareth was telling him that he would back him if he wanted to fight to return. His comrades offered to help him fight also, but to him it was sign. He chose instead to stay in the Frostfell and began a new life as a champion of good and law within that place. Lady Killian's life quest was to try to save Archendria from itself, Barom's was to help Frostfell grow up well. Just as Barom had grown and learned, so would he help the people of the Frostfell. Since then he has adventured and fought to make the Frostfell a better place. He is an ally of the Knights of the Iron Glacier and has contemplated joining their ranks. Several adventuring parties have also been assisted by him. One time he, and the adventuring party he was helping at the time, were able to save an entire Rockfoot Clan dwarf settlement from an evil druid who was sending arctic animals into the forest below the mountains. Barom prefers to spend his time hunting down intelligent evils over merely dangerous animals, but will do whatever he can to help Frostfell become a lawful and good society. He doesn't love the Frostfell itself, but rather feels a hope that in time this region can become a center of civilization without the intrigues, deceptions, and corruptness that have occurred in more comfortable climates. He keeps in touch with Dareth though infrequent letters delivered by Frostfell explorers based in Archendria. A good looking man with blond hair and blue eyes. 5'9" and 175 lbs. Barom is just plain likable, as one would expect from a bard/paladin. He prefers to talk rather than fight, but is more than willing to shed blood if needed. He speaks with a distinctly educated noble accent, but without any trace of disdain or condesention. Friends: Dareth - Brother, Lord Brightstar in Archendria. Very friendly but officially has disowned Barom for matters of politics. Would love to see his brother come home. Former team mates, especially the Lady Killian Knights of the Iron Glacier - see Frostburn Rockfoot Clan of Dwarves - live just outside of the Frostfell Enemies: Duke Reginald - He is unlikely to seek further vengeance against Barom because he is more concerned about his current schemes to obtain power. But he would certainly take the time and effort of Barom ever threatened him again. He also has no love for Dareth who is a political rival. Ice Storm - Evil Druid of the Frostfell. Barom saw him fall from a cliff while saving the dwarf village and assumed he was dead. He was wrong. Ice Storm is determined to expand the area and influence of the cold and ice. Barom Brightstar Human Male Bard 3/Paladin 3 LG Starting Abilities: STR: 10 (2 pts) DEX: 15 (8 pts) CON: 10 (2 pts) INT: 12 (4 pts) WIS: 10 (2 pts) CHA: 16 (10 pts) Current Abilities: STR: 10 DEX: 16 (+1 lvl 4) CON: 10 INT: 12 WIS: 10 CHA: 16 HP: 29.5 (6 + 2d6 + 3d10) AC: 20 (+5 armor, +2 shield, +3 Dex) BAB: +5 (Grapple +5, Melee +5, ranged +8) Init: +3 (+3 Dex) Fort: +7 (+1 Bard, +3 Paladin, +3 Divine Grace) Ref: +10 (+3 Bard, +1 Paladin, +3 Dex, +3 Divine Grace) Will: +7 (+3 Bard, +1 Paladin, +3 Divine Grace) Speed: 30ft/x4 Attack: Adamatine Rapier +9 (+5 BAB, +3 Dex (Weapon Finesse), +1 masterwork(part of adamantine)), 1d6, 18-20/x2 Dagger +8, 1d4, 18-20/x2 Shortbow +8, 1d6, 20/x3 Feats: 1st: Combat Reflexes 1st(Human): Precocious Apprentice (Complete Arcane, pg. 181) 3rd: Weapon Finesse 6th: Devoted Performer (Complete Adventurer, pg. 107) Class Abilities: Proficient all armor & shields (except tower) Proficient all simple & martial weapons and whip Can cast Bard spells in light armor w/o spell failure Bardic Knowledge (1d20+4) Bardic Music (6/day): Countersong, Fascinate, Inspire Courage (+1), Inspire Competence Paladin Code of Conduct Aura of Good Smite Evil 1/day: add +3 to attack roll and +6 damage Divine Grace: +3 (Cha bonus) to all saves Lay on Hands: 9hp/day Aura of Courage: +4 morale vs fear effects for allies within 10 ft Divine Health: immune to all diseases, including magical diseases Spells per Day - Bard 3/2/1 Bard Spells Known: 0 - Detect Magic, Ghost Sound(DC 13), Light, Mending, Prestidigitation 1 - Expeditious Retreat, Inspirational Boost, Sleep(DC 14) 2 - Mirror Image Spell Casting Notes: 5% Spell Failure Chance when using shield 2nd Level Spell from Precocious Apprentice Feat. All spells from PHB, except for Inspirational Boost (Complete Adventurer pg. 153). Does not yet have any Paladin Spells Skills: Balance: +5 (+3 Dex, +2 synergy(Tumble)) Bluff: +5 (+2 ranks, +3 Cha) Climb: +1 (+1 rank) Diplomacy: +6 (+3 ranks, +3 Cha) Gather Info: +6 (+3 ranks, +3 Cha) Handle Animal: +4 (+1 ranks, +3 Cha) Jump: +2 (+2 synergy(Tumble)) Know(arcana): +2 (+1 rank, +1 Int) Know(arch&eng): +2 (+1 rank, +1 Int) Know(geography): +2 (+1 rank, +1 Int) Know(history): +2 (+1 rank, +1 Int) Know(local): +2 (+1 rank, +1 Int) Know(nature): +2 (+1 rank, +1 Int) Know(nobility): +2 (+1 rank, +1 Int) Know(religion): +2 (+1 rank, +1 Int) Listen: +0 Perform(oratory): +9 (+6 ranks, +3 Cha) Perform(strings): +4 (+1 ranks, +3 Cha) Perform(woodwinds): +4 (+1 ranks, +3 Cha) Perform(percussion): +4 (+1 ranks, +3 Cha) Ride: +6 (+3 ranks, +3 Dex) Search: +1 (+1 Int) Sense Motive: +3 (+3 ranks) Speak Lang.: +3 (+3 ranks) Spellcraft: +6 (+5 ranks, +1 Int) Spot: +0 Tumble: +9 (+6 ranks, +3 Dex) Use Magic Dev.: +12 (+9 ranks, +3 Cha) Languages: Common, Draconic, Celestial, Dwarven, Giant All prices are in gp. Weapons and Armor Adamantine Rapier 3320 (+1) Mithral Chain Shirt 2100 Mithral Heavy Shield 1020 Dagger 2 Shortbow 30 60 arrows 3 Heward's Handy Haversack 2000 Boot of Winterlands 2500 Jumping Caltrops 150 Universal Solvent 50 Spellcasting Items Scroll of Create Food & Water 375 Wand of CLW (25 charges) 375 Spell Component Pouch 5 Used Items (during struggle against Reginald) scroll of eagle's splendor 150 scroll of invisibility 150 Light Warhorse 150 military saddle 20 sadlebags 4 Alchemical Items acid 10 alchemist's fire 20 everburning torch 110 holy water 25 sunrod 2 tanglefoot bag 50 thunderstone 30 tindertwig 1 ice chalk 20 (Frostburn, pg. 78) Mundane stuff Bedroll 0.1 Winter blanket 1.5 caltrops 1 Candle 0.01 Map case 1 chalk 0.01 crowbar 2 fishhook 0.1 flask (empty) 0.03 Flint and steel 1 Grappling Hook 1 Hammer 0.5 Ink 8 Inkpen 0.1 hooded lantern 7 manacles 15 mirror 10 mug 0.02 paper (sheet) 0.4 parchment (sheet) 0.2 Piton 0.1 Iron Pot 0.5 Trail Rations (10 days) 5 Silk rope (50 ft) 10 Hemp rope (50 ft) 1 Sack 0.1 sealing wax 1 signet ring 5 soap 1lb 0.5 shovel 2 tent 10 torch 0.01 waterskin 1 whetstone 0.02 climber's kit 80 explorer's outfit free at creation entertainer's outfit 3 cold weather outfit 8 Total 12847.2 gp Cash 150 gp, 20 sp, 80cp 1st - Bard 1 Feats: Combat Reflexes, Precocious Apprentice(Human) Skills: Bluff 1, Diplomacy 2, Gather Info 2, all Knowledge skills except Religion listed 1, Perform(oratory) 4, all other Perform listed 1, Speak Lang. 1, Spellcraft 4, Tumble 4, UMD 4 2nd - Bard 2 Skills: Bluff 1, Diplomacy 1, Gather Info 1, Perform(oratory) 1, Sense Motive 1, Speak Lang. 1, Tumble 1, UMD 1 3rd - Bard 3 Feat: Weapon Finesse Skills: Climb 1, Perform(oratory) 1, Sense Motive 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Speak Lang. 1, Spellcraft 1, Tumble 1, UMD 1 4th - Paladin 1/Bard 3 Dex Increased Skills: Ride 1, Sense Motive 1, UMD 1 (2 SP, cross class) 5th - Paladin 2/Bard 3 Skills: Know(religion), Ride 1, UMD 1 (2 SP, cross class) 6th - Paladin 3/Bard 3 Feat: Devoted Performer Skills: Handle Animal 1, Ride 1, UMD 1 (2 SP, cross class) Barom owns a warhorse, but typically does not fight mounted due to lack of training in that area. He often even travels without the horse, leaving it stabled with the Knights of the iron Glacier or another ally, trusting to his Boots of the Winterlands to help him in his travels. Barom knows that, unlike many paladins, he is not a good frontline fighter. He prefers to talk rather than fight anyway. When he has to fight he uses his tumbling to move around the battlefield and set up flanking for teammates. He is also willing to stay back and use his bow and magic if he isn't needed up front. He usually tries to start a fight by casting Mirror Image to protect himself from harm.
Kit_the_Odd 01-24-07, 12:28 AM	I have to say that despite the relatively late entry I actually did not procrastinate till the end of the competition(this time), it was life that got in the way. (Having 3 kids can do that to you sometimes. :)) I almost changed my character drastically at the last minute. There was another thread about people having a 'iconic' class that they just always seemed to fit with or use, and I realized that I almost always use the Bard class. So I almost went back and changed Barom to be a pure Paladin, but I decided I didn't have enough time. Plus I really like the change he goes through character wise. It leaves him very unoptimised as a paladin (no Str or Con bonus), but it just seemed to fit well. I hope the judges like that part of his background, because it is such an important part of him. One of the things I wanted to make a part of the character, and the reason to be a paladin, was the idea that in an extreme environment the line between good and evil can become much more clear. (The opposite could also be argued also, I guess.) The idea of a paladin choosing to stay in a place like that because it was easier to see that difference was interesting to me. I also really tried to make the fluff and the crunch match. Hopefully I did that well also. Feel free to read that stuff, judges, if you want to. I just thought that I'd hide it in case you don't want to hear about the thought process behind the character so you can judge solely on what is actually there. Now that I think about it, that is something I'd like to see. Maybe posted after the judging is finished, but I'd really like to hear the process the other competitors go through in creating these characters. Inspirations, etc.
Nani? 01-24-07, 04:13 AM	Mikokami Yuki Background According to official documents of the Hantei Emperor, the lands north of Asako Palace have few villages filled with unimportant hinnin farmers and fishermen who brave the cool sub artic seas. Gradually, the hills get steeper and, only a few shrines and monasteries are said to exist, homes of a few monks and hermits (and the occasional bandit or peasant fleeing the harsh treatment of their Samurai “betters”). If you listen to the tales of Mantis sailors blown off course, a few Yabejin tribesmen eek out a life and fishing the streams and gathering plants along the northern coast. Beyond them, (though this is only rumored) the land is inhabited by a few bands of savages who hunt whale in boats made of animal skins and live in houses of snow. Few know of the great ocean always covered ice on the top of the world. The idea that someone would walk across this ocean is unthinkable. But the parents of Mikokami Yuki did walk across this ocean. So has Yuki, though only she has lived to tell the tale. Imperial records do not mention how, one season many years ago, as the snows began to melt, a peasant woman found two frozen corpses. One was a strange white haired man, with unusual long, pointed ears. He had looked like he was so thin the peasant woman thought perhaps he had starved. In spite of that, a few paces away, a woman with hair the color of flame and eyes the color of sky stared aimlessly into space. In her hands and clenched closely was a newborn infant. In an impulsive move, she took the child to her country home. For she lived high in the hills, alone, as only wu-jen, devoted monks, runaway peasants and a few ronin are apt to do. This “peasant woman” had been called many things, Wu-Jen, Itako, Maho Tsuki (though she was not this), renegade, or great witch, and though a peasant, she was one who was never challenged, even by the great Elemental Masters of Isawa Palace. The ears of the child were slightly pointed, and the hair, like its father's, the color of snow. She, for it was a girl, smiled up at the woman with eyes that were green. This did not bother the woman. Obviously, her father had been one of the winter spirits who had taken a mortal lover among the gai-jin. She named her Yuki (Snowflake). To Yuki she became “Ha Ha,” mother. That mother taught her that she was a divine spirit, a small one (as all children are), a Mikokami (small kami). Thus unknown to anyone, a half elf was named Mikokami Yuki (little snow spirit). So Yuki grew up on the edge of civilization, trained by her adoptive mother in her art, accompanying her as she went from village to village telling fortunes to peasants, occasionally dealing with problems the Samurai took taxes for but seldom bothered with, like bandits, Maho Tsuki (Blood Magicians). Her mother had a lover, a ronin named Osusuki, who would protect her more often through bluffs, fast talk, and clever disguises of her gaijin features. Together they traveled the edges of civilization. Among the Rokugani, there was always a suspicion. In spite of the fact that she was not human, some were less then convinced that she was a kami. Because she did not want people staring at her, running their fingers upon her skin, looking at suspicion or startlement at her green eyes, or pulling her hair to see if it was real, she usually went about in disguise and with a little magic, blend into the population. Yuki grew up believing what she was told, for the evidence was all around her. Her mortal friends all seemed to age and grow old faster as then she did. Even mother seemed to move more slowly as the years went by (though Osusuki was seemingly ageless). Little things seemed to set her apart, her green eyes and white hair, her pointed ears, the way she could always find the other children when she played hide and seek and could see in the dark. Besides, she liked to play jokes and tricks much more then the peasant children. She smiled more. She, also, as a kami, and the adoptive daughter of the Itako, had more freedom. Often, she would use her non disguised form to right wrongs or help friends. Finally, there was winter. Winter was her special time. They would always move into the cave that mother called home for the winter. The traveling stopped, other then short trip to closest village for the New Year’s festival or to one of the monks in similar caves down the valley. Cold never bothered her and she would often be out in a light kimono, even in the heavy storms. In winter, she heard the voices of her father, the winter, whispering into her ears. It was also the time the Yuki Onna would visit. They would surround her, dancing around her, play hide and seek and other games. They called her, little sister. They would whisper secrets in her ear, tell stories to her. They let her know the story of her birth parents, her father the frost and the mother, a mortal, who they knew very well. They also told her an important secret. There were others like her, “on the other side of the great ice”. Still this was home. Surely she could make a home. Besides, she was in love. It was spring. He was the son of a shrine keeper in a small village. She at first followed him, hiding as he did his rounds. Then she would leave him small gifts. Finally, she sought him out. They spent a summer together, one where she did not travel with her mother. Her hiding upon the shrine grounds (a great forest), and occasionally coming to the shrine in the disguise of a normal worshiper. One moonlit night under the cover of a waterfall, she took him and made him hers. In the fall, her mother and Osasuki returned in the disguise of a rich samurai and his wife. Together, they negotiated the marriage of Yuki to her beloved. Still, there seemed to be something odd in her future father in laws eyes. The marriage was to take place at midwinter. It snowed for three days before the wedding. This was something Yuki took as a good sign, for she always loved snow. This was unfortunate, for she did not pay attention to the party of Shiba Samurai who were in the inn. The day came, the hall cleaned, her dressed and washed her and with her “father” they entered the hall. Sitting there was the old priest and his son, but there were no guests. They walked forward. Her beloved turned his face to see the bride. It was filled with tears. “Run” he screamed, right before an arrow came through the shoji screen and into his back. With that the screen came down to reveal the Shiba Samurai and Isawa Shugenja sent to capture the “kami”. Arrows entered her elderly mother and her lover. Only her wounded beloved, throwing himself in front of a storm of arrows saved Yuki. Only her mother’s great power with the wind knocked the attackers flat, while knocking the roof to the four directions. Together, mother and daughter rode the tornado and made their escape. They landed in a frozen rice field. Yuki held her wounded mother. Yuki looked down upon the snow……stained red. She looked at the red on her white kimono. “Go daughter”. With that, Yuki was alone in the clearing. Or rather, it was a different clearing. Presumably, one very far away from where she had been. That moment she lay down in the snow. The tears fell, for her beloved, for her home that was now gone. For the life that could never be. And the snow blew over her, covering her, turning her tears to ice, but filling her at the same time. Alone she lay, for days, as she became one with the snow. Then the chill entered her, transforming her. She felt the hand upon her shoulder. She looked into the eyes of the Yuki Onna. The tears mirrored her own. “Time to go now little sister,” it said without words, “Your home is gone, now go home.” She looked around. The blizzard had stopped. Suddenly, she knew where she was. “Hai” she nodded. The snow spirit smiled. Their eyes met. They were both creatures of the snow now. She regained her wits and recognized where she was. Her mother’s cave was just up the valley. There she stopped for the last time, grabbing scrolls with her favorite spells, potions, and a few provisions. The journey north was long and treacherous. Each step she felt more at kin with the snow, traveling above the forests, spending seasons with the barbarians, feeling her powers grow stronger as she truly became a snow spirit in fact as well as name. Finally, she crossed the great ice sea. Alas, she was not was reminded that she was mortal by the cold but still she hiked. She made it over the sea, but in the end she was exhausted. She collapsed as she stepped into a cave, her energy exhausted. She would have died but for the dwarf clan, whose hold the cave was an entrance to. Luckily, they took her in. She recovered, she learned of “elves” for the first time. She learned of humans with hair the color of fire. Indeed, she may indeed find kin other then the snow. Perhaps soon, she can learn of what she really is. Appearance: Slight woman covered in furs (her kimonos are long gone). Her white hair advertises her snow elf ancestry, though is it sometimes dyed black and kept in pigtails (a custom she picked up from human nomads on her trip). Her face is seems to have a slight smile. Her eyes are always curious, darting back and forth. Her hands are notably cold. Stats Mikokami Yuki Female Half Elven 5th level Wu Jen (Complete Arcane), 1st level Frost Mage (Frostburn) CG medium humanoid, Age 29, Height 5 ft, Weight 115 Pounds Attributes Str. 8 (0pts) -1 Int 17 (10pts, +1 level adjustment) +3 Wis 10 (2 pts) +0 Dex 14 (6pts) +2 Con 14 (6pts) +2 Cha 12 (4pts) +1 Hit points: 28.5 (16.5 Wu-jen Frost Mage, +12 Con) Armor class: 14 (+2 Dex, +1 frost mage Lvl 1, +1 Amulet of natural armor) Flat footed 12 Touch 12 Initiative: +2 (dex) Speed: 30 ft Base Attack: +3 Saves: Fortitude +3 Reflex +3 Will+7 Languages: Common, Sylvan, Draconic, Giant, Dwarven. Note: I am using the Wu Jen option of replacing a starting language (Elven) w/Draconic. Speed: 30 Melee: Dagger (Tanto) 1d3/1d4-1 Spells: 0: 4 1st:4 2nd:4 3rd: 3 Typically memorized: 0: Detect Magic, Ray of Frost, Prestidigitation, Mage hand 1st: Scales of the Lizard, Magic Missile x2, Obscuring Mist 2nd: Resist Energy, Ice Blast, Hypnotic Pattern, Spider Climb 3rd: Steam Breath x2, Suggestion Feats: Sudden Widen (Complete Arcane, Wu Jen 1st level bonus feat) Snowcasting (Frostburn) (1st) Frozen Magic (Frostburn) (3rd) Sculpt Spell (Complete Arcane) (6th) Class Abilities: Wu Jen 1: 1 Meta Magic Feat, Watchful Spirit Wu Jen 3: Spell Secret: Ice Blast is permanently has Still Spell Taboo: Yuki considers all Yuki Onna to be “Older Sisters” and will never harm one in any way. See frostburn for details on the Yuki Onna. Frost Mage 1: +1 to AC Racial Traits Half Elf traits as Detailed in players handbook. Skills: Concentration +11 (9 ranks, +2 Con), Diplomacy +3(+2 Racial +1 Cha), *Disguise +2 (1 ranks +1 Cha), +2 Gather Information (+2 racial) Knowledge: Arcane +12 (9 Ranks +3 Int) Knowledge: Geography+8 (5 ranks+3 Int) Knowledge: Nature +8 (5 ranks +3 Int) +1 Listen (+1 racial) +8 +4 Search (+1 Racial +3 Int) Spellcraft+10 (7 ranks +3 Int +2 synergy w/knowledge: Arcana) +1 Spot (+1 Racial) *Survival +6/+8 to avoid getting lost and hazards (4 ranks +2 synergy w/knowledge: nature +2 synergy bonus w/knowledge: geography for stated purposes) *Cross Class Skill with ranks in them Total Number of Skill Points: 45 (20 for 1st, 5 per level afterwards) 42 Ranks Mundane Equitment Snow Shoes 15 pds 10gp Flint+Steel -- 1 gp Snow Goggles (painted as fox mask) -- 2 gp Cold Weather Outfit 7 pds 8 gp Fur Clothing 10 pds 8 gp Mirror .5 pds 10gp Rope, Silk 50 ft 5 pds 10 gp Bedroll 5 pds 1 sp Blanket, Winter 5 pds 2 gp 8 days trail rations 8 pds 4 gp Waterskin x2 4 pds 2 gp Paper, 50 sheets -- 5 gp Everburning Torch -- 110 gp Ink pen -- 16 gp Spell Book 3pds 15 gp Ink x2 -- 16 gp Antitoxin x2 -- 100 gp Spell component pouch 2pds 5 gp Chopsticks, wooden -- --- Dagger (Tanto) 1pds 2gp Total 65.5 wgt 326gp 1 sp cost Magic Items Handy Haversack (gift from mom) 2000 gp Boots of the Winterlands 2500 gp Amulet of Natural Armor+1 (gift from Spirit Shaman during trip north) 2000 gp Elixir of Hiding x2 500 gp Elixir of Sneaking x1 250 gp Potion of Cure Light Wounds x6 300 gp Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds x2 600 gp Elixir of Swimming 250 gp 1 Scroll w/Protection from evil, obscuring mist, locate object x2 350 gp 1 scroll w/ See Invisible, Hold Person 525 gp Total Cost -- 9275 gp Spell Book 1st level spells Endure Elements, Obscuring mist, Cobras Breath, Disguise Self, Elemental Burst, Comprehend languages, Smoke Ladder, Magic Missile, Protection from Evil, Scales of the Lizard Total 10: 6in original book, +2 2nd level, +2 copied, Cost 300 gp 2nd Level Spells Resist Energy, Fog Cloud, Ice blast, Hypnotic Pattern, Knock, Alter self, Invisibility, Spider climb, Misdirection Total 9: 4 added 3rd & 4th Level +5 copied Cost 1500 gp 3rd Level Spells Tongues, Gaseous Form, Suggestion, Commune w/Lesser Spirit, Dispel Magic, Steam Breath Total 6: 4 added 5th& 6th Level +2 copied Cost 900 gp Total cost for Spell Book: 2700 Total Equipment Cost: 12291 gp 1 sp. 708 gp 9 sp ready cash, recently acquired by trading exotic goods to the dwarves. Design Notes: I use “Rokugan” references. However, feel free to remove as desired. My description is based partially on real life historical Northern Honshu and Hokkaido as well as the 1st addition L5R supplement Way of the Phoenix. Additional references have been pulled from Way of the Minor Clans. Itako are RW female Shamans native to the region who somewhat resemble Wu-jen. I am quite aware that Wu-jen are not included in the “official” setting rules. Level advancement beyond 6: 7: Wu Jen 6 becomes Water Wu Jen. 8-16: Advance through Frost Mage Prestige Class. 17-18: Wu Jen 7-8 19: Wu Jen 9: Gains taboo considers herself divine manifestation of winter and must listen to all properly presented petitions for her aid (doesn’t have to grant such petitions).
