Post/Author/DateTime	Post
JasonOrlandoHawk 03-27-07, 10:56 PM	Welcome to the Hero Craftsmen #8 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 Urban Hero. “Cities are often places where characters spend time between adventures. But urban areas are themselves rich in many of the elements that make for an exciting adventure: chases through winding streets, duels in the courtyard, and intrigue during the king’s banquet. The “cobblestone jungle” can be as dangerous as any dungeon.” (DMG p. 98) Cities follow an entirely different set of rules from your typical dungeon, but that doesn’t mean that they are any safer. For this contest, you must create a character that not only survives, but thrives in the maze of alleys, bars, temples, bazaars, and courtyards. Are you prepared for an environment where a few words can be more deadly than the fighter’s blade and the wizard’s spell? General Guidelines: The required level for this competition is 9th level, which gives each character 36,000gp to spend on magic items and equipment, with no more than 12,000gp to be spent on any one item. The following section contains the specific rules of the competition, as well as the standards for how the characters will be scored, and general tips to consider when creating a submission. Contest Rules The following are rules for the Hero Craftsmen competition, and are subject to change at any time between competition periods. Do note that the Code of Conduct is in effect for all aspects of this contest, and those who break it will be disqualified, and their post will be reported. Character Creation Parameters Effective Character Level (ECL): 9th Ability Score Generation: 28pt. buy (DMG p.169) Character Wealth: 36,000gp Max. Value of any single item: 12,000gp 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 thoroughly prior to submitting it, to save hassle. Making use of the preview button in the post window will help you catch most errors before posting. 4) One Entry Per Contestant, and that creator must be the submitter (meaning that all work has to be original, and not stolen from someone else.) Also, do not post an entry if you do not want it to be officially judged. 5) At the start of each competition, the coordinating judge will state a single theme around which to base your entry. There are no restrictions based on the character theme itself; it is merely a suggested guideline, but following it in a creative and interesting way will give merit to your entry. 6) There are other restrictions, however. Material in the three core books is allowed. Any material found in the following books is also permitted: Complete Adventurer, Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Warrior, and the Expanded Psionics Handbook. 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 Urban Ranger Variant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm) from Unearthed Arcana is also available for use in this competition. For this specific contest, no other material may be used, including any other variant rules in Unearthed Arcana. 7) Additionally, the character must be created with the recommended character wealth as discussed in the DMG (note that you may not spend more than 1/3 of your entry's total wealth on any one item), with average hit points per hit die (eg-2.5hp for d4, 3.5hp for d6, 4.5hp for d8, 5.5hp for d10, 6.5hp for d12; Max hit points at 1st level), using the 28 point-buy system, as discussed in the DMG pg169. For those who do not have access to the DMG, the following sample arrays of scores have been set up for your convenience: 18, 14, 12, 10, 8, 8 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10 8) One special rule regarding Crafting: When (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. Please note that you must still meet all of the prerequisites necessary in order to craft an item. This rule changes the crafting costs (higher gold, but no XP cost), but doesn’t affect the prerequisites to craft items in any way. 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, DarkKitsune, and Mercurius. 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 JasonOrlandoHawk, Heros_Backpack, and Mercurius; JasonOrlandoHawk will be our coordinating judge. This contest starts when this post is posted, and is due to end at 11:59pm on Friday the 13th of April 2007 GMT, giving you a little 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.
JasonOrlandoHawk 03-27-07, 10:57 PM	Big List of Contestants 1) "Runty" Gurbok (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11918014&postcount=14) By: Haruspex 2) Hammet (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11928404&postcount=24) By: wrecan 3) Daren Makis, Lone Wolf (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11928880&postcount=26) By: DarkKitsune 4) Sir Clafon Golegas (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11939088&postcount=29) By: TheChilliGod 5) Ki'ahestiryl (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11949517&postcount=38) By: Maekrix_Waere 6) Lieutenant Chaplain Misery Mulligan (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11958591&postcount=44) By: jennibert 7) Jack, a.k.a. Whiteface (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12078527&postcount=85) By: Endarrion 8) Fetive Grave, "Phage the Sewer Scourge" (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12079504&postcount=87) By: Far_Traveler 9) Kyrani Tabadore (a.k.a Tabby) (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12081191&postcount=89) By: edwardsobel 10) Kanti Magourik (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12084538&postcount=91) By: Lazzmaniandevil 11) Percival “The Night Watchman” Isringben (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12085325&postcount=93) By: Zherog 12) Kivan (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12087876&postcount=97) By: FRRC 13) Brezel Taran, the Breeze Bandit (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12088598&postcount=101) By: Kit_the_Odd
JasonOrlandoHawk 03-27-07, 10:58 PM	Frequently Asked Questions
Far_Traveler 03-28-07, 10:55 AM	Aaaaah, the city. Where we shall spy merchants, murderers, thieves, entertainers, guards, priests, puppets and thier puppetmasters! What a place to be! Naturally, I shall be none of those. But I do have a question: Exactly how is city defined here? I don't think anything that could be called a village would qualify... Oh yes, and a little tip for the contestants: Base 9th level HP values by hit dice: d4: 24 d6: 34 d8: 44 d10: 54 d12: 64
wrecan 03-28-07, 12:09 PM	Question: Can you use a character class that is not in any of the listed books or SRD, but is fully detailed on the Wizards website, such as the Marshal (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20030906b)?
JasonOrlandoHawk 03-28-07, 12:09 PM	But I do have a question: Exactly how is city defined here? I don't think anything that could be called a village would qualify... We don't have a strict definition of "the city" for this competition. However, if I am forced to use my "trees" rant, you will probably lose a lot of points under Thematic Creativity. "Do you see the trees? They're right there. You are not from the inner city. You are not "thug." You are not allowed to say, "Represent!" Do you see the trees? They're right there. They're the tall things with squirrels running up them. That means you're living in the country. Thus, please refrain from all references to "packin' heat," "S'up," and "Life on the Streets." There are no streets here. Do you see the trees?" I used to work with a small youth group way out in the country, and every single member of that youth group thought (I have no clue why) that they were naturals for the "street" lifestyle. Thus, the "trees" rant was born. If you're character is a country boy, you will get the trees rant.
JasonOrlandoHawk 03-28-07, 12:13 PM	Question: Can you use a character class that is not in any of the listed books or SRD, but is fully detailed on the Wizards website, such as the Marshal (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20030906b)? Sorry, listed material only. At least one of the judges (myself) is completely unfamiliar with that material, which would make it more difficult to judge.
wrecan 03-28-07, 12:18 PM	Phooey. :P
FRRC 03-28-07, 12:58 PM	"Do you see the trees? They're right there. You are not from the inner city. You are not "thug." You are not allowed to say, "Represent!" Do you see the trees? They're right there. They're the tall things with squirrels running up them. That means you're living in the country. Thus, please refrain from all references to "packin' heat," "S'up," and "Life on the Streets." There are no streets here. Do you see the trees?" I don't get it? I get the "You're not a gangster" stuff, but not the "You are not from the inner city" and "You are not a Thug". They're both acceptable terms to describe something/someone.
wrecan 03-28-07, 03:30 PM	Two new questions. The rules state: 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. I assume that "and only when" means this rule does not apply to making mundane and alchemical items using the Craft feat. Those items can be made at 1/3 the price, given sufficient time and skill, correct? What are the rules for generating abilities for followers and cohorts? Do they also get 28 point-buy? Or should we use elite/nonelite arrays?
JasonOrlandoHawk 03-28-07, 04:08 PM	Technically, wrecan... you would use the Craft skill... :P You are correct, however. The special crafting rules apply to magic items. Regular items are crafted using the normal rules from the PHB. Humanoid Cohorts use the 28 pt. buy method. Animal companions, familiars, and other such compatriots, however, use average stats for their species. FRRC, the paragraph after that rant may help you understand a little better. I used to work w/ teenagers who lived deep in the country, but acted like they were from the inner city, leading to the original "trees" rant. (It was amusing to watch.) The point of the rant is that your character should not clearly be a country boy/girl. (Thus, "thug" or "street" is actually acceptable for the purposes of this contest... though I may be a little disturbed if I see a character who's battle cry is "Do Something!")
wrecan 03-28-07, 04:30 PM	Just to be clear, by "cohorts" you also mean humanoid followers use the 28 point buy?
Zherog 03-28-07, 06:25 PM	Please note that you must still meet all of the prerequisites necessary in order to craft an item. Hmmm... This goes entirely against the intent of the original rule. his contest ... is due to end ... Friday the 13th :OMG! Just to be clear, by "cohorts" you also mean humanoid followers use the 28 point buy? Always remember that it's probably better to not provide stats for a cohort. Generally speaking, it's much preferred to say something like: Cohort: Chaotic Good Human bard 7 You could even list special stuff about your cohort (like noting any specific spells known he has, so you can qualify for item creation. :P
Haruspex 03-28-07, 08:01 PM	“RUNTY” GURBOK “Aye, that’s a fine pillar ye have there barkeep. Dwarven make if I’m not mistaken.” You turn to see a goblin wearing the garb of a stonemason sitting at the bar, drinking from a mug. He carries a worn backpack on his back and has some working tools on his belt. Upon closer inspection you find that he is drinking dwarven ale, and the goblin speaks with a slightly dwarven accent. This offends some dwarves, but others find him rather charming. He claims to work as a stonemason with some knowledge of delving, the art of exploring dungeons. His knowledge of stonework is also comparable to that of a dwarf’s. If he drinks enough, he will eventually let slip that the principles used in looting dungeons and robbing homes are very similar… “Runty” Gurbok Small Humanoid (Goblin) Rogue 7/Dungeon Delver 2 Hit Dice: 9d6 (34 hp) Initiative: +4 (+4 Dex) Speed: 30 feet (6 squares) Armor Class: 22 (+4 Dex, +1 size, +7 mithral chain shirt) touch 15, flat-footed 18 Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+2 Attack: +2 dagger +13 melee (1d3+2/19-20) Full Attack: +2 dagger +13/+8 melee (1d3+2/19-20) Space/Reach: 5/5 Special Attacks: Sneak Attack +4d6 Special Qualities: Darkvision 90 feet, +4 racial bonus on Move Silently and Ride checks, trapfinding, evasion, trap sense +3, uncanny dodge, deep survival, reduce 3/day, stonecunning Base Saves: Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +2 Saves: Fort +5, Ref +12 (+4 Dex), Will +4 (2 Wis) Starting Abilities (28 point buy): Str 10, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 10 Current Abilities: Str 10, Dex 18 (+2 levels), Con 10, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 10 Skill Ranks: Climb 12, Craft (stonemasonry) 12, Diplomacy 5, Disable Device 12, Gather Information 5, Hide 7, Listen 12, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 7, Move Silently 7, Open Lock 12, Search 12, Spot 12 Adjusted Skills: Climb +12, Craft (stonemasonry) +16 [+2 Int, +2 tools], Diplomacy +5, Disable Device +16 [+4 Dex], Gather Information +5, Hide +15 [+4 size, +4 Dex], Listen +16 [+2 Alertness, +2 Wis], Knowledge (dungeoneering) +9 [+2 Int], Move Silently +15 [+4 Dex, +4 race], Open Lock +16 [+4 Dex], Search +16 [+4 Dex], +18 to notice unusual stonework, Spot +16 [+2 Alertness, +2 Wis] Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse, Blind-Fight, Tactile Trapsmith. Environment: Any Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 9 Possessions: +2 dagger (8,302 gp), +3 mithral chain shirt (10,100 gp), artisan’s outfit (1 gp), masterwork longspoon thieves’ tools (150 gp), masterwork stonemason’s tools (55 gp), boots of speed (12,000 gp), camouflage kit (40 gp), 5 flasks of alchemist’s fire (100 gp), 5 flasks of acid (50 gp), 5 elixirs of vision (1,250 gp), hand of the mage (900 gp), handy haversack (2,000 gp), 50 gold pieces, 20 silver pieces. Language: Common, Goblin, Giant, Orc. Alignment: Neutral Evasion (Ex): If Gurbok is exposed to any effect that normally allows him to attempt a Reflex saving throw for half damage, he takes no damage with a successful saving throw. Reduce (Sp): Gurbok can use reduce person (self only) 3 times per day. Caster level 2nd. Sneak Attack (Ex): Gurbok deals an extra 4d6 points of damage on any successful attack against flat-footed or flanked targets, or against a target that has been denied it’s Dexterity bonus to AC for any reason. This damage also applies to ranged attacks against targets up to 30 feet away. Creatures with concealment, creatures without discernable anatomies, and creatures immune to critical hits are all immune to sneak attacks. Gurbok can choose to deliver nonlethal damage with his sneak attack, but only when using a weapon designed for that purpose, such as a sap (blackjack). Trapfinding (Ex): Gurbok can find, disarm, or bypass traps with a DC of 20 or higher. He can use the Search skill to find, and the Disable Device skill to disarm, magic traps (DC 25 + spell level used to create it). If his Disable Device check exceeds the trap’s DC by 10 or more, he discovers how to bypass the trap without triggering or disarming it. Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Gurbok retains his Dexterity bonus to AC even when flat-footed or targeted by an unseen foe (he still loses his Dexterity bonus if paralyzed or otherwise immobile). The dungeon delver prestige class, Tactile Trapsmith feat, masterwork longspoon thieves’ tools, and camouflage kit are from Complete Adventurer. Gurbok’s first 7 levels are in rogue. His final two are in dungeon delver (Complete Adventurer). Every level Gurbok gains 10 skill points (40 at 1st level). For his rogue levels he buys 10 ranks each in Climb, Craft (stonemasonry), Disable Device, Listen, Knowledge (dungeoneering) [cross-class], Open Lock, Search, and Spot. He also buys 5 ranks each in Diplomacy, Hide, Gather Information, and Move Silently. For his rogue levels, Knowledge (dungeoneering) is cross-class. He gains 5 ranks (half of 10) for his rogue levels. For his dungeon delver levels he buys 2 ranks each in Climb, Craft (stonemasonry), Disable Device, Hide, Listen, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Move Silently, Open Lock, Search, and Spot. Gurbok’s first level feat is Alertness, followed by Weapon Finesse at 3rd level, Blind-Fight at 6th, and Tactile Trapsmith (Complete Adventurer) at 9th. Gurbok can now be found frequenting urban taverns, looking for work which involves stonemasonry or dungeon delving. He also helps certain cities patrol their sewers, as he doesn’t mind the smell. Though Erth never got around to teaching him Dwarven, Gurbok’s manner of speech has been heavily influenced by his friend. A parting gift from the dwarf was a mummified hand which Erth had lifted from The Mayor’s lab. It enables the goblin to move things about from a distance, a useful ability in delving. Erth’s dwarven contacts also helped the goblin get his hands on some of their coveted mithral armor as well as a magical dagger. One item the goblin never lets out of his sight is his handy haversack, which holds as much of his possessions as he can cram into it. Gurbok was born into the Hill-runner tribe, a tribe of goblins who initially made a living from raiding passing caravans. After a few years of this the caravans responded by beefing up their security, making it no longer worthwhile for the goblins to attack them. Fortunately, the Hill-runners knew of a city ‘only’ ten miles from their lair. They decided to send their bandits to the city instead, robbing the citizens to make up for lost revenue. This money was needed to pay tribute to the orcs and giants who constantly threatened the Hill-runners. To get to the city however, the goblins had to go through a system of caves and then access the sewers. The bandits had to learn how to navigate the caves, avoiding all the nasties therein, and in this process many goblins died. One of the surviving goblins was Gurbok. Along with his comrades he snuck into the city, which went by the name of Islingvale. Making the most of their ability to see in the dark, the goblins avoided the city watch and began to quietly rob the buildings near the sewer manholes. Having gathered a satisfying pile of loot, the goblins entered the sewers to begin the long trek back to their tribe. Unfortunately, the local thieves’ guild was aware of their presence, and had informed their inside man in the city watch. The inside man, a dwarven investigator by the name of Erth, easily intercepted the goblins at a sewer intersection. He had with him fifty members of the city guard, and the goblins surrendered. Upon interrogation, one of the goblins immediately gave up the location of their tribe. Boslin, a known coward even among goblins, gave this information as soon as the interrogator drew his knife. Gurbok confronted Boslin in the cell, and beat the turncoat to death with his feeding dish. Impressed by the savagery of Gurbok, Erth separated him from the others and asked if he would like his village to be spared. Curious, Gurbok asked what it would take to bring this about. Erth explained that Gurbok would have to work for him, helping him to ‘acquire’ certain items that he needed. In return, the Hill-runners would be spared and the other goblin thieves would be allowed to leave. If the goblins ever stole from the city again, the deal would be annulled. For all purposes and intents, the city would be made to believe that the goblins had been executed. Gurbok agreed, and was trained by Erth in the art of dwarven thievery. While training under the dwarf, Gurbok constantly worried about the fate of his village. More importantly he wondered how they would pay tribute to the orcs and giants. Erth noticed this, and after much thought decided to let Gurbok have a share of his thievings. A messenger bird would deposit this paltry sum at one of the goblins’ agreed drop-off points where they would hopefully collect it and pay the orcs. The bird would also relay any messages the goblins had for Gurbok. After two years of training, Gurbok was ready to embark on his first “wet” mission. The thieves’ guild was beginning to make unreasonable demands of Erth, and he decided to put an end to them. For this purpose, a sneaky goblin was ideal. He would sneak into the thieves’ guild house and plant evidence to accuse various members of betraying the guild. He would also remove any evidence of Erth’s ties to the guild. To add to the turmoil he would have to kill at least one member of the guild. One dark night the goblin