Zherog 01-24-07, 10:42 AM	There's a bit over 8 hours left for those looking to enter.
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-24-07, 12:07 PM	I was getting worried. I almost thought I wouldn't have to judge very many characters this time around. I was afraid you all were going to make it easy for me. But now, we see the last minute flood! We need three more entries to set a new entry record. Can we make it?
Nani? 01-24-07, 12:47 PM	Formatting question for future reference/help I had chart I did in word that came out looking like this: Skill Point Breakdown per level: Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 total Concentration 4 1 1 1 1 1 9 Disguise* 2 2 Know: Arcana 4 1 1 1 1 1 9 Know: Geography 1 1 1 1 1 5 Know: Nature 2 1 1 1 5 Spell craft 4 1 1 1 7 Survival* 4 1 1 1 1 8 Totals 20 5 5 5 5 5 45 Was fixing and accidently pushed submit reply rather then preview post. Other then not using charts, how do you format your characters for competitions like this. All the Best, Nani?
Zherog 01-24-07, 01:03 PM	The easiest way to do a chart is with the CODE function. It maintains spaces (and tabs); basically, I type the chart in Notepad, then copy/paste it into code tags. Using your chart, it would look something like this: Skill Point Breakdown per level: Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 total Concentration 4 1 1 1 1 1 9 Disguise* 2 2 Know: Arcana 4 1 1 1 1 1 9 Know: Geography 1 1 1 1 1 5 Know: Nature 2 1 1 1 5 Spell craft 4 1 1 1 7 Survival* 4 1 1 1 1 8 Totals 20 5 5 5 5 5 45
TheChilliGod 01-24-07, 01:22 PM	Okay. You caught me off guard with that entry. But it's on the list, now. So nyaah. Less than 6 hours left, I suppose. If you like last-minute entries, submit them in now.
Nani? 01-24-07, 01:28 PM	Okay. You caught me off guard with that entry. But it's on the list, now. So nyaah. Less than 6 hours left, I suppose. If you like last-minute entries, submit them in now. Of course my rogue sneakiness would catch you off guard, you take 4d6 sneak attack damage. Yea, I'm on the list. :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: Also, thanks Zherog. All the Best, Nani?
Magocrat 01-24-07, 03:13 PM	Uhm, Nani? I applaud you. I have a budding interest in Japanese culture and language, and you have kindled that interest. A lot. While I haven't read the crunch of the character, I'm very impressed by your character. (Especially because of the Japanese etymology of her name.) She even seems like a good character for a novel. (Geez, I have the urge to actually name every single thing I like about her, damn my school for refining my cultural awareness!) Anyways, good job. Just five more hours left for those who still have one cooking up! That means the entries will be in when I'm awake tomorrow. Goodie!
Nani? 01-24-07, 04:09 PM	Uhm, Nani? I applaud you. I have a budding interest in Japanese culture and language, and you have kindled that interest. A lot. While I haven't read the crunch of the character, I'm very impressed by your character. (Especially because of the Japanese etymology of her name.) She even seems like a good character for a novel. (Geez, I have the urge to actually name every single thing I like about her, damn my school for refining my cultural awareness!) Anyways, good job. Just five more hours left for those who still have one cooking up! That means the entries will be in when I'm awake tomorrow. Goodie! Thanks Magocrat. It's nice to know that someone likes your work, especially if you're a little nervous about its reception. All the Best, Nani?
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-24-07, 05:37 PM	What is there to be nervous about? Your work is just going to be meticulously torn apart by 4 no-social life, elitist judges whose sole goal in life is to drain all hope and enthusiasm from you that they possibly can for each and every miniscule mistake that they can find. As judges, we are not satisfied until we have made all the contestants weep in eternal anguish. Be afraid! :evillaugh I mean... Thanks for the entry! :cool: :angelhide
TheChilliGod 01-24-07, 06:59 PM	**Insert Deadline Here** And, surprisingly enough (or not, as you see it), we have a mere 9 entries this time around. And a pity it is, too. But, nothing can be helped about it, I suppose. At least the bar still stands for whatever HC#7 decides to become. By the way, I'm quite surprised to note that only one of the contestants is new to HC. Strange that we haven't attracted many newbies... And, now begins the highly rewarding process of getting up off our seats, stop procrastinating, and begin to turn into the critical, analytical ogres that I know we all really are and ruthless judge each and every entry, all to just give each and every one a score of 0 simply because we felt like breaking your fragile little minds. Or something like that, the details escape me. I'd give us a week. Week-and-a-half, tops. Definitely by the time my summer break finishes. Or maybe sometime next year, we'll see how it goes. Debbie? Fetch me my batch of kittens, so that I may zap them. :devil: Edit: lol, 101 replies.
Heros_Backpack 01-24-07, 07:33 PM	Your work is just going to be meticulously torn apart by 4 no-social life, elitist judges whose sole goal in life is to drain all hope and enthusiasm from you that they possibly can for each and every miniscule mistake that they can find. As judges, we are not satisfied until we have made all the contestants weep in eternal anguish. I cast protection from anguish and smile cheerfully back! :D
Nani? 01-24-07, 07:45 PM	I already backstabed the chief judge.:D
Kit_the_Odd 01-24-07, 11:08 PM	hmm... 1 competitor is defending against the judges, and another is threatening them. I guess that leaves bribing the judges for me. Anybody want a cookie?:cookie: :)
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-24-07, 11:23 PM	chocolate chip?
Nani? 01-25-07, 12:02 AM	hmm... 1 competitor is defending against the judges, and another is threatening them. I guess that leaves bribing the judges for me. Anybody want a cookie?:cookie: :) I'm not threatening him, he said I did a sneak attack. I got chocolate chip for all the judges. All the Best, Nani?
Kit_the_Odd 01-25-07, 08:05 AM	Fair enough. How about if I change it to "and another attacked a judge". And Jason, chocolate chip is traditional but I am willing to be flexible. Do you have a preferance?
Zherog 01-25-07, 08:50 AM	Just to be all official and stuff, the contest is closed for entries. Let the mad scramble of judging begin!
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-25-07, 11:46 AM	Actually, my personal favorite is Snickerdoodle cookies, followed distantly by Trefoils girl scout cookies. Chocolate Chip actually comes in about 5th. Although, to be entirely fair, all attempts to bribe the judges, according to the original FAQ, should technically be accomplished by Private Message. I'm also a fan of Ribeye Steak... :D
Far_Traveler 01-25-07, 11:58 AM	I bet the reduced amount was because some people were discouraged about the competition on the fact that they didn't have frostburn. Note: this didn't stop me! Bwahaha!
Nani? 01-25-07, 02:08 PM	I bet the reduced amount was because some people were discouraged about the competition on the fact that they didn't have frostburn. Note: this didn't stop me! Bwahaha! I agree. They could have made a perfectly good character using Core or just the Complete Books (what I was going to do originally, then I sat down in a Barnes+Noble and took some notes), also, that part of UA had enough in and of itself for "flavor". All the Best, Nani?
TheChilliGod 01-25-07, 02:19 PM	Unfortunately, I also blame the limiting theme. Despite me being the one who came up with it ( :weep: ). One of my players, in fact, signed up on the WotC boards specifically to enter this competition, but he was left completely uninspired, and in the end he pulled out. He told me it was because of the theme. Despite him having access to Frostburn, actually. Something we've learned for HC#7, I suppose. Not that it is avoidable at all.
JasonOrlandoHawk 01-25-07, 03:03 PM	It should be noted that you don't have to have special books to win. As I recall, Heros_Backpack and DarkKitsune both won their respective competitions despite not having access to the "theme book." It's creativity, not book collection, that wins. Personally, when I considered what kind of character I would make, I really wanted to start building a Ranger towards Horizon Walker for this competition. I could have done it w/o any access to special books beyond the Core 3. Although "Frostfell" is a hard theme to prepare for, compared to some others. Still, we did have a very solid turn out. Nine competitors isn't bad at all. HC#2, the competition that I won, only featured 4 contestants. We've grown. It's just hard to come up w/ a theme as popular as "HC#5: The Year of the Dragons." I will wager, however, that if we ever run a HC contest around Abberations, it may blow the Dragons competition out of the sky. Generally speaking, the rise of people familiar w/ H.P. Lovecraft would indicate that Abberations are gaining on the iconic dragon's position within D&D. My only hope is that when I step down from judging so I can enter a few more competitions, the judges decide to use the Abberation theme at that point. Yes, I am a Lovecraft fan. Anyways, back to the task at hand. I've read through most of the submissions (phase 1 of my judging routine), and the overall quality of the characters has definitely improved from some of the earlier competitions. When it comes time to pull out my books, I will be working a lot harder to determine the front-runners. Excellent work, all across the board.
jennibert 01-25-07, 10:02 PM	Excellent work, all across the board. I must agree. I have to say, there's a part of me that's glad I don't have to pick between some of these entries:) Such interesting backgrounds.... Now, having said that, hopefully the quality will continue when I do eventually get back around to judging....which I should be able to for HC#7, depending on when the deadline falls. (Valentine's Day would be bad....my second job is working at a chocolate shop....we'll be busy....). I hope I can...it's such fun to find the little technical mistakes in an otherwise perfectly built character....you guys are getting so good at this!
Kit_the_Odd 01-26-07, 12:43 AM	I agree that the theme book wasn't needed. I borrowed Frostburn from a friend, but the only thing I ended using (rules wise) was a minor piece of mundane equipment. I used a lot more in the background section (Urskans, Knight of the Iron Glacier, etc), but nothing that couldn't have been done without it. And while I really like the Complete books (and use them a lot), I don't think they are needed to compete here either.
Magocrat 01-26-07, 03:57 AM	Meh, I agree that you don't need anything besides the System Reference Document. I haven't used Frostburn either, but then again, my resources are pretty limited like that. Anyways, I think that Valentine's Day might actually make for a good theme. I'd love to see how everyone interprets the concept of love in a character. I'm even more curious about how you could make an evil character about that. Did I say that up loud? :rolleyes:
Nani? 01-26-07, 07:43 AM	Meh, I agree that you don't need anything besides the System Reference Document. I haven't used Frostburn either, but then again, my resources are pretty limited like that. Anyways, I think that Valentine's Day might actually make for a good theme. I'd love to see how everyone interprets the concept of love in a character. I'm even more curious about how you could make an evil character about that. Did I say that up loud? :rolleyes: Yea, you did. Not a bad idea. I thought of two PCs as well. Also, looking through backgrounds, sign me up for the "impressed with the quality of entries offical organization". All the Best, Nani?
Mercurius 01-26-07, 09:27 AM	While I had access to Frostburn, I didn't find much of use in it (I haven't really read it, I just skimmed the PrCs and feats sections). I preferred to go with stuff I was more familiar with, and also decided to finally use my own homebrew setting for my character rather than other settings (as I have done with each of my other entries). The theme was interesting... had we been one level higher, I would have entered a completely different character (but, alas, a dire wolf animal companion was beyond the ability of this competition), but I'm glad I couldn't enter that character, because Giddion was a much more interesting thought experiment for me. Even if he doesn't win, I think he'll find a place in my own setting... it raises such interesting possibilities. As for themes, the Dragon theme completely uninspired me, but I'm an odd one in so-far as not really giving much of a damn about dragons. They're okay opponents and all, but there's a reason I marginalized them a lot in my own setting. The high level, too, really threw me. I almost sat down and created a minotaur half-dragon Pious Templar of Chronepsis, but I just didn't care that much. Now, aberrations are a fun theme, and I am also a big Lovecraft fan, ever since reading the d20 Call of Cthulu book. jennibert can attest that I've included an awful lot of information gleaned from Lovecraft in my setting, so I could probably come up with something interesting for that. Unless the level got too high (again, I have issues coming up with characters above around level 10, just do to my preferred play style). As an aside, I full intend on posting my "thought process" behind Giddion Pentant when the judging has been finished. I find the idea of sharing that sort of data to be a very good one.
DarkKitsune 01-26-07, 11:24 AM	As an aside, I full intend on posting my "thought process" behind Giddion Pentant when the judging has been finished. I find the idea of sharing that sort of data to be a very good one. Ah, yes, please do :D! In fact, once this is over, I'd be very interested in hearing about the creation process for anyone who wishes to share (a side effect of being trained in a field in which every act of creativity is followed by a 'why?' :p ).
Far_Traveler 01-26-07, 11:57 AM	I agree, I would like to see the minds behind the art, and I can't really think of a good character to use (Well, I do, but it would seem rather redundant (Keyaru the Thrall) What with Dogma and all) I would be glad to post my thoughts behind Dak'Na after this is over.
Nani? 01-26-07, 03:18 PM	I agree, I would like to see the minds behind the art, and I can't really think of a good character to use (Well, I do, but it would seem rather redundant (Keyaru the Thrall) What with Dogma and all) I would be glad to post my thoughts behind Dak'Na after this is over. Well, I read the rules and I saw the lines "the obvious class may or may not be the best choice". I kind of intuited that I wouldn't use an obvious class. I anticipated a lot of rangers and barbarians. I also have an interest in animistic religion in general and shinto in particular. I had also played L5R a few years ago. I've also always loved the thought process of behind Half elves and consider them the race that WOTC has done the worst job of handling, both from a flavor and a mechanical standpoint. I wanted to do one "right". I also tend to think that these type of characters can "never really" be at home. I was first going to go with the Elementalist in complete arcane but then ran across the Frost mage in Frostburn, as well as the Yuki Onna. I thought a of an "outsider" character finding ties and friendship with a monster was kind of interesting. I considered doing a oriental themed bard or sorcerer. I also remembered the flavor text of a Wu Jen and how they inhabit the edges of civilization. I was also watching Firefly, and I think this influenced my views on a subconscious level. Basically, it was a matter of layering, thinking about how this would all fit together in a logical, believable manner. I notice that my ideas come together when I put in a lot of "layers" details P.S. One book I was glad was included in a limited fashion (though I did not use it) was Unearthed Arcana. I would like to see more use of it (again, in a limited fashion) perhaps allowing the use of the class variants for a particular contest. All the Best, Nani?
Zherog 01-26-07, 03:23 PM	P.S. One book I was glad was included in a limited fashion (though I did not use it) was Unearthed Arcana. I would like to see more use of it (again, in a limited fashion) perhaps allowing the use of the class variants for a particular contest. I think it has the potential to continue to be used - in large part because most of the material is available on the web at d20srd.org. We continue to feel our way through what material to allow into the "campaign" and it's an evolving process.
AmericanYeti 01-27-07, 11:23 AM	Any ideas as to when the scores are going to be out?
Zherog 01-27-07, 11:54 AM	My goal is always to have scores turned in within a week of the contest ending. I might not make my self-imposed deadline this time, though. My employer decided Wednesday would be a great day to dump two urgent projects on me, both due by yesterday (Friday). I often judge an entry or two at work, but didn't have the time to do so. So I'm looking to get started today. I'm still trying to get scores in by my self-imposed deadline of one week - but I might miss by a day or so.
TheChilliGod 01-27-07, 01:56 PM	I'm falling behind as well. I didn't set my deadline for a week after the contest ended, but I did say to myself that I'd do 2 entries a day until I'm done. Which is, like, 5 days total. Quite unfortunate, then, that almost three days have passed and I haven't even done 3 entries yet, due to a whole lot of other projects which I seem to be giving myself, rather than this. Most understandable of them would be a dungeon that I'm designing encounters for (and intend to play-test afterwards), and the thing's 80 rooms large, and my next session is in 7-9 days. :weep: I'm planning to make it up today and tomorrow, but we'll see. Zherog, you feel a little bit bogged down, hm? Do you think that you would have time spare to hand in your own entry, hm? The one from Silverymoon that you spoke ever-so-fondly of, hm? The one that you were waiting till the end of the contest to enter, hm? Have you got all the stats done for him/her/it, hm? Got a, got a nice background, hm? Has it got a nice... beginning, middle and end, hm? Is him/her/it adjusted for the contest rules yet, hm? Are you thinking that it would be a good resource, hm? That, maybe, the contestants would judge it for you, hm? Is it— No, you're a wee bit busy for that. http://www.maj.com/gallery/chau2/Other/familyguybook.jpg
Zherog 01-27-07, 07:49 PM	No conversion has taken place on Avesteri Leafstrider, Enchanter Extraordinaire, yet. I'm not so sure he can be converted, at least without losing some of the character. He's built fairly heavily on FR mechanics - in particular, Shadow Weave magic. But, to give everybody something to read while I work on entries, here he is unconverted. The background is long - it was a writing experiment for me. *** Avesteri Leafstrider Male elf (sun) enchanter 4 Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Height: 5' 5" Weight: 115 pounds Hair: dirty blonde Eyes: green Age: 177 years Home Region: Silverymoon Patron Deity: Shar Str: 8 (-1) Dex: 12 (+1) (4 points) Con: 12 (+1) (6 points, -2 racial) Int: 23 (+6) (16 points, +2 racial, +1 @level 4, +2 headband) Wis: 10 (+0) (2 points) Cha: 14 (+2) (6 points) Racial Abilities: +2 Int, -2 Con Medium: As Medium creatures, elves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size. Elf base land speed is 30 feet. Immunity to magic sleep effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects. Low-Light Vision: An elf can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions. Weapon Proficiency: Elves receive the Martial Weapon Proficiency feats for the longsword, rapier, longbow (including composite longbow), and shortbow (including composite shortbow) as bonus feats. +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. An elf who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for it. Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, and Illuskan. Bonus Languages: Auran, Celestial, Chondathan, Dwarven, Draconic, Gnome, Goblin, Giant, Gnoll, Halfling, Orc, and Sylvan. Favored Class: Wizard. A multiclass elf ’s wizard class does not count when determining whether she takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing. Class Abilities Summon familiar Scribe Scroll feat Hit Dice: 4d4+8 Hit Points: unknown (4 @ first, +5 Int at first (Mind Over Body feat) +3 Con = 12 plus rolled value for levels 2-4) Armor Class: 11 (15 with mage armor); touch 11; flat footed 10 (14 with mage armor) Init: +1 (+1 dex) Speed: 30 feet (20 feet when carrying all gear) Saves: Fortitude +3 (+1 base, +1 Con, +1 resistance) Reflex +3 (+1 base, +1 Dex, +1 resistance) Will +5 (+4 base, +0 Wis, +1 resistance) (+2 vs enchantment; immune to magical sleep) BAB: +2 Melee Attacks: Masterwork rapier +2 (+2 BAB, -1 Str, +1 Mwk); dmg: 1d6-1; crit: 18-20/x2 Ranged Attacks: Various alchemical items +3 (+2 BAB, +1 Dex); dmg: varies (see items) Skills: (49 skill points available) Bluff +4 (2 ranks (cross class), +2 Cha) Concentration +8 (7 ranks, +1 Con) Craft (alchemy) +13 (7 ranks, +6 Int) Diplomacy +4 (2 ranks (cross class), +2 Cha) Knowledge (arcana) +13 (7 ranks, +6 Int) Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7 (1 rank, +6 Int) Knowledge (geography) +7 (1 rank, +6 Int) Knowledge (history) +7 (1 rank, +6 Int) Knowledge (local (Silver Marches)) +9 (3 ranks, +6 Int) Knowledge (planes) +9 (3 ranks, +6 Int) Knowledge (religion) +9 (3 ranks, +6 Int) Listen +2 (0 ranks, +0 Wis, +2 racial) (+4 total when familiar is within 5') Search +8 (0 ranks, +6 Int, +2 racial) Spellcraft +15 (7 ranks, +6 Int, +2 synergy from Knowledge (arcana)) Spot +0 (0 ranks, +0 Wis, +2 racial) (+4 total when familiar is within 5') Feats: Scribe Scroll (bonus from first level Wizard) Alertness (when familiar is within 5') (bonus via familiar) Mind Over Body (first level) Shadow Weave Caster (third level) (+1 save DC and caster level checks for enchantment, illusion, and necromancy) Languages: Common, Auran, Chondathan, Draconic, Elven, Gnome, Illuskan, Sylvan Spellbook: Level 0: All except evocation and transmutation Level 1: cause fear, charm person, chill touch, color spray, endure elements, grease, hypnotism, mage armor, ray of enfeeblement, sleep Level 2: detect thoughts, Nybor's gentle reminder, touch of idiocy, web Spells Per Day: (DC = 16 + spell level (17 + spell level for enchantment, illusion, and necromancy) Prohibited schools - evocation, transmutation Level 0: 4 + 1 Level 1: 5 + 1 Level 2: 4 + 1 Spells normally prepared: 0 Detect magic (x2), read magic, acid splash, touch of fatigue, daze (b) 1st endure elements*, mage armor*, charm person, chill touch, ray of enfeeblement, sleep (b) 2nd: detect thoughts, touch of idiocy (x2)(b), web, Nybor's gentle reminder * = spells already cast (b) = bonus enchantment school spell Equipment: note: items marked with an asterisk are only carried/worn outside of Silverymoon cloak of resistance +1 (1000 gp, 1 lb) pearl of power, 1st level (1000 gp, no weight; kept in pocket) Masterwork rapier (bonus equipment, 2 lbs) Spell component pouch Signet ring (5 gp, no weight) headband of intellect +2 (free item) Backpack (2 gp, 2 lbs) .....lesser metamagic rod of Extend (3000 gp, 5 lbs) .....bedroll* (1 sp, 5 lbs) .....Spellbook* (free, 3 lbs) .....winter blanket* (5 sp, 3 lbs) .....waterskin* (1 gp, 4 lbs) .....2 days rations* (1 gp, 2 lbs) .....2 vials of black ink (16 gp, no weight) .....1 vial of green ink (8 gp, no weight) .....1 notebook (2 gp, .5 lbs) .....2 inkpens (1 sp, no weight) .....25 sheets of paper (10 gp, no weight) Belt pouch .....5 tindertwigs (1 gp 6 sp 6 cp, no weight (note: crafted)) .....2 flasks of alchemist's fire (13 gp 2 sp, 2 lb (note: crafted)) .....2 flasks of acid (6 gp 6 sp, 2 lbs (note: crafted)) .....2 tanglefoot bags (33 gp, 8 lbs (note: crafted)) .....2 thunderstones (9 gp 9 sp, 1 lb (note: crafted)) .....10 pieces of chalk (1 sp, no weight) potion belt .....2 potions of cure light wounds scroll organizer .....scroll of comprehend languages (25 gp, no weight) .....scroll of endure elements (25 gp, no weight) .....scroll of cause fear (25 gp, no weight) Other expenditures .....familiar (100 gp) Daily spells: Each day, Avesteri casts endure elements (cold) on himself; he carries a scroll of the spell as a backup if needed. In addition, each day he casts mage armor using his metamagic rod, and also activating his pearl of power. When the first duration expires, he re-casts the spell; this provides him with the armor bonus for 16 hours out of the day. Money 2 GP 8 SP 5 CP Appearance: Avesteri Leafstrider stands 5'5" tall and weighs a lithe 115 pounds. Typical for a sun elf, his hair is dirty blonde and his eyes are green. His attire, at least while within Silverymoon, is loose, flowing robes and other garments, often in bright colors. Avesteri favors red, yellow, and orange, though splashes of other colors are common in his choice of clothing. Personality: Avesteri is outgoing; he easily makes friends - either on his own, or with the help of his spells. Avesteri see no harm in manipulating a stranger into doing his bidding, much to the chagrin of his straight-laced, upright parents. Friends are a different matter to Avesteri. He detests manipulating those he considers his companions; luckily for him, very few folks gain that status. Background: Excerpts from the journals of Avesteri Leafstrider 23 Tarsakh, 1321 DR I did it! I finally did it! After several years of study, I finally was able to cast my first spell today. It was amazing, feeling the arcane power slowly building within me as I spoke the words. The release of energy upon uttering the final sylable is a feeling a will never forget, nor will I ever grow tired of it. Alas, my instructor resisted my daze spell. Father seemed genuinely proud of me when I told him. He actually joked around! I couldn't believe. He said that before long, there would be another archmage in the Leafstrider family. He was just beaming with pride. It felt good to make him so proud of my accomplishments. 