snuck into the house, avoiding the traps thanks to information supplied by Erth. While there, he planted various ledgers, letters, and other incriminating bits just as Erth told him. It was a harder matter to find documents incriminating Erth, but the goblin managed. He decided to kill one of the guild elders, as Erth had told him to choose any high-ranking target. Then he left, and waited until morning. The next day there was blood in the alleys as the paranoid thieves turned on each other. The once monolithic organization was broken into various factions, plans were leaked, people were killed in their sleep, and chaos reigned. Erth reaped the benefits, arresting various members of the guild and earning numerous honors from the city council. All the while Gurbok sat in the shadows, happy to take his share of the profits. These he passed on to his tribe, who were now easily affording the tribute. Thieves are notoriously difficult to eradicate, however. One of the lieutenants of the guild, a doppelganger by the name of Shadow Eyes, had escaped the arrests and swore vengeance on the dwarf. Infiltrating the city council, he began to spread rumors that Erth had been in cahoots with the now-destroyed thieves’ guild. Erth’s sterling reputation initially deflected these rumors, but Shadow Eyes knew how to run a smear campaign. He looked for those citizens who had suffered due to Erth’s involvement with the thieves’ guild. He gathered all of them, and in the name of justice, brought them all to court. Their testimony, given under oath as well as truth-finding magic, shook the city. Erth’s holdings were searched, and in his house they found the unprepared Gurbok. Using his alchemists’ fire, the goblin managed to create a diversion and he subsequently escaped into the wilderness. A few days later he ran into Erth, who had managed to scrape together some of his possessions. The two discussed their options, and decided to stick together. The two of them moved into a mining town where they worked for a masonry firm. They made a comfortable living there, and eventually built a little shack together. Unbeknownst to them however, Shadow Eyes had pursued them to the town and had decided to make their new lives a misery. This was due to them ruining the good set up he had with the thieves’ guild. He began to spread rumors that they were engaged in an abnormal relationship. This cost Erth face in the eyes of the local dwarves, and the two were quickly fired by the masonry company. The two then sat in their shack and lamented over a bottle of ale. Shadow Eyes then used his powers to take the shape of one of the local women. Crying incessantly, the disguised doppelganger claimed that the “deviant dwarf and goblin” had assaulted her when she rejected their advances. This was the last straw, and the citizens of the town proceeded to burn down the shack where the two lived. Erth was a dwarf accustomed to surprises however, and had prepared an escape tunnel at the bottom of his shack. He and Gurbok escaped into the mines, pursued by the doppelganger. As the dwarf searched for a possible way out, the doppelganger struck. Disguising himself as Gurbok, he attacked the dwarf with a mining pick. Unfortunately for him, Erth was very familiar with Gurbok by then and immediately recognized the deception. The two fought, and Shadow Eyes quickly gained the advantage. Gurbok then arrived to see what the ruckus was about. Before Gurbok could intervene, the three of them heard the sound of the townspeople entering the mines. Shadow Eyes then changed into a human form and screamed for help. The townspeople ran to his aid, and the two fugitives were again forced to run for their lives. The two realized that the doppelganger would never leave them alone, and wondered what to do about the matter. They decided to move into a large city and await their pursuer. Shadow Eyes, predictably enough, followed them into the city and waited to see what they did. To his utter surprise, the pair of them started work in another masonry company. Shadow Eyes then started another smear campaign against the two, using the same story as he did in the mining town. When he approached the city watch in the guise of a distressed maiden, he was simply pushed aside and ignored. Confused, he continued to spread his tales but there was no visible effect on Gurbok and Erth. Exasperated, he took the form of a local official and made for the mayor’s office. When he entered the mayor’s office he was surprised to see the mayor with Gurbok and Erth at his side. He tried to read their thoughts, but was blocked by some strange power of the mayor. Shadow Eyes then realized that the mayor was a powerful spellcaster. He tried to reason with the mayor, but it was too late. Taking the form of an official with intent to deceive was enough to invoke the full wrath of the wizard, who insisted on having full control of his city. He put an awful curse upon the doppelganger, crushing his mind and crippling his body. Then his guards took the doppelganger and threw him into the river. In return for his assistance, the mayor demanded that Erth and Gurbok work for him. They were happy to do so, and remained in his service for three years. It was supposed to be service for life, but the mayor met an unfortunate end when researching a spell. His laboratory was destroyed in a magical explosion and his two servants were nowhere to be seen. The Mayor: The ancient wizard had prepared a cloned body in case of his death and has resumed control of his city. While there is no evidence that the dwarf and goblin were involved in his lab accident, Gurbok is eager to avoid him if possible. Shadow Eyes: Unable to properly change shape for the rest of his life, the doppelganger still possesses considerable deviousness and has not forgotten his vendetta against the dwarf and goblin. Erth: The dwarf took up with a mercenary company, having had enough of deception and intrigue. He now works as a crossbow sniper and loots the battlefield when he can. Hill-runner tribe: After Erth and Gurbok were chased out of the city, the goblins returned to rob Islingvale. They are happy to take full advantage of the thieves’ guild’s demise.
Far_Traveler 03-28-07, 08:12 PM	O.o ... That was fast. It was only earlier today I posted my comment...
Haruspex 03-28-07, 08:19 PM	I've always wanted to be the first contestant, so I made a special effort this time. :D
Mercurius 03-28-07, 10:22 PM	Okay, so I have a character prebuilt (at fifth level, but I can raise her up easily enough) that will fit this competition perfectly. The only problem is...she's the mother of the first character I posted...who won the competition she was entered in. And tangentially related to the character Mercurius submitted in his winning Hero's Craftsman entry...and my second place entry in the same competition. Thus, she seems rather fated to win...;) I'll have to condense her background some, though. And still add a bit...mmm...backgrounds....my favorite part of the competition:). And may I say, Haruspex...Wow. That was FAST! Oh, so this is jennibert. Again. I should really pay attention to who I'm logged in as. I fell really dumb now.
JasonOrlandoHawk 03-28-07, 11:23 PM	:eek: List Updated! Impressive response time, Haruspex! And as for the contest's end time... :evillaugh In all truth, the contest deadline was extended because of Passover and Easter. I know I won't have any time Easter weekend, and I imagine the same may be true of others. As such, we extended the deadline so no one would be rushing over the holidays. The actual deadline was just a nice bonus. :D Oh, btw, jennibert... as long as you remember to post your character under your profile, there shouldn't be any problem.
Mercurius 03-28-07, 11:56 PM	Hmmm... This goes entirely against the intent of the original rule. It may go against the intent, but that was never explicitly stated, and, for what it's worth, I rather disagree with your interpretation. If someone gives up Abjuration as a prohibited school, they shouldn't get the benefits of a discount on a Cloak of Resistance, since they can't craft it. Item creation feats already provide a bit of a boon, gear wise, to contestants in this contest, as they need never worry about lagging behind other contestants. Allowing them to ignore prohibited schools just seems wrong to me. You could even list special stuff about your cohort (like noting any specific spells known he has, so you can qualify for item creation. :P Indeed, the less you list about your cohort, the less work *I* have to do and the less likely you are to miscalculate and have points deducted, because every rule you do give us is one more rule that is factored into your score.
JasonOrlandoHawk 03-29-07, 12:55 AM	Just a quick note to any other early arrivals, I will not be able to do any updates until Saturday night. I'm going to be out of town the next few days, so the other judges will have to field any questions or concerns. The real question is, however, how quickly you will start to party once you realize I'm gone...
Zherog 03-29-07, 12:55 AM	It may go against the intent, but that was never explicitly stated, and, for what it's worth, I rather disagree with your interpretation. If someone gives up Abjuration as a prohibited school, they shouldn't get the benefits of a discount on a Cloak of Resistance, since they can't craft it. Item creation feats already provide a bit of a boon, gear wise, to contestants in this contest, as they need never worry about lagging behind other contestants. Allowing them to ignore prohibited schools just seems wrong to me. A wizard with a prohibited school of abjuration can absolutely craft a cloak of resistance. He just needs help from another caster. ;) And that's not even the point of that rule. The idea is that it strikes a balance between items that could be crafted and items that are found by splitting the difference down the middle. Especially for characters where the actual XP total isn't important - like characters here. For example, take a wizard - doesn't matter if he's specialized or not really. That wizard is going to have some scrolls. He probably crafted some, and he found the rest while out adventuring. The way this contest is set up, though, it's in the character's best interests to just say that all the scrolls were crafted - then they cost less, which leaves more money for other stuff. By splitting the difference and calling it 75% of the market price for any item with that item creation feat, you're removing the inevitable quibbling over whether the item was found or crafted.
TheChilliGod 03-29-07, 04:23 AM	Wha! You scared me! When did this start up?! Hm, City-based. Glad to say I'm from some part of a city, so making a character that is from some part of a city also shouldn't be too difficult. I might just enter this one, assuming I can get off of my ass and do some work rather than procrastinate into next century. ... It's a half-pity that Cityscape isn't allowed, but that book hardly has any character-making crunch in it at all anyways.
FRRC 03-29-07, 05:40 PM	Just a question: The Urban Ranger looses Track and gains Urban Tracking, can this still be used to fulfil the requirements for classes such as the Justiciar (pg47 Complete Warrior), but instead be used only in Urban teritory. The Justiciar and Bloodhound are classes almost destined for Urban environments, and it would seem a waste on the Urban Ranger if we can't use it's abilities to fulfil the requirements for these classes.
wrecan 03-29-07, 06:47 PM	HAMMETT 9th Level Spellthief, and Leader of Men http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/compscoundrel_gallery/102049.jpg Nobody would deny that Hammett is a handsome man, but he is not classically handsome. There is darkness in his face, which appears older than his 23 years. Even so, his personal presence is almost palpable. People notice when he enters a room (unless he doesn’t want them to). He always dresses appropriately for the occasion, but is typically found in a merchant’s garb over his mithril shirt, crossbow, bolts and morningstar on his side. Hammett has a dour, even sarcastic attitude with strangers, even those who retain his services, always expecting the worst from them, and assuming they are lying (even to themselves if he uses detect thoughts). However, once they have proven their worth to him, he is open and congenial, even humorous (in a dark-humor sort of way). However, people who have been accepted by Hammett can see, almost intuit, that Hammett is absolutely dedicated to them. “A friend,” he often remarks, “is such a rare thing in this day and age that no effort should be spared to preserve that.” Hammett did not have an easy life. He was born to a family with a deservedly unsavory reputation. His natural charisma led his father to train him to become a conman. His older brothers ran the other trades, mugging, breaking and entering, a little burglary. He spent his days on street corners, working dice and card games. As he got older, he discovered he had a bit of sorcerous talent. It wasn’t enough to make him a full-fledged sorcerer, but, with the help of other unsavory characters, he learned how to become a spellthief. And this was a remarkable event. His family began to think about how they could use his talents to go after bigger game, perhaps extorting or embezzling wizards. That ended when, at the age of eighteen, constables broke into his apartment and found stolen goods in his possession. He was dragged down to the jail and interrogated. Although his family had always told him to deny everything, Hammett decided this time he would tell the truth (although he didn’t think anybody would believe him). He told the truth because, this time, he was innocent. As he expected, most of the constabulary scoffed at his protestations. The dungeons were full of people who proclaimed their innocence. But, to Hammett’s surprise, one man, a paladin, did believe him. The paladin set out to discover the truth and, with Hammett’s help, he did. Hammett’s own brother had planted the stolen goods in Hammett’s room, partly to save himself from the constables and partly out of jealousy of Hammett’s popularity and powers. The paladin’s evidence was strong, but to clear Hammett’s name, he would have to testify against the brother who tried to frame him. Hammett knew that turning on his family would mean his family would disown him. Hammett didn’t care. Under the paladin’s tutelage, he had learned the meaning of real honor. And he had a new purpose: to make sure that no other innocents suffered because of evil actions. After he left prison, Hammett and the paladin remained in touch. The paladin has since retired and lives in the country, where Hammett occasionally visits. Hammett became an urban adventurer, solving people’s problems for a little cash, catching petty thieves and discovering lost items. He occasionally would join adventuring groups to root out a dangerous evil or threat to the city. On one of his adventures, he investigated an evil cult that had been spreading in the city, apparently with the aid of elements in a good church. His efforts led him to confront a young priestess named Dashielle. She confessed to him that the church had been extorting her and she didn’t have the courage to tell her superiors. In fact, she had lost her clerical abilities for breaking church vows, although that had not yet been discovered. She asked Hammett for what to do, and Hammett told her to confess all to her superior. To his surprise, she did, and she begged her superior for atonement. Before the abbess would cast atonement, she asked Hammett if he thought Dashielle’s confession was sincere. He surprised himself by saying it was. The abbess told Dashielle she would cast an atonement, but only if she went on a quest to find the center of this cult and end it. Although Hammett had never ventured out of the city, he volunteered to help her. Their quest was fraught with peril, but ultimately successful. Dashielle’s clerical powers were restored, but, due to her past actions, she knew she would never be promoted within the church hierarchy. But during the quest something else occurred. Hammett and Dashielle had fallen in love. They were married soon thereafter. Dashielle began helping Hammett in his assignments. He learned that he was a good strategist when it came to managing other people. At Dashielle’s suggestion, Hammett began approaching those innocents he had previously helped for advice and assistance. To his surprise, he had garnered a large following of people who admired what he was doing in the city. They donated money and resources to him. Over time, Hammett’s Hands (as his contacts were named), became so numerous that he rented an entire inn near the center of town to better organize matters. Now people from around the city come to Hammett for advice and aid. Hammett is careful to help only the innocent, the wrongly accused. He charges people when they can afford it, but he never turns down someone truly in need. Over the years, Hammett’s operation has become quite large. He has more than four dozen followers and a dozen assistants. He has sophisticated magical protocols. He has relationships with almost every power-broker in the city. Although Hammett has a large organization behind him, he does not allow them to adventure with him. They don’t have the experience. Their job is to provide logistical support and intelligence. Only his wife, Dashielle, ever goes on adventures with him. However, Hammett enjoys adventuring with other people of about his level of experience. He needs others to make the most of his spellthief abilities. His group is also quite low on raw muscle. In a party, Hammett is the ultimate skill-monkey. His contacts can find out anything there is to know about anything. His assistants can provide specialized training when needed. He will not outshine others in his party, but he will fulfill his particular role quite adroitly. Hammett rarely leaves the base without Dashielle having cast status on him. In addition, he is almost always in a homunculus chain (see below). Depending on how long it will take him to get to his destination, his allies may grant him other spells to boost his performance. Even so, Hammett hates combat and avoids it whenever possible. If forced into the situation, he will try to flank people and use his spellthief powers to deprive them of any powers they appear to be using. Then he will withdraw and cast spells and magic missile. But Hammett is at his best if he has a chance to gather information. At that point, he will have “stolen” appropriate spells from his wizard, bards and cleric. He will have just the right equipment for the job. He will have a plan of attack. Human Spellthief 9 Alignment: Lawful Good Abilities: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 20 Armor Class: 18 (+1 dexterity, +5 armor, +1 natural armor, +1 deflection), touch 12, flatfooted 17 Hit Points: 34 Full Attack: +1 Morningstar +8/+3 melee (d8) or +1 light crossbow +8/+3 ranged (d8+1). Special Abilities: Absorb spell, Arcane sight, Detect magic, Sneak attack +3d6, Spellgrace +1, Spells (3 1st level, 1 2nd level per day), Steal energy resistance 10, Steal spell, Steal spell effect, Steal spell-like ability, Trapfinding Skills: Appraise +7, Bluff +17, Concentration +12, Decipher Script +7, Diplomacycc +7, Disable Device +7, Disguisecc +5 (+7 when trying to remain in character while observed), Escape Artist +7, Gather Information +21, Intimidatecc +7, Knowledge (local) +7, Open Lock +7, Search +9, Spellcraft +7, Sleight of Handcc +3, Survivalcc -1 (+1 to find and follow tracks), Use Magic Device +20 (+24 for scrolls), Use Ropecc +1 (+3 to bind someone) Feats: Improved Counterspell, Investigator, Skill Focus (Use Magic Device), Leadership, Weapon Finesse. Saves: Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +5 (all saves receive +1 competence bonus against spells) Languages: Common, Draconic First-Level Spells Known: Charm Person, Color Spray, Shield, True Strike Second-Level Spells Known: Alter self, Detect thoughts Absorb Spell (Su): If Hammett makes a successful save against a spell that targets him, he can attempt to absorb the spell energy for later use. This ability affects only spells that have Hammett as a target, not effect or area spells. Hammett can't absorb a spell of higher than 4th level. To absorb a spell that targets him, Hammett must succeed on a level check (1d20+9) against a DC of 10 + the spell's caster level. Failure indicates that the spell has its normal effect. Success means that the spellthief suffers no effect from the spell and can cast the spell later (or use its energy to cast one of his own spells known) as if he had stolen the spell with his steal spell ability. His normal limit of total spell levels stolen still applies. Arcane Sight (Sp): Hammett can use arcane sight as a swift action five times per day, with a caster level of 9. Detect Magic (Sp): Hammett can use detect magic five times per day, with a caster level of 9. Sneak Attack (Ex): Hammett deals an extra 3d6 points of damage when flanking an opponent or at any time when the target would be denied its Dexterity bonus. This extra damage applies to ranged attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. Spellgrace (Su): Hammett gains a +1 competence bonus on his saves against spells. Spells: Hammett can cast spells from a subset of the sorcerer/wizard spell list. the spellthief spell list. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time, just as a sorcerer can (see page 54 of the Player's Handbook). He can learn any sorcerer/wizard spell from the following schools: abjuration, divination, enchantment, illusion, and transmutation. Hammett’s caster level is four. Steal Energy Resistance (Su): Hammett can siphon off some or all of a target's resistance to an energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic). If Hammett hits an opponent with a successful sneak attack, he can choose to forgo dealing 1d6 points of sneak attack damage and instead temporarily gain resistance 10 to an energy type to which his target is resistant (or immune). If the target is willing, a spellthief can steal energy resistance with a touch as a standard action. Simultaneously, the target creature’s resistance to that energy type is reduced by 10 (to a minimum of 0). A creature with immunity to an energy type retains that immunity. If his target has more than one type of resistance to energy, Hammett can choose which kind to steal; otherwise, the DM determines the stolen resistance randomly from among those possessed by the target. If Hammett chooses to steal a type of resistance that the target doesn’t possess, the stolen type of resistance is determined randomly from those possessed by the target. The resistance Hammett gains from using this ability lasts for 1 minute. If the resistance is derived from a temporary effect (such as a spell), the stolen resistance disappears when the effect expires. Hammett can use this ability multiple times, but its effects do not stack unless they apply to different types of energy. Steal Spell (Su): Hammett can siphon spell energy away from his target and use it himself. If Hammett hits an opponent with a successful sneak attack, he can choose to forgo dealing 1d6 points of sneak attack damage and instead steal a spell, or the potential to cast a specific known spell, from his target. If the target is willing, Hammett can steal a spell with a touch as a standard action. The target of a steal spell attack loses one zero, first, second, third or fourth level spell from memory if she prepares spells ahead of time, or one zero, first, second, third or fourth level spell slot if she is a spontaneous caster. A spontaneous caster also loses the ability to cast the stolen spell for 1 minute. If the target has no spells prepared (or has no remaining spell slots, if she is a spontaneous caster), this ability has no effect. Hammett can choose which spell to steal; otherwise, the DM determines the stolen spell randomly. If Hammett tries to steal a spell that isn't available, the stolen spell (or spell slot) is determined randomly from among those the target has available. After stealing a spell, Hammett can cast the spell himself on a subsequent turn. Treat the spell as if it were cast by the original owner of the spell for the purpose of determining caster level, save DC, and so forth. Hammett can cast this spell even if he doesn't have the minimum ability score normally required to cast a spell of that level. Hammett must supply the same components (including verbal, somatic, material, XP, and any focus) required for the stolen spell. Alternatively, Hammett can use the stolen spell power to cast any spellthief spell that he knows of the same level or lower (effectively, this gives Hammett one free casting of a known spell). Hammett must cast a stolen spell (or use its energy to cast one of his own spells) within 1 hour of stealing it; otherwise, the extra spell energy fades harmlessly away. At any one time, Hammett can possess a maximum of nine stolen spell levels (treat 0-level spells as 1/2 level for this purpose). If he steals a spell that would cause him to exceed this limit, he must choose to lose stolen spells sufficient to reduce his total number of stolen spell levels to no more than his maximum. Hammett can't apply metamagic feats or other effects to the stolen spell unless the specific spell stolen was prepared with such an effect. This ability works only against spells. It has no effect on psionic powers or spell-like abilities. Steal Spell Effect (Su): Hammett can siphon active spell effects from other creatures. If Hammett hits an opponent with a sneak attack, he can choose to forgo dealing 1d6 points of sneak attack damage and instead gain the effect of a single spell affecting the target. If the target is willing, a spellthief can steal a spell effect with a touch as a standard action. Hammett chooses which spell effect to steal; otherwise, the DM determines the stolen spell effect randomly. If Hammett tries to steal a spell effect that isn’t present, the stolen spell effect is determined randomly from among those currently in effect on the target. Hammett can't steal a spell effect if its caster level exceeds 14. Upon stealing a spell effect, Hammett gains the stolen effect (and the original creature loses that effect) for the earlier of 9 minutes or the expiration of the spell's duration. If the spell effect's duration hasn't expired by this time, the spell effect returns to the creature that originally benefited from it. Hammett can steal the effect of a spell only if the spell could be cast on him by the original caster. For example, a spellthief couldn't gain the effect of an animal growth spell (unless the spellthief is of the animal type) or the effect of a shield spell (since that spell's range is personal). If Hammett tries to steal the effect of a spell not allowed to him, the effect is still suppressed on the original target of the spell for nine minutes. This ability does not work on spell effects that are immune to dispel magic (such as bestow curse). Steal Spell-Like Ability (Su): Hammett can use a sneak attack to temporarily steal a creature's spell-like ability. If Hammett hits an opponent with a sneak attack, he can choose to forgo dealing 1d6 points of sneak attack damage and instead gain one use of one of the target's spell-like abilities. If the target is willing, a spellthief can steal a spell-like ability with a touch as a standard action. This spell-like ability can originate from the target's class, race, template, or any other source, and can be of any level up to third level. Hammett can select a specific spell-like ability to steal; otherwise, the DM chooses the ability at random. If the ability has a limited number of uses per day, the target must have at least one such use left, or Hammett can't steal the ability. If the target can't use its ability at the present time, Hammett can't steal it. Hammett can use a stolen spell-like ability once. For all purposes (caster level, save DC, and so on), treat the spell-like ability as if it were being used by the original possessor of the ability. Hammett must use the stolen spell-like ability within one minute of acquiring it, or it is lost harmlessly. Until Hammett uses the ability (or until the minute elapses), the target cannot use the stolen ability. At first level: Abilities: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 18, Skills (32): Appraise 2, Bluff 4, Concentration 4, Decipher Script 2, Disable Device 2, Escape Artist 2, Gather Information 4, Knowledge (local) 2, Open Lock 2, Search 2, Spellcraft 2, Use Magic Device 4, Feats: Improved Counterspell, Skill Focus (Use Magic Device). Bonus language: Draconic. Skill Progression: Every level, he keeps Bluff, Concentration, Gather Information, and Use Magic Device maximized. On even levels, he adds one rank to each of his investigatory skills (Appraise, Decipher Script, Knowledge (local) and Search). On odd levels, he adds one rank to each of his mechanical skills (Disable Device, Escape Artist, Open Lock and Spellcraft). Feat/Ability Progression: 3rd: Weapon Finesse, 4th: Charisma, 6th: Leadership, 8th: Charisma, 9th: Investigator feat. Because Hammett has two bards ensuring he has “great renown”, because he is fair and generous to his followers (giving them all masterworked implements for their professions and crafts), because he has spellthief special powers, a base of operations and has not yet caused the death of other followers, he has a Leadership rating for purposes of attracting followers of 20. This entitles him to 50 first-level, five second-level, three third-level, two fourth-level and one fifth-level followers, in addition to his seventh-level cohort. His fifty first-level followers are all craftsmen and professionals of the highest caliber. They are usually people who he has saved (or whose loved ones he has saved), so that he can rely on their loyalty. He never asks them to risk their lives. He only asks them for material support for his operation, and to funnel information to him if they learn of anything. In addition, he often throws parties for the “guild” and offers free protection services to all members. He also gives each member a set of masterworked tools to assist them in their trade (otherwise beyond the means of a first-level commoner). Members of the guild are given an arcane mark by his wizard follower on the back of their hand. This unique mark is visible to all, and tells people they are a friend of Hammett. That mark is usually enough to convince most people not to molest the member. Also, it allows access to the guildhall for purposes of various social functions Hammett throws at his hall. In addition, the followers need to return to the hall once a month to have the mark refreshed. These daily “breakfasts” have two or three followers at a time and allow Hammett to learn more information about goings-on in various parts of the city. In addition to the fifty first-level followers, Hammett has recruited the following followers (and 7th level cohort): Dashielle, 7th level female lawful good human cleric (potion brewer, with Knowledge and Good Domains) (cleric of Rao in a Greyhawk setting) Beaumont, 5th level male lawful good gnome wizard (diviner and alchemist) Nick, 4th level male neutral good halfling rogue (Wisdom based rogue skills) Nora, 4th level female, neutral good halfling rogue (Intelligence based rogue skills) Lillian, 3rd level female neutral good half-elf bard Hellman, 3rd level male neutral good half-elf bard Martin, 3rd level male lawful good dwarven ranger Dain, 2nd level female true neutral human expert on forgery, decipher script, appraise Leggett, 2nd level male neutral good human expert on esoteric knowledge and spellcraft Nell, 2nd level female neutral good human on languages Pinkerton, 2nd level male true neutral human expert on interrogation techniques (Diplomacy, Intimidation, Bluff, Sense Motive, etc.) Sam, 2nd level female neutral good gnomish expert on practical knowledge (local gossip, history, nobility, etc.) His elite team has information at their fingertips of pretty much any information that Hammett might need during his investigations, as well as a wide variety of divination magic. They have a variety of spells he might “steal” for specific missions, and they make for him his weapons, arms, armor, divine potions and arcane scrolls. His team also has some specialized tools to assist them in investigations, including goggles of minute seeing. But their best tools are the pair of nearly identical homunculi that Beaumont, Dashielle and Hammett have. When Hammett goes on an investigation, it is Dashielle’s homunculus on his shoulder. Hammett’s homunculus remains behind. Using the telepathic connection that they have with their respective homunculi, Hammett and Dashielle, they are effectively able to hear and see everything that the other does. This allows Hammett’s team to feed him information as he needs it and contributes to his reputation as a walking library of knowledge. If the adventure requires Hammett to be more than 1,500 feet from the base, the homunculus can be hidden in the team’s pushcart. Dashielle takes Beaumont’s homunculus. She then relays information to Beaumont’s homunculus. Beaumont, back at the stronghold, consults the experts and tells Hammett’s homunculus. Although complicated, this effectively double’s the range of communication. If Hammett travels farther than 3,000 feet from the base, Beaumont’s raven familiar will ferry messages along the chain. When calculating the value of Hammett’s possessions, the following must be remembered: Follower and Cohort: All possessions of Hammett’s followers and cohort are considered part of Hammett’s possessions. However, I assume each follower comes with their own clothes. Rent: Most of Hammett’s items are not in his possession, but is maintained in the building he rents that serves as his base of operations. The weekly cost of the building rental is estimated to be the aggregate weekly cost of the room and board for Hammett, his cohort, and his second through fifth level followers. As shown in the Economics section, below, this is paid for by his followers’ donations. Discounts: Because Hammett has followers with every conceivable Craft skill, including alchemy, Hammett need only pay cost (or one-third the list price) for any mundane items. Divine potions, arcane scrolls: Because his clerical cohort can brew potions, and his wizard follower can craft scrolls, he can obtain these at 75% of list price, per the contest rules. All other magic items cost Hammett full price. 3369.33 2,819 gp, 3 sp, 3 cp in assorted denominations. 1320 72 sets of masterwork artisans’ tools 446 4 masterwork light crossbows 413 4 masterwork short swords 400 1 wardrobe with 1,200 gp in medium-sized outfits 333 1 spyglass 213 2 masterwork rapiers 166 5 sets of masterworked thieves’ tools 166 10 healers’ kits 166 10 disguise kits 166 1 alchemist’s lab 150 3 amazing locks 116 Masterwork dwarven urgrosh 100 3 masterwork lutes 100 4 flasks holy water 70 1050 pieces of parchment 66 2 chain shirts 53 2 climbers’ kits 50 Chain mail 50 3 masterwork manacles 50 3 vials antitoxin 50 3 tanglefoot bags 45 9 manacles 44 66 daggers 33 1 magnifying glass 30 3 thunderstones 24 9 vials of ink 20 3 vials alchemists fire 20 3 smokesticks 16 2 sets of studded leather armor 16 2 silver holy symbols 10 3 small steel mirrors 10 3 vials acid 8 1 hourglass 5 1 wooden cart 4 12 quivers of arrows and bolts 3 1 portable ram 3 50’ silk rope 2 1 chest 2 3 sunrods 1 30 common lamps 1 3 tindertwigs .8 3 signal whistles .6 1 merchant’s scale .6 1 crowbar .6 1 shovel .3 1 grappling hook .02 1 10’ ladder 7763.25 TOTAL 5100 Mithril chain shirt +2 2335 Light crossbow +1 2308 Morningstar +1 2250 Wand of magic missile (3rd level) 2000 Amulet of natural armor +1 2000 Ring of protection +1 2000 Handy haversack 1800 Hat of disguise 1250 Goggles of minute seeing 550 Hammett's Homunculus 550 Dashielle’s Homunculus 550 Beaumont’s Homunculus 50 Scroll of undetectable alignment 22743 TOTAL 2025 3 potions of shield of faith +5 900 4 potions of cure moderate wounds 562.5 Potion of water breathing 450 4 scrolls of eagle’s splendor 450 4 scrolls of whispering wind 112.5 Scroll of bear’s endurance 112.5 Scroll of bull’s strength 112.5 Scroll of cat’s grace 112.5 Scroll of knock 112.5 Scroll of locate object 112.5 Scroll of rope trick 112.5 Scroll of shatter 112.5 Scroll of owl’s wisdom 75 4 scrolls of true strike 37.5 Potion of pass without trace 37.5 Potion of protection from evil 18.75 Scroll of detect secret doors 18.75 Scroll of expeditious retreat 18.75 Scroll of feather fall 5493.75 TOTAL TOTAL: 7763.25 + 22743 + 5493.75 = 36,000 gp Hammett and his guild did not rise to this level of influence overnight and not everybody is happy about it. He has made numerous enemies over the years. First, his family by blood feels he has betrayed them by going over to the law. (They ignore the fact that his brother – who now leads the family’s criminal enterprise – framed him for a crime he didn’t commit). Although they would never physically harm him or his friends, there is no love lost and they would love to humiliate him and soil his reputation. Several merchants have applied to join his guild and have been turned down because they seem to be in it only for the money and have no desire to make the city a better place. Some of these merchants are even evil in alignment. Bitter, they could conspire against Hammett’s guild. Hammett has caused the imprisonment of many a murderer, thug and traitor. Some of them could escape the royal dungeons and seek revenge. The current crime lords in the city know enough to keep away from Hammett’s organization. After all, he is not the constabulary. He doesn’t investigate petty thievery. He investigates murders and arcane mysteries about the city, as well as external threats. Nevertheless, every so often, a thief tries to make a name of himself by taking down the great Hammett. So far, none have been successful. Hammett can expect his 50 first-level followers to earn 550 gp/week, assuming a +3 ability bonus to their Craft/Profession checks, four ranks in the appropriate skill, a set of masterworked tools (that Hammett provides to all his followers), and the Skill Focus feat. The +3 ability bonus is not unreasonable, since these followers would be generated using a 28 point-buy instead of the typical nonelite array found in the Monster Manual. The total skill modifier is +12, for an average skill check of 22. This translates to 11 gp/week/follower, or a weekly income of 550 gp. Assuming his commoners require common lodging and food (.8 x 7 x 50 = 280 gp/week), and his second level and higher followers, cohort and himself will consume good lodging and food (2.5 x 7 x 12 = 210 gp/week), the weekly cost of upkeep for the entire group is 490 gp/week , allowing a weekly profit of 60 gp. These weekly profits would be spent by allowing his followers to take vacations, to support other family members, and for lost profits incurred when his followers craft items for the Guild’s use. Accordingly, I did not add any income from the Guild to Hammett’s possession list. I assume the organization pays for its own upkeep and any profits are spent on “morale” boosting events, like Guild parties and the like. (Also, I’ve likely overestimated the costs. Many commoners with families might have children and spouses who work to supplement the family income. Also, the commoners likely own their own residences and cook their own food, which would reduce their living expenses by two-thirds. However, since Hammett also offers his services to his followers free of charge, I’m assuming that’s a wash.) That said, the Guild does offer Hammett significant economic benefits. Because he has followers of every Craft imaginable, almost any mundane object he needs can be obtained at one-third list price (ie, cost). Moreover, his cohort can brew divine potions, which are attributed to his possessions list at 75% of list price. His wizard follower can also produce scrolls for him at 75% of list price. Hammett is always looking for more craftsmen and followers to contribute to his cause, and given the benefits of membership, it isn’t difficult to find candidates, which he has team thoroughly investigate for loyalty and earnestness. It is likely he will recruit another ten shopkeepers at his next level. In addition, Hammett is trying to recruit the 6th level human wizard that crafted his homunculi, as well as another 2nd level sage. Dashielle, meanwhile, is trying to make a match for their bachelor dwarven ranger. She also thinks that Hammett could use a bodyguard, someone who could provide physical protection. (She has sometimes suggested a paladin might be a good choice.) At present, Hammett has no intention of dropping his progression in spellthief, although he often toys with the idea of taking a level in rogue or sorcerer.