12 Kythorn, 1333 DR I don't understand why I should take time away from my studies of the arcane to learn how to use this stupid bow and rapier! I mean, I can see why others who are not as adept at harnessing the arcane energy should learn the martial skills, but surely my time is better spent in the school perfecting my Art. Highharvesttide, 1347 DR I feel empty. I still can't believe it; I expect any moment to wake up and find out it was just a vivid dream, yet I know deep down this is real. Mother is gone, taken from us in a bizarre accident. I still haven't been able to determine exactly what happened. Mother was helping prepare for the High Harvest celebration. She always loved the thrill of taking risks. She loved balancing on precarious surfaces, often giggling when Father would chide her, telling her it was unsafe. I guess he was right. It seems she slipped and fell. The healer tells us she probably didn't suffer much, and I suppose that is brief comfort in this tragedy. I need to go help Father; he is distraught beyond words. 3 Marpenoth, 1347 DR We laid Mother's body to rest today. It was a lovely ceremony; most of the island came to show their support. We take great comfort in knowing we have so many friends in this time of our need. Elder Deerestan gave a lovely speech, telling us all that he was certain Mother didn't wait around in Kelemvor's realm for her guide to come take her to Correlan. Instead, Elder Deerestan said, Mother likely scaled Kelemvor's wall, without the deity being any the wiser. After the speeches, there was lovely music and dancing. Father seems to be getting along better, at least most of the time. At night, though, I can hear him sobbing. He doesn't know I know, and I don't intend to tell him. It is his private moment. 17 Tarsakh, 1350 DR I have decided my studies of the Art will be more fruitful if I specialize. Father didn't seem pleased with my choice, but said I need to make my own decisions. I never much enjoyed the spells of war, and so I will be forsaking them so that I may better learn the spells of the mind. I find the enchantment and illusion spells more provocative, more interesting. There is more to the Art of the casting. Please, like calling forth flames or lightning is any true representation of the Arts, especially when compared to crafting a subtle picture with nothing but raw energy, or cajoling a being into doing as you desire, and being happy to do so. Yes, today I took my first step on the path of becoming an enchanter. 12 Mirtul, 1351 DR Father is unbearable! I do not understand his tirades. I fear when mother passed on 4 years ago, a part of him also died. It is sad to never see him smile, to never hear his laugh. He spends much of his time in his lab, hardly even eating. He doesn't seem to trance often enough any more. It's not healthy. 3 Flamerule, 1353 DR Father's new friend shouldn't be trusted. She only has designs on Father's estate; I know it, I can feel it. He won't listen though. Still, it is good to finally see him happy again, after all of these years. He says he is impressed with my progress in the Arts, but I feel I'm moving slowly. 7 Eleasis, 1353 DR I can't believe it! I knew not to trust her. I should have acted upon it, should have emplored Father to see. It is too late now. Father just told me we are moving. To Silverymoon, of all places! He says it will be good for me to get exposure to races other than the sun elves. Father has already arranged for a job at some university there. It seems she pulled strings with a friend of hers. I guess I need to go and pack my things. Father says we'll be utilizing a teleportation circle he's going to cast. I admit, I am curious to see this grand display of the Art. Perhaps I can learn something. 2 Eleint, 1353 DR We arrived in Silverymoon today. This place is odd, nothing like home. Our guide tells us there are orcs in the nearby mountains, and they often attack. He says we were smart to teleport rather than riding a wagon. According to him, the orcs have been striking at travels more and more. Tomorrow I go to University to meet my professor, so I can continue my studies. 3 Eleint, 1353 DR I met with Professor Eland today. I admit, I was shocked to learn he was a human. I suppose I just assumed he would be another elf. Still, he seemed friendly enough; and he promised to accelerate my studies. It is odd, though. Before I even reach the prime of my life, Professor Eland will have grown old and passed on - assuming some other fate doesn't take him first, of course. Still, he promised to not only teach me more of the Arts, but to also show me how to use the spark to make special items. Professor Eland says adventurers prize these items almost as much as the spells I shall learn to cast in due time. 29 Ches, 1356 DR So slow! Why does Professor Eland go so painstakingly slow? He's a human, for Hanali's sake! His time is short; at this pace, he will be long dead before I even master the first sphere of spells! 13 Hammer, 1362 DR My fears are realized. Eland daudled too long in teaching me, and now he, like Mother, has been taken from me by the gods. When Eland left with his old adventuring friends back in Uktar, he said he would be back; his eyes spoke differently than his words, though. He would never admit it, but I could see in his eyes he knew he was lying to me. His friends refuse to tell me what happened. I shall be taking a break from schooling for a while. Once the University has a new instructor, I will resume my studied. Perhaps I was not cut out to be an archmage like Father and Grandfather. Greengrass, 1365 DR My studies are resuming, and after only 3 short years! A new professor has joined the school, and she believes she can teach me. Like Eland, she is a human, named Eliana; she seems to sense the urgency I feel, though, to master the arts! She has promised me quick progress, as long as I trust in her! I'm so excited! Tonight, I'll be going out on the town with my friend Lunari. Her bardic talents are impressive, and she tells me she knows of this wonderful theatre with spectacular performances. My studies resume in a ten-day. 15 Kythorn, 1365 DR It has only been 45 days since Eliana's arrival, and already I can feel the progress! She insists I not call her professor, preferring to work on a first name basis. Already, I have mastered two new spells. Even more exciting, though, is the ceremony Eliana has shown me. All great casters have a companion, an animal who joins the master. My animal has arrived - a snow monkey I have named, for now, Slindrisel. Yes, it is the word 'monkey' in draconic. Yes, I realize it is uncreative. It is only temporary. I suspect the monkey will earn herself a new name in no time. She's quite beautiful, though, with her pure white fur. Her eyes twinkle mischievously; I like that. 29 Kythorn, 1365 DR My goodness, Slindrisel is impetuous! During my lessons today on the art of alchemy, she swiped my notes then scampered out the window! Eliana only laughed, and took great delight in pointing out that a summoned familiar often embodies characteristics of its master. Midsummer, 1370 DR Eliana has promised me to demonstrate how to increase the power of my Art, starting after the Midsummer celebration. She had an odd smirk upon her face, which makes me wonder what she has in mind. These past five years have progressed wonderfully, though. I am on the verge of unlocking the third sphere, and trust in Eliana's instructions completely. ... Lunari and I attended a wonderful Midsummer celebration today. We met a very interesting priestess of Azuth at the celebration. She's only 15, but seems to be a prodigy within her temple. She was a lovely, though slight, young human girl. She should have no trouble acquiring the attention of the men, should she so desire. Her name is equally lovely - Teira. It's typically short for a human name, but still quite evocative sounding. It will be interesting to watch her progress. 2 Eleasis, 1370 DR I sit here stunned. I never knew. Eliana is a worshipper of Shar, and accesses the Shadow Weave for her power. She is willing to teach me; she insists her mistress is misrepresented by the unfaithful and the jealous. The love in her voice when she spoke of her patron was obvious; Eliana tells me Shar favors enchanters like myself. I told Eliana I need some time to think, and she understood. Damn! Slindrisel just swiped the book Eliana gave me. Sometimes, I think that monkey is more trouble than she's worth. 5 Eleasis, 1370 DR I have decided that I trust Eliana completely. The amount my power in the Art has grown under her tuteledge is undeniable. I am addicted to the power, and suspect I would do anything she asked if it ensured me more. Tomorrow, I begin my instruction in the ways of Shar. 7 Tarsakh, 1372 DR Tonight was the ceremony. I was officially welcomed into Shar's faithful this evening. Her symbol was branded into my back. It was so painful; the flesh still burns, even after the priestess healed me. I suspect I shall feel the brand the remainder of my life, as a reminder of my service to my Mistress. After the ceremony was complete, I was at peace; during that moment, I could feel the Shadow Weave pulsing around me, even within me! The power of the Shadow Weave flows through me, and Eliana has promised I will not be disappointed. The Feast of the Moon, 1372 DR As fate would have it, I bumped into that priestess of Azuth yet again, Teira. She has grown into a lovely young woman; and unlike the followers of Mystra I have met recently, she seemed unfazed by my association with Shar and the shadow weave. I trust she and I will get along quite well, as we both seek knowledge of the Art. Father, however, was less understanding. He appeared to be near tears, and told me I betrayed my heritage. He says I am dead to him, and was not to return to his house. If that is how he would like it, then so be it. Eliana told me Slind and I could stay with her for a few days. Father is wrong! I did not betray my heritage. I believe him to be jealous of the power the Shadow Weave and Shar offer me. It is far greater than what Correlon could ever offer me! I will be cleaning out my labratory at University tomorrow. Father's edict essentially makes it impossible for me to continue my studies there. 17 Alturiak, 1373 DR I spoke with Lunari today. She seems to be one of the few elves here in Silverymoon still willing to speak to me. Father's influence has made the reception I receive among the other Fair Folk cold at best; but not Lunari, may Shar bless her. She tells me she has a new friend, a half-orc. An odd match, I must say. Lunari and her friend are looking to form an adventuring company. I told her I was interested, and I think that priestess of Azuth may also be interested. She and I have had many wonderful conversations lately. I think she, too, is eager to see the world and learn more about the Art first hand. We shall see where these leads take us, I suppose. *** Slindrisel Female snow monkey (Avesteri Leafstrider's familiar) N Tiny magical beast (augmented animal) Init +2; Senses Low-light vision, Listen +3, Spot +3 Languages empathic link ------------------------------ AC 16 (+2 Dex, +2 size, +2 natural armor); touch 14; flat footed 14 HP (half Avesteri's number) (2 HD) Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +5; Improved evasion ------------------------------ Speed 30 Ft. (6 squares); climb 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee Bite +6 (+2 BAB, +2 size, +2 Dex) 1d3-4 Base Atk +2; Grp -10 Atk Options Deliver touch spells ------------------------------ Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 5 SQ Share spells Feats Agile, Weapon Finesse (b) Skills Balance +12, Climb +10, Escape Artist +4, Hide +10, Listen +3, Spot +3 So here's where to find most of the stuff on the character sheet. Sun elf: This is a racial variant found in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Silverymoon: This is a city in the North region of FR. It's mentioned in the FRCS and heavily detailed in the book The Silver Marches Shar: Shar is a deity of shadows and enchantment; she's not a nice person. ;) Mind Over Body feat: This feat can be found in the book Players Guide to Faerun Shadow Weave magic feat: This can also be found in PGtF; this feat significantly alters the way Avesteri accesses magic in FR Chondathan and Illuskan languages: These are regional dialects in FR Nybor's gentle reminder spell: Found in PGtF Monkey Familiar: This can be found in Dragon 341, written by yours truly. :) In addition, the following house rules impact this character: [list] 4th level characters 34 point buy 5400 gp to spend, can have no more than 5gp left over, and no more than 2 days worth of rations He received his headband of intellect free He was able to craft his alchemical items at cost HP show as unknown because the DM rolled for us and isn't telling us (yet)
TheChilliGod 01-27-07, 09:03 PM	Added to the list, and promptly disqualified it for many reasons including, but probably not limited to: Late Entry. Zherog's a judge. 4th level. Material from prohibited sources. No offense. :D
Endarrion 01-27-07, 10:07 PM	Added to the list, and promptly disqualified it for many reasons including, but probably not limited to: Late Entry. Zherog's a judge. 4th level. Material from prohibited sources. No offense. :D LOLZ!!one!shift1!!
Magocrat 01-28-07, 10:10 AM	Hm, very interesting... *takes notes* This looks awesometastic, Zherog. Part of me is glad that it was disqualified on so many grounds, that means that I have one less great entry to worry about when it comes to my rank. :rolleyes: Go, TheChilliGod! So, erm, a little question tho'. I've been interested in the Forgotten Realms for some time now, what's the best way of learning enough of that campaign to build characters for that setting? Just pick up the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting or Player's Guide to Faerûn, and read on through? Or are there specific things that are particularly handy? Thanks in advance! I must say it once more: Awesometastic character, Zherog. :D
DarkKitsune 01-28-07, 10:24 AM	I would suggest picking up the original campaign setting - it's got a lot of great detail for someone trying to get into the Realms. The Player's Guide... not so much; while I haven't gotten further than a brief glance-through in the store, it seems to be mostly crunch with very little info on the actual setting. If you happen to be looking for lots of mechanical options, go ahead. Personally, I'd rather spend my money elsewhere. As for other options; If you know where in the Realms you'll be playing, you can check out the downloads part of this site for some older FR supplements covering it. It's a little old, but mot of the information contained therein is still relevent :)
Zherog 01-28-07, 11:56 AM	Yeah, what he said. Player's Guide to Faerun was released as a way to basically update the crunch from 3.0 to 3.5. There's new stuff, of course, to entice folks to buy it. But a lot of it is just updating 3.0 material (from several books) to 3.5. If you want to learn about the campaign setting, grabbing the FRCS is the best way to go about that. It covers the history and the places and all that. From a purely flavor point of view, another good option is to see if you can find the 2e boxed set for the FR. That also has some really cool stuff in it.
Avalon® 01-30-07, 10:54 AM	Sorry if I didn't submit a character on time. I was swamped with schoolwork during the contest period. I'll try to join the next one then. Too bad though, I was really looking forward to my Lovecraft inspired Bard. :D
jennibert 01-31-07, 11:55 PM	Just checking to see if there's any judging yet, but it appears not. Oh well. I'll just :bump: the thread instead. :D
JasonOrlandoHawk 02-01-07, 11:34 AM	Very sorry, it seems as if we have a judge who is running late in the judging process... :embarrass I've gotten called into work more frequently than normal this week, and that's really cut into the amount of time I've had to grade. Hoping to submit scores by tommorrow evening, though. Once again, very sorry to keep you waiting. Also, it's probably time for the eligible judges to decide who's coordinating and who's judging the next go around. Personally, I'd like to step down from the judge's bench and take another shot as a competitor. This is largely because I'm going to be excessively busy through the end of March, so I need a break from judging. I could still judge the next competition, if necessary.
Mercurius 02-01-07, 12:04 PM	I'd offer to coordinate and/or judge, but, unfortunately, I still haven't won a first place slot yet. Second place twice, but not first.
Zherog 02-01-07, 12:23 PM	I'm in the same boat as Jason on judging this one - so the late scores aren't entirely his fault. My employer decided this would be a good week to heap several "last minute" projects onto my to-do list. I'm figuring I'll be done judging Saturday. I'm in for judging the next one, and can coordinate if nobody wants the job.
Nani? 02-02-07, 12:50 AM	Bump, just for the fun of it.
Magocrat 02-02-07, 10:11 AM	Hey, don't feel bad about delaying the scores. I mean, you've got your jobs too. Heck, I've got school too, but the weeks before the exams come rolling in are a breeze. :rolleyes: Also, I'm with the others on judging: If I won this time's Hero Craftsman, I could judge. But that's an 'if'. Anyways, maybe we'll get that aberration theme next time, the one you've been rooting for, JasonOrlandoHawk.
jennibert 02-02-07, 07:41 PM	I'm the last one who can complain about late judgings after my last go round....But as for judging, I can do see about doing that this time. I'd rather not coordinate, but will be willing to do so if there's no one else who will:)
JasonOrlandoHawk 02-03-07, 01:23 PM	Anyways, maybe we'll get that aberration theme next time, the one you've been rooting for, JasonOrlandoHawk. :coolcthul :behold: :88E: :evillaugh I can only wish... I mean, when I think Valentine's Day, I naturally think about brain-devouring creatures from different worlds... particularly Venus. ;) Oh yeah, shameless :bump:
Nani? 02-04-07, 12:34 PM	bump
Zherog 02-04-07, 01:53 PM	The scores are waiting on me. My apologies to everybody. I'll have them done today.
Zherog 02-04-07, 09:58 PM	My scores are in, and I was the last one. It shouldn't be too long from now for Chilli to compile the totals. I'll post comments on all the characters tomorrow. *** As for judging #7, so far we have me and Jenni. And I'm willing to coordinate if nobody else is available. Still no word yet from Chilli, Dark, or Heros_B. And, of course, the winner of #6. :) Good luck to everybody. These were all fun and interesting characters! Kudos!
Far_Traveler 02-04-07, 10:55 PM	Quite frankly I don't expect to get a very good score. I mean, It would probably of been better for the stolen gem with the altar of been the Crying Saphire instead of the moaning diamond, I really didn't think it was... on-theme enough. We shall see.
JasonOrlandoHawk 02-04-07, 11:22 PM	Still waiting on Chilli to post the scores... I haven't seen his scores yet, so I'm just as in the dark about a winner as the contestants. I will say this, however. I was very impressed by the quality of the work presented in this contest. I gave out the highest average (mean) scores I have ever awarded in comparison to any other contest. The submissions were all high quality, and I compliment each and every contestant who took the time to submit a character. Thank you! To be honest, as good as these characters were, I'm thinking I may have picked the wrong time to take off my judge's robe and re-enter the ring... :gah: (Don't hurt me in HC#7!!!) To be completely honest, I must step down as a judge b/c I'm going to be excessively busy in the next two months. (Overseas mission trip... my first plane ride... I'm going to be a wreck by the time I return in the middle of March.) I should have time to compete in the next competition, but I'd probably be out of the country in the middle of scoring, so I didn't want to take that chance. However, we must get scores posted and comments made for HC#6 before any serious discussion can be had of the next few competitions. I will post character comments, if scores are up, sometime tommorrow evening. Which leads to my usual disclaimer... If, for any reason, you do not want me to post comments on your character, PM me some time in the next (roughly) 16 hours. After I've posted comments, they are considered public domain, and will not be removed. (Don't think that's necessary, but just to let you know...) Also, please understand that the nature of judging is to spot, and point out flaws/weaknesses. This is done w/ the intent of helping you (and others) improve their abilities in D&D. Therefore, anything written should not be viewed as a personal attack and/or insult. You hear mostly negative comments, but that is the side effect of having your work judged. The fact that you had the courage to submit a character, and the fact that you took the time to submit a character, should be viewed as a compliment to your talents as a gamer. You have my sincere respect. (Also, never been an issue, but I feel like saying, "Please don't hurt me!!" constantly, for some unknown reason.) JasonOrlandoHawk
TheChilliGod 02-05-07, 12:09 AM	Here I am! I brought party hats to make everyone feel happy! :gift: :gift: Imagine that they're party hats. Okay, after about an entire hour solid on the calculator working out averages, I've come up with the top three winners for... Uhm... Whatever this contest was again. Hero Craftsman, that was it. And I think you'll be very surprised. Because these scores are actually quite funny. In Bronze Position, with an average score of 25 out of 35 (71.4 %)... Serenallyan, Winter Nomad, by Haruspex AND Mikokami Yuki, by Nani? In Silver Position, with an average score of 25.125 out of 35 (71.8 %)... Snowstorm Firetongue, by Heros_Backpack AND Anastasia Wenlyforlyffed, by jennibert And in Gold Position, with an absolutely overwhelming average score of 26.625 out of 35 (76.1 %)... Giddion Pentant, Captain of Fort Calladine, by MercuriusThat certainly was a close lot! :P But we certainly aren't done, yet! There's also the category awards to hand out! Mikokami Yuki Honorable Mentions: Serenallyan, Rurik KodgardBarom Brightstar Honorable Mentions: Anastasia Wenlyforlyffed, Gunnar Sharith, Rurik KodgardGiddion Pentant Honorable Mentions: Anastasia Wenlyforlyffed, Snowstorm FiretongueGiddion Pentant Honorable Mentions: Barom Brightstar, Snowstorm Firetongue, Vagnar Sogan Hammersmith As far as I'm aware of, Two entries were awarded Honorable Mention points by our judges. Their reasons have not yet been divulged to me, but I'll go ahead and give them their own precious award sblock. JasonOrlandoHawk awarded Rurik Kodgard an Honorary Mention. Zherog awarded Barom Brightstar an Honorary Mention. And, just to finish everything off, here's everyone's totaled scores. In no particular order... Giddion: 26.625 (76.1%) Snowstorm: 25.125 (71.8%) Anastasia: 25.125 (71.8%) Serenalyan: 25 (71.4%) Mikokami: 25 (71.4%) Gunnar: 23.625 (67.5%) Barom: 22.875 (65.4%) Rurik: 22.5 (64.3%) Vagnar: 19.125 (54.6%) Dak'Na: 18 (51.4%) --- Comments forthcoming whenever I feel like it, bladi-bladi-blah. Tell me if I screwed something up. Hope to see some OMG's.
JasonOrlandoHawk 02-05-07, 01:43 AM	:clap:
Magocrat 02-05-07, 02:23 AM	Dude! Honorable mentions in Thematic Creativity and Background Content, and a Honorable Mention over all! Who cares if I dropped a rank when compared to last Hero Craftsman, that's just sweet. Here's what you've been waiting for, Chilli: OMG! :D I guess Mercurius can now judge, like he wanted. Congratulations to everyone for their rank in the competition, well-deserved. Just keep in mind that regardless of your rank, everyone's a winner because of the good times. Now, I'm curious about the judges' explanations on the scoring. Looking forward to HC#7.
Haruspex 02-05-07, 08:23 AM	Yay, a medal! Plus an honorable mention. OMG! ;)
Mercurius 02-05-07, 08:26 AM	:whatsthis :dancin: :cheer: :w00t: :bounce: :cloud9:
Far_Traveler 02-05-07, 09:02 AM	LAST PLACE!? Awwwww... I mean, I can't say I expected to get a high score, but still... last? :allalone: :weep: :allalone:
Zherog 02-05-07, 10:26 AM	I'm proof reading my comments page now. I'll have comments posted later today. Mercurius, expect a PM from me. As can the other eligible judges. :)
Zherog 02-05-07, 12:15 PM	Some general comments first. I break comments for each character out into three sections: Math, Background, and Other. Math: This actually covers much more than just the math; anything having to do with the mechanics of your character goes here. Background: Things related to the person behind the numbers will be found here. Other: General comments — like what I liked or didn’t like, how well I think it would fit in a group, and so on — can be found in this area. And on the different categories: Thematic Creativity: How well did you weave the theme into your character? If I were a DM, would I allow this character into a group? If I were a player, would I want another player to have a character like this? Will your character survive in an extreme cold environment? These are the sorts of things I looked for here. To elaborate on the first point, because I think it’s important. If you’re character background mentioned you were from a Really Cold Place™ and you bought a cold weather outfit, but nothing else about your character really made me think of the Frostfell, well... you didn’t do well. I wanted to see the theme intertwined with your character, not tossed in for effect. The quick and easy test: Can I change mention of cold stuff to, say, jungle stuff and have the same character? If so, you’re character isn’t a Frostfell character; he/she is from anywhere, with the word “frostfell” added. Background Content: Was the story of your character engaging and entertaining? Did I learn about your character? Did your background make sense? Do I have allies and adversaries to work with? Do I have plot hooks to sink my DM claws into? These are the sorts of things for this category. It’s completely possible to score awesomely here while not having a great score under Thematic Creativity (and vice versa). Rules Use: Did you add up everything correct? Did you have all the important elements on your “character sheet?” Did you meet all the pre-requisites for feats and prestige classes? This was all in this category. Clarity: When I needed to look up something, could I find it? Was it easy to read? Spelling and grammar errors won’t kill your score – we all make typos, and none of us are named William Shakespeare. Lots of typos and poor grammar – especially a lot of run-on sentences – will hurt your score, though. Keep in mind that everything is subjective. Something one judge likes might be another judge’s worst nightmare. It’s one of the reasons we work so hard to get a panel of judges. I don’t assign or deduct points for good or bad things. I generally start right in the middle, and move things up or down depending on what I find. Did I find a bunch of really tiny math mistakes? If so, that character might do significantly better than somebody who made one huge glaring mistake that had a trickle through effect on a lot of stuff on their character sheet. Also, because of the way I do your scores, I grade them twice. I go through once with the proverbial fine-toothed comb, looking for the good, the bad, and the ugly. This takes me somewhere between one and two hours per entry. I essentially rebuild your character from scratch on my own, and compare numbers. I read the background, get my general thoughts, then read it again. At this stage, I assign your scores in each category. A day or two later, I go back and re-read your entry and my notes, and compare them to the score I gave you. Most of the time, scores stay unchanged; once in a while, though, this results in a slight adjustment up or down. So, that’s the general comments. On to the specific. Math Stuff AC: 21 (1 natural, 5 dex, 1 size 4 armor)(+2 vs. traps) You need to include touch (17) and flat-footed (21, because of uncanny dodge) ACs. Saving Throws +2/+9/+1 I get +2/+10/+1 for your saves. Base saves for a 6th level rogue are +2/+5/+2. You have a +0 Con mod, a +5 Dex mod, and a -1 Wis mod. (+4/0/0 vs. cold weather, 0/+2/0 vs. traps) Personal preference (no effect on your score): I prefer to just see “+4 Fort vs cold weather, +2 Ref vs traps” sort of thing. Also, this is a really good place to mention you have evasion. On the plus side, kudos for making a note about trap sense with your saves and AC. I see so many players forget about that ability, even after I remind them to note it where they’ll remember it. MW Short Sword +5 melee This should be +6 -- +4 BAB, +0 Str, +1 size, +1 MW. +1 Composite Shortbow +9 (+1 within 30ft) This should be +11 -- +4 BAB, +5 Dex, +1 enhancement, +1 size Feats/class/racial abilities: You forgot to include the fact that he has darkvision to 60 ft. Skills (81 points) You should get 90 skill points by my calculations. Rogue gets 8 per level, and your Int mod is +2, bringing that to 10 per level. Quadruple at 1st level is 40, and 10 more for each of your other five levels is 50 more. It looks like you used 9 skill points per level rather than 10 to determine the 81 – but you spent 90, so overall this is just a typo on the character sheet. Also, I like to see cross class skills (such as your Knowledge (architecture and engineering) identified as such. That probably falls into the “personal preference” category, though, rather than the “problem” category. Disable Device +13 (9 ranks, +2 modifier)(note: ask DM about synergy with trapmaking) I would say yes. :) Your skills seem to check out correctly. Background Stuff There’s a bunch of stuff I like about your background. Well done, overall. I like that your background explains some of your skills, such as Decipher Script, Profession (mining), and Craft (trapmaking). I definitely think it’s a good thing when some of the less common skills are not only taken, but explained. As a DM, I tend to work those skills into the game, making the player’s investment in them pay off. Just as one quick example, I had a player who wanted to play an arcane trickster. One of the requirements is 7 ranks in Decipher Script. Then, the class doesn’t do diddly with that skill. So I did two things. First, I added a minor ability to her class that made DS useful. Second, I made sure to include plenty of opportunities in the game for her skill to come into play, such as having the bad guy write his journal in a language nobody in the group knew. To bring that back around to you: You’ve put significant investment into skills that aren’t commonly used. I would reward you for that in game. Your background also played very nicely on the on-going battle between arctic dwarves and kobolds mentioned in the Arctic Races variant of Unearthed Arcana. The only problem would be if another player had a dwarf. There’s definitely stuff for a DM to work with as far as plot points go, and those ideas wouldn’t overwhelm the game by making Dak’Na the focus of everything. That’s a big plus. I would’ve liked to see a bit more in the way of rivals, though. You have the dwarves, and I think that’s about it. Other Stuff Kudos for breaking out your carrying capacity down to that degree. As a DM, I tend to play “light and loose” with the carrying capacity rules. But in a contest such as this, it is important and I appreciated seeing that you paid attention to that level of detail. Lizard Familiar named 'Squick' I don’t recall seeing too many lizards at the North or South pole on nature shows. :P Your character is interesting, but really there isn’t much about him that cries out “frostfell” to me. Yes, he’s an arctic variant race; yes, he has cold weather gear. But I could just as easily take the character, switch the variant from arctic to jungle, and I’d be pretty much done. Don’t get me wrong, you made what I think is a fun character; I’m just not convinced you nailed the theme very well. Math Stuff Fortitude +9, Reflex +8, Will +3 ... Saving throws Fortitude 3 ranger + 3 fighter + 3 Constitution Reflex 3 ranger + 3 fighter + 2 Dexterity Will 1 ranger + 1 fighter + 1 Wisdom So you have some problems here with your saves. For starters, Reflex save is a poor save for the fighter class, not a good save. So it should be +1, not +3. So you should have saves of +9/+6/+3. In addition, you have a problem that doesn’t affect your numbers but you should know about it anyway. In your level-by-level breakdown, you have the second and third level saves of each class incorrect. It works out in the end, but if you only had 2 levels you’d’ve been way off. Ranger 1 has base saves of +2/+2/+0. Ranger 2 has base saves of +3/+3/+0 (this is your mistake – you have no save bonuses from 2nd level). Ranger 3 has base saves of +3/+3/+1. Fighter progresses similarly. Melee masterwork dwarven urgrosh (axe-side) +10/+5 (1d8+4/x3) or Melee masterwork dwarven urgrosh (spear-side) +10/+5 (1d6+4/x3) or These should be +11/+6. +6 BAB, +3 Str, +1 MW, +1 Weapon Focus. In addition, I’m going to assume you’re getting the +4 on damage by taking 1.5 your Strength. That’s fine – as long as you’re using the weapon two-handed, rather than with two-weapon fighting. Melee alchemical silver short sword +8/+3 (1d6+3/19-20/x2) or The damage should be +2, not +3. You have a +3 Strength mod, and alchemical silver weapons have a -1 penalty to damage. Melee spiked chain +5/+0 (2d4+3/x2) or The damage should be +4. A spiked chain is a 2-handed weapon, and you do 1.5 damage with a two-handed weapon. Abilities Strength 15, Dexterity 14, Constitution 16, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 12, Charisma 9 ... Abilities Strength 15 + 2 enhancement Dexterity 13 + 1 level Constitution 16 + 2 racial Intelligence 10 Wisdom 12 Charisma 11 - 2 racial So, I’m getting 32 points rather than 28. 15 = 8 points 13 = 5 points 16 = 10 points 10 = 2 points 12 = 4 points 11 = 3 points 8+5+10+2+4+3=32 I suspect that the 16 in Con is your score after the racial adjustment rather than before. That would put the base score at 14, which would give you 28 points spent. In addition to that, your Strength score on your character sheet is incorrect – you have your base score, but never added in your gauntlets. Your Con score on the character sheet is incorrect based on the chart (the chart says it should be 18), but as I said, I think 16 is your score after adjustment. *Rurik only gains the benefit of this feat when he wears light or no armor. Just a quibble... Technically, you should have this footnote on Two-Weapon Defense as well, because if you lose access to something that’s a pre-requisite you also lose access to the feat itself. Two-Weapon Fighting is a pre-req for Two-Weapon Defense, so if you lose access to TWF you also lose access to TWD. Like I said, just a quibble. On your chart, you have gaining Endurance and TWF backwards – ranger grants TWF at second level, not third; and it grants Endurance at third, not second. You can still select Diehard at 3rd level, so it doesn’t seem to have any impact on your character. Skills >snip< Your skills breakdown and your level-by-level breakdown don’t match up. In the level-by-level breakdown, you’re spending 7 skill points per ranger level (28 at first level), when you should have 6 (24 at first level). You’re level-by-level breakdown only has 2 skill points per level for fighter levels, but your skill table basically says you’re spending more than that, because you have Climb and Jump maxed out while also spending two cross-class ranks on Survival. If I get rid of the cross-class points in Survival, I can get everything else to work out OK to the ranks you have listed. Possessions:>snip< I have your possessions worth 14,001. However... alchemical silver short sword (100 gp) This should only cost you 30 gp. A short sword is a light weapon that costs 10 gp; making a light weapon alchemical silver adds an additional 20 gp to the cost. It looks to me like you paid the cost for making a one-handed weapon alchemical silver. I’m sure Jason will point out that you’re missing common adventuring gear – such as a waterskin, flint and steel, and so on. I’m not much of a stickler for that sort of stuff – except you only have a belt pouch to carry your stuff. I would think you should at least have a backpack, for carrying stuff like your food (and all the things Jason will mention you don’t have ;) ). This doesn’t affect your score at all. But since you’re using the format of the WotC stat block, I thought I’d let you know – there’s an order things are supposed to be in for the stat block. Items that could be used during combat – potions, wands, scrolls, circlet of blasting, etc – belong in a section up by the attack information called Combat gear. The idea here is that a DM using the stat block only needs to look in one small area of the stat block to see what a creature/NPC can do in combat. On your character sheet, the only item you seem to have that would go in this section is your potions of cure light wounds. Then, the first item on the possessions line is “Combat gear.” The next thing to list is armor, followed by any shield. After that, you list any weapons alphabetically; after weapons, list any ammunition. Next, list any magical items the creature has, also in alphabetical order. Then list any mundane gear. Last, list any cash. Background Stuff Your background is well written, even if it includes two elements (amnesia and fiends) that I’m not particularly fond of. There’s a few spots where you seem to interchange “demon” and “devil.” Otherwise, your background seems OK. You have things I look for – allies, enemies, and plot hooks. While I’m not a fan of amnesia backgrounds, there’s no denying it gives a DM lots of stuff to work with. However... It’s really simple for me to take your character, drop him into a jungle, and only need superficial changes. Other Stuff Holy cow – you got your edit in just in time! I don’t think any of the errors in your math section are terribly bad. But there’s quite a few of them. Your background describes Rurik as being from the north, and he has a cold weather outfit. So you technically qualified for the contest’s theme. However, it’s a tenuous connection. Here’s how I judge a theme most of the time: Can I take the character, make minor changes to the story, and drop him into another contest? I think with Rurik, the answer is yes. Math Stuff - Leadership [Leadership score: 10 (12 for followers) = 6 + 2 Charisma + 1 Fairness and Generosity + 1 Special Power (fire magic in cold climate) (+2 Base of Operations: Fort Calladine)] This could be a nitpick... As a DM, I have two concerns here. 1) I’m never comfortable with a player coming into a game with Leadership and claiming the bonus for “fairness and generosity.” I think this is something that has to be earned through RP. 2) I definitely don’t think “fire magic in a cold climate” counts as a special power. I would fully expect, actually, that just about any arcane caster assigned to the same area of the world as Giddion will be packing lots of fire spells. After all, one of the primary reasons for being there is to fight the stuff that comes in through the planar rift. Now, you could make an argument that “eldritch blast” qualifies as a special power – as long as there’s only a handful of warlocks in the world. Skills: >snip< I had a little trouble backing into your skills spent. However, I think that’s more of a function of the spreadsheet I use rather than anything you did – it doesn’t handle cross class ranks well. +2 Mithral Chain Shirt (5100 gp) (10 lbs) [Note: No Arcane Spell Failure chance or Armor Check Penalty] Note that items were limited to a price cap of 4,333 gp as per the rules in Chilli’s post at the start of the thread. Your chain shirt is – obviously – over that price limit. Verato, Combat Trained Wolf (assuming 160 gp cost as no price included in PHB, and Riding Dogs are comparable-ish) I’m not so sure a wolf is comparable to a riding dog. The riding dog is a naturally domesticated animal, while the wolf isn’t. It’s a quibble, though; and I’m not sure what price I’d charge as a DM. Also, be aware that Verato is close to his load limit (though still under). His limit for a light load is 75 pounds, and he currently has 58. Background Stuff I think you definitely managed to weave the “Frostfell” theme into your character. Nice job, overall. I think I’ve mentioned this sort of thing in the past, but here goes. As a DM, I always take the “both my parents are dead” backstory as a challenge to weave at least one parent into the plot somehow. I’ve had a parent show up as a zombie; I’ve had the spirit of the parent foreshadow things to come (ala Roy’s father in Order of the Stick). I’ve had the parent raised and his/her memory wiped out. I think in your case, your mother’s death scene sounds like a perfect scenario for a very cool encounter with a ghost. She’s unable to rest until she has a chance to talk to you again, blah blah blah. I’d have to think about it, though. Other Stuff I think the warlock might just be my favorite class from the Complete books. I’m really interested in seeing one in play at some point, to see how it does. I built one for a play-by-post game, but that game’s been floundering a bit and hasn’t had much action. *sigh* There are several pieces of information in Giddion's backstory that probably should be explained. Most of it is from my own personal home-brewed campaign setting. I think, actually, there was enough context to allow somebody to get the general idea – though I appreciate the extra info. It’s funny – as I was reading, I was immediately thinking Eliot should be one of the bad guys of the campaign. Then I got to your notes, and there it is. :) So I think I would have to make a twist on that somehow. This is a most excellent character. Math Stuff Armor Class: 11 (+1 Dex), touch 11, flat-footed 10 :blink: Wow... that’s... that’s really poor. But let’s read on and see if it’s addressed anywhere else. And after looking further, it’s not – though you have some powers (force screen and inertial armor that’ll do the trick), but you’d almost certainly be casting those in a reactionary way. I would be really concerned about your survivability as a DM. Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+18 I’m not at all sure how you got these numbers. These should both be +3. And you seem to use +3 in your calculations for weapon attacks. Attack: Deep crystal longsword +4 melee (1d8/19-20) or masterwork longbow +5 ranged (1d8/x3) Full Attack: Deep crystal longsword +4 melee (1d8/19-20) or masterwork longbow +5 ranged (1d8/x3) There’s nothing wrong here, but I’m going to take this opportunity to rant a bit about bad wording on WotC’s part. In reading about deep crystals and mundane crystals in the SRD, nothing says deep crystals are masterwork. There’s also nothing that says a deep Crystal has all the properties of a mundane crystal – though that seems to be the implied intent. Bah! Saves: Fort +6 (+10 against cold weather or exposure), Ref +3, Will +6 Note that your cold weather outfit adds another +5 to your Fort saves against cold weather and exposure, bringing the total to +15 (but keep reading). I’m also calculating that your Fort save should be +4, not +6. The base for a 6th level psion is +2, and you have a +2 Con mod. Craft (trapmaking) +7 By my calculations, you should have +8 — +4 Int mod, +2 racial, +2 for masterwork tools. Background Stuff You suffer from the “can I remove the word ‘arctic’ from the character and have things remain unchanged” syndrome. But only barely, I think. I was a little confused on the geography of where she was sent. I get the impression that where she’s at now isn’t really an arctic environment. It’s resolvable from a DM perspective; all I would need to do is have the crystals call her home. There were two elements of your background I really liked, that I want to make sure I hit upon. First, I think you did a wonderful job providing backstory about the crystals without dwelling on it too long. Second, I really liked how Seren felt cold inside for so long before learning how to release it. There’s the framework for an interesting group for a DM to flesh out. Some may not like that, but I don’t mind, because you didn’t dictate many details about the group, leaving room for the DM to customize. I can also see some DMs being wary of setting a PC on a course to recover an artifact. It’s something I’d have to talk to you about, but I’m certain that could be hashed out too. Overall, I think it’s a solid background. Other Stuff This is definitely a solid PC. I think as long as a DM allowed psionics, this character should be allowed into any group, and she should be a strong contributor to the group. Math Stuff Fort +4 (+4 Ranger) (Endurance adds +4 to resist non-lethal damage) Endurance adds that +4 to a lot of stuff, not just the nonlethal damage from cold exposure. In addition, don’t forget your cold weather outfit adds another +5 for that save. Furred Suit (Furs layered with quilted cloth to form a combined cold weather oufit and Padded Armor) (13gp) I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen padded armor used! Just a question – why padded, and not one of the other light armors? 10 arrows (5sp) I know you have more in your pack, but I’d be concerned you would run out. As someone who has played two archers (one “traditional” and the fabled “cleric archer”) I can tell you that it’s really easy to burn through arrows fast. Traveller’s Outfit (1gp) This should’ve been free. Cooking pot (5sp) Why, when you have the ring of sustenance? Background Stuff Interesting background. There’s certainly stuff to work with – like arranging for a little bit of dragon hunting. :) I’d be concerned about having him join a party, given his desire not to get close to anybody. It’s something I’d bring up in a conversation after you gave me the character sheet, though I’m sure it could be worked out. I’d also be concerned about your owl. In short, as a DM I most certainly take shots at animal companions that are brought into combat. Ask the wizard in my group who saw her cat familiar reduced to -8. Luckily for her, it stabilized on its own, because the cleric wasn’t going to be able to get to her in time to cast a healing spell. What I really don’t get, though, is why he just went and made the assumption Jack, Jr. was dead. The boy was alive, and was put into the hands of the community’s healer. Did Jack have so little faith in his sister-in-law? Just thinking stupidly at the moment? I’d like to see a few more plot hooks tossed in to your background. Right now, you have the son you presume dead, and the dragon you can’t possibly defeat. I’d like to see something in there that could be accomplished prior to dragon hunting. Other Stuff I like the fur/armor combo – though again, I’m still trying to figure out why padded armor instead of, say, leather or studded leather? A little bit of bold or italic formatting would’ve helped make some things on your character sheet stand out. You’ve done a lot of little things to tie your character to the Frostfell, though it might still be pretty simple to yank him out and place him on (as an example) the plains somewhere. Otherwise, this is a solid character. Math Stuff Touch: 13 (1Dex + 2Cha) Hmmm... why are we adding Charisma here? Hopefully I find the answer later in the character sheet. Got it – Elude Touch class feature. HP: 46 (5d6, 1d8 + 24) As best as I can figure, your hp should be 48 (6 at first level, 3.5 each at 2-5 level, 4.5 at 6th level; +18 from Con, +6 from Improved Toughness – 6 + 14 + 4.5 + 18 + 6 = 48.5). Conditional: +5 fort vs exposure to cold weather. Charisma modifier on will saves vs. mind-affecting spells and abilities. This might be a good place to mention the +4 you get from Endurance as well. Intimidate +5 (2ranks + 2Cha) +4, not +5. 1/day energy ray: manifester level = 3 In my opinion, it’s a good idea to put all the info for the ability here. So, for example, you should mention that the save DC is 13 (10 +1 power level +2 Cha mod), and that the ray does 1d6-1 sonic damage. +1 Chain Shirt (1,250gp) +1 Heavy Steel Shield (1,170gp) Each of these items imposes a -1 armor check penalty, and those penalties stack. Your skills are only taking into account one of the penalties. Armor Check Penalty: Any armor heavier than leather hurts a character’s ability to use some skills. An armor check penalty number is the penalty that applies to Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, and Tumble checks by a character wearing a certain kind of armor. Double the normal armor check penalty is applied to Swim checks. A character’s encumbrance (the amount of gear carried, including armor) may also apply an armor check penalty. Shields: If a character is wearing armor and using a shield, both armor check penalties apply. You could save yourself the ACP on the armor or the shield by making it from mithral; you still have the cash available for that (+1000 gp for each). Not being made from mithral doesn’t hurt your score, obviously. It’s merely a suggestion. Cold Weather Outfit (Free at char gen) Cold weather outfit isn’t one of the choices of “free” clothes at character gen. I know the list is in the SRD somewhere, but I couldn’t locate it. Here’s what’s in the PHB though. A beginning character is assumed to have an artisan’s, entertainer’s, explorer’s, monk’s, peasant’s, scholar’s, or traveler’s outfit. Given the amount of cash you have unspent, however, this really doesn’t make much of a difference overall. Background Stuff Well, at first I thought you were heading towards the “I don’t believe in the gods” sort of philosophy. I’m glad to see you didn’t go there, because frankly I find that to be an untenable belief system in the world of D&D, where there’s tangible evidence of the divine. Gunnar is an interesting background. There’s enough stuff there to explain his beliefs, and also his abilities. And you did it in a short amount of text. The grand majority of the time, I don’t really require every skill and feat and ability be incorporated into the character’s background. However, I think skills like Profession and Craft probably should get a passing mention. So, with that bit of info: why does Gunnar have ranks in Profession: sailor? One thing: I think Gunnar has the same problem as a bunch of other characters in this contest. That is, I think it would be quite simple to take him just about as-is and place him – for example – the jungle. Having cryokineticist isn’t bad, but nothing about that PrC says they have to live in a cold environment. Other Stuff How would Gunnar react to a cleric in the party? What about a paladin? I’m generally OK with in-game conflict between characters. I’d just want to be sure it would be possible for him to coexist in a group with a divine flavored character. I found parts of your stat block a bit difficult to navigate, but your background was very easy to read. Math Stuff Base Attack Bonus: +3 (+1 Wiz +2 Clr) You should also include your grapple number. In your case, it sucks more than a hoover. :P (-3 -- +3 BAB, -2 Str, -4 size) Jump +0 (-2 STR +2 racial) You also receive a -6 penalty because your base speed is only 20 ft. So your total should be a lousy -6. I assumed she’d still need the full 100 gp pearl component for identify Good assumption, and something we’ll need to make more clear for the future. And I get the same prices as you for those items. For your equipment overall, I’m getting a total value of 13001. It’s not a huge deal, because you have the cash left over. Background Stuff rumors persisted of an atelier buried deep within the Vale... Woot! New word for me! Thanks! :) Solid. Having a winter wolf as a mentor is a really nice touch. They’re wonderful creatures for a DM to use, but too often they’re just cannon fodder. There’s allies, and enemies, and plot hooks (though a few more beyond “I want to kill Daddy” would be better). Other Stuff Holy cow, her last name is a mouthful! Would it be safe to assume the plan for her going forward would be the Mystic Theurge prestige class? And after a bit more reading, I see my assumption was correct... I think this might be the most accurate stat block I’ve ever judged in one of these competitions. :tiphat: Math Stuff +4[Fairness, Great Renown] As I mentioned in my comments to Mercurius, I’m not a big fan of a new character using these bonuses. In my opinion, those bonuses need to be earned through roleplay Str 14 (14 Base) Dex 13 (13 Base) Con 17 (15 Base, +2 Racial) Int 14 (14 Base) Wis 14 (13 Base, 4th Level Ability Increase+1) Cha 10 (10 Base, -2 Racial, +2 Enchantment) So, base (unadjusted) scores of 14, 13, 15, 14, 13, 10? That’s a 32 point buy, not a 28. Base Atk +5; Grp +8 As best as I can tell, your grapple mod should be +7: +5 BAB, +2 Str. Will Save (while raging) – +7 Remember your Fort save also increases during a rage, because of the Con bump. Craft (Metalworking)+5 (+4 Ranks, +1 Intelligence) ... Spellcraft+3 (+2 Ranks, +1 Intelligence) You have a +2 Int mod. Spot+10 (+8 Ranks, +2 Wisdom) Spot is a cross class skill for barbarians and clerics, so the most ranks you could have in it after 6th level is 4.5. And more generally, I had a really hard time backing into your skill totals. So I consulted your handy-dandy level-by-level reference. What I saw was that you weren’t spending enough skill points at each level. Barbarian gets 4+Int mod, for 6 each level (and 24 at first level). Cleric is 2+Int mod, for 4 skill points at 6th level. So, basically, you have a ton more skill points to spend – after you fix Spot. And yes, I do in fact believe it’s really strange that a barbarian gets Listen but not Spot as a class skill. I still haven’t figured that one out. Feats Formation Expert** Leadership Power Attack You’re character doesn’t qualify for Formation Expert. The pre-reqs are +6 BAB, and yours is only +5. Even if you had a +6 BAB (such as by taking 6 levels of Barbarian, rather than the level of cleric), there’s no way you could get Formation Expert and Leadership at 6th level. Equipment >>snippage<< If I add up the value of your stuff, I get 13,000.81. It’s not a huge deal, because you certainly have the cash available to make up the difference. It would be good to know what you’re carrying, what the horse is carrying, and what your mule is carrying. You certainly have the Strength to haul quite a load, so I doubt you’re in trouble as far as encumbrance. But sometimes it’s good to know what’s on your back, and what’s on the horse. so that when I steal your horse, I know what you lose ;) Finally, you don’t own a cold weather outfit, which would seem to be a necessity for a character in the Frostfell. Of course, I’m sure Jason will point out that you technically don’t have any clothes, but that’s his quibble not mine. Background Stuff Your background isn’t bad, but I find bits of it unbelievable. For example, I find it difficult to believe that a fresh recruit into the dwarven army would be placed in the honor guard under the command of the king. Wouldn’t that be a position reserved for only the bravest and best warriors in the kingdom? I did like that your background justified the ranks in Profession: sailor. I like seeing that sort of thing (as mentioned previously). You mention friends and allies, and just about all of them are high powered. Doesn’t Vagnar have friends that are low level? There’s really no enemies to work with in your background. I mean, sure, a DM could have more hobgoblins attack. Or another band of feral gnomes. But hasn’t Ragnar made one enemy in his lifetime? Does Ragnar currently travel with his cohort and followers? That’s a lot of 1st level NPCs that are, frankly, going to get slaughtered in the first real combat. I just about always encourage players to leave their followers at home. I find ways for them to still be useful – building, crafting, gathering information, and so on. But followers are just asking for death in combat. Finally, you barely scratched the theme of the contest. Ragnar could’ve just as easily landed on the shores of a remote jungle with the way it’s written. Other Stuff Heh. Your screen name seems to be quite a good fit for this contest. :D Math Stuff AC: 20 (+5 armor, +2 shield, +3 Dex) You should include touch (13) and flat-footed (17) ACs. Aura of Courage: +4 morale vs fear effects for allies within 10 ft Might also want to mention here that AoC makes you immune to feat effects. Skills: >>snipperoo<< Three things on skills. 1) I’m not a fan of “a few ranks in a whole bunch o’ skills.” I think that when you do that, at higher level you get into situations where you really can’t do anything because the DCs are beyond your capabilities. It doesn’t hurt your score – because everything you’ve done adds up correctly and is completely legit. It’s just a personal bias. 2) I love seeing bards take advantage of one of their biggest class features – having Speak Language as a class skill! 3) Your level-by-level breakdown mentions you have one rank in Sleight of Hand (which would give you a +4 total); it’s not in your skills section, though. Winter blanket 1.5 Do you have three of them? They only cost 5 sp. I’m showing your equipment to be worth 12848.2, not the 12847.2 you have listed. I got that total by using the values you have listed – which means the wacky price for the winter blanket is likely the culprit. Used Items (during struggle against Reginald) scroll of eagle's splendor 150 scroll of invisibility 150 Spent items don’t count against your wealth per level, unless they provide a permanent bonus. So while you used these items, you’re allowed to replenish the cash. If I weren’t so lazy, I’d figure out how much weight you’re packing into your haversack. Because I think you’re close to the limit, if not over already. Also, is any of your equipment packed onto your horse rather than in your haversack? Finally on equipment: there’s several things where you bought only one, where it probably makes sense to have more than one. Just a few examples are pitons and torches. It doesn’t really make much sense to have only one of those (and a few other things on your sheet. Background Stuff Very nice background. It’s a little longer than I generally like, but it’s well written so it wasn’t exactly a chore to dig through it. As I’ve mentioned to others, the “both my parents are dead” background generally means I’m going to include at least one of them somehow. You’ve provided some wonderful plot hooks for a DM to work with. The political intrigue has great potential, and the whole “technically disowned” aspect makes for wonderful opportunities too. And, of course, a character with goals is always a great thing to see as a DM – it makes the job so much easier. However, this is another character that could be ripped out of the Frostfell and easily dropped into a jungle or desert. So I think you had a very solid background, though your touchstones on the theme were maybe a little lacking. I’ve been saying this a lot, so it’s certainly possible my expectations were wrong from the outset. At least I’ve been consistent with everybody. :) Other Stuff Paladin Code of Conduct I don’t think any single rule has caused bigger conflicts at my game table as the pally’s code of conduct. Now I require any player who wants to play a paladin to actually write out their code of conduct. He usually tries to start a fight... :rofl: I know what you meant, but I still found that funny. A pally trying to start a fight.. hehehe Your character sheet was well done – the only mistakes I found were minor things (missing touch and flat-footed AC, missing Sleight of Hand skill, a few equipment questions, etc). I thoroughly enjoyed your character, though you didn’t get the highest score from me. I did assign you my bonus point. As a DM, I would love to see a character like Barom in my game. He has a wonderful background, turns some stereotypes on their sides, and looks like he could be a valuable contributor. Math Stuff Str. 8 (0pts) -1 Int 17 (10pts, +1 level adjustment) +3 Wis 10 (2 pts) +0 Dex 14 (6pts) +2 Con 14 (6pts) +2 Cha 12 (4pts) +1 My head hurts with these being in the wrong order... I spent the longest time trying to determine why you went with a 17 Dex and only a 14 Int... :twitch: Saves: Fortitude +3 Reflex +3 Will+7 I get +6 from your Will save. Wu jen 5 gives you +4, and frost mage 1 gives you +2, for a total of +6 base save. Your Wisdom modifier is +0. Also, it might be a good idea to make a note up here near the saves that you get a +5 bonus on your Fort save in cold weather from the cold weather outfit. Finally, I’d worry a bit about your Fort and Reflex save – especially the Fort save. Even with the +5, you’re looking at a total of only +6, which might make surviving the Frostfell difficult – little snow spirit or not. Melee: Dagger (Tanto) 1d3/1d4-1 What’s the 1d3 for? Spells: 0: 4 1st:4 2nd:4 3rd: 3 Just a suggestion, but you might want to put the DC there somewhere. I prefer the “13+spell level” format, but I have a player who actually prefers listing it with each spell, because she has Spell Focus in illusion and sometimes flubs even simple math. Spellcraft+10 (7 ranks +3 Int +2 synergy w/knowledge: Arcana) This should be +12 *Survival +6/+8 to avoid getting lost and hazards (4 ranks +2 synergy w/knowledge: nature +2 synergy bonus w/knowledge: geography for stated purposes) This one’s not quite right. Your “normal” bonus is +4; your bonus in above-ground environments is +6; your bonus to avoid getting lost is +6; your bonus to avoid getting lost in an above ground environment is +8. I dislike the synergies that only add a bonus under certain conditions. I think they get forgotten too often. Total Cost -- 9275 gp Assuming this total includes the previous subtotal, I get 9601.1 up to this point. My subtotal for your mundane items matched yours, so the difference occurs somewhere in the magic item section. I’ve double checked it, and I can’t seem to get your number. So I’m mentioning it here. ;) When all is said and done, after including your spell costs, you’re over the limit by 10 gp – but you have way more than that in cash, so it’s not too big a deal. Background Stuff There’s lots of stuff to like in your background. I liked how you wove the ‘must be in a blizzard’ requirement of the frost mage class into your background so well. It’s easy to gloss over those sorts of requirements, but you made it a special event in Yuki’s life. There’s definitely enemies to weave into her life, as well as allies. There’s even spirits to give some “life” to her watchful spirit class feature. Lastly, I think you did a fine job weaving the frostfell into your character. It’s a part of who she is, and it wouldn’t be easy to just plop her down in a jungle without seriously rewriting large chunks of her background. Other Stuff 19: Wu Jen 9: Gains taboo considers herself divine manifestation of winter and must listen to all properly presented petitions for her aid (doesn’t have to grant such petitions). This is a cool taboo! And she’s a cool PC! This entry is too awesome to comment on.