Ziggaraut 03-29-07, 07:12 PM	Wow, Hammet is well done. My future entry will seem like congealed ogre sweat compared to that one. Nevertheless, I must try!
DarkKitsune 03-29-07, 07:39 PM	Je suis finis! (I am finished :p) Daren Makis, Lone Wolf Human Werewolf Monk 4 Str 16 (+3) (16 base) Dex 15 (+2) (14 base +1 level) Con 12 (+1) (12 base) Int 10 (0) (base) Wis 16 (+3) (base +2 racial) Chr 10 (0) (base) Fort +8 (+3 wolf +4 monk +1 Con) Ref +9 (+3 wolf +4 monk +2 Dex), evasion Will +7 (+4 monk +3 Wis) +2 vs, enchantment spells and effects HP 36 (12.5 wolf +18 monk +6 Con) AC 22 (+2 Dex +2 natural +3 Wis, +2 ring, +3 bracers) BAB/Grapple +4/+7 Unarmed Strike +8 (4 base +3 Str +1 magic), 1d8+4 dmg Flurry of Blows +6/+6 (4 base +3 Str +1 magic -2 flurry), 1d8+4 dmg Sling +6 (4 base +2 Dex), 1d4+3 dmg Alignment LN Speed 40’ Size Medium Languages Common Special Curse of Lycanthropy (DC 15), Alternate form, Lycanthropic empathy, Low-light vision, scent, Unarmed strike (1d8), Evasion, Still mind, Ki strike, slow fall (20’) Skills Balance +4 (2 synergy +2 Dex), Diplomacy +2 (2 synergy), Hide +8 (3 wolf +3 monk +2 Dex), Jump +5 (2 synergy +3 Str) Listen +5 (2 wolf +3 Wis), Move Silently +8 (3 wolf +3 monk +2 Dex), Sense Motive +8 (5 monk +3 Wis), Spot +5 (2 wolf +3 Wis), Survival +3 (3 Wis), Tumble +7 (5 monk +2 Dex) Feats Track (Bonus), Improved Grapple (Bonus), Combat Reflexes (Bonus), Power Attack, Cleave, Endurance, Diehard Ring of Protection +2 (8,000 gp) Ring of the Ram (8,600 gp) Bracers of Armour +3 (9,000 gp) Amulet of Mighty Fists +1 (6,000 gp) Chime of Opening (3,000 gp) Backpack (2 gp) Grappling Hook (1 gp) Mirror, small steel (10 gp) Signal Whistle (8 sp) Everburning Torch (110 gp) 3x tanglefoot bag (150 gp) Dagger (2 gp) Salve of Slipperiness (1000 gp) 2x potion of magic fang (100 gp) 50’ Silk rope (10 gp) Sling (-) 10 bullets (1 gp) Clothes (loose shirt, breeches, rope belt, loose sandals, sun hat - counts a peasant outfit, free) 13 gp, 2 sp *only those stats that have been altered are recorded here Str 18 (+4) (16 base +2 racial) Dex 19 (+4) (14 base +4 racial +1 level) Con 16 (+3) (12 base +4 racial) Fort +10 (+3 wolf +4 monk +3 Con) Ref +11 (+3 wolf +4 monk +4 Dex), evasion +2 vs, enchantment spells and effects HP 48 (12.5 wolf +18 monk +18 Con) AC 26 (+4 Dex +4 natural +3 Wis, +2 ring, +3 bracers) BAB/Grapple +4/+8 Unarmed Strike +9 (4 base +4 Str +1 magic), 1d8+5 dmg Claw (x2) +8 (4 base +4 Str) 1d4+4 dmg Bite +3 (4 base +4 Str -5 secondary) 1d6+4 dmg Flurry of Blows +7/+7 (4 base +4 Str +1 magic -2 flurry), 1d8+5 dmg Sling +8 (4 base +4 Dex), 1d4+4 dmg Speed 60’ Special DR 10/silver (hybrid/animal only) Skills Balance +6 (2 synergy +4 Dex), Hide +10 (3 wolf +3 monk +4 Dex), Jump +6 (2 synergy +4 Str), Move Silently +10 (3 wolf +3 monk +4 Dex), Tumble +9 (5 monk +4 Dex) Str 18 (+4) (16 base +2 racial) Dex 19 (+4) (14 base +4 racial +1 level) Con 16 (+3) (12 base +4 racial) Int 10 (0) (base) Wis 16 (+3) (base +2 racial) Chr 10 (0) (base) Fort +10 (+3 wolf +4 monk +1 Con) Ref +11 (+3 wolf +4 monk +2 Dex), evasion HP 48 (12.5 wolf +18 monk +18 Con) AC 21 (+4 Dex +4 natural +3 Wis) BAB/Grapple +4/+8 Bite +8 (4 base +4 Str), 1d6+4 dmg Speed 60’ Special DR 10/silver (hybrid/animal only), Trip Skills Balance +6 (2 synergy +4 Dex), Hide +10 (3 wolf +3 monk +4 Dex), Jump +6 (2 synergy +4 Str), Move Silently +10 (3 wolf +3 monk +4 Dex), Tumble +9 (5 monk +4 Dex) Daren grew up as a part of a werewolf clan who meditated on achieving wholeness between the divergent natures of their two species. The clan was a major power in Sareth, but had been steadily losing ground to a rival gang of wererats, the latter which was more adapted to the streets and slums the two called home. As such, Daren learned the arts of the warrior from a young age. One of his frequent hangouts was a tavern called ‘The Diving Swan’, an establishment that caters specifically to adventurers. During his time there, he fell head over heels in love with a powerful wizardess, Mialee, who’s party used the tavern as a base of operations between adventures. The elders of his clan, fearing exposure, warned him against getting to close to ‘mundane’ people, but, filled with the stubbornness of youth, he didn’t heed their advice. Mialee, for her part, enjoyed Daren’s company, his innocence and naivety refreshing. Eventually, after many months of trying, he managed to arrange a clandestine romantic evening, arranging to meet her at the Grand Bridge at midnight. On the way there, however, he was ambushed. A crew of wererats had seen the lone wolf and decided to have a little fun, dragging him to the alley where they proceeded to beat him up, intending to slay him before a passer-by or overly-curious watchman were to come by. Faced with a life or death situation, Daren shifted, viciously diving into the fray, slaying one and scattering the rest. Mialee, meanwhile, had gotten tired of waiting and was searching for Daren on her own. She heard the fighting in the alley and went to investigate, seeing her suitor, bloodied and a werewolf, standing over the corpse of a man. Whining, Daren fled into the night. He remained abed for the next few days, full of fear for what was going to happen, although he never expected Mialee to appear at the entrance to his clan’s lair a few days later, demanding that the werewolf be handed over. The alphas conducted the negotiations, denying the existence of any lycanthropes on the property. Negotiations quickly turned sour, and the clan attacked the adventurers, hoping to drive them away, at least long enough to evacuate. Though initially caught by surprise, the adventuring party was far more powerful than the weres, and they slew half the clan, the other half scattering through secret tunnels leading into the sewers. Immobile from the carnage in front of him, Daren had to be dragged down the tunnel by Liska, the youngest of the clan. Once they were safely away, he swore to her that he would get revenge for this tragedy, placing the blame on the rats for making him expose himself in such a manner. Over the next few years, he waged an underground war against the vermin, rarely leaving the sewers, and even then only long enough to steal the food and supplies he needed. Eventually, he was able to flood the wererats’ home, scattering them in the same manner that his family was scattered that day. After that, he emerged from the sewers, cleaning himself up and posing as a wandering monk, eager to prove himself in combat and adventure. In reality, he searches for the other survivors of the clan, keeping a sharp ear out for any sighting of wolves or large dogs in the area. Daren is a quiet man, spending much of his time meditating or deep in thought. He is not prone to emotional outbursts, but, when they do happen, they are all the more powerful. He is very slow to make friends or enemies, but when he does, he is relentlessly steadfast in his determination of you. Daren is stubborn as a mule, and has a difficult time understanding the words ‘no’ or ‘impossible’. What he cannot go pass, he will go around, over, under, or, if necessary, through. Daren is a pack animal at heart, and misses having a closely-knit family around him. As such, he is likely to adopt the adventuring group as his ‘pack,’ protecting them with his life and treating them as very close. He has a very strict code of honour, adapted from wolf behaviour; he will not kill those who are strong, unless their survival threatens his own; any member of the group can beat him in a fair fight are to be treated as superiors; the survival of the group matters more than the survival of any one individual; and so on. He will also never use he natural attacks on an enemy he does not intend to kill, preventing himself from being the cause of any infected werewolves. The shadowed recesses of the tavern hold an unusual figure. Big, the man would easily stand over you, though he now sits, leaning back against the walls. Neither he nor the woman with him appear to be of the adventuring sort, lacking any weapons and the only armour being a set of bronze-worked gauntlets. You almost leave there; between the lack of basic adventuring gear and their clothes, you are certain they’re peasants. Both are dressed in loose undyed shirts and breeches held up by rope belts, their faces obscured by a giant sun hat popular among commoners recently. They’re not even wearing shoes, just loose sandals that could easily be kicked off! Disgusted, you turn to leave. “Wait.” The man speaks, and they both raise their hats, causing you to pause. There, framed by tresses of the deepest black you’ve seen, are shining yellow eyes, both faces mirroring each other. “You wanted to see 'The Wolf'?” Mialee Tren - A very powerful wizardess, Mialee has since grown bored of the dangerous adventuring life and has been petitioning city council to allow her to found a magician’s academy - without much luck. Capricious and flighty, Mialee exists purely to do what hasn’t been done before. Occasionally she worries that the werewolves may begin to regroup but this has not happened yet, so she doesn’t think about it. Tareth Victus III - He’s not really the third of anything; he simply enjoy the sound of it. Tareth Victus is the cruel leader of the wererats in the city. He had just been settling into absolute rule over the underbelly of the city when Daren’s final attack came, forcing him to ‘abandon ship,’ as it were, plans in disarray. He has since regrouped his most loyal followers and has been nursing a grudge, planning to take down the rogue werewolf piece by piece. Liska Makis - Daren’s younger sister and youngest werewolf in the city. Liska is a bit of a homebody, preferring the gentle meditation of the scholarly arts to the warrior’s creed that her brother follows. She has, too, been on the lookout for the rest of her clan, ear to the ground for any word. She keep an eye on her brother and worries that he’s going to get himself killed one of these days. Jinarrin and Tavia Lupus - Alpha male and alpha female of the new clan. After fleeing the destruction of their old home, these two meticulously gathered the survivors, remaining hidden until the clan had grown to the proper size. They resent the previous alphas, the Makis, and are willing to slay any decedents in order for their rule to remain uncontested.
Mercurius 03-30-07, 06:52 AM	Just a question: The Urban Ranger looses Track and gains Urban Tracking, can this still be used to fulfil the requirements for classes such as the Justiciar (pg47 Complete Warrior), but instead be used only in Urban teritory. The Justiciar and Bloodhound are classes almost destined for Urban environments, and it would seem a waste on the Urban Ranger if we can't use it's abilities to fulfil the requirements for these classes. Personally, I'd allow it, but this falls to the other judges as well. We'll have to wait for their OK, I guess. As a side note, three entries already? I'll need to get working on this... It looks like there might be more than last time. :ghosted:
Endarrion 03-30-07, 05:27 PM	For this competition, would a character with very strong ties to a certain city be ok? I have an idea, but I want to know if I would be penalized if the character I create isn't too keen on leaving his city.