Haruspex 02-05-07, 12:31 PM	Zherog, First I'd like to apologize for my bad maths skills. I just re-checked the sheet and true enough my numbers were all wrong. Why, why, tell me why? I blame television. :) Secondly, The SRD says that deep crystal is treated as mundane crystal for a non-psionic character. A mundane crystal weapon possesses properties of a masterwork weapon. I therefore assumed that a psionic character would gain the benefit of a masterwork weapon when wielding a deep crystal weapon. Why should it work better for a non-psionic than it does for a psionic? Just my opinion on that matter. Thirdly, thanks for your kind and constructive comments. I'll try to do better next time. EDIT: She gains a +2 bonus to Fort saves from her psicrystal.
Zherog 02-05-07, 01:32 PM	Secondly, The SRD says that deep crystal is treated as mundane crystal for a non-psionic character. A mundane crystal weapon possesses properties of a masterwork weapon. I therefore assumed that a psionic character would gain the benefit of a masterwork weapon when wielding a deep crystal weapon. Why should it work better for a non-psionic than it does for a psionic? Just my opinion on that matter. Oh, I fully agree. Like I said, I think it's horribly worded. But I believe the intent is for the material to be masterwork quality. It didn't affect your score; it just gave me a chance to rant a bit about the way WotC words things sometimes. :) EDIT: She gains a +2 bonus to Fort saves from her psicrystal. Darn it! I knew I was missing something obvious! Cheers! :pint:
Heros_Backpack 02-05-07, 03:03 PM	Furred Suit (Furs layered with quilted cloth to form a combined cold weather oufit and Padded Armor) (13gp) I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen padded armor used! Just a question – why padded, and not one of the other light armors? Ok, let me think: 1. Padded armor is warm to wear. 2. Most of the animals have a natural armor of +1. The only +1 armor is padded. 3. In RL metal has a nasty habit of freezing to your skin in extreme cold. 4. Leather armor is heavier and I was pushing my light load limit. 5. I didn't want to push my luck by making the Furred Suit too advantageous. :embarrass Cooking pot (5sp) Why, when you have the ring of sustenance? Reason list 2: 1. It can double as an improvised bird-bath and/ or brazier. 2. He uses it to melt snow to refill his waterskin. 3. If he loses the ring/ takes it off for too long/ if it falls off his finger, it will take a week (iirc) to re-attune itself to him and during that time he will need to eat.
AmericanYeti 02-05-07, 03:04 PM	Alright! Not last! Now, to defend myself. Vagnar has several lowlevel allies: The Fourteenth (his Followers). I had to factor in the extra bonuses to Leadership, because he wouldn't have Followers with a score any lower than 10. For the Formation Expert, I honestly meant to put Phalanx Fighter.
TheChilliGod 02-05-07, 03:19 PM	Some stuff I learned: Wouldn't you believe it? Last contest, I complained about being too generous with the giving of points. This time around, however, it seems I'm the opposite. I actually like it that way, though. So nyah. I pride myself on my, as I call it on another message board, being an Analytical Ogre. No soft pillows and comforting words here! Also, I should never judge while hyped up on coffee. It does things. Thematic Creativity: One thing difficult about this contest was that it turned out to be very difficult to get much frostfell (if any) into a character made only from the SRD. The best one could hope for was a Cold Weather Outfit, Boots of the Winterlands, and maybe a cold energy theme if they're creative enough. In light of that, I put down more emphasis on the background for purposes of judging this round, to make up for the lack of stuff in the mechanics. A pity that, even then, most people didn't take advantage of this. Oh yes, I also included a "First Impression." I just take your race/class combination, and see how much it makes me go "Hm!" Because First Impressions are everything. Background Content: As always, I look for three things. The first is the tight knitting between the mechanics and the background. I like to know what prompted your character to take cross-class ranks in Profession, or why she went for that secondary class. I wasn't disappointed in this area. The second are plot hooks. I don't care whether they're from friends or foes or family or freaky messes in the past, they have to be plot hooks. Easy enough. The third is party coherency. Least I think that's the word. Lets say, cooperation. If you are a lone wolf type, I shall not be pleased (believe me, I've had more than my fair share of DM'ing for lone wolfs to know how much of a pain they are). Also, your goal must not interfere too much with the current goals of the party, otherwise a conflict may arise. Rules Use: I always do this one first. Again, I split this category into two different categories; which could be most accurately described as "Optimization" and "Rules Accuracy". I reckon I'm about as thorough as Zherog, so watch out. I get errors he may have missed, just as ol' Z gets errors that flew over my head initially. With regard to optimization, this is simply a looking at the numbers and how big they are. If you have macho hp, yay. If, instead, your damage potential for one of your psionic powers is huge, yayx2. Oh, I love tactics. And I love people who put combat tactics into their entries. They allows me to find out how effective the character would actually be in a run-of-the-mill fight. Clarity: Luckily, this time around, I didn't get to zapz any kittens. Which is great, since zapzing kittens is not something I enjoy doing. I ignore most typos that can't be horribly put out of context. I don't ignore typos that are result of bad addition or Fat Finger Syndrome. I don't ignore things that are missing, and I don't ignore the format. If I can't find the skills list or the attack routines or the equipment list within 5 seconds, it's most likely because of bad format. Yayfullness Category: Rules Use Thematic Creativity: First Impression: Whoo! Kobold! And using the arctic variant! This is getting to look original already. Despite, well, the typical rogue thing. But that's but a small setback. The Background shows not much emphasis on the frostfell, and when you don't have the books to make up for it, the background is more important to the theme than the mechanics. Too much on natural disasters that seem to make up the overall theme of your CS, rather than the frozen lands. The hints of frostfell in your stats are the arctic variant and the cold weather suit. Sufficient when you have little else to go on, but I have a feeling that something more could have been done. Background Content: I'm confused. Oh so confused. My head actually aches. Did Crystal Keep itself get frozen? If not, then what was the point of it? Where the heck did Nuk'Ya come from? What quest is this? Where did Dak'Na get the idea to put some ice on the altar? So confusing. Not much indication that Dak'Na was ever a rogue, aside from being an Officer of Trapsmithing. But then, anyone can make traps. Also not much indication that Dak'Na was any good at ranged combat, or where he got Nuk'Ya from. At least there's a plot hook (somewhere!), and at least it doesn't detract from real adventuring. So as has been indicated. Rules Use: +10 on reflex saves, thanks; +5 Base, +5 dex. Dak'Na would get a +9 bonus on Fort against cold weather, thanks not only to his arctic-ness, but also to his Cold Weather outfit. Kobolds get a +2 racial bonus on Profession (Miner) checks. This synergy bonus to Disable Device would be, if anything, a house rule, and Hero Craftsman tries to stick as close as possible to the RAW; +11 on Disable Device. Gold work out nicely. However, I wonder why since you seem to be so set on getting a high Disable device check, that you didn't swap out something else for Masterwork Thieves tools for that bonus +2 that you crave. Not to mention masterwork trapmakers tools. I'm sure you didn't want to lose more potions and elixirs than you already had, though. I count 26 pounds of weight instead of 24, given that caltrops weigh 2 pounds per bag instead of 1. Meaning medium load (Oh Noes!). Should put those caltrops in your sack, then. Combat-wise, Dak'Na sucks. Rogues tend to not get very good sneak attacks when sniping, and you don't get SA unless your opponent isn't aware of you (easy to be aware of someone who's shooting at you) and this guy would get slaughtered in melee. Traps and such seem to be where he shines, though, so I'll give him that. Pity you don't seem to have Complete Adventurer, a feat in there (Tactile Trapsmith) could have boosted those skills quite a lot. But make do, he's good in that area nonetheless. Clarity: Graaargh, no touch and flat-footed AC's! I see that you're still stuck on not using the words "Fort" "Ref" and "Will." You should probably mention somewhere that kobolds get 60 ft. Darkvision. That Dak'Na has 81 skill points is a typo, even you know he really has 90. I can tell by the addition I did. Also worth mentioning, including any sort of skill that receives bonuses is never a bad thing, so including Intimidate & Sleight of Hand with 0 ranks and a +2 synergy bonus each from Bluff would save you a bit of bookreading hassle. Forgot to put down the weight of them caltrops. Total: Are you absolutely sure you didn't get all reckless on this again? Because recklessness was again the impression I got from the entry. Definitely double-checking the stats could have saved you many lost points, and always make sure that you keep everything else clear and relevant.Yayfullness Category: Background Content Thematic Creativity: First Impression: I don't immediately see anything that indicates frostfell, but a ranger/fighter combo seems interesting for such conditions. As said before, there isn't much one can do about trying to keep the mechanics set to the theme when one has not the material, shifting weight of this category to the background. I appreciate the importance laid on Survival (I anticipated that entries would attempt to use this skill to help stay alive when in frostfell conditions), as well as the cold weather cloak. I would have liked to say that Rurik's backstory has a solid foundation on the elements of the frostfell, but for some reason, I can't. Maybe there was too much about adventuring and losing memories and dwarven clans, and not enough about the frostfell itself (Still, bonus points for Stygia). Background Content: A weakness! An actual, personality-related weakness that hasn't to do with someone else! I love it, it's brilliant. Like fears or flaws, but better! The background presents itself very nicely to an adventuring group picking up an unconscious dwarf among the tundra and the subsequent joining of said group. And this isn't spoiled by any overwhelming desire to actively search for clues of Rurik's past, nor by any need to lone-wolf that might happen from such trauma. But, Is it just me, or would Rurik make a not-too-good hunter? Hunters usually avoid being seen by prey and specialize in range, while Rurik does better off wading into melee, by which point the animals already know he's coming and are fleeing for their lives. How would Rurik catch his lunch, then? Rules Use: Fighters have poor reflex saves - Rurik's Ref is +6. You forgot to put down the +1 enhancement bonus to hit for your Dwarven Urgosh, for being masterwork. +11/+6 to hit. And your alchemical silver shortsword deals only +2 damage, because its silver. For having a 20 ft speed, there's an associated -6 penalty on jump checks, and I see you didn't notice that. So your jump is really +5. Pity. Not to mention that your skill progression says you spent six ranks on spot & listen each, but only eight ranks on climb and jump each. Something screwy's going on there. You've come up 1gp over the limit. Maybe that "15sp" is a typo could be what caused the problem. But this is a miniscule error anyway. Combat-wise, Rurik is a solid TWF melee'r when regarding tactics. There isn't much too special about the attacks (though having three of them at level 6 is always a nice thing), and I don't see any other feature standing out, so it just seems as though Rurik is an all-round average fighter. Clarity: You put down in your Resist bar that you had Breastplate instead of a Chain shirt. Your Strength score was listed as 15, which confused me a little during attack & damage. Speaking of which, I didn't get to see an attack line which used TWF. It would have been useful to have such a line when fighting with this character, instead of having to do the calculations by yourself every time. And you haven't mentioned the effect cold weather outfits have on your Fort saves against cold weather. Other than that, I found all I needed, and everything else was laid nice and neatly in front of me. Total: Did you read your list? Check it twice? Cuz' I just found out if you've been naughty or nice. Nice background, naughty stats.Yayfullness Category: Rules Use Thematic Creativity: First Impression: A warlock? Hm, it has potential to be suitable for cold climates, provided the right choices are made. So, you've taken advantage of Brimstone blast as well as a few cold-protection items to secure a decent relation to the frostfell in the mechanics. One can't really ask for more than that. However, half of the backstory was pretty much about mage academies and mothers with birthing issues. It doesn't seem yet as though the frostfell is much important to the warlock. Background Content: I wonder how Giddion managed to graduate from Warmage Academy at all, seeing as how, as you said, he had no ability to cast real spells, which would have, no doubt, been part of the exams. Interesting twist down at the bottom regarding Giddion's brother. It would have been very entertaining to have that long-lost-brother thing going on, where each can see where the other went. Personally, though, I wouldn't take advantage of that hook, as I don't like interfering with dead people that were important to a PC's life. One would have thought that Giddion's station at Fort Calladine would have inhibited his ability to adventure. But you did provide good reasons why he should go out for some reason or another. Rules Use: Your most major booboo is that Giddion has an item worth 5100gp, which is precisely 767gp over the limit for the highest gp value allowed for any one item. Glad to see that, otherwise, Gp is spot-on. And... I can't find anything else wrong with the stats. Yay! OMGOMGOMG Tactics! *Hugs* Although he wouldn't quite do as well at ranged damage-dealy as most archers his level, Giddion can set things on fire, and never runs out of arrows, and can shoot further, which is an all-round plus. I would nearly pity him if he ever gets caught in melee, though - despite a very good protection, 29hp can only get one so far. Clarity: Might do to say that your Eldritch blast is a touch attack somewhere. It would have done nicely to note the effect a Cold Weather outfit has against cold weather. That, and there were a lot of parentheses being used, especially around equipment, making things slightly confusing for me. Aside from that, everything I want is where I can find it, and in decent enough format. Total: All-round very decent entry. A lot of work was clearly put into this, and I can't offer any generic comments to assist improvement. So just revise what I've said already and... yeah.Yayfullness Category: Thematic Creativity Thematic Creativity: First Impression: Another arctic creature. Allowing that variant from Unearthed Arcana was a good idea after all. And a psion. Erk, time to break out the XPH. There's quite a lot of cold protection for this character. Racial, magical and even mundane protection come into the mix. The background is strongly tied to the frostfell environment, which I like, and ties in with the mechanics again by way of cold-related powers, which is again a good thing. Nicely done overall, here. Background Content: The first thing that came to my mind when I had finished reading this was, it seemed like an awful lot of accomplishments and exploits (detailed or not) for a mere sixth-level character to accomplish, as well as taking such an illustrious title such as the Ice Queen. Unless this is an Eberron-type setting, of course. You have a driving goal set, and more than one plot hook on the side to keep things interesting. However, I am a little concerned that this goal may be too forced, even though the Crystal Spirits would be under the DM's control and have been rather patient with the way things are going so far. A pity that there was no hint in the mechanics that Serenallyan prefers to use the cold version of her energy-related powers. Rules Use: Why do people forget that cold weather outfits actually provide a bonus to Fort saves against cold weather? Why? Your Craft (Trapmaking) check is +8 (+4 Int, +2 Racial, +2 Circumstance). You also have the bonus of the Alertness feat when close to your psicrystal, leading to typical Listen & Spot checks of +5 each. I'm also pretty sure that your Psicraft check is +13 (+9 ranks, +4 Int). Glad to see that Gp is spot on. And I don't see anything else wrong with the sheet. I'm not all too familiar with psionics, but this seems like one of those Glass Cannon peeps. Spend 11 power points on dealing 11d6 damage to everyone around you about 4 times per day before being nigh-useless may be a strategy you considered using, especially given all of the other offensive powers chosen. But I don't know what this psion does typically, which is a shame. Clarity: I am positive beyond all words that your Base Attack Bonus and your Grapple check are both nothing but big, fat lies. Why did you have to lie? It's not big. Wee nitpick, it ain't LA -, it's LA +0. You are just using an elf as a character, after all. I can see all else I need to see, and it's laid out nicely enough. Would have preferred a bit more mathwork, though. Total: You do have a very good concept with a cold-using psion, and a good background to back it up. I would suggest double-checking your work to make sure that everything makes sense, though.Yayfullness Category: Thematic Creativity Thematic Creativity: First Impression: I expected Humans, I expected Rangers. Bards, though, not so much. Snowstorm has a cold weather outfit-ish thing, and nothing much more (aside form Survival ranks, which are covered also) can be expected than that in the mechanics. But snowy owls just made this guy special. The snowstorm that Snowstorm was put through ties in nicely with the frostfell theme, and you kept the background closely tied to that after. Kind of reflecting the coldness of the environment with the coldness of the heart. Background Content: Short, snappy, and explains a lot in a hurry, though nothing is done in any great detail. I understand the Ranger levels easily enough, though it takes a bit of belief suspension to get past the bardic levels. The danger with presenting a party member that refuses to grow attached to anyone is that there isn't much chance that he will ever grow attached to the party. I got the impression that Lone-Wolfing it out is more this guy's style than joining an adventuring party of any sort. I do see a couple of plot hooks that could be put to use, but thanks to the personality, it might be difficult to get to use them properly enough. By the way, it's refreshing to see "vital statistics" in this block. I don't necessarily look for info like that, but I just noticed that not very many entries have included this sort of information. Rules Use: Traveller's Outfit is free. And Alchemical Silver arrows cost 2.05gp each, leading to 20.5gp for 10. Other than that, I couldn't find anything else really out-of-place. You should be very proud of yourself. You know, I was actually thinking that Snowstorm would use the cooking pot to put over his head and act like a tin soldier. Combatwise, I can see that Bard and Ranger lend themselves to the other with regard for skills and such, but they seem almost opposing to each other when in a fight - the ranger wants to fire into melee, while the bard would want more to play music and cast spells. Since you have more ranger levels, I'd imagine that you would shoot more from the bow than from the lungs. But nothing really stands out with this guy even at long range combat, and I wouldn't be surprised if he received "useless flak" from the rest of the party. Clarity: It would have done to note the circumstantial modifier Cold Weather Outfits provide to Fort saves in cold weather. Also would have done to give the thrown dagger an attack option of its own, too, not to mention an attack line for Rapid-Shooting that Longbow. Good thing I could find everything else I was looking for. Good format. Total: The biggest pity is that Bard and Ranger don't often go well together. The next-biggest is that isolation and D&D also don't go well together. But otherwise, this is a really solid and well-thought-out entry. Feel proud.Yayfullness Category: Clarity Thematic Creativity: First Impression: Woo, another psionic character. And this time, I can actually see the Cryokineticist! Finally, some Frostburn stuff! You've almost got it all. A frostfell prestige class, cold protection gear, and even ranks in survival to top it off. One couldn't ask for more in a background. The history is almost as relevant. References to a Frostfell deity, and being locked in a snowstorm feature is nice for the theme, but there wasn't much afterwards to do with the cold, unfortunately. Background Content: I find it ironic that the fire mentioned in Gunnar's history would flare to life at his screams, but he would then rely on the power of cold instead. Gunnar has some sort of goal in mind, though it isn't clear exactly whether the goal is to hone his powers or to spread the word of deities not controlling people's lives. In either case, it doesn't seem as though this goal would interfere with the party's own goals, and even still, there appears to be at least one plot hook that a DM could take advantage of. I like to know how people came across their prestige classes, and it didn't seem to me as if you brushed upon whatever happened to make Gunnar a Cryokineticist. Rules Use: You're missing a language. Hit Points look supposed to be 48 (20 Wilder + 4.5 Cryokineticist + 18 Con + 6 Imp. Toughness). Cold Weather Outfits don't qualify for being free at Character Generation, they have to be bought as extras. Other than that, clean sheet. I cannot fathom why you would want snowshoes when you already have Winterland Boots, since the latter effect would overlap the former. Wouldn't they? With regard to combat, honestly don't know if Gunnar's any good or not. Could be because I've never seen a wilder in play before. Not many powers and seemingly a not-very-dangerous ability indicate suckiness, but I don't know if Gunnar has something else up his sleeve. Clarity: Finally, someone who knows what effect Cold Weather Outfits have! And I can find everything else I was looking for, and all in a good format. Lovelie done. Total: I can't comment generically on this character, because most of the bits needing improvement are quite specific. I'll just say to make sure to keep an eye on your character's worth to the hypothetical party (both in combat and in the storyline), and to make sure that he's contributing fairly.Yayfullness Category: Rules Use Thematic Creativity: First Impression: Wenliphlibb. Whenslyfloraphlbb. Wo-- no, Wenlyforlyfffpblblb. Hey, a halfing theurge (what I call a cleric/wizard who hasn't taken Mystic Theurge yet) what appears to be evil. Not your typical halfling, I'll give, but I wonder if it'll be adaptable enough to the cold environment. Mechanics provides all you could ask for, really. The clothes and the boots for the job, and cold spells to boot. Sufficient. The background is also sufficiently tied into the cold theme, though not entirely creatively as such. There seems to be quite a lot of "Getting lost in the cold, coming across revelation, returning and finding oneself at odds with family" going on, actually. Background Content: The background and alignment suggest to me that Anastasia is the type who would betray the rest of the party at some critical point, assuming that the adventurers that picked her up in the backstory are the rest of the hypothetical party. (If they aren't, then this would sound too much like an NPC to me than a PC) It isn't that I don't mind twists like that, but it may sometimes conflict with the best interests of the party. You know a wonderful spell that goes well with this type of character? Death Knell. :P It just seems to me as though Anastasia's personality and her choice of spells (particularly cleric spells) don't mix very well at first glance. Besides, she can't waste her own spells to heal, given your typically-prepared spells and the lack of spontaneous healing. I get the tying in of the basics of the character - race, class, that stuff. But not so much the more subtle features, such as the picking of domains, skills, and feats. Rules Use: Don't forget that -6 speed-related penalty on jump checks. Ouch. I can understand your reasoning for including the full cost of the pearl in the scroll crafting, but I'm not entirely sure if it's the best solution for this contest. Hm... I honestly don't know why you didn't just pick "cheese" instead of good cheese. I'm no cheese-expert, but does it really matter what sort of cheese it is, and how much you had to pay for it (using a ratio that may or may not even be applicable to cheese, for that matter)? Love you! Tactics! Making a theurge is always difficult during the low levels, due to the lack of third-level spells. You have a decent selection of both buffing and offensive spells to use, which is good for versatility, and have a good selection of abilities for dealing with foes of cold. I would worry about being in melee for more than very long, but that shouldn't happen very often, given tactics. Clarity: *Cough* Grapple mod, please? I asked nicely... I know that Frostburn doesn't mention it, but the PHB and Complete Divine does - it would do to note how many times you can Turn/Rebuke elementals. Arrg! Why is there no fort save bonus to cold weather for wearing the cold weather outfits? Do you just think it's the hippin' fashion this season? Mentioning Hide with a +4 size-related bonus would have completed your list of skills nicely. A typo worth mentioning - It isn't the high Int that gets your bonus cleric spells. Not much else to comment on; though I could find everything else I was looking for, the format itself was somewhat confusing. Total: All-rounder. Nothing that needs improvement more than something else, but you may want to check the theme before you set to work on the character and think to yourself if it is really what you would want a fellow party member to be like.Yayfullness Category: Clarity Thematic Creativity: First Impression: Hm, Dwarf Barbarians can typically fare well in the cold on their own, what, with massive fort saves and everything. And I notice Leadership - still the most popular feat in this contest. This is perhaps the first entry I've come across that isn't wearing a Cold Weather Outfit. A pity, since with that not present, there's only the Boots of the Winterlands and a Survival skill to stand out for the character sheet. The background certainly doesn't help much, either. The only mention of a frostfell environment in the entire background are three whole words. Anyone can tell that isn't very contributive to the overall theme. Background Content: First, lovely for including vital statistics. But see below. Funny, it seems as though Vagnar was placed in a disciplined force with proper drills and strategies and such. Surprising that he would then go for Barbarian instead of Fighter, which would have been much more suitable, given the background. Whoo! Strong 7 dwarves to kill 40 gnomes! They must be quite good for, what, 1st level fighters? A basic goal for this dwarf - find land and find treasure. Still, such a basic goal and yet I can't help but shake the feeling that he is more of an NPC than a PC. It may just be the bunch of cohorts and followers that would make an adventuring party unseemly, but that's what it looks like to me. Rules Use: I suppose you aren't applying the rules for starting ages with Vagnar. He's four whole years under the legal adventuring age limit. Related to the above, you say he's 4'1" in the stats, but 4'11" in the background. 4'1" is ridiculous considering the dwarf's weight (which would put the poor dwarf at morbidly obese), but 4'11" is ridiculous because dwarves can only reach a top 4'7". Uhm, ACK? This is a character on a 32-point buy! We're going with only 28 points, aren't we? Ack again. This fellow is taking multiclassing xp penalties, since neither barbarian nor cleric are favored classes and both are whole levels apart. You missed out the Amulet of Natural Armor's bonus to AC, leading to a total AC of 18. Heavy Crossbows crit with a 19-20x2. Wait, why is Vagnar a cleric of Exploration, when he has Moradin as a deity? Isn't that conflicting interests? Craft (metalworking) and Spellcraft get a +1 boost, thanks to some ints of 14. At least gold checks out alright. Tactics! *Hug* Vague they are, but better than nothing. Combat-wise, this is a rather powerful melee character, all the more made so by the cohorts and followers. Well, barbarians usually are. But I find it that, all of a sudden, this guy would take a cleric level instead of going pure barbarian. This seems to be on a whim, since raging seems quite detrimental to the spellcasting process. If you would plan to go with Cleric further on, though, I see use in casting some of those big buffer cleric spells and then raging for mighty damage. Clarity: Where's Stonecunning? It's just as important as Stability and you leave it out anyway... Would be nice to put down modifications to skills and your Fort save when raging. But thank you for including the more basic of stat modifications anyway. I noticed that you only include skills in the list that Vagnar has ranks in. A pity, because there are a few bonuses he should be mindful of. Racial Search, Craft & Appraise bonus, and Domain-related bonuses are unfortunately missing. At least I could find everything else I was looking for, despite the many sblocks' attempts to thwart me. Total: Ack. I don't think this was nearly as good as your previous entry last competition. Your consistency with the rules has improved, but at the cost of a lot of background points. I would actually scrap this character and find a totally new concept to try, as this entry went almost nowhere with me.Yayfullness Category: Background Content Thematic Creativity: First Impression: A Bard/Paladin? Well, nothing initially screams out at me, "Frostfell!" but I'll hold out. The mechanics have roughly three cold-related items, and not much else. No bard spell that came from Frostburn (and I know you have access to the book!), no other special feat or item explaining Barom's adjustment to the new environment. More could be expected, but it would have been awkward, yes? The background has sufficient mention of the frostfell environment, covering it to roughly half. But, I really am growing tired of people using the frostfell to explain people getting thrown away from their families and delving into the cold wastes to discover who they are. Plus, I could actually replace every instance of the word "Frostfell" with, say, "Waste," and the background would have nearly made perfect sense. Background Content: First thing I noted was that you kind of skimmed through the explanation of what I took to be a very important feat for Barom. Assumably, the Precocious Apprentice feat represents a single master teaching you one spell thoroughly, showing you its inner workings and such, but no such mention of a grand master who taught Barom Mirror Image is found. Disappointing. I suppose the Barom has a goal set in mind, generic enough so that he has some flexibility in allowing for party members, but driving enough to still contribute to who he is as a character. Otherwise, not much else to note. Probably because of something I mentioned below. Rules Use: You forgot the synergy bonus from Spellcraft to Use Magic Device checks with spells, and vice versa. Related, you can only spend a number of skill points on any one skill equal to your character level + 3. You've spent 12 points on UMD, when the maximum for now is 9 points. Masterworking cost is included in Adamantine pricing. The rapier costs 3020gp. Also, it isn't necessary to list or even consider items that have been consumed and no longer provide benefit. The gp allowance of a character is assumed at the point of his introduction to the campaign, not at any point prior. Just to avoid confusion in the future, though this is minor enough to otherwise ignore. Otherwise, Gp works out fine (but see typo below). Onto combat, and I am so uncertain as to this guy's effectiveness. He has a moderately good AC, but certainly indecent enough hit points and attacks for melee'ing with. He has some spells to help him, not many of which are bound to last during combat. He has a very wide array of skills to use, but all except a select few of them are any good for this level. He has Bardic music, which I usually dismiss as replaceable by a simple cleric spell or two. I'm sure all of these features combine in some obscure way to form an indestructible combat strategy, but the method is lost on me, I'm afraid. Clarity: Graag, no Touch/Flat-footed AC's. Chili Smash! Your skill points are quite the mess. Aside from all of the skills you've given Barom (which makes me very confused in that you didn't just take Jack of all Trades), in saying "All knowledge skills," and "All perform skills," I assumed you took a rank each in every Knowledge skill and every Perform skill. How dismayed was I to know that you left out Knowledge (Dungeoneering & Planes), as well as Perform (Keyboard, Sing, Act & Comedy). Just in case Barom decides to put on his Cold Weather Outfit, wouldn't it be good to include its bonus to Fort saves against cold weather? Typo on Winter Blanket, you put down 1.5gp instead of 0.5gp. Otherwise, your mechanics are clearly laid out. However, I cannot say the same for the background. I don't know whether it was the presentation, the formatting, or the use of grammar, but something about the story confused me, and I had to read over several parts twice to get it. Total: I suppose it's your background that needs the most refinement. Don't get me wrong, its foundation was very good. It's just the bits around the corners that need work. Namely, its format, and its loose ties (though many) to the theme. I hope you understand.Yayfullness Category: Thematic Creativity Thematic Creativity: First Impression: I like looking at oriental characters for some reason, and having a character based on the very founding element of the frostfell appears to be quite the interesting character. But I wonder how she copes in this environment? Ah, now this is a very good example of a character of the frostfell. Use of a prestige class heavily tied to ice, use of a base class tied to water/ice, and you still kept in the almost-requisite items and such. The background especially is tied to the frostfell, using an ice-based creature, and heavily involving the harshness of the landscape. Making it all creative by adding eastern flavor makes it all the juicier. In this category at least, very good work. One note - I find it funny that Yuki would take Steam Breath. It's like the last thing you'd expect to see an ice mage do, breathe scalding steam. Background Content: I have to take it, then, that Yuki learned of the power of Frost Mages on her own. I like it when there's some definite point when prestige class powers are gained, but slowly learning who you are is good too, I suppose. I'm not entirely sure if Yuki has a goal set in mind or not. I assume it would be to find out who she is. If that's the case, then there isn't much stopping her from joining a party (especially one with an elf in it) in the meantime. A plot-hook on the side is also given, which is nice as well, and keeps the character involved. You say that the Handy Haversack is a "Gift from Mom." I didn't see anything resembling the giving of a bag to Yuki. Did you miss it or something? Rules Use: BAB is +2. We don't do Fractional BAB's, here. As far as I can tell, Will save is meant to be +6 instead of +7. (+4 Wu Jen, +2 Frost Mage, +0 Wisdom) The Wu Jen's ability to replace languages only applies to bonus languages. Not automatic languages. Hence, it isn't possible to switch out Elf for Draconic. You require two taboos, one at 1st level, and one for one spell secret. I can only see one taboo. Gather Information is made at +3; +2 racial, +1 Charisma. Knowledge (Nature)'s synergy bonus only applies to Survival in aboveground natural conditions. 50 sheets of paper cost 20gp, not 5gp (4sp a pop). On that same line, an inkpen costs 1sp instead of 16gp. But even ignoring those errors, I still came up 10gp over the limit on the sheet. Total equipment cost = 326.1gp + 9275gp + 2700gp = 12301.1gp. Combat-wise, a powerful character somewhat. There are plenty of damage-dealing spells to use for battle, but not much to fall back on when the spells run out unfortunately. A dagger doesn't help much, after all. A light crossbow would have done well, if there was one. Clarity: It would have been safe to mention that +1 bonus to AC from Frost Mage is a Natural Armor bonus. And again, someone didn't bother to put down the bonus on fort saves gained by wearing a Cold Weather outfit. You didn't mention your Dagger's bonus to hit (or crit mod, though that's less important) at all, and I don't get its damage, either. What's with the 1d3 thing? Where's the Spell Save DC? Typo: Spellcraft is +12, is it not? By your own working, at least. Total: Terrific concept. However, I would strongly recommend you double-check your mechanics before submitting, as that seems to be where all of the major errors were made.... NOT! Tell me, and I'll do me a bit of this that.
AmericanYeti 02-05-07, 03:31 PM	Ouch. I didn't really like the background either, actually. I just thought that trying to force more would make it sound bad. I took Cleric so that he would be versitile. And 4'1"/242 isn't that fat, considering he's a big, strong Dwarf. And no, I didn't use the starting ages. I thought that anything older than 38 would be illogical. He hadn't been around all that long. I went for Barbarian because I think that Fighters are really, really boring unless used in conjunction with something else. I wasn't planning on using this character, ever. I just thought that a Barbarian/Cleric would be interesting and figured this would be a decent idea to make him.
Zherog 02-05-07, 03:59 PM	And 4'1"/242 isn't that fat, considering he's a big, strong Dwarf. And no, I didn't use the starting ages. Just to touch on this a bit, let's do some math. Note that I don't know who's "right" going into this little exercise - Chilli or Yeti. Guess we'll find out. :) Base height for a male dwarf is 3'9". We then get to roll 2d4 to determine the change in that height. We got a +4 inches on that roll, obviously. Base weight for a male dwarf is 130 pounds. We then roll 2d6 and multiply that result by our height result. Assume we rolled a 12, so 12*4 = 48. 130+48=178. So the most a 4'1" male dwarf could weigh - according to the "rules" at least - is 178 pounds. Playing with the math a little more, in order for a male dwarf to weigh 242 pounds, he would have to be 4'6" or 4'7" tall (assuming the maximum weight modifier of 12). That's a valid height for a male dwarf, so the weight is possible. I think Chilli's point is that the combination of height and weight don't really work out by the numbers provided in the tables. Frankly, though, the weights listed for dwarves seems low to me - I can see why somebody would arbitrarily pick 242 lbs as the weight of a dwarf...
AmericanYeti 02-05-07, 04:20 PM	Thank you. Gimli from the movies (who I think is the epitome of Dwarfdom) is maybe 4'3". Then look at him without his armor. Big, fat dude. He weighs about 230 lbs by the look of him. So Vagnar is 4'1", 242 lbs. A tad shorter/heavier than Gimli, who is an average sized Dwarf.
Nani? 02-05-07, 09:28 PM	Comments on my Comments: The Funny/Interesting: Zherhog's comment on my Stat array. Reason why, I played first edition AD+D long ago, quit playing until about 2 years ago. The order I went in is the one that I'm used to from way back, and I used it without even thinking.:) Crunch: The comments were fair and spot on. I'm not used to being this detailed and it showed. End result: good lesson for next time. Fluff: I did well here in the Theme and had a "spit decision" on my Background Content. Zherhog liked it. ChiliGod was overall positive but I had some serious disagreements with him on a couple points. 1) Nowhere in the description Frost Mage does it indicate there is some organization of mages drinking tea on a glacier somewhere spelling out "this is what you need to do to become a Frost Mage." In fact it is quite the opposite, suggesting that you become a Frost Mage rather through self tutoring on your particular interest, intuitive understanding, and a personal inventiveness that can't really be taught. The reason they are a "prestige" class is that they all have simular abilities and specialization. Yea, two Frost Mages might meet and crib notes or pick up a "technique" by watching another is, IMHO about the extent of "formal instruction" for this particular prestige class. There is no reason to assume Yuki to have ever met another frost mage much less "Learned of the power of the Frost Mage". There are other prestige classes that seem to be "classes of people who have taught themselves simular skills/made to simular intuitive leaps or share a simular obsession. Some examples, Wild Mage, Master Transmogrifier, and Seeker of the Song all come to mind, and that's what I got just from glancing at one book. 2) The Handy Haversack/"Gift From Mom" was just a side comment and not major point of the background point. It is the sort of thing your mom might give you for Christmas/Birthday present or just have lying around in the cave if-- a) You traveled around a lot, as I indicated in the background. b) Mom happened to be say, a 16th to 20th level spell caster. This is indicated by the fact that the offical "best spell casters of the Empire" (Isawa Elemental Masters) are reluctant to challenge her casually because they might lose. Overall, thank you very much for the time and effort all the judges put into judging. All the Best, Nani?