TheChilliGod 03-30-07, 07:00 PM	Sir Clafon Golegas "Your state in society is determined by who you know. Your state in personality is determined by who you care for." Image: Here (http://www.maj.com/gallery/chau2/DDStuff/clafon.png) Full Title: Sir Clafon Golegas, Son of Varan Golegas, Knight of the Soaring Eagle Human 7th level Paladin / 2nd level Justiciar Alignment: Lawful Good Age: 22 Height: 5'8" Weight: 159lb Deity: St. Cuthbert Aura: Strong Good Ability Scores: Strength: 14 (+2) (14 Base) Dexterity: 10 (+0) (10 Base) Constitution: 14 (+2) (13 Base, +1 Stat-up) Intelligence: 14 (+2) (14 Base) Wisdom: 12 (+1) (12 Base) Charisma: 16 (+3) (13 Base, +1 Stat-up, +2 Enhancement) Hit Points: 77 Hit Dice: 9d10+18 (10,5,6,5,6,5,6,5,6,5) Defensive Info: Immune to Fear & Disease Armor Class: 23 (+7 Armor, +4 Shield, +2 Deflection) Touch: 12 (+2 Deflection) Flat-footed: 23 (+7 Armor, +4 Shield, +2 Deflection) Armor: +2 Breastplate (+7 Armor, +3 Max Dex, -3 Check Penalty, 20 ft. speed) +2 Heavy Steel Shield (+4 Shield, -1 Check Penalty) +2 Ring of Protection (+2 Deflection) Speed: 20 feet (Run x4) Initiative: +0 (+0 Dex) Base attack bonus: +9/+4 (+7 Paladin, +2 Justiciar) Grapple: +15 (+9 BAB, +2 Str, +4 Improved Grapple) Attacks: Melee: Pity, +12 (1d8+1d6+3 (Nonlethal)/20x2, One-Handed Simple Bludgeoning) Masterwork Longsword, +12 (1d8+2/19-20x2, One-Handed Martial Slashing) Ranged: Masterwork Composite Longbow (+2 Str), +10 (1d8+2/20x3, 110 ft range, 40 arrows, Ranged Martial Piercing) Full Attacks: Melee: Pity, +12/+7 (1d8+1d6+3 (Nonlethal)/20x2, One-Handed Simple Bludgeoning) Masterwork Longsword, +12/+7 (1d8+2/19-20x2, One-Handed Martial Slashing) Ranged: Masterwork Composite Longbow (+2 Str), +10/+5 (1d8+2/20x3, 110 ft range, 40 arrows, Ranged Martial Piercing) Saves: Fortitude: +10 (+5 base, + 2 Con, +3 Cha) Reflex: +5 (+2 base, + 0 Dex, +3 Cha) Will: +9 (+5 base, + 1 Wis, +3 Cha) Skills: Diplomacy: +8 (+0 Ranks, +3 Cha, +3 Competence, +2 Synergy (Sense Motive)) Gather Information: +16 (+7 Ranks, +3 Cha, +3 Focus, +3 Competence) Intimidate: +8 (+2 Ranks, +3 Cha, +3 Competence) Knowledge (Local): +4 (+2 Ranks, +2 Int) Knowledge (Nature): +4 (+0 Ranks, +2 Int, +2 Synergy (Survival)) Perform (Harp): +14 (+6 Ranks, +3 Cha, +3 Competence, +2 Circumstance) Search: +9 (+7 Ranks, +2 Int) Sense Motive: +13 (+12 Ranks, +1 Wis) Survival: +8/+10 (+7 Ranks, +1 Wis (+2 Synergy (Search) following tracks)) Skill Points: 10x(2Base+2Int+1Human) + 2x(4Base+2Int+1Human) = 64 points. Languages: Common, Celestial, Halfling Feats: Skill Focus (Gather Information), Track, Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Improved Grapple (B), Improved Trip Combat Ability Summary: Smite Evil (2/day; against evil opponents, + 2 to hit, +7 damage.) Detect Evil (At will, as detect evil) Aura of Courage (+4 saves against fear for allies within 10 feet) Lay on Hands (Heal 14 points of damage/day.) Turn Undead (5/day, Turn check +2, Turn damage 2d6+4) Special Mount (1/day, calls mount.) Remove Disease (1/week, as remove disease) Bring 'em Back Alive (Can deal nonlethal damage at no penalty with any melee weapon) Nonlethal Strike & Crippling Strike (+1d6 damage & 1 Strength damage when using Bring 'em Back Alive against a flat-footed/flanked foe.) Typical Paladin Spells Prepared: 1st lvl (2/day, DC 12): Divine Favor, Protection from Chaos Items: Pity (+1 Merciful Heavy Mace; 8312gp) Masterwork longsword (315gp) Masterwork Composite Longbow (+2 Str; 600gp) 40 Arrows (2gp) +2 Breastplate (4350gp) +2 Heavy Steel Shield (4170gp) (Circlet of Persuasion (4500gp) Phylactery of Faithfulness (Not usually worn; 1000gp) Ring of Protection +2 (8000gp) Cloak of Charisma +2 (4000gp) Backpack (2gp) 10 ft Chain (30gp) Inkpen (1sp) Ink (8gp) Masterwork Manacles (50gp) Masterwork Harp (100gp) 50 ft Hempen Rope (1gp) 3 flasks Holy Water (75gp) Signal Whistle (8sp) Courtier's Outfit (30gp) Spare Change (40pp, 50gp, 40sp, 10cp) Special Mount: Bardrim, +2HD +4 Natural Armor 6-Int Heavy Warhorse, with Empathic Link, Improved Evasion, Share Spells, & Share Saving Throws. Past: Clafon looked out of the tavern's single window as he finished his performance. It had been one of his better shows this time, his first while practicing a new tune that he had dug up from the records at the Empirical Council's library. The regulars at the Silver Throne Tavern applauded heartily, happy as always to see the man that should be swinging sword and fighting evildoers, to sit down with the innocents he long ago swore to protect and serve, and for a change actually serve them with entertainment instead of the 'protection' that the Soaring Eagle paladial orders of Palend, along with the Silver Rose and Shining Gem orders, provide to the people. Marim, another paladin from the Silver Rose, also applauded, and Clafon gave his customary bow before letting the next performer on for the night. He approached Marim, who had shared mugs of ale with the man for three years now, with a smile on his face as he replaced his precious harp into his pack. "That was a good performance, Clafon," Marim complemented. "Nonsense. I was flat on the 45th note and skipped a beat at the third page of the piece," Clafon returned. "Bah, a trifle. It was much better than when you were first handed a harp and told to play Living by the Landlord's Law. Speaking of which, I suppose you'll be retiring to your Soaring Eagle Keep by now? It is not long until the... curfew," Marim laid mocking emphasis on that last word, knowing that Clafon would be the first to admit that he's a stiff for the law. "So it is. I would hate for my perfectly clean record to go tarnished by missing the curfew. I need my good sleep and everything, still." And, with that, Clafon parted from Marim with a shared pat on the back, and left the tavern to walk back home. As he walked, he considered Marim's words. Indeed, his friend's statement had been true, as Clafon had mastered Living by the Landlord's Law two years and 50-odd days ago. He had also improved at the art of his order, that of promoting free will while at the same time bringing those that go over the law into justice. The Soaring Eagle was indeed the most paradoxical order of the Paladial Triad, often seen as hypocrites by most of the people who haven't seen them in action. Indeed, Clafon had caught more than his fair share of petty purse-snatchers and mischievous vandals, even the odd murderer. And most of his later catches have been reported to suffer from no serious injury save from the odd bruise on the head, which is the way that Soaring Eagle paladins like to deal with criminals - mercifully. Of course, he still had room for improvement. His father would be all too happy to let him know that, Clafon remarked as he walked through the streets unhindered, despite having many hidden enemies - Such as friends of the Bane Dealer, his third catch, who had tried to sell cursed goods at high prices - that would like nothing more than to stick a blade behind his heart for the trouble he caused them in their illicit deals. But the Soaring Eagle was a unified order - it had to be, given the pressures on the individual - and if one were to be found dead on the streets or missing, the whole metropolis would be turned upside-down to find the killer. After curfew (which Clafon made ten minutes early), Clafon was about to open the door to his modest bedchambers when his father approached from the opposite corridor. Hearing the footsteps through the echoing corridor, Clafon took his hand off of the door-handle, and turned to listen patiently to his father, Lord Varan Golegas. "Where have you been in these past few hours? I was to expect to see you hard in your room, studying the laws of the city of Palend where we reside now," Clafon's father said to him in his typical authoritative tone, the same tone that he had said to Clafon ever since he was old enough to join the order. "I was not informed of any order given to remain in my room and study, my lord. I apologize if one was sent to me, for my not receiving it. I have been spending time at the Silver Throne Tavern, performing to the local patrons present, my lord," Clafon replied in the same militaristic tone. He had learned long ago that the only way to get out of these discussions was to play his father at his own game, and never to lie - Varan could sense a falsehood from miles away. Of course, telling the truth in itself is never pleasant, as Varan showed with a disapproving glare. "No order was given. However, one may have to be passed on if you continue such insignificant matters. The duty of a knight of the Soaring Eagle is to promote free will to the people, and to bring to justice those that would abuse this right. Our duty is not to entertain the patrons of a tavern, son." It almost seemed a pain for Varan to say that word, 'son,' and yet, for formality's sake, he must. "Our duty is to serve the common people, my lord. I was taking the literal meaning of the phrase to heart by entertaining them." Varan scowled. "To protect and serve, son. The two are the same for the code's sake. Also, paladins should serve the entire common people, son." Clafon recognized another small attempt to try and push him out of Palend. Luckily, Varan quickly changed the subject. "But now is clearly not the time for philosophical debate. I shall expect you to be up with the dawn, practicing the morning routines expected of every knight in this order. And then, you will be attending Warkin in his current mission, since you have none of your own, currently." That last sentence was an unmistakable order. "Yes, my lord," Clafon said with a hint of bitterness as he saluted his father. "Good. Dismissed." Varan said as he saluted back. Both then turned their backs on each other to retire to their respective rooms in the order's keep. Clafon lay awake on his single bed within the small quarters. Single rooms were thought to be conductive to private study in the order, and allowed for the practice of free will of decoration that the Soaring Eagle tries to promote. However, Clafon's room had barely changed since he moved in. "Hmph. Sending me on Warkin's - my brother's - duty. That's just like Father. He still thinks that I'm not good enough for him. And why should I ever be so? I was the result of his first and only illegal activity, and everybody knows it. A babe on the doorstep of Father's room, with a letter written in red, saying "Oopsies." Only my brother saved me from the orphanage, and I should be thankful to him for it. "I am, aren't I? But what is he, then? As condescending as his father, but as encouraging as Marim." He turned in his bed. "As if school wasn't bad enough, with even the teachers referring to me as a bastard behind my back. They didn't even teach me fair enough, so I had to learn vital skills on my own, such as how to notice a criminal or ask around. Getting past my Knighthood was most certainly a terror," Clafon recalls the event of a paladin's knighting, where he is sent through a number of tests (usually 3) designed to test his courage, faith, ethics, and morality. A year of adventuring is usually required to obtain the outside experiences to pass the test, but Clafon never even left the city - performing duties for the commoners, errands for the merchants, quests for the nobles, all of them earned him his celestial mount, Bardrim, that granted him the right of the test for knighthood. During that day, he saw his father actually smile for him as he awarded Clafon the phylactery that all paladins receive at knighthood, and also Pity, Clafon's weapon, as a small token of his own. "Well, I had better get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a very busy day," Clafon remarked to himself as he turned over in bed again, as the thought of having to share a mission with the brother descended from Varan and his wife was not very much pleasant. Appearance: Clafon appears as a rather handsome youth, with not-so-closely-shaved black hair, and stubble on his chin. His jaw is set, his eyes are focused, and his ears are open for any leads. He is typically found wearing his breastplate (bearing the emblem of his order, a silhouette of an eagle, on one side of the chest) openly through the streets, with Pity hitched to his side along with his longsword across the back of the waist and the longbow down the back behind the copper-colored cloak. Clafon's shield - with the symbol of his deity - is usually also across the back except when danger threatens. Personality: Clafon has learned much from his father, his brother, and his other teachers within the order. He has learned through his entire life in the Capital City of Palend that your state in city life is determined by those whom you know. Clafon also knows that it is also determined by those for whom you care, although he has yet to throw off the weaknesses of emotion as his father and brother both clearly have. As such, Clafon is very quick to know new friends, and is not afraid to assist them if they are in need, though he would expect the relationship to be mutual. Clafon has a special affinity for the common folk of the city (a trait most likely inherited from the mother he has never met), and is more willing to make friends with them than with those higher up the social status (despite his own rather high-ish status for being a paladin), since they seem to have this perseverance to complete the menial tasks that others dare not touch, and if you talk to enough of them, you can get some leads for criminals that not even the order itself knows about. Clafon places himself under the strict laws of the city, trying his best to maintain a record completely clean of any illegal activity, and also under a few of his own personal targets that he strives to maintain. Clafon operates without secrecy, unlike some knights who stealthily seek out criminals. When performing, everyone knows that it's a paladin that's performing. When tracking a criminal, that criminal knows he's being tracked, and that makes the catch all the more thrilling for Clafon as he makes two steps in progress for every step made by his mark. Tactics: The way of a paladin of the Soaring Eagle is almost always to bring in criminals alive, so that they can be dealt with by the courts as legally appropriate. Clafon knows that he is most certainly not the judge, jury, and executioner. To that end, he almost always deals nonlethal damage with Pity (unless the attacks seem to be ineffective for whatever reason). If there's a weapon, then Clafon will disarm it. If the mark tries to escape, Clafon will trip it or grapple it if it looks too tricky to trip. If he is being overwhelmed, Clafon will use Combat Expertise whilst making a hasty withdrawal, reporting to the order if he believes that he cannot perform his mission without assistance. Friends and Foes: —Lord Marim, Son of Halim, Deputy Head of the Knights of the Silver Rose, Positioned on the Empirical Council. An easy-going youth slightly older than Clafon, who was awarded his position as Deputy Head by his own father. Marim also enjoys time with the locals, and he and Clafon get along as good friends, though Clafon seems to notice of late Marim's too-laid-back attitude. —Lord Varan Golegas, Son of Sostric Golegas, Deputy Head of the Knights of the Soaring Eagle, Positioned on the Empirical Council. An extremely strict official who expects the absolute best from his subjects. Clafon thinks that Varan despises him, though the truth may just be that Varan wants to harden the boy up further to become a legend among the Soaring Eagle. Maybe that's why he's been trying to get Clafon out of Palend to adventure. —Sir Warkin Golegas, Son of Varan Golegas, Knight of the Soaring Eagle. A similarly strict knight who expects only overwhelming success on all of his missions. Warkin thinks himself above Clafon for his being legitimate, just as he thinks himself above all the common folk for being "nobly-born." —The Bane Dealer. A merchant who sold cursed goods to people as a way of making easy money. He had quite a few contacts and suppliers, all of which are rather annoyed at Clafon for digging the Bane Dealer out. —Patrons of the Silver Throne Tavern. Clafon only performs to this tavern, since it's the closest to his order's keep. Most appreciate his time spent with the commoners, though some resent a paladin thinking that he can so easily mingle with those who have worked hard for their petty cash. —Clafon's Mother. He hasn't met her, he knows nothing about her. She could be an innocent woman or a seductress, maybe even a criminal mastermind.Level-up Progression: Paladin 1: 2 CC ranks Gather Information, 2 CC ranks Perform (Harp), 4 ranks Sense Motive, 2 CC ranks Search, 2 CC ranks Survival; Combat Expertise, Skill Focus (Gather Information); Smite Evil, Detect Evil, Aura of Good, CoC Paladin 2: 1/2 CC rank Gather Information, 1/2 CC rank Perform (Harp), 1 rank Sense Motive, 1/2 CC rank Search, 1/2 CC rank Survival; Lay-on-Hands Paladin 3: 1/2 CC rank Gather Information, 1/2 CC rank Perform (Harp), 1 rank Sense Motive, 1/2 CC rank Search, 1/2 CC rank Survival; Improved Disarm, Aura of Courage, Divine Health Paladin 4: Stat-up +1 Constitution; 1/2 CC rank Gather Information, 1/2 CC rank Perform (Harp), 1 rank Sense Motive, 1/2 CC rank Search, 1/2 CC rank Survival; Turn Undead, Spells Paladin 5: 1/2 CC rank Gather Information, 1/2 CC rank Perform (Harp), 1 rank Sense Motive, 1/2 CC rank Search, 1/2 CC rank Survival; Special Mount, Smite Evil 2/day Paladin 6: 1/2 CC rank Gather Information, 1/2 CC rank Perform (Harp), 1 rank Sense Motive, 1/2 CC rank Search, 1/2 CC rank Survival; Track; Remove Disease Paladin 7: 1/2 CC rank Gather Information, 1/2 CC rank Perform (Harp), 1 rank Sense Motive, 1/2 CC rank Search, 1/2 CC rank Survival. Paladin 7/Justiciar 1: 1 rank Gather Information, 1 rank Intimidate, 1 rank Knowledge (Local), 1/2 CC rank Perform (Harp), 1 rank Sense Motive, 1 rank Search, 1 rank Survival; Bring 'em Back Alive, Nonlethal Strike Paladin 7/Justiciar 2: Stat-up +1 Charisma; 1 rank Gather Information, 1 rank Intimidate, 1 rank Knowledge (Local), 1/2 CC rank Perform (Harp), 1 rank Sense Motive, 1 rank Search, 1 rank Survival; Improved Grapple (B); Crippling Strike Other: -Since the justiciar's skill list doesn't actually say what Knowledge skill is gained, I'm going to assume it's Knowledge (local), as that seems to make the most sense. -No bonuses are gained to skill points in the investiture of half a rank, I know... -The Empirical Council, since it wasn't explained in the backstory, is the Senate of the nation, placed in the centre of Palend. It has roughly 100 seats, 6 of which go to the three paladin orders also in the city. One to Marim, one to Varan, both being deputy heads of their orders. Occasionally, the Empirical Council makes decisions for the nation. -Marim is a very important NPC in my campaign, being a contact to the party and a close friend to one former PC.
Heros_Backpack 03-30-07, 08:02 PM	Just a question: The Urban Ranger looses Track and gains Urban Tracking, can this still be used to fulfil the requirements for classes such as the Justiciar (pg47 Complete Warrior), but instead be used only in Urban teritory. The Justiciar and Bloodhound are classes almost destined for Urban environments, and it would seem a waste on the Urban Ranger if we can't use it's abilities to fulfil the requirements for these classes. Sounds reasonable to me.
Far_Traveler 03-30-07, 09:39 PM	Four entries already? Fetive Grave shall have quite the competition!
Maekrix_Waere 03-31-07, 12:18 AM	2 Questions: #1-Are we allowed to use the DMG table 7-33, Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values, for specialized equipment? (I was trying to make a Ring of Invisibility useable 1/day.) #2-Are we allowed to use the Haggle variant for Diplomacy from Complete Adventurer when buying items?
Zherog 03-31-07, 10:31 AM	2 Questions: #1-Are we allowed to use the DMG table 7-33, Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values, for specialized equipment? (I was trying to make a Ring of Invisibility useable 1/day.) Past competitions have had custom made magic items ranging from reslotting an existing item to something completely new. You run the risk of having a judge disagree with your pricing, which will hurt your "Rules Use" score.
jennibert 03-31-07, 05:05 PM	Wow. I remember when the judges sat around for days going "Anyone? Entry? Please?" And now four entries in only a few days, one in hours? Wow. It makes my heart glad to see the competition doing so well. As for haggling, Maekrix_Waere...I'm not a judge in this particular competition, but my gut reaction is no. As a DM, I'd be glad to let you do it for the purchase of any new items, but the starting character wealth sort of represents what your character has obtained through varied means, such as gifts and found in treasure hoards, not merely purchased. Additionally, unlike item creation, this variant relies on the abilities of an unknown NPC. Again, as a DM, I might be willing to negotiate a little, but that would be impractical for this sort of competition. As I said though, I'm not a judge for this particular Hero Craftsman....though at least one judge (Mercurius, who's sitting behind me) is inclined to agree with my opinion...
Endarrion 03-31-07, 05:24 PM	For this competition, would a character with very strong ties to a certain city be ok? I have an idea, but I want to know if I would be penalized if the character I create isn't too keen on leaving his city. Um... any answers? :)
Heros_Backpack 03-31-07, 06:41 PM	#1-Are we allowed to use the DMG table 7-33, Estimating Magic Item Gold Piece Values, for specialized equipment? (I was trying to make a Ring of Invisibility useable 1/day.) Go ahead - but a note on how you calculated the price would be helpful. :) #2-Are we allowed to use the Haggle variant for Diplomacy from Complete Adventurer when buying items? My instinct is no, not for this competition. The wealth your character has is how much the items are worth on the open market, not how well you haggled with an NPC I can't see. For this competition, would a character with very strong ties to a certain city be ok? I have an idea, but I want to know if I would be penalized if the character I create isn't too keen on leaving his city. I don't have a problem with that, but I can't speak for the other judges.
JasonOrlandoHawk 03-31-07, 09:24 PM	Just a question: The Urban Ranger looses Track and gains Urban Tracking, can this still be used to fulfil the requirements for classes such as the Justiciar (pg47 Complete Warrior), but instead be used only in Urban teritory. I'm about to be very unpopular... I have to say no on principal for this. As a DM, I would allow it, but as a judge for a competition that follows RAW, I'm afraid that I just can't bring myself to do so. I would prefer to keep it to the rules, as listed. Otherwise, we might find ourselves facing multiple requests. As a DM, I wouldn't have any problem at all, but here I afraid that I can't. Custom Magic Items I would love to see some custom items. I love to make them for my characters. However, make sure you include a note on how you calculated the price. Also, be cautious, b/c if the judges disagree w/ your pricing, it will cost you points. Haggling No. Why? B/c you didn't necessarily "pay" for the items you have at the start of the game. Starting wealth is used to determine what you own, not how you got it. You could, in theory, have obtained every item you own, for free, from your mentor. You are still expected to have a certain "value" for your treasure. Thus, method of acquistion is unimportant (w/ the obvious exception of the special Item Creation rules, but those are there to make Item Creation feats worthwhile in this competition). @ Endarrion The theme is Urban Hero/City Hero. Unless you somehow serioiusly blunder the backstory, I don't know how your proposed concept couldn't fit the theme of the competition. Typically, I mark off points on background for people who wouldn't adventure (settled down, wouldn't get along well w/ typical party), not for people who can't leave a particular area. With this particular theme, especially, that shouldn't be a problem. Well... I have updated the list! 4 entries... Wondering if I should actually get a head start on judging this time... :confused: Nah... if I wait, I get a bonus to my hide checks... :ton:
Maekrix_Waere 04-01-07, 01:25 AM	"Searek Gilper has a prestigous life. He is captain of the local guard, wealthy, and has influence with the High General himself. He was not always such, he used to be a poor guard, one of the lowest in the ranks, but, then, he went adventuring for several years. When he returned, he used his impressive skills (and the substantial wealth he aquired from his travels) to rise quickly through the ranks to the top of the ladder in the metropolis. He married, and now lives happily in the second largest house in the city. At least, that is what they think... Searek Gilper is dead. I enjoyed his screams for mercy even as I choked the last life from his body. Now, you have found out about what has happened. You pathetic human, you have no idea who I truly am. I have taken you and brought you here, where none shall find you. Here, I will learn how you found out...you will tell me everything, one way or another, and you...you will BEG for DEATH before the end. But, now, now, before you lose the last vestiges of your sanity, I bid you, despair, for all that you have ever known and loved shall come to ruin. Your family shall be killed, enslaved, or tortured to death for the amusement of their captors, and your once blossoming kingdom will be the first step in our glorious reign. L'ELAMSHIN D'LIL ILYTHIIRI ZHAH ULU HAR'LUTH JAL." -Ki'ahestiryl -Male Dark Elf -Medium Humanoid (Elf) -Ninja 7 -Hit Dice:7d6 (25 hp) -Initiative:+8 (+4 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) -Speed:40 feet (8 squares) -Armor Class:20 (10+4 Dex+2 Wis+1 AC Bonus+3 Armour (bracers)) -Initiative:+8 (+4 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) -Base Attack/Grapple:+5/+5 -Attack:+1 Keen Dagger +9 Melee (1d4+1 Piercing or Slashing,17-20/x2) -Full Attack:+1 Keen Dagger +9 Melee (1d4+1 Piercing or Slashing,17-20/x2) -Space/Reach:5 ft./5 ft. -Special Attacks:Sudden Strike +4d6, Spell-Like Abilities -Special Qualities:Darkvision 120 ft., +2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells & spell-like abilities, +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks, Spell Resistance 18, Immunity to Magical Sleep Effects, Light Blindness, Trapfinding, Ki Powers, Poison Use, Great Leap, Speed Climb, AC Bonus -Spell-Like Abilities (all usable 1/day at Caster level 7):Dancing Lights, Darkness, Faerie Fire -Ki Power: 5 Uses/day. Ghost Step(invisible) (1 use), Ki Dodge (1 use) -Base Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2 -Saves: Fort +2, Ref +9 (+4 Dex), Will +4/+6* (+2 Wis) -Starting Abilities (28 point buy): Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 10 -Current Abilities: Str 10, Dex 18 (+1 level, +2 racial), Con 10 (-2 racial), Int 16 (+2 racial), Wis 14, Cha 12 (+2 racial) -Skill Ranks: Bluff 10, Climb 10, Disable Device 10, Disguise 10, Hide 10, Jump 10, Listen 10, Move Silently 10, Sense Motive 10 -Skills Bonuses: Bluff +11 (+1 Cha), Climb +10, Disable Device +13 (+3 Int), Disguise +11 (+1 Cha), Hide +14 (+4 Dex), Jump +10/+14**, Listen +14 (+2 racial, +2 Wis), Move Silently +14 (+4 Dex), Sense Motive +12 (+2 Wis), Spot +4 (+2 racial, +2 Wis) -Feats:Weapon Finesse, Improved Initiative, Jack of all Trades -Environment:Prefers Underground -Organization:I prefer to work alone...no buffoons to make noise and alert the enemy to my presence. -Challenge Rating:8 -Possessions:+1 Keen dagger (8,302 gp), masterwork longspoon thieves’ tools (150 gp), boots of speed (12,000 gp), handy haversack (2,000 gp), bracers of armour +3 (9,000 gp), Ring of Enlarge Person (2,000 gp***), Ring of Alter Self (2,000 gp***), Drow Poison (5 Doses) (375 gp), 150 gp, 200 sp, 300 cp -Languages:Common, Elven, Undercommon, Drow Sign Language, Abyssal. -Alignment:Lawful Evil *-Ninjas get a +2 bonus on all Will saves as long as they have at least one usage of Ki Power left. **-When making a long jump, Ki'ahestiryl gets a +4 on the Jump check. ***-(Using table 7-33 on page 285 of the DMG) Spell Level (1) x Caster Level (1) x 1,800 gp. I rounded up to the nearest thousand, 2,000. Ghost Step(Su):Ki'ahestiryl may expend one daily use of his Ki Power to become invisible for 1 round. Using this ability is a Swift Action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Ki Dodge(Su):Ki'ahestiryl may expend on daily use of his Ki Power to cause his for to shift and blur, granting himself concealment (20% miss chance) against all attacks for 1 round AC Bonus(Ex):As the Monk ability of the same name, with the exception that if Ki'ahestiryl wears ANY armour, he loses the benefits of this ability. Great Leap(Su):Ki'ahestiryl always makes jump checks as if he was running, enabling him to make long jumps without a running start and granting a +4 bonus on the jump. Speed Climb(Ex):Ki'ahestiryl can climb at his speed as a move action with no penalty. However, he must begin and end the move on a flat surface. Sudden Strike(Ex):Ki'ahestiryl deals an extra 4d6 points of damage on any successful attack made against a target that has been denied it’s Dexterity bonus to AC for any reason. This damage also applies to ranged attacks against targets up to 30 feet away. Creatures with concealment, creatures without discernable anatomies, and creatures immune to critical hits are all immune to sneak attacks. Trapfinding(Ex):Ki'ahestiryl can find, disarm, or bypass traps with a DC of 20 or higher. He can use the Search skill to find, and the Disable Device skill to disarm, magic traps (DC 25 + spell level used to create it). If his Disable Device check exceeds the trap’s DC by 10 or more, he discovers how to bypass the trap without triggering or disarming it. Poison Use(Ex):Ki'ahestiryl never risks accidently poisoning himself when applying poison to a weapon. Ki'ahestiryl is currently undermining the political and social stability of the Metropolis he now pretends to guard, under the guise of a man he killed by the name of Searek Gilper, and quietly assassinates anyone who even begins to suspect that the current Captain of the Guard is more than he seems. Ki'ahestiryl was born into your standard Drow society; backstabbing, assassination, and murder abounded, on which Ki'ahestiryl fed his insatiable need for measured chaos, and he eventually joined in the local guard as a scout. Like the others in his peer group, Ki'ahestiryl had a seemingly inherent ability to remain unseen, but unlike the others, Ki'ahestiryl discovered a way to use his inner strength and intellect to bend the light around him, turning himself invisible. Of the 20 applicants who attempted to join the scout core, only Ki'ahestiryl was able to survive long enough to be accepted. The fate of the other 19 was never discovered, and only 6 of the bodies were ever found, none of which were fully intact. Once in the Scout core, Ki'ahestiryl was sent to a far-off outpost, where he assumed his position of lead scout. One day, during a routine patrol, Ki'ahestiryl's group was attacked by a group of adventurers, two Elves, a Dwarf, and a Human. Seeing a possible opportunity, Ki'ahestiryl let his fellow die before leading the adventurers back to the outpost. He found it quite annoying, as the group kept getting lost, and he would have to constantly double back to find them. Once they had finally found their way to the outpost, Ki'ahestiryl proceeded to find a nice group of shadows to sit in and watch the fireworks. By the end of the fighting, the adventurers had lost two members; the dwarf was unconscious, and one of the elves had died. When the adventurers set down to unconscious dwarf in order to bury the elf, Ki'ahestiryl siezed his chance. He silently decapitated the dwarf and, then, applied some poison to his weapon and started towards the funeral. Once there, he seized the initiative by charging the remaining elf, who was still bloodied from the combat. Ki'ahestiryl aimed his strike well and pierced the elf's heart. The human was flabbergasted (Editor's note-If anyone actually knows how to spell that word, please tell me), and Ki'ahestiryl could not help but grin as he stabbed the human, piercing the stomach through a hole in the armour made by an arrow in the earlier battle. The human sclumped to the ground, unconscious. Ki'ahestiryl dragged the human out of the hole he had been digging, and, laying him on the ground, sliced off both his hands, and tied his legs together. When the human came to, 5 hours later, he was quite distraught at the loss of his hands. After calming him down, Ki'ahestiryl began to interrogate him, finding out the he was a member of the city guard of a human city, one of the largest human cities, or so the human had boasted. "...so about your group, what magical items did you have?" "Well, the rogue (the elf we were burying) had a Ring that let him change his shape when he said (insert fancy command word here), the wizard (the other elf) had some kind of magical backpack, the dwarf had a set of boots which made him run faster so he could keep up with us, and I have...had a ring which let me enlarge myself whenever I said (insert other fancy command word here)...its very special, that...it was a gift from my father...a good luck present." "Hmmmm....very interesting...very interesting. I am afraid I have to kill you now. I had a wonderful time chatting with you, but you know how things are." "WHAT? YOU SAID YOU'D LET ME GO! YOU SAI-Unng." And so, Searek Gilper died, and Ki'ahestiryl, a wondrous plan in his mind, set out to gain his race a foothold on the surface, and earn great favour with his goddess. If you did not understand who was who in that conversation at the bottom , reply saying so and I shall tell you.