JasonOrlandoHawk 02-05-07, 09:39 PM	I judge in a manner similar to Zherog. In each category, I start in the middle (5 for T. Creativity, Background, & R/M, 2.5 for Clarity) and adjust up or down based on what I see. Mistakes drop the average and correct/impressive items raise the average. I've changed how I judge this category a bit from the previous competitions. I typically judged this category in about 2 minutes. I asked one question: How well does this character fit the theme "Frostfell?" Typical scores ranged (and no, I won't tell anyone what you made specifically) from 6-8.5. In retrospect, this was a hard theme to create characters for, but you all did a fine job. Typically, I accepted two possible "themes." 1) Strongly tied to the Frostfell (like a Cryokineticist). 2) Desperately battling the Frostfell for survival (more general). I accepted either approach, but much like Zherog, the Frostfell had to be a key portion of the character. If I could replace the word Frostfell w/ the word Desert or Jungle, it hurt your score significantly. Lastly, this is the category w/ the word "Creativity" in the title, so I bumped this score for particularly creative items that gave depth to your character. If something really impressed me about your character, this is where the bonus was probably given. I follow Chilli's philosophy in regards to backgrounds: 1) Does your background match your stats? 2) Does your background give the DM plenty of allies, antagonists, and plot hooks to use? 3) Will this character integrate smoothly w/ a typical adventuring party? The only thing that notably changed about my judging philosphy this go around is another element of story: "setting." I don't know why it stood out this go around, but I noticed that setting has a measurable impact on how much I like the story. Setting isn't as important as other elements of Background, but there were times were it stood out this time, for good and ill. As always, there are two categories (which are referenced in your individual comments): 1) Mechanics: Correct HP, Save, BAB totals, Meet all prerequisites, skill point totals, etc... 2) Rules Use: Character Optimization While I still must say, "See individual comments for details," there is one general comment that applies across the board. Rules Use weighted much heavier in this competition than in previous competitions. Overall, there were much less technical ("Mechanics") mistakese. Very little changed in regards to how I judge this category. I have my two eternal "teacher" comments: "Red Ink" and "Cite your Sources." Red Ink is spelling, grammar, and other basic writing mistakes. I also expect you to cite your sources for any material outside of the PHB, though I do allow some exceptions for some DMG, MM, and XPH material. Don't worry, you don't have to use APA format. Other clarity issues include how cluttered your stat block and background are, how quickly I can find things, etc... One issue that I found myself ranting on a lot in this competition: Keep your attacks section simple. It shouldn't take you more than 2 lines to have a good attack section. • To be entirely honest, the Frostfell doesn’t even show up until the end of your background, after you’ve gained all your levels. You didn’t establish yourself as a Frostfell character. • You did, however, at least give a strong “why is this character being led here?” question. • You have the potential to become a great Frostfell character, but you’re not there yet. • Your background is solid and matches your stats nicely. • I especially appreciate the open-ended “why am I being led this direction” questions you’ve given your character. DM plot hook material is always nice to include. • I do have a few problems w/ the power levels of your background. Do you really mean to convince me that the Honor Guard of King Reildar, a level 19 Dwarven Hero, would include level 2-3 (at the time) new recruits? Even if you had the Formation Expert feat (see Rules Use below), you’d probably not make the cut. • The mental anguish over the battle w/ the gnomes was a nice touch, and definitely has potential for the evil DM laugh in the future. • I would have liked to have seen a fleshed out adversary for this character. You have several potential foes (the sources of the gnome community’s feral nature, the mysterious call to the north), but you don’t actually have a fleshed out adversary. • Small bone of contention: Your Patron Deity is Moradin, but you’re a Cleric to an Idea (“Exploration”). Was the Earth domain not good enough for you? (Note: Dwarven Clerics to Moradin, or any Cleric to Obad-hai, who have access to the Earth domain are the casters I fear the most in any game I run. Am I the only person who has noticed that Earthquake is a level 7 spell on the Earth Domain list?) • Mechanics #1: Formation Expert requires a Base Attack Bonus of +6. Even if you had taken strait levels in Barbarian, you couldn’t have this feat and Leadership at the same time. • Mechanics #2: You seem to have penalized yourself in terms of skill points, and I’m not sure why. At each level, you seem to have purchased skills as if you Int. modifier was +1, rather than +2. • Mechanics #3: You used a 32 pt. buy to build your character, rather than the 28 pt. buy that is standard for this competition. • Mechanics #4: Dwarves get a +2 Racial bonus on Craft checks involving Stone or Metal, but you left that bonus out of your Craft (Metalworking) skill. • Mechanics #5: You treat your damage on your Waraxe like you are wielding it two-handed, but your carrying a shield. Where’d you get that 3rd hand? • Mechanics #6: You should have applied a -1 penalty to your Leadership score for attracting followers for “Moves Around a Lot.” (Granted, that’s a penalty that the vast majority of adventurers should have.) • Rules Use #1: When I totaled your gear, I came up w/ the price 13,001gp 8sp. I don’t know where the error (or extra gear) is, but that’s not my main problem. Seeing as this is a Frostfell competition, I really shouldn’t have to say what I’m about to say: • “Dwarven Barbarian rages through Frostfell searching for stolen clothes! More at 10!” • Very Little Red Ink. Thank you. • Cited Sources. Thank you. (You might want to include page numbers as well.) • You have one of the best Level-by-level breakdowns I’ve seen. It includes a lot of information, but doesn’t have so much information that I get a headache trying to read it. • You entry was very neat and well organized. • Your character is firmly entrenched in the Frostfell. Excellent job! • You’ve done a fantastic job of portraying this character’s battle against the elements, despite apparently not having access to Frostburn. This character is prepared to adventure in the frozen wastes. • One issue: Your alignment doesn’t really match the character well. Considering how fiercely individualistic you are, I would say this character is more CN than CG. Also, since you have accepted Fharlanghn as your patron deity, a CN alignment would probably be more appropriate. (I will admit this character seems to be moving towards CG, but I really don’t think he’s there yet.) • I really like the character’s background. You have significant loss, deep personality, and a strong foundation for powerful RP. Excellent job! • However, I don’t see much reason, for this character (as written) to adventure w/ a group long term. Keeping everyone at arm’s length is nice dramatic effect, but makes the DM’s job difficult. (“What is Snowstorm doing?” “Walking off into the snowy fields to avoid becoming too attached to the rest of the group.”) While it’s a strong, compelling personality trait, it’d have to be overcome rather quickly for the good of a gaming group. • I’d like some more detail for NPC’s your character has encountered. You seem to be rather well known, but you only list your sister-in-law and (presumed dead) son as DM tools. Who else have you encountered, helped, or angered? • Seeing as you really don’t have a strongly developed antagonist, I would definitely (if running for this character) have the infamous White Dragon show up and cause some trouble. I hope you were planning on taking Favored Enemy (Dragons) at Ranger 5. • Mechanics #1: The range on a dagger is 10ft, not 10yds. • Mechanics #2: You spent 1sp too much! Cheater! (Actually, don’t forget when adding gear totals, that 10cp = 1sp. • Rules Use #1: Ranger/Bard is a very difficult character to build. They both focus on being the traveling generalist, but they do it in very different ways. One focuses on physical stats and Wisdom (Ranger), while the other focuses on a wide variety of skills and Charisma (Bard). They don’t mesh well. To do both well, you need better ability scores all around. • Rules Use #2: Your ability scores seem a little… misplaced. For example, you’ve survived a snowstorm and near starvation with a Con score of 10, but you have managed to keep everyone at arm’s length with a Cha score of 16. From your background, they’d be reversed, but from your class abilities, they make sense. See the conflict? • Rules Use #3: You only have a Hide modifier of +5? Really doesn’t fit the image you’ve projected of this character. I would’ve done one of three things to fix this: 1) Switch your ranks in Hide and Move Silently, 2) Purchased a Cloak of Elvenkind, or 3) Added the “Shadow” property to your armor. Any of these would’ve produced a more “character-accurate” Hide skill. • Rules Use #4: Weapon Finesse is a very poor choice for you. Weapon Finesse is designed to be a way to make Dex-oriented characters feasible in melee combat. You have no interest in melee combat at all. (Think about your HP total for one moment, and imagine how well it would hold up to just one critical hit.) You don’t have the staying power in your other stats to hope to last in melee (even w/ Weapon Finesse), which means you should continue your focus on Ranged Combat superiority. I’d replace Weapon Finesse w/ Weapon Focus (Longbow), or at the very least, Stealthy. • Some Minor Red Ink. (Did you realize that Favoured Enemy is spelled wrong?) • No citation issues. • Nice Level by Level breakdown. I like the way you noted how you gained access to feats, but I would’ve preferred if you had listed how many ranks you had available at each level, not just level 1. • Keep the weapons section simple. You don’t have to spell everything out for me. I’m perfectly fine w/ “MW Handaxe: +8/1d6 (+2 vs. animals), 20/x3.” Spelling out Attack, Damage, Critical, etc… isn’t necessary. Make it quick and easy to read. • Herald of the eternal winter. Source of a bitter, cold death for an entire world, should your masters succeed. I’d definitely say you have a heart as cold as ice. • You have an excellent background, and it matches your stats nicely. Mad Arrow, in particular, is an excellent character. I really only have three potential issues. • Background Issue #1: Is this the background of a PC or a Villain? You are under the influence of an obviously evil organization, and you’re barely hanging on to the CN alignment status. While your character would work w/ a group if ordered to, I have to wonder if she would perform cold-hearted murder on them if ordered to as well? • Background Issue #2: You don’t have any family details beyond the vague description of “hunters.” The crystals seem the sort of masters who would (sort of already do) hold your family’s safety over your head as a control. I’d like more description of these NPCs. • Background Issue #3: You were critically influential in helping Jezzail conquer the southern territories, at (presumably) level 4-6. He didn’t face very tough competition, did he? Also, 10 years of constant warfare would produce a slightly higher level than 6. Personally, I would’ve left the background off right when you started to work for Jezzail. • Mechanics #1: BAB +12? I have no earthly clue how you got +12 out of +3… • Mechanics #2: Your cold weather outfit actually gives you an additional +5 on saves vs. Cold Weather. • Mechanics #3: Your Craft (Trapmaking) is too low. Your total is +7, but I count +8. Intelligence modifier (+4) plus your racial bonus (+2) and the circumstance bonus from MW tools (+2) gives you a total of +8 to your checks. • Compliment #1: Excellent Feat Choice: Psionic Body: This feat selection gave you a very comfortable HP total. • Almost no red ink. • I’m torn on Citation Issues. On one hand, I usually say, cite any non-core (or, occasionally, obscure core) material. However, Psionic material, as it is part of the SRD, and drawn (at least in this case) exclusively from one book… I didn’t deduct what I normally would, but please cite your sources next time. • You needed to list your spell Save DC’s. • Your Level-by-Level was helpful, but probably didn’t need the list of which powers you gained since you had a breakdown in the Powers section of your stat block. • I’m a big supporter of the brief attack section. You really didn’t need a separate full attack and attack section. Just have one “attack” section, b/c any information you need for one attack can be found in the full attack information. • You have two very solid connections to this competition’s theme: Artic Hunter and Stygia, the frozen layer of Hell. Well done. • I don’t know if you did this on purpose, but even if it was accident, nice touch. Is Rurik’s Ring of Protection +1 also his wedding band? Nice touch, w/ Valentine’s Day just around the corner. You have just been awarded my first bonus point for this. • I love your background. It has a lot of DM usable material. Potential (if forgotten) allies. Definite future adversary. (Never make bargains w/ devils!) Plenty of background “blank space” for the DM to take advantage of. Very, very well done. It even matches your stats well. • Question: Your background and character description indicate that Rurik is literally being picked up by an adventurer shortly after escaping the River Styx, but your Personality description indicates he’s been adventuring for a while, trying to uncover his past. Which is correct? • Mechanics #1: You used a 32 pt. buy to build this character, but the competition standard is the 28 pt. buy. • Mechanics #2: You seem confused about what your ability scores (and their modifiers) really are. While you list the adjustments in your table, you don’t list the modified scores in your stat block. Your strength should be 17 and your constitution should be 18. This affected several things… • Mechanics #3: Your HP total is too low. The modifier for a score of 18 is +4, which leads to an extra 6 HP. That +4 also gives you a higher Fort. Save. • Mechanics #4: You have an additional -6 penalty to your jump check b/c of your lower than normal land speed. • Mechanics #5: Fighters have a +1 base Reflex save at level 3, not +3, which lowers your Reflex save total. • Mechanics #6: You do not have a +1 “enhancement” bonus to your AC. You have a +5 “armor” bonus to your AC thanks to the +1 enhancement bonus on your armor. This is important b/c you can benefit from multiple enhancement bonuses as long as they are enhancing different things. For example, you can have an enhancement bonus to your Armor, Shield, and Natural Armor bonuses, and still benefit from all three. • Rules Use #1: You really didn’t need to invest in a Dwarven Waraxe and an Urgosh. One weapon would’ve been better since that would’ve freed up your money to further enchant the one weapon. (Best option: Dwarven Urgosh) • Compliment #1: Excellent Feat Choices: Diehard & Two-Weapon Defense: These two feats are very solid choices for this character. Diehard is one of my personal favorite feats. (Then again, I’m a huge fan of Endurance and Diehard both…) • No Red Ink issues. • No Citation issues. • You didn’t transfer things over well from your Table to your Stat Block (see Mechanics section). • You provided a Level-by-Level Breakdown. • Your “Resistances” were shoved in between your AC and Saves. While technically acceptable, I prefer for you to list save bonuses w/ the saves and AC bonuses w/ your AC. Don’t just throw them all in together and hope you find them. • Your character is a Half-Elf descended from a snow elf who was pulled from the sea of ice, all of which matches up neatly w/ the theme. • I’m a partial fan of Rokugan. I’m not a very big fan of the Oriental Adventures as a whole, but I do like Rokugan. I’m not sure why. I’m also a big fan of the Crane Clan. Again, I don’t know why since I’m not an Oriental Adventures fan. • Frost Mage was an excellent choice. I was hoping to see a few more Frostburn PrC’s in this competition. You picked one of my favorites. • Your background was compelling. Your background was moving. I actually felt myself want to cry at your true love’s horrible murder. Your background was superbly well written. • Your background was the background of a Level 1 character. Unless you count the challenges of walking across the sea of ice, your character didn’t do anything “Level-worthy” in your background. I’m being generous here, since I’m assuming you fought stuff on the sea of ice, since you didn’t mention it. • You family (both paternal and adopted) is dead, which means the DM can’t play. Your old allies (true love, villagers) are either dead or all the way across the sea, which means the DM can’t play. The only real NPCs you give the DM are the undeveloped Dwarves who took you in. • Don’t get me wrong, your background is probably one of the best written backgrounds that I’ve seen submitted to Hero Craftsman. However, it just doesn’t have the meat necessary to establish your character in a campaign. • Mechanics #1: You misread the Wu Jen ability regarding languages. They don’t replace a starting language w/ Draconic, they add Draconic to the list of bonus languages available as a bonus language (gained from having a high Int. modifier @ Level 1). • Mechanics #2: I think you were confused by the weapons chart in the PHB. The two damage columns represent how much damage that weapon does based on the size of the wielder, either small or medium. Since your character is medium, your tanto (excellent descriptive text, btw) deals 1d4 damage (modified as normal). • Mechanics #3: In regards to your melee attack, you needed to give me more information. You gave me the damage. You didn’t give me the attack bonus, critical hit information, or range increment. You might have listed the attack information as follows: Tanto (as Dagger): +1/+5 (melee/ranged), 1d4-1/19-20 x2, 10ft. • Mechanics #4: Your BAB is +2, not +3. You were probably thinking of the Wizard BAB formula, which at Level 6, would have been +3, but is only +2 @ Level 5, and isn’t improved by your 1st level in the Frost Mage PrC. • Mechanics #5: Your Charisma score modifies your Gather Information check. • Rules Use #1: That 1 rank is Disguise is mostly wasted. It cost you 2 skill points, but only nets you a +1 improvement to your skill check. Since you have access to (and took) the spell Disguise Self, you really didn’t need to invest any skill points there. Or, at the very least, you should’ve purchased a Disguise Kit to improve your skill checks. • Rules Use #2: You took the Sculpt Spell feat, but nothing in your background, stat block, or typical spells prepared list indicates that you take advantage of the feat. If you’re going to select a metamagic feat, make sure you use it. Otherwise, you’re wasting a very important character ability. • Compliment #1: I was very impressed by the detail that you put into your spellbook. I’m a huge fan of Wizards (though I haven’t tried out a Wu Jen yet), and I really appreciated seeing someone take the time to put that effort into their spellbook. • No Red Ink. • Cited Sources. • While I was familiar w/ Rokugan, you could have done a better job explaining some of the details mid-story (instead of afterwards) for people who might not be familiar w/ the campaign setting. • You need to list Spell Save DC’s. • You needed to list Watchful Spirit w/ your Initiative Score.
AmericanYeti 02-05-07, 09:45 PM	Wow. That's three, very different responses. One was awful, one was eh and one was actually pretty good. Thank you, Jason. And I didn't include the clothes because I figured that it would be included in everyone's equipment, anyway. And I don't know how I messed up the gold. I added it up something like 6 times. Oh well :rolleyes:. And just because he worships Moradin doesn't mean that Moradin is nice to him. He gets his powers from a wanderlust.
Far_Traveler 02-05-07, 09:52 PM	Yayfullness Category: Rules Use Thematic Creativity: First Impression: Whoo! Kobold! And using the arctic variant! This is getting to look original already. Despite, well, the typical rogue thing. But that's but a small setback. Eh, I was in a kobold mood The Background shows not much emphasis on the frostfell, and when you don't have the books to make up for it, the background is more important to the theme than the mechanics. Too much on natural disasters that seem to make up the overall theme of your CS, rather than the frozen lands. The hints of frostfell in your stats are the arctic variant and the cold weather suit. Sufficient when you have little else to go on, but I have a feeling that something more could have been done. As my note before the scores were released, I agree. Background Content: I'm confused. Oh so confused. My head actually aches. Did Crystal Keep itself get frozen? Yes. If not, then what was the point of it? To win the war, duh. Where the heck did Nuk'Ya come from?Dak'Na's Fiance' What quest is this To get the four gems of Torment? Where did Dak'Na get the idea to put some ice on the altar Okay, this is a tad weak, but... part of the vision?? So confusing. Not much indication that Dak'Na was ever a rogue, aside from being an Officer of TrapsmithingThis, quite bluntly, was because rogues get 8 skill points/level. But then, anyone can make traps. Also not much indication that Dak'Na was any good at ranged combatHe was a Skirmisher, or where he got Nuk'Ya fromAgain, Fiance'. At least there's a plot hook (somewhere!), and at least it doesn't detract from real adventuring. So as has been indicated. Rules Use: +10 on reflex saves, thanks; +5 Base, +5 dex. Dak'Na would get a +9 bonus on Fort against cold weather, thanks not only to his arctic-ness, but also to his Cold Weather outfit. D'oh! Kobolds get a +2 racial bonus on Profession (Miner) checks. D'oh! This synergy bonus to Disable Device would be, if anything, a house rule, and Hero Craftsman tries to stick as close as possible to the RAW; +11 on Disable Device. Actually it used to be MW thieves tools, but it was changed to save on cash later. Forgot to change modifier Gold work out nicely. However, I wonder why since you seem to be so set on getting a high Disable device check, that you didn't swap out something else for Masterwork Thieves tools for that bonus +2 that you crave. Not to mention masterwork trapmakers tools. I'm sure you didn't want to lose more potions and elixirs than you already had, though. I count 26 pounds of weight instead of 24, given that caltrops weigh 2 pounds per bag instead of 1D'oh!. Meaning medium load (Oh Noes!). Should put those caltrops in your sack, then. Combat-wise, Dak'Na sucks. Rogues tend to not get very good sneak attacks when sniping, and you don't get SA unless your opponent isn't aware of you (easy to be aware of someone who's shooting at you) and this guy would get slaughtered in melee. Hide. Traps and such seem to be where he shines, though, so I'll give him that. Pity you don't seem to have Complete Adventurer, a feat in there (Tactile Trapsmith) could have boosted those skills quite a lot. But make do, he's good in that area nonetheless. Yeah... Clarity: Graaargh, no touch and flat-footed AC's! D'oh! I see that you're still stuck on not using the words "Fort" "Ref" and "Will." Yeah... You should probably mention somewhere that kobolds get 60 ft. Darkvision. D'oh! That Dak'Na has 81 skill points is a typo, even you know he really has 90. I can tell by the addition I did.Yeah, typo Also worth mentioning, including any sort of skill that receives bonuses is never a bad thing, so including Intimidate & Sleight of Hand with 0 ranks and a +2 synergy bonus each from Bluff would save you a bit of bookreading hassle. I suppose Forgot to put down the weight of them caltrops. Total: Are you absolutely sure you didn't get all reckless on this again? Because recklessness was again the impression I got from the entry. Definitely double-checking the stats could have saved you many lost points, and always make sure that you keep everything else clear and relevant. GAH! I checked those rules three times and had two people go over em! Bolded notes
jennibert 02-05-07, 09:56 PM	Thanks to the judges, as always, for judging! I appreciate your hard work...especially since you rewarded me for mine ;) Now, just to react...(I was going to quote, but I'm too lazy to type the code.) Thanks, Zherog, for the compliment to my stat block! And yes, her last name is a mouthful, but I can't take the credit for it--her brother Subotai was a PC in my last campaign (the same one in which I played the mother of the first character I submitted to this competition...and in which Giddion Pentant's brother Eliot appeared, actually). My friend Bill made up the name. (Apparently halflings are both Welsh and Russian....) Chilli...I'll be the first to admit that Anastasia doesn't really play well with others:). My reasoning for her as a character was that she wants to survibe in the Vale, and so is willing to work with others to accomplish that. Hence her choice of cleric spells....though any that can be used on herself, will be. And as for the cheese....I wanted her to have something kind of off the wall and random. Because it's fun. So I gave her cheese:) Thanks again for judging, guys!
Far_Traveler 02-05-07, 10:00 PM	Math Stuff You need to include touch (17) and flat-footed (21, because of uncanny dodge) ACs. D'oh! I get +2/+10/+1 for your saves. Base saves for a 6th level rogue are +2/+5/+2. You have a +0 Con mod, a +5 Dex mod, and a -1 Wis mod. Dak'Na actually got his stats and equipment shuffled around umpteen million times during his creation. apparently there are a lot more errors then i thought Personal preference (no effect on your score): I prefer to just see “+4 Fort vs cold weather, +2 Ref vs traps” sort of thing. Also, this is a really good place to mention you have evasion. On the plus side, kudos for making a note about trap sense with your saves and AC. I see so many players forget about that ability, even after I remind them to note it where they’ll remember it. I take it you were the judge to give me the highest score This should be +6 -- +4 BAB, +0 Str, +1 size, +1 MW. D'oh! This should be +11 -- +4 BAB, +5 Dex, +1 enhancement, +1 size Blasted Size modifier! i don't use small sharacters often You forgot to include the fact that he has darkvision to 60 ft. That I did. You should get 90 skill points by my calculations. Rogue gets 8 per level, and your Int mod is +2, bringing that to 10 per level. Quadruple at 1st level is 40, and 10 more for each of your other five levels is 50 more. It looks like you used 9 skill points per level rather than 10 to determine the 81 – but you spent 90, so overall this is just a typo on the character sheet. Yes it is Also, I like to see cross class skills (such as your Knowledge (architecture and engineering) identified as such. That probably falls into the “personal preference” category, though, rather than the “problem” category. I suppose I would say yes. :) (Eeeexcellent Your skills seem to check out correctly. Background Stuff There’s a bunch of stuff I like about your background. Well done, overall. I like that your background explains some of your skills, such as Decipher Script, Profession (mining), and Craft (trapmaking). I definitely think it’s a good thing when some of the less common skills are not only taken, but explained. As a DM, I tend to work those skills into the game, making the player’s investment in them pay off. Just as one quick example, I had a player who wanted to play an arcane trickster. One of the requirements is 7 ranks in Decipher Script. Then, the class doesn’t do diddly with that skill. So I did two things. First, I added a minor ability to her class that made DS useful. Second, I made sure to include plenty of opportunities in the game for her skill to come into play, such as having the bad guy write his journal in a language nobody in the group knew. To bring that back around to you: You’ve put significant investment into skills that aren’t commonly used. I would reward you for that in game. Awesome Your background also played very nicely on the on-going battle between arctic dwarves and kobolds mentioned in the Arctic Races variant of Unearthed Arcana. The only problem would be if another player had a dwarf. Indeed it would be There’s definitely stuff for a DM to work with as far as plot points go, and those ideas wouldn’t overwhelm the game by making Dak’Na the focus of everything. That’s a big plus. I would’ve liked to see a bit more in the way of rivals, though. You have the dwarves, and I think that’s about it. Other Stuff Kudos for breaking out your carrying capacity down to that degree. As a DM, I tend to play “light and loose” with the carrying capacity rules. But in a contest such as this, it is important and I appreciated seeing that you paid attention to that level of detail. I don’t recall seeing too many lizards at the North or South pole on nature shows. :P God dangit! Your character is interesting, but really there isn’t much about him that cries out “frostfell” to me. Yes, he’s an arctic variant race; yes, he has cold weather gear. But I could just as easily take the character, switch the variant from arctic to jungle, and I’d be pretty much done. Don’t get me wrong, you made what I think is a fun character; I’m just not convinced you nailed the theme very well. I agree. Bolded Notes Jeez, I guess inspiration just really didn't hit me with this competition.