Maekrix_Waere 04-01-07, 01:45 AM	Ring of Enlarge Person (2,000 gp***), Ring of Alter Self (2,000 gp***) ***-(Using table 7-33 on page 285 of the DMG) Spell Level (1) x Caster Level (1) x 1,800 gp. I rounded up to the nearest thousand, 2,000. Just pointing out to the judges that the RAW say I could have charged myself 200 gp less for each of these, so, please, don't try to say that they are priced too low. I would also like to say that I included a portrait for my character right above the stat block, you all just failed your Spot checks. :P
FRRC 04-01-07, 04:00 AM	I'm about to be very unpopular... I have to say no on principal for this. As a DM, I would allow it, but as a judge for a competition that follows RAW, I'm afraid that I just can't bring myself to do so. I would prefer to keep it to the rules, as listed. Otherwise, we might find ourselves facing multiple requests. As a DM, I wouldn't have any problem at all, but here I afraid that I can't. Seems fair, but it just seems a waste on both the Urban Ranger and any prestige classes that it might have been able to advance to. Now anyone progressing from the UR taking "With-Ranger-In-Mind" prestige classes such as the Bloodhound and Justiciar have to take a feat in which they have no primary skills for. Oh well. :weep: :weep:
TheChilliGod 04-01-07, 05:03 AM	Heh, JasonOrlandoHawk loses 1 popularity point. Out of about 2356. :D
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-01-07, 04:37 PM	Seems fair, but it just seems a waste on both the Urban Ranger and any prestige classes that it might have been able to advance to. Now anyone progressing from the UR taking "With-Ranger-In-Mind" prestige classes such as the Bloodhound and Justiciar have to take a feat in which they have no primary skills for. Oh well. :weep: :weep: Just a fair warning, I have included very angry and opinionated material in the sblock below. Do not feel required to read it. And now, :rant: Sometimes, I don't understand the skill system. I really don't. Urban Tracking is one (of a series of) feat that I sincerely just don't understand. Apparently, you have to take feat in order to use Gather Information to find out where someone went! Why? I don't know! Apparently, a skill designed to allow you to "gather information" doesn't allow you to gather all types of information. Gather Information can find items, locations, rumors, and all other sorts of information, but not where someone is hiding out! My Mind!!! It's the world's most useless feat. Granted, Track isn't much better. Hey, here's a thought: I have a level 10 Barbarian w/ max ranks in survival. He can (theoretically) avoid natural hazards like quicksand (DC 15), go "hunting and foraging" for himself and 6 other people (DC 24), or even predict the weather 3 days in advance (DC 25). However, that same Barbarian is not talented enough to follow a medium-sized human through the woods (DC 15) because he took Power Attack rather than Track. A skill that makes you talented enough to hunt down wild animals in thier natural enviroment requires a feat to track humans in the same location. :banghead: Sometimes, the D20 skill system drives me up the wall! Believe me FRRC, I wouldn't personally have a problem with your question in one of my games. It's just that we posted what rules are available, and switching what's allowed and what's not allowed, mid-contest, is something I really don't want to do.
Zherog 04-01-07, 06:05 PM	Wow. Jason and I seem to have a lot of the same rants... that strikes me as dangerous. :bigeyes:
jennibert 04-02-07, 12:32 AM	Okay, so here's my entry. My favorite character to date: Lieutenant Chaplain Misery Mulligan (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/discipleofsakura/Twin%20Bells/Jennibert%20Edits/JennibertCommish5.jpg) Alran-Kor is the Lawful Neutral God of Battle. Baumol is the Neutral Evil God of Poison and Corruption. Kerubina is a theocracy run by the clergy of Alran-Kor. Its capital is the city of Tollone, and Bladegash is another major city. The country has a very large standing army due to the constant orc attacks on its north coast. I think everything else is self-evident…feel free to ask if it is not. I was born the daughter of a w***e on the back streets of Tollone. Well, to be fair, my mother only took up that profession because her family threw her out after she told them she didn’t know who my father was. She never let me forget that it was my fault. She even gave me my name because of it—Misery. Not that she paid much attention to me. If I hadn’t learned how to get to the local soup kitchen on my own, I’d have starved before I was six. She mostly just noticed me when she wanted to take her mood out on me. As a small child I cried easily, and she liked to make me do so, and then berate me for the very action she had purposefully driven me to. I learned to hide my feelings, and to survive on the streets. When I was thirteen, my mother decided that following the army might be more lucrative than remaining in Tollone. The capital city nearly always has a unit passing through, and we spent six months following one. I loved it. I watched the troops drill and dreamed of being one of them, in their shining uniforms and precise formations. It was heading back to our tent after such an exercise that I got into trouble. I told the cook that I hadn’t stolen his bread, but there are very few blonde Kerubinans, so he was convinced it must have been me. When the Chaplain intervened, I was sure he would have me thrown out of the camp, but instead he came to my rescue, and then invited me back to his tent for cookies. We discussed the religion of Alran-Kor, and what it meant to him. I went back to my tent full of determination and joy. The next day, my mother decided army life wasn’t for her, and dragged me back to Tollone with her. I didn’t see him again. I’d made my decision over cookies—I was going to be a Chaplain of Alran-Kor. I started attending services, and then applied for training. The only drawback was that there was a mandatory donation to the church before they’d let me start. There was only one way a girl like me could get that amount of money on short notice: I sold my virginity to start my training. I was not yet fourteen. But it wasn’t enough to be just training—I was determined to be the best. That meant only one thing: I had to attend The Brande Military Academy, the most prestigious military school on the continent. I trained days and worked nights for eight years to earn the money for the tuition, and to pass the entrance exams. But I did it: I entered the academy at the age of twenty-two. It was blissful. The work was hard, but less so than my training combined with my night work, and I loved Bladegash. The city was good-sized, yes, but still so much smaller and nicer than Tollone. And, even better, for the first time in my life, I was making friends. We were divided into units of five, and Hroth, Alfors, Subotai, and Zenul quickly became like brothers to me. And I made other friends as well—Pre and Quentishe in particular, but also Halen, and shy Balalet. And, of course, Eliot. My unit tended to get into a lot of trouble. But in between run-ins with the two theives’ guilds in town, and dealing with cults, and dropping into chaos dimensions, and finding out that a prominent family in town was keeping an undead ancestor subdued in their basement, we still had time for our schoolwork and friends. And, rather to my shock, dating. After a disastrous performance on the final exam for my first year, Eliot comforted me, and I found myself suddenly feeling a decided interest in him. I spent months trying to talk myself out of it. After all, he was overweight , and his hair stuck up funny. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/discipleofsakura/Twin%20Bells/Jennibert%20Edits/JennibertCommish6.jpg) But he had beautiful chocolate colored eyes, and he was the sort of person who just drew people to him, and who said little, but always had the right words to offer when they were needed. He was the most popular boy in the school, and half the girls were in love with him. I finally gave in and admitted to myself I was crazy about him…just as my friend Balalet admitted that he felt the same about me. I was torn for a while, but in the end decided it was unfair to all of us for me to go out with Balalet when I really wanted Eliot. I’ll admit to being surprised when he agreed to go out with me of all the girls who were so crazy abut him, but we started dating in the middle of our second year at the Brande…and I was completely in love with him by the time the third, and final year rolled around. That was a tough year. Hroth dropped out to join one of the thieves’ guilds, and Alfors (who had been a chaplain like me) left due to losing faith in his religion. Zenul was forced into hiding by the forces of an evil dragon, and suddenly our unit was very short. We had gotten a new member when Hroth left—Lorentha was quiet, but it was fun to have another girl around—and Halen Callegan transferred in from Eliot’s unit. But it wasn’t the same. And to top it off, I was frustrated with my religion. I should have been promoted from Guided Squire to Chaplain for my exploits as first a member, and then the leader of my unit (which Subotai christened the Champions of Misery). Anyone else would have been, but Chaplain-Major Ettalodes (our unit’s immediate supervisor) didn’t care for me, and exercised his right not to promote me until he really had to. And further, I had started to intermittently lose the abilities Alran-Kor had granted me. Eliot was trying to help me through it, but I was frustrated and angry and close to giving up when the whole world exploded. We had had a number of run-ins with a girl named Ronit. We knew she was connected to a dangerous artifact called the Thousand Tears Bible, but we didn’t know that she was its personification…and needed only a willing host to unleash chaos and destruction across the city. A host she found in one of our classmates, Imles Ferrante. We learned of it in the middle of the night, when Imles appeared in the Brande and rather spectacularly murdered her boyfriend…my friend Balalet. We learned after his death that he had been controlling her with magic…a predilection encouraged by the new deity he was worshipping: Baumol, god of Poison and Corruption. I found it odd that Eliot, to whom Balalet had always taken his problems, wouldn’t have known that. At least, I did until our research suggested him as the most likely candidate to be one of the Corrupters regularly employed by that god. I couldn’t fully believe it, not of the man I loved…but I gave enough credit to the possibility that I resolved not to tell him that I had just figured out I was pregnant. Ronit had begun to lay waste to the city. Buildings turned into pulsating blobs of flesh, and demons and monsters roamed the streets, killing at random. She even put in a full scale attack on the Brande, which our instructors and classmates fended off, at great cost. A number of my friends died in the fight. But my unit wasn’t there. We had a lead on an artifact that might help us. Eliot volunteered to go with us, and I overcame my niggling doubts in gratitude at the additional person. The five of us located a lantern that generated an anti-magic field, and used it to remove the Bible from Imles’s body. We should have all been killed, but none of us were. Badly injured, yes, but not killed. And the worst injuries were Eliot’s. He had been felled in the fight, though I’d stabilized him. With me too busy fighting off monsters to get him up, he had missed the conclusion of the battle. My doubts having been fueled by Ronit’s claims that he was a servant of Baumol, I determined to search him, hoping that the Bible had just been attempting to demoralize me. But I found a holy symbol of the Serpent god hidden inside his belt. I was heartbroken, but I knew my duty. I got him on his feet, and then promptly arrested him. With Halen carrying the now comatose Imles, Lorentha carrying the Bible and Lantern, and Subotai scouting forward, it was up to me to keep an eye on our prisoner. He was speaking to me, softly and gently, sounding so not like an evil corrupter that I let my guard down the slightest bit. He proved what he was by snatching the extra sword I carried and shoving it into me. Badly injured in the fight, and having spent all of my available healing on my teammates, everything started to go black as I sank slowly to the ground, my eyes wide in betrayal as I stared at the man I loved…the man who had just tried to kill me. Using my injury as a distraction, Eliot tried to run, counting on Subotai to heal me first. But Subotai couldn’t use magical healing on me until Lorentha had gotten the Lantern sufficiently far away, so he very practically chose to try to stop our escaping prisoner first. His arrow caught Eliot behind the knee and severed the artery there. He bled to death before I came back to consciousness. I couldn’t mourn him, or even what I had thought him to be, not then. There was too much to do. I gave a cold order to leave him where he had fallen, and then we went to hide the Bible. I didn’t cry, or even show much emotion at all, until we returned to the Brande several days later. Even then, I spent a night crying in the privacy of our room, and then retreated once more to the icy mask that had served me so well with my mother. Back at the Brande, we were rewarded with rank and privilege. I skipped straight to Sergeant Chaplain, something that would have thrilled me only days before. But it no longer mattered. Eliot had been evil, been using me, been cheating on me, been trying to break my faith. And, what was more, he’d converted Balalet because of me. My friend had been heartbroken when I’d turned him down, and Eliot had used that to turn him into an evil monster who had probably deserved his death. And his actions had driven Imles to allow the Thousand Tears Bible the use of her body…I was supposed to be a good judge of character, but I hadn’t seen any of it. It was my fault. Even at my worse moments, I knew I wasn’t the only one to blame, but I felt enough of it, combined with the sense of loss and betrayal that Eliot’s death brought, that I fell into a deep depression. Though I had by that time confirmed that I was carrying Eliot’s child, I was one of the first to volunteer to help out on a dangerous mission to the south. Fenren Olgot, the halfling death-knight, had amassed a horde of undead followers in the neighboring country of Maverol, and the recently graduated Brande students were to be sent to assist in driving him off. My unit, bolstered by the addition of my friends Pre and Quentishe, and a chaplain named Monican, always drew the most dangerous missions…because I asked for them. I wanted to die, but my shaky faith being the only thing left to me, as I saw it, I was determined to honor Alran-Kor by going to a noble and heroic death. Perhaps I didn’t want to die as badly as I thought, or perhaps it was my determination not to take my teammates with me if I could help it, or perhaps Alran-Kor simply had other plans for me. Or perhaps it was just my teammates looking out for me—Halen in particular was always close to me in fights. But, in any case, despite many harrowing encounters with undead and evil beings of all kinds, I survived to the point where I was forced to request a transfer off of the front lines because the baby made it difficult to fit into my armor. (My commanding officer was horrified when I told him I’d been running headlong into danger while pregnant.) Being considered rather a hero, both from defeating the Bible and from our escapades in the south, I was granted my request of returning to Bladegash, and my daughter Shanara was born there. By that time, I had come to terms with my role in the Bible incident, and convinced myself that while I might be partially responsible for the exact method of manifestation, Ronit would have found a way out eventually whatever had happened. It was not much comfort, but it was enough. Since my return, I have worked in the church in a variety of capacities. I function as a trouble shooter, as a religion instructor at the Brande, as an inspector of orphanages. The latter in particular is my own doing—Eliot was raised in an orphanage, and it is my belief that he learned his religion from the woman who ran it. I could do nothing about her—she was in Tollone, and too well connected—but I could at least try to avoid something similar in Bladegash. For Bladegash is my home. It has its problems, but it is the only place I have known happiness. I have friends here…Halen Callegan and his wife, Maron, live here. Halen’s still in the army, but has recently been reassigned to my own trouble-shooting section. It’s a relief—Halen’s like the brother I never had. Hroth is still here, and I get along well with my old instructors, now my coworkers. And then there’s Stellan Moonshadow…I’ve been seeing him for more than two years, and he says he loves me. I might even love him back, but I’m afraid to. I’ve been burned before. But most of all there is my Shanara, now six, and bright and friendly as her father was. Every time I go out to do something dangerous, I worry that I won’t come home to her, but I know she’ll be okay. I have a deal worked out with Maron Callegan—if things get hairy, I’ll do everything possible to get Halen out with his life, even if it costs me mine. But if it does, she’ll raise my Shanara. I’ve kept my end of the bargain and hope