JasonOrlandoHawk 02-05-07, 10:01 PM	• A Cryokinecist born, raised, and tested in the depths of the Frostfell, challenged by the horrible cults of a dark, cold-hearted god… quite the Frozen Wasteland Warrior! Well, except for… • I really only have one problem w/ your character concept. Despite all the Frost related material you’ve included, your heart isn’t in the Frostfell. Your character is an Anti-Cleric, and while that is a strong concept, it’s not necessarily something you need snowfall to create. • Your character is a challenger to the gods, but all of the Frost-related material is “back drop.” You could create the same character anywhere: the old forests, the mountains, the desert, the middle of town, etc… For someone so cold to the gods, you just don’t seem that reliant on the Frostfell to define yourself. • Despite the “could be from anywhere” problems, your background is top quality. You have a strong personality, driving goal, and long list of allies and enemies. You pulled of the stereotypical Maenad Wilder very well. Good Job. • The only thing I’m worried about is this character’s ability to interact w/ a group. Some groups might get along w/ this character, but I wonder about his ability to interact w/ an adventuring party including a Cleric. • Mechanics #1: Your HP total is too low. You have 46, but I calculate 48. 6 (First Level) + 14 (4x3.5 as Wilder) + 4 (4.5 as Cyrokineticist) + 18 (Con) + 6 (Imp. Toughness) = 48 • Mechanics #2: You should have one more language b/c of your Int. score. • Mechanics #3: I feel so evil for saying this… a cold weather outfit isn’t free at Character Creation, like several of the other outfits. • Mechanics #4: Your skill points almost check out. Almost. Autohypnosis isn’t a class skill for Cryokineticist, which means your last rank would’ve cost 2 skill points. • Compliment #1: While I’m typically not a fan of Psionics, Wilder is one of my top 5 favorite classes, and Cryokineticist (along w/ Pyrokineticist) happens to be in my top 10 favorite PrC’s. Good Choice. • No major red ink. • Excellent job citing sources. • There were two clarity issues: Explaining unusual abilities and listing modifiers when appropriate. • Explaining abilities: What does Wild Surge, Surging Euphoria, and Volatile Mind do? You really need to list these things, at least in an annotated form. • Listing Modifiers: You forgot to list your bonus to saves from the Endurance feat. You should’ve listed your Surging Euphoria bonus in your attack section. • Compliment: Your attack section was beautiful. It was concise. It was accurate. It was easy to read. Thank you! • You were one of two contestants who took the “against the ice” approach to your character, which I enjoyed. You are an inhabitant of the Icy Vale, but you battle, rather than embrace, its’ deadly power. Nice job. • I guess I should mention I’m not a very big fan of the Warlock class. (Something about pacts w/ Dark Powers and Chaotic Good is an acceptable alignment…) Your character, however, is well done. I would allow this character into my game. • This character may be the best representation of low level Leadership I’ve seen submitted to a HC competition. Usually, Leadership gives me headaches. I don’t know why Leadership is the most popular feat in these competitions, but many people do it poorly. (Accomplished too much, Unbelievable Followers, Maintaining Followers despite Constantly Moving, Taking Leadership to Establish one NPC, etc…) Your portrayal of Leadership is accurate to what a low-level character could reasonably accomplish. Good job. • Between jennibert’s submissions and this submission, I am slowly adding an entire campaign world to the repository of D&D knowledge I have. This is kind of out of place, but let me compliment you on a vibrant, interesting home-brew setting. Please, keep sending more information via HC submissions. • I’m similar to Zherog in philosophy: I don’t like the “my entire family’s dead” line (even if I was guilty of using it in HC#2). While you gave yourself a useful number of friends/allies at the fort, you didn’t have to sever all your connections back home to move to the Icy Vale. • I would have liked a developed antagonist. You have several potential antagonists (Istalas & a certain Halfling from elsewhere in this competition), but a developed adversary would’ve added some more depth to this competition. • Excellent job in this category! I was able to back into almost everything in your Stat block. Incredibly accurate. Solid character build. Fantastic job! (Some quick issues, however…) • Rules Use #1: Weapon Focus (Ranged Touch Spells) wouldn’t work in my game. However, you could accomplish the exact same thing via the feat Weapon Focus (Eldritch Blast). My reasoning for this is that wizards don’t use WF (Ranged Touch Spells), but rather WF (Rays). The first feat seems too broad to me. • Rules Use #2: I would strongly urge you to put some ranks into Bluff. It’s a class skill for you, and it just makes sense in conjunction w/ your Beguiling Influence Invocation. • Very Minor Red Ink. • Huge Citation Issues! You took a lot of material from Complete Arcane, but you didn’t bother to cite your source! I go teacher when you step outside Core. • I would’ve noted that Eldritch Blast is a Ranged Touch attack in your attacks section. Also, summarize your attack section. You didn’t have to give me an entire different line to note the +1/+1 from Point Blank Shot. Condense the information. • An interesting twist: an Artic Kobold battling an overwhelming ice. Your actually a member of the Frostfell who fears and battles the dangers of the Cold. This character actually convinced me that the Frostfell is a dangerous, deadly place. • Your background has a good build up, but leaves things hanging at something of a poor point. You’ve got a guiding prophecy (well written), an ally, and a solid explanation for your abilities, but you run out of Crystal Keep and… well nothing else. • While you have allies (your fiancée) and enemies (the dwarves), you really don’t have much of an environment beyond crystal keep itself. I guess the main thing you need is a more detailed setting. • Mechanics #1: Shot on the Run requires Dodge & Mobility as prerequisites. • Mechanics #2: You didn’t spend all your skill points. You have 90 skill points, but as far as I can tell, you’ve only spent 88. • Mechanics #3: The Cold Weather Outfit grants you an additional +5 on saves vs. cold weather. • Mechanics #4: You forgot your +2 racial bonus on Profession (Miner) checks. • Minor Red Ink. • No Citation Issues. • Your attack section was too complex. Don’t list the attacks and damage separately. It’s just as effective to write: MW Shortsword +5/1d4, 19-20/x2 • Solid entry. I’m not sure what’s colder, The Icy Vale or Anastasia. • I like the use of the Everburning Torch, since this character has a pronounced distaste for actual fire. • I’m supposing that your character subsists primarily on cheeses, breads, and liquids, since not using fire could make eating meat a little… unhealthy. • You actually took advantage of Scribe Scroll. Many of the wizards I’ve seen completely ignore that feat, despite the fact they get it for free. • Even if you’re not there yet, I must give you kudos for aiming for one of my Top 5 PrC’s: Mystic Theurge. • Your Background matches your stats. Everything on your character is justified by your story. Even if you didn’t spell out where the Magic Items came from, looting the bodies of dead adventurers explains that well enough. • Solid ally to be found in Maraven. One note: He seems a bit friendly for an evil character. If I were the DM, there’d definitely be an ulterior motive behind rescuing/training you. Still, very usable by the DM. • Your character, despite being evil, can still work w/ a group, which is nice. I’d invest in a Ring of Undetectable Alignment as soon as possible, but other than that, you fit rather well. • One major problem: You don’t have a solid enemy. You have solid TARGETS, but not a solid enemy. Your family assumes you are dead, which means they are probably not going to be properly prepared for your assault. I would’ve liked to see a proper antagonist. • Overall, everything worked out properly. Very accurate. • Mechanics #1: I can’t believe you missed this one, b/c it is one of my favorite things to point out: you have a -6 penalty to your Jump checks b/c of your lower than normal speed. Your actual total should be -6. • Rules Use #1: Why did you put any points into Strength during your point buy? Only putting one point there still left you with a -2 penalty, and there’s no tactical advantage to having a Strength score of 7 instead of 6. (Example: If you used Bull’s Strength on yourself, you would have the exact same ability modifier.) You would have done better to put that point into Constitution, bringing it up to 14. This would’ve improved your HP, Fort. Save, and Concentration checks. • Rules Use #2: I’m not sure how you would want to rearrange your gear, but by level 6, you really should have at least 1 magic weapon. You’re going to encounter a lot of creature w/ DR #/magic, and your damage potential is already low, so you can’t afford DR to interfere. (Btw, I did notice that you have Magic Weapon prepared, but your description indicated that buff spells were for your allies.) • Mistype #1?: Since you got the correct # of bonus spells, I’m going to assume that you just hit the wrong keys. You do know that Clerics earn their bonus spells from Wisdom, not Intelligence, right? • Minor Red Ink • Cited Sources • Originally, I thought this character wasn’t going to fit very well. It seemed as if he was located in the Frostfell by chance, not so much as purpose. However, you did an excellent job attaching Barom to the region. The meditation plot hook was nicely done. • So, when were you going to get around to saying “Patron Deity: Aengrist?” • Very solid set of allies. Plenty of DM tools there. • Decent spread of antagonists. One complaint, though. While the Duke was well detailed, I’d really like some more detail about Ice Storm. • While everything in your background is justified, I feel like some of it is out of order. My level progression for this character would’ve been Bard 1-2, Paladin 1-2 (Taking Devoted Performer @ Level 3), Bard 3, Paladin 3 (Taking Weapon Finesse @ Level 6). Why? From your story, you gained the Rapier (and thus, Weapon Finesse) after taking your first level in Paladin. This wouldn’t have altered your statistics any, and would’ve matched your story better. • I always appreciate the “DM creativity” portion of backgrounds, when players include them. The “Who did he meet while meditating?” question is (even if easily figured out) very usable by the DM. • Mechanics #1: Adamantine Rapier 3020gp, not 3320gp. You charged yourself for the masterwork quality, but that’s automatically included in the cost of the adamantine material. • Mechanics #2: If I’m doing the math correctly, you seem to have spent 1 skill point too much at Level 1. All other levels check out. • Mechanics #3: Your 2nd Level spell, Mirror Image, requires a DC 8 Caster Level check to cast (at least until Bard Level 4). You needed to note this somewhere on your character sheet. Precocious Apprentice also gives you a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks. • Rules Use #1: You have a serious issue w/ redundant equipment and skills. For example, why do you need 1 Piton when you have a Climber’s Kit? A Climber’s Kit already includes Pitons, and even if you didn’t have a kit, 1 Piton isn’t very useful when climbing. Similar issue w/ Flint & Steel and Tindertwigs. Why do you need both? • Rules Use #2: I don’t really understand why you took 1 rank in several knowledges and 3 performs. You would’ve been better served by focusing your ranks in Knowledge (History) for the bonus to Bardic Knowledge checks. Knowledge (Religion) would’ve been another good place to stack up your ranks. Finally, you took three different perform skills (strings, woodwinds, percussion) for which you don’t actually have an instrument. • Rules Use #3: Typically, you want to have an enchanted weapon by level 4. DR #/magic can really hurt your offense, especially against a low damage weapon like a rapier. Adamantine does prevent some trouble, but I’d probably have taken an enchanted rapier over an adamantine one. • Rules Use #4: You don’t have sufficient Wisdom to gain Paladin spells. Personally, I’d have dropped my Dexterity lower in Character creation so that I could’ve had a Wisdom score of at least 12. That way, when Paladin 4 rolls around, you aren’t lacking spells. Granted, Paladin/Bard is a hard build to do correctly. • Mild Red Ink • You cited your sources most of the time, but you needed to list where Jumping Caltrops could be found. • Your Level-by-Level was helpful, except for Level 1. “All knowledge skills listed except Religion 1” didn’t make things clearer. Since you were dealing w/ so many skills at once, I’d probably have done it as follows: “All knowledge skills except Religion 1 (7 ranks total).”
Far_Traveler 02-05-07, 10:08 PM	• An interesting twist: an Artic Kobold battling an overwhelming ice. Your actually a member of the Frostfell who fears and battles the dangers of the Cold. This character actually convinced me that the Frostfell is a dangerous, deadly place. Quite honestly, I never thought about it that way • Your background has a good build up, but leaves things hanging at something of a poor point. You’ve got a guiding prophecy (well written), an ally, and a solid explanation for your abilities, but you run out of Crystal Keep and… well nothing else. I suppose I thought that the campaign would start shortly after my escape • While you have allies (your fiancée) and enemies (the dwarves), you really don’t have much of an environment beyond crystal keep itself. I guess the main thing you need is a more detailed setting. • Mechanics #1: Shot on the Run requires Dodge & Mobility as prerequisites. It does? so it does • Mechanics #2: You didn’t spend all your skill points. You have 90 skill points, but as far as I can tell, you’ve only spent 88. Actually, knowledge(Architecture and engineering) is a cross class skill. so i did indeed spend all my points. • Mechanics #3: The Cold Weather Outfit grants you an additional +5 on saves vs. cold weather. I know, fook me • Mechanics #4: You forgot your +2 racial bonus on Profession (Miner) checks. Darn. • Minor Red Ink. • No Citation Issues. • Your attack section was too complex. Don’t list the attacks and damage separately. It’s just as effective to write: MW Shortsword +5/1d4, 19-20/x2 Bolded notes Dak'Na's admittedly weak inspiration happened when I was looking at the arcxtic races. I saw Kobold/Dwarf conflict, and it hit me. I've always loved the Moaning Diamond, but I've always felt that more could of been done. I am not proud of Dak'Na. I'm Really not. We shall see what next competition heralds.
JasonOrlandoHawk 02-05-07, 10:16 PM	I am not proud of Dak'Na. I'm Really not. We shall see what next competition heralds. It seems like you're coming down pretty hard on yourself. I went back and reviewed my previous scores for the other HC contests, and you actually are one of the main reasons that I said the average (mean) score improved in this contest. In previous contests (at least in regards to the scores I gave out), the individual in last place scored worse and scored much farther away from the other contestants. Most of the other scores I gave away this contest were on average for me. Your entry was still very solid. I would say its' overall problem was that the character was too average. Besides, consider this a learning experience.
Endarrion 02-05-07, 10:33 PM	Alright. At first I thought, "Oh man! Sixth place? What did I do wrong?" Then I noticed there's a two-way tie for third and second :P But there's one thing I MUST defend about my character: I do not agree with the assessment that he could be anywhere. If you can say that about my character, I'm sure you could say it about others. I could never see this character growing up anywhere else. The coldness of the words, "It is the will of the gods," combined with the actual frozen wastes is perfect. (Obviously it was a close race though, with two two-way ties, so I can't really complain too much.) And the thing about the Profession (sailor) ranks, is that the village was on the coast, and Gunnar spent time helping his father go whaling and stuff. I guess I didn't get that into the second draft of my background. Oops. Congrats to everyone and I look forward to the next competition.
DarkKitsune 02-05-07, 11:06 PM	Yarr; final judging comments. Don't expect any miraculous comments here; this being my first time and all. Thematic Creativity: This has been mentioned before, but there wasn't that much in the way of contestants for whom the theme was much more than 'window dressing'. If I was capable of removing the ideas of 'ice, cold, arctic' from the character without major rewrites, you were good for this :) Description and Personality: It may just be me adjusting to a new paradigm (I'm a free-form vet, not a table-top one), but I felt that this topic is one that dare I say every entry could improve on, if only slightly. I expected to see at least some thought put into how your character looks and acts. If I didn't, your 'background' score, for lack of a more appropriate place, took a hit. One more note... Because of my background (mentioned above), I tended to look less towards the idea of 'does this character make a good adventurer', and more towards 'could I make a good story from this character', which may explain some of the weirder comments below :crazy: Overall: While there are some good kernels here, you really need to work on developing a character - getting inside his head and figuring out what makes him tick. The Good: You included calculations on carrying capacity and where everything is stored. Good work :) The Bad: Spellcheck is your friend. Seriously, type up the entry in a word processor and use spellcheck prior to entering. There was a large number of typos and other errors you could have avoided. You didn’t include a personality or a physical description for your character. Overall: An interesting approach. A slight twist on the idea of ‘an adventurer with neither name nor background’, to be sure. The Good: Very interesting background. Not only does it give him a good motive to go adventuring, but it also sets up the possibility for some high-level conflict later on. The Bad: One thing that really bugs me about this character: If he’s a hunter by trade, why has he focused on effectively using the Urgrosh? There would have been no purpose in doing so, as it is all but impossible to actively *hunt* with a melee weapon… (especially with those stubby dwarf legs :p ) Overall: A very nice character. Quite like what I enjoy seeing in this. The Good: I especially like that way you took the concept and made it central to your character’s goals, rather than just the setting he is in. The background also does a wonderful job of explaining just who this person is and why he’s doing what he’s doing Also, you managed to include a fox. While this doesn’t boost your score, you get a cookie :cookie: (no, I’m not explaining) The Bad: I worry about how one is going to get Giddion to partake in adventures. While you have some good ideas, the fact remains that he is a military man, not an adventurer. Also, it would have been interesting to develop some of the characters tied to Giddion, beyond those provided by the Leadership feat. We hardly hear anything about them in the background Overall: Possibly the most original character in the contest. Good work! The Good: The background sets up a good deal of future conflict, and I really enjoy the ‘who are your friends?’ aspect to it. The Bad: You didn’t include much in the way of a ‘personality’ or ‘description’ entry. While it’s easy to derive her personality from her background content, you still took a hit for that. Overall: Good start, though I would like to see the background worked up a bit more. The Good: I really like the home-made furs, nice flavour touch, there :) The introduction is but unique and how I envision roleplaying to be like. Congrats The Bad: You plot point exists in a bit of a vacuum. We get why he started adventuring, but not what his life was like before, how it’s been going since, etc. There’s also not many plot points for a DM to grasp at. Overall: Interesting character. One wonders how far he’ll go with his beliefs in a world where deities are capable of directly intervening in events. If he gets too popular, he may find himself being smote by lightning ;) The Good: As I said above, the idea of a deity-hostile personality is not one many people would consider building in your typical fantasy world. The Bad: I had to reread your character three times before figuring out exactly where he meets the ‘Frostburn’ requirements. Not a very good start, if you ask me. Overall: Interesting character. I can’t wait until she gets back to the vale, and the rest of the party goes “OMG, we’ve been bringing that around with us!?” O.o The Good: Your ‘Appearance and Personality’ appears to have been given some thought. Still not as much as I’d like, but you’re leaps and bounds ahead of many competitors. The Bad: I should seriously make you post a pronunciation guide for your last name :p While you mostly did a good job of citing, I had some trouble, especially in the spells, where you didn’t. Since I had to get the info from an external source, this meant that I missed them while requesting it and could not judge you on them. Overall: I’m not at all certain how this guy would fit into an ordinary adventuring party… The Good: He would however, fit quite well in a military campaign The Bad: While your mechanics appear to be quite well in-place, your background is lacking in detail and has the problem of railroading the DM (ie; you begin play with a major “this is what we’re doing” already in place). I would like to see you paying more attention to this section :) Overall: Another very good character. The Good: Interesting focus on the rift between operating within society’s bounds and operating for the good of others. Too bad it’s resolved before the end of the backstory; that would be something I would have enjoyed watching :) The Bad: I have a hard time understanding where the contest’s theme enters your character’s concept. I’m looking for it to be more than just ‘window dressing’, and it’s not providing. Your description is incredibly… generic. I would love to see it whipped into shape :D Overall: My favourite entry of the lot :) The Good: Bweee… somebody who’s not European :D! Also, nice work on explaining why someone would be wandering around in a culture not her own at that day and age. The Bad: Tsk… no personality entry, shame.
JasonOrlandoHawk 02-06-07, 12:44 AM	Finally, you don’t own a cold weather outfit, which would seem to be a necessity for a character in the Frostfell. Of course, I’m sure Jason will point out that you technically don’t have any clothes, but that’s his quibble not mine. :ayyyy!: Once a contest, someone runs in naked. First, we had naked gladiators. Then, someone went by on the back of a wyvern wearing only a birthday suit. But streaking through the snow... :blink: I don't know what the next contest will be, but I am curious to find out who the next streaking Hero will be. It's practically a tradition at this point. Of course, I am a little worried that Zherog can apparently predict everything I'm going to say as a judge, before I even say it...
Zherog 02-06-07, 10:23 AM	Mechanics #5: You treat your damage on your Waraxe like you are wielding it two-handed, but your carrying a shield. Where’d you get that 3rd hand? Psst. News flash. The dwarven waraxe is a one-handed exotic weapon (though dwarves treat it as martial instead). ;) edit: I’m a big supporter of the brief attack section. You really didn’t need a separate full attack and attack section. Just have one “attack” section, b/c any information you need for one attack can be found in the full attack information. Hmmm.. most times that's true. There's times, though, that the two can differ a bit. Rapid Shot Two-Weapon Fighting A flurrying monk A PC with natural attacks on top of his weapon attacks edit2: Mechanics #1: You misread the Wu Jen ability regarding languages. They don’t replace a starting language w/ Draconic, they add Draconic to the list of bonus languages available as a bonus language (gained from having a high Int. modifier @ Level 1). You know, I read it the same way as Nani. I'll need to check it tonight. And, if I were intelligent, I'd write the post all at once, rather than continuously editing as I go... :rolleyes:
JasonOrlandoHawk 02-06-07, 10:27 AM	Damage bonuses Dwarven urgrosh (3 Strength x 1.5 two-handed) Dwarven waraxe (3 Strength x 1.5 two-handed) + 1 enhancement Short sword 3 Strength Spiked chain (3 Strength x 1.5 two-handed) Longbow 2 Strength (composite longbow +2 Strength) :cool:
Zherog 02-06-07, 11:07 AM	http://azure.bbboy.net/emoticons/sets/blue/razzblue.gif Continuing the comments on comments... Rules Use #4: You don’t have sufficient Wisdom to gain Paladin spells. Personally, I’d have dropped my Dexterity lower in Character creation so that I could’ve had a Wisdom score of at least 12. That way, when Paladin 4 rolls around, you aren’t lacking spells. Granted, Paladin/Bard is a hard build to do correctly. Pallies can cast first level spells with a Wisdom of 11. That still doesn't help Barom, of course. Though a simple periapt of Wisdom would resolve the issue in the short term. *** And just a general comment, because some folks are in fact being harsh on themselves. These characters were - overall - good characters. Unfortunately, judges have the task of finding what you did wrong. That can sometimes make it look like we didn't much like your characters. Especially in my format - at least Jason and Dark went out of their way to point out some positive aspects as well. As someone who's judges 5 of the 6 comps, I'm seeing big improvements in three areas: 1) We're getting more entries, and the quality still goes up. 2) Overall, the "math stuff" on each character is significantly better. Contestants seem to be double checking stuff, remembering synergy bonuses, and so on. 3) Backgrounds are super-cool better! Plot hooks, histories, allies, adversaries - all the things a DM needs to improve your game experience are appearing. I'm going to make a concerted effort in future contests to also provide positive comments. I just don't want anybody getting down on themselves for the entries in this one. Cheers! :pint:
Nani? 02-06-07, 12:41 PM	You know, I read it the same way as Nani. I'll need to check it tonight. I reread it and the other judges are correct. However, this is the kind of thing that I would (in a real game) ask the DM to give me some leeway one based on the illogic of her speaking Elven. All other languages seemed to fit her background. Jason OrlandoHawk, that was some of the most useful constructive criticism, particularly on the background issue that I've gotten from a judge. :bow: As Yuki would say, Domo Arigato Gozimasu. Thanks again to all the judges. All the Best, Nani?
jennibert 02-07-07, 10:05 PM	Just for you, DarkKitsune: When-luh-for-luh-fed (Sorry, I'm not an English person....that's the best pronunciation I can manage;)). And Jason....on the CON....well, originally she had an 8 STR and 12 CON, but then I found the snowcasting feat, and it was so perfect for her that I had to give it to her, but she needed a 13 CON....and I guess I just didn't think enough about it.... Oh well. I had fun building Anastasia, and Mercurius tells me that she'll possibly even appear in that "Delve into the Icy Vale" adventure he wants to run someday....when we meet fellow gamers in Cincinnati.... Anyways....thanks again to the judges...and now I should go read my PMs so we can work on HC #7.....hee hee hee....:D
JasonOrlandoHawk 02-07-07, 10:55 PM	Anyways....thanks again to the judges...and now I should go read my PMs so we can work on HC #7.....hee hee hee....:D HC #7... :w00t:
Far_Traveler 02-07-07, 11:03 PM	I can't wait for the next Hero Competition. I just hope that it isn't abherrations... I'm not too keen on the idea myself. But since it is the most likely... I think i have an idea... Say 'Ello to Keiyaru! If not... I'm sure I could manage...
Mercurius 02-08-07, 09:42 AM	Well, I guess I should actually post a response aside from jumping for joy... Comments about Comments: • Weapon Focus (Ranged Touch Attacks) is basically what Weapon Focus (Ray) is, as per Complete Arcane's explanation of "weapon-like spells." They divided it up into touch attacks and ranged touch attacks, so I figured I'd go ahead and just refer to it as I saw it. It's not like Giddion has any other ways of generating ranged touch aside from his eldritch blast, but still... • Fire magic in a cold climate is apparently more of a special power than you'd think, Zherog, considering Giddion is apparently one of the very few entrants in this competition to be packing it. ;) • Glad you like what you've been reading about my home-brew, JasonOrlandoHawk. I've spent a lot of time working on it, and I'll say that there's far more to it than just the Icy Vale, though it seems to be one of the more compelling areas as far as my players have been concerned. • Giddion's entire family was dead, in part, because Eliot's entire family was dead. Since I decided to give Eliot an older brother he didn't even know about, sadly, I had to kill off his parents in just the same way. • I seemed to be under the mistaken belief that the gold piece limit was 6,000 gp, likely from the last competition I entered (with A'Line). And now, since there had been some requests for it earlier, here's my general thought process/reasoning for creating Giddion the way I did: I started out with the idea of building a barbarian/beast master with a dire wolf animal companion, but I'd have needed to be 7th level to pull that off, and I didn't like having a regular wolf, so I just said "screw it." My next idea was a Soulknife who wielded a soulblade that resembled a massive icicle, but the Frosting ability is not available to the core soulknife, so that idea went out rather fast (also, I seem to be entering far to many psionic characters...). At last, I thought about the idea of a soldier guarding the borders of the Icy Vale and using fire magics. Why fire magic? Well, because everyone always picks cold effects for the climate, but when you get right down to it, everything that lives in an arctic climate has the bloody cold subtype and thus, immunity to the energy. Winter wolves might be dangerous against fire giants, but they're basically bigger, smarter wolves when they're up against others of their kind. Fire magic was totally the way to go. I was thinking Warmage/Elemental Savant for the build, until I hit upon the idea of a Warlock with Brimstone Blast. After determining that I could actually have said eldritch essence at 6th level, I went with that. Giddion's leadership feat was originally considered as a joke: his strength was so low, he'd have a hard time carrying gear. Why not get him a dwarf cohort pack-mule. And I looked at the chart, and started concocting a great idea of him being something of a commander, with soldiers assigned directly to him in the form of followers and such. The leadership feat became a serious option, and he became more than just some grunt with special magic. Giddion became a relative of Eliot's in large part as a joke between me and jennibert. I considered having him related to a few different characters from my last campaign, so he could have been Giddion Ettalodes, Giddion Callegan, or Giddion Pentant. In the end, the potential in developing Eliot's backstory further by way of Giddion was what clinched it for me. Giddion's Beguiling Influence invocation came about right at the end of development, when I realized he was too people-savvy for someone with no ranks in social skills, and that his general concept had strayed from the Entropic Warding ability he'd originally had (so as to not leave tracks in the snow). So I swapped it out quickly and was done with that. Canny people might note that Giddion is actually almost middle-aged at this point. This is intentional, because my home-brew defaults to low power NPCs. Most people who hit level 6 are pushing elderly, though soldiers and such tend to progress a bit faster. Also, it made him old enough to separate him from Eliot more.
Zherog 02-08-07, 11:53 AM	I seemed to be under the mistaken belief that the gold piece limit was 6,000 gp, likely from the last competition I entered (with A'Line). We've always limited any one item to being worth no more than 1/3rd of your allotted gold. And, of course, it's always mentioned in the first post. :P
Mercurius 02-08-07, 08:16 PM	We've always limited any one item to being worth no more than 1/3rd of your allotted gold. And, of course, it's always mentioned in the first post. :P Oh, I saw it, after it was pointed out. However, it took some work to do it. I suggest we make the actual gold piece limitation a bit more obvious in the future. Give it its own bullet point, maybe, or make the gold section more concise.