to never have to take her up on hers…but I sleep easier at night knowing that my daughter will be taken care of. Misery is not what most people would term pretty—her features are just the slightest bit too angular and harsh for that adjective, especially when, as is usual, she has her hair pulled off of her face. But she is still definitely attractive, and very much stands out in a crowd in her native Kerubina. The people there tend towards brown skin and dark hair and eyes. Misery’s skin tone marks her Kerubinan origins, and her eyes are dark brown, though set with flecks of red that shimmer and change with her emotions. But the thick curls that hang half-way down her back are golden blonde, making her easily noticeable in a crowd. Especially since she is also slightly taller than the average Kerubinan woman, with a slim, muscular build. Most often, she wears either her clerical robes or her military uniform, both in the bright blue and white of Alran-Kor. Her full-plate is decorated in the same colors, with the holy symbol of Alran-Kor painted on the breast. Misery owns a chain shirt in addition to her plate mail. She wears this under her uniform or robes. She learned long ago that even when she is not expecting to get into combat, the streets of Bladegash can be dangerous…and without armor, she’s a sitting duck. She always carries weapons with her for the same reason. On the back streets of Tollone, Misery was known as the Ice Queen, and it is a fairly apt nickname for those who don’t know her well. Misery is very reserved, and often gives the impression of arrogance because of it. But with people she knows, Misery is cheerful and friendly, and very protective of those she cares about. And, despite her local hero status, she still harbors a great deal of self-doubt, instilled by her emotionally abusive mother and reinforced by Eliot’s betrayal. Misery is very honorable and upstanding, but she is also eminently practical. She is not above bending or ignoring rules if she feels a greater good would be served by her doing so. Misery has a reasonably decent knowledge of the city sewers, having spent more time than she cared to in them as a student. Misery knows a lot of useful people in Bladegash, and, as a result, often knows what is going on in myriad locations around the city. A few examples: Lt. Halen Callegan (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/b91/E_Mercurius/Illustrations/Fantasy%20Artwork/Dungeons%20and%20Dragons/Pixel%20Edits/?action=view&current=Halen.jpg), Human Fighter 7. Halen is a big guy, standing well over six feet, and reasonably well built. In combat, he is a regular tank: Halen fights in full plate and carries a tower shield, and wields a large sized longsword. He’s not terribly accurate, but his attacks are devastating when they do connect, and he’s very difficult to hit. He’s not the brightest star in the sky, but he’s honest and loyal, if a bit prone to bragging. Halen has known Misery since their first day at the Brande, and transferred to her unit in their third year partially to get away from irritating teammates, but also because he saw the chance for glory. Being nearly killed a number of times fighting Ronit’s and Fenren’s forces has cured him of that, but also instilled a great deal of respect for Misery. He feels that no matter how bad things get, she’ll manage a way out of it. He’s also almost as protective of her as she is of him, both in combat and out. He saw what Eliot did to her, and is actively trying to keep her from getting hurt again. (As such, he’s leery of Stellan Moonshadow.) Halen’s wife, Maron, runs a tavern known as the Hanging Orc, left to her by her father at his death. She also raises their three young sons. Liza Ferellen. Human Expert 1. The girl who takes care of Shanara while Misery is at the temple or the Brande is extremely devoted to her, and would have taken the position even without pay…though Misery wouldn’t hear of that. Darien Mickels. Human Cleric 1. Misery’s secretary for her clerical work, he thinks the world of her, and often brings her interesting bits of news that he feels she should know. Occasionally his gossip is even useful. Andrel Gawain. Human Commoner 1. An elderly servant at the Brande, Andrel admired Misery while she was a student, but only got to know her after she became an instructor. He, too, often brings her bits of gossip that he feels she would be interested in. Idria Blais. Human Warrior 1. A maimed former soldier who begs on the streets of Bladegash, Idria got to know Misery after the death of a mutual friend, another beggar named Darios. She keeps her ear to the ground and often knows what’s going on. Assorted temple acolytes, or minor thieves, or whatever: either 2 or 4 more, depending on whether the judges feel she deserves the “Great Renown” addition to her Leadership score. Out of town: Subotai Wenlyforlyffed. Halfling Ranger. Subotai is currently in the east of Kerubina, at his tribe’s home near the Icy Vale. He and Misery correspond occasionally, and each knows that the other would come to assist if the need were dire enough. Lorentha Swiftwind. Half-elf Wizard. Lorentha is from a family of minor nobles in the south of Kerubina, and is primarily occupied with her estate. She and Misery are quite close and correspond regularly, and occasionally visit back and forth. Zenul Harnes. Half-elf Wizard. In deep hiding from the banished demon dragon who needs his death to return to the world. Misery gets occasional letters from him, but has no way of writing back. In Town: Shanara Mulligan. Misery’s six year old daughter is the light of her life. She is intelligent and practical, but also shows a great deal of her father’s charm. Misery keeps a close eye on the child though…few people know that Shanara is not human, but a tiefling. Hrothulf, son of Hrothgar. Human Scout. Hroth was in Misery’s unit until he dropped out after their second year. He works for the Red Crow thieves’ guild, and is well regarded by that organization’s leader, Marielle Fel’Hwan. Misery makes a point of not knowing what exactly Hroth does, so that she doesn’t feel compelled to do something about it. Occasionally, they’ll trade favors, if Misery feels it is in the general best interest of the city to do so. Telestil Aradan. Elf Aristcrat. The flamboyant Telestil is the father of Misery’s friend Pre (half-elf bard on her way to spymaster), and the Brande’s accountant. He was her history tutor while she was a student, and they have remained close. Alladine Carmoxen. Gnome Expert. Alladine is the mother of Misery’s friend Quentishe (gnome sorceress). Her husband died during the Thousand Tears Bible incident, but Alladine still runs the family jewelry business, and keeps Misery up to date on Quentishe’s adventures. Lt. Chaplain Gregori Heyne. Human Cleric (Alran-Kor). A former Brande instructor, he was the mentor for Misery’s unit, and she was always fond of him. Now nearly sixty, he is encouraging Misery to work towards being in charge of the church in Bladegash, a mission she listens to, but has not yet overtly acted on. Stellan Moonshadow. Human Necromancer. Stellan is Misery’s boyfriend, and would very much like to be her husband, though he hasn’t talked to her about that yet for fear of scaring her away. He has been in Bladegash only a little over two years, the latest of the Moonshadow clan to be sent to the city to keep their immensely powerful undead ancestor subdued in the basement of the family’s decrepit manor house. He and his cousin, Selenia (another friend of Misery’s from her Brande days), are responsible for that, though both hope that Stellan’s prodigy daughter, Eden, will soon be powerful enough to assist them. The family is not terribly well regarded in town (the lot of them are necromancers), but Stellan’s outgoing personality is helping to change that. (For anyone keeping track, Misery has not seen the remaining member of her unit from the Brande, Alfors Dahl, since he dropped out of the school.) Eliot Pentant. Human Corrupter* (Baumol). Few people know the true story of Eliot’s death—the Brande (and the church) didn’t want it known that how much damage he had done. Officially, he was killed by the Thousand Tears Bible. But he may not still be dead—his body disappeared from the temple before it could be questioned. Misery does believe that Eliot is alive, and lives in fear that he will come and try to claim his child. Ronit, aka The Thousand Tears Bible. Usually manifests as a chaos-touched Warlock. After subduing the Bible, Misery and her unit buried the dangerous artifact and the Lantern in an ancient atelier in the city sewer system. They then destroyed the atelier as best they could. As far as they know, only Misery, Halen, Subotai, Lorentha, and Eliot even know where the atelier lies, and Eliot, if he lives, wouldn’t know that’s where the others put Ronit. But if someone were to find her, Ronit would wish to promptly eliminate Misery—as much because she considers her dangerous as for revenge, though she would enjoy the latter as well. Both Misery and Halen take any discreet excuse they can get to make sure that the walled up hole that conceals the atelier remains so. Chaplain-Major Graison Ettalodes. Human Cleric (Alran-Kor). Chaplain Ettalodes doesn’t care much for Misery, though he’s too politically savvy to do too much about her. The enmity stems partially from a basic difference in philosophy (he’s Lawful Evil), and partially from an incident where her unit, based on what seemed like good evidence at the time, accused his son Kaiden of a crime he did not commit. (Kaiden, also a chaplain, is still in town…and likes Misery even less than his father does.) Dinara Mulligan. Human Expert. Dinara hasn’t seen Misery since her daughter was fourteen, and doesn’t really care. But if she found out that how well Misery lives in Bladegash, she’d be on her way in a minute, more than prepared to make her daughter’s life miserable to get her way. Ahern Moonshadow. Boneclaw Sorcerer. Currently being subdued through magical means at Moonshadow Manor, Ahern would like nothing better than to annihilate the entire city, starting with his family and those they hold dear. As Stellan Moonshadow is in love with Misery, that would include her. *The Corrupter core class appeared in Dragon. If Eliot should show up, he could also be a cleric, or some other divine class of some sort….so long as he has full ranks in Bluff so he can lie to Misery’s face. Misery generally prefers to talk her way out of bad situations, but she is also a well-trained combatant who does not turn from a fight if it seems unavoidable. If it is dark, her first considered action is to drop her everburning torch and activate her wand of light on either her own or Halen’s armor. Typically she and Halen stick close to each other and work together, with Misery tripping opponents so that they are easier to hit. She has a tendency to get into melee rather than spellcasting in combat, though that can change depending on the situation. She also has a tendency to hold onto the spells for healing. Typically she carries both of the platinum rings for her shield other spell, and puts them on others as needed. This is often not Halen, as he is harder to hit than she, and has about as many hit points. The tenets of Misery’s religion prevent her from attacking an unarmed opponent unless the person has proved dangerous in spite of brandishing no weapon (e.g. a monk or wizard). Thus she rarely disarms unless she wants someone to surrender. Lieutenant Chaplain Misery Mulligan Human Cleric (Alran-Kor) 7, Fighter 2 Lawful Good 32 years old Base Ability Scores (Level 1) STR 14 +2 (6 points) DEX 10 +0 (2 points) CON 12 +1 (4 points) INT 14 +2 (6 points) WIS 14 +2 (6 points) CHA 12 +1 (4 points) Final Ability Scores (Level 9) STR 14 +2 DEX 10 +0 CON 12 +1 INT 14 +2 WIS 18 +4 (+2 levels, +2 enhancement (periapt)) CHA 14 +2 (+2 enhancement (cloak)) Hit Points: 55 (35 Clr +11 Ftr +9 CON) Armor Class: In Full Plate: 22 (10 +11 armor +1 deflection) Touch: 11 Flatfooted: 22 In Chain Shirt: 15 (10 +4 armor +1 deflection) Touch: 11 Flatfooted: 15 Speed: In Full Plate: 20 feet (can’t run) In Chain Shirt: 30 feet Initiative: +0 Base Attack Bonus: +7/+2 (+5 Clr +2 Ftr) Grapple: +9 (+7 BAB +2 STR) Languages Automatic: Eranim (local Kerubinan language, replaces Common) Bonus (+2 INT): Celestial, Maverian (language of neighboring country from which Stellan Moonshadow originally comes) Special Qualities and Abilities Aura: Strong Law Domains: Pact and Competition (Complete Divine pages 140 and 138 respectively) Turn Undead: 5/day (3 +2 CHA) Turn Check: +4 (+2 CHA +2 synergy(knowl(religion)) Turning damage: 2d6+9 (+2 CHA +7 Clr level) Appraise, Intimidate, and Sense Motive as Cleric class skills (granted power of Pact Domain) +1 to all opposed checks (granted power of Competition Domain) Can spontaneously lose any prepared spell to cast a healing spell of the same level Leadership: Score: 11 (13) (level 9 +2 CHA (+2 Great Renown)) Cohort level: 7 (9, but she can’t have above 7 anyway) Followers: 6 (8), all first level *Misery’s status as a local hero should get her the Great Renown bonus, but that’s a touchy subject in this competition, so I’m providing her score, cohort level, and followers with both values, just to be on the safe side. Saves Fortitude: +9 (+1 CON +5 Clr +3 Ftr) Reflex +2 (+0 DEX +2 Clr +0 Ftr) Will +9 (+4 WIS +5 Clr +0 Ftr) Feats Negotiator (1st) Combat Expertise (Human Bonus) Exotic Weapon Proficiency(spiked chain) (Fighter Bonus 1) Scribe Scroll (3rd) Improved Trip (Fighter Bonus 2) Leadership (6th) Skill Focus (Sense Motive) (9th) Attacks +1 spiked chain (frost) +10/+5 (+7 BAB +2 STR +1 magic) Damage: 2d4 +3 (STR x 1.5) + d6 cold +1 magic Crit: 20x2 Special: can be used to attack at 5 or 10 feet Trip with chain: +10/+5 touch attack Opposed STR: +7 (+2 STR +4 Imp. Trip +1 Competition Domain) Does NOT provoke an attack of opportunity Disarm with chain: Opposed attack roll: +18/+13 (+19/+14?) (+10/+5 normal attack with chain +4 for two handed +2 from properties of chain (+1 Competition Domain—not sure if this counts—it says opposed checks. Seems a DM call to me.)) Does provoke an attack of opportunity MW mighty composite longbow (+2 STR) +8/+3 (+7 BAB +1 MW) Damage: d8 +2 STR Crit: 20x3 MW bastard sword +10/+5 (+7 BAB +2 STR +1 MW) Damage: d10 +3 (STR x 1.5) Crit: 19-20x2 MW morningstar +10/+5 (+7 BAB +2 STR +1 MW) Damage: d8+3 (STR x 1.5) Crit: 20x2 Note: Since Misery’s primary weapon prevents her from carrying a shield, she always uses both hands with the other weapons as well, for the extra damage. Skills Concentration +9 (8 ranks (Clr) +1 CON) Diplomacy +15 (8 ranks (Clr) +1 rank (Ftr cc)+ 2 CHA +2 Negotiator +2 synergy(Sense Motive)) Heal +8 (4 ranks (Clr) +4 WIS) Intimidate +6 (4 ranks (Ftr) +2 CHA) Knowledge(arcana) +3 (1 rank (Clr) +2 INT) Knowledge(local) +4 (2 ranks (Clr cc) +2 INT) Knowledge(history) +5 (3 ranks (Clr) +2 INT) Knowledge(religion) +10 (8 ranks (Clr) +2 INT) Profession(prostitute) +5 (1 rank (Clr) +4 WIS)* Sense Motive +21 (10 ranks Clr + 2 ranks (Ftr cc) +4 WIS +2 Negotiator +3 Skill Focus) Spellcraft +3 (1 rank (Clr) +2 INT) In full plate: Following skills at –3 (+2 STR, -5 Armor Check): Climb, Jump Following skills at –5 (+0 DEX –5 Armor Check): Balance, Escape Artist, Hide, Move Silently. Swim at –8 (+2 STR –10 Armor Check) In chain shirt: As above, only –3 becomes +1, -5 becomes –1, and Swim becomes +0 *Note: She makes no use of this skill. It’s there purely to explain how she got to where she is from where she was. Skills per Level Breakdown: Lvl 1 Cleric. (4*(2 +1 human +2 INT)=20): Concentration 4, Diplomacy 4, Heal 1, Knowl(history) 1, Knowl(religion) 4, Profession(prostitute) 1, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 1 Lvl 2 Fighter (2 +1 human +2 INT=5): Diplomacy 1 (2 ranks cc), Intimidate 1, Sense Motive 1 (2 ranks cc) Lvl 3 Cleric (2 +1 human +2 INT=5): Knowl(arcana) 1, Knowl(history) 2 , Knowl(rel) 1, Sense Motive 1 Lvl 4 Fighter (5): Intimidate 3, Sense Motive 1 (2 ranks cc) Lvl 5 Cleric (5): Concentration 1, Diplomacy 1, Knowl(religion) 1, Heal 1, Sense Motive 1 Lvl 6 Cleric (5): Concentration 1, Diplomacy 1, Knowl(religion) 1, Heal 1, Sense Motive 1 Lvl 7 Cleric (5): Concentration 1, Knowl(local) 1 (2 ranks cc), Heal 1, Sense Motive 1 Lvl 8 Cleric (5): Diplomacy 1, Knowl(local) 1 (2 ranks cc), Knowl(religion) 1, Sense Motive 1 Lvl 9 Cleric (5): Concentration 1, Diplomacy 1, Knowl(local) 1 (2 ranks cc), Sense Motive 1 Spells Caster Level 7 Base Save DC 14 (10 +4 WIS) Per Day: 0th level: 6 1st level: 5+1 (4 +1 for high WIS, 1 domain) 2nd level: 4+1 (3 +1 for high WIS, 1 domain) 3rd level: 3+1 (2 +1 for high WIS, 1 domain) 4th level: 2+1 (1 +1 for high WIS, 1 domain) Typically prepared: 0: detect magic, read magic, mending, detect poison, resistance, guidance. 1: bless, divine favor, obscuring mist, shield of faith, comprehend languages. Domain: command (Pact) 2: bull’s strength, hold person, lesser restoration, zone of truth. Domain: shield other (Pact) 3: dispel magic, prayer, magic circle against evil. Domain: prayer (Competition) 4: divine power, tongues. Domain: divination (Pact) Equipment All prices listed in gold pieces All art objects such as jewelry, etc, I invented prices that seemed appropriate +1 spiked chain (frost) (8325) MW mighty composite longbow (+2 STR) (600) MW bastard sword (335, chosen because it’s short enough to hang by her side) MW morningstar (308) +3 full plate (10,650) MW chain shirt (250) Ring of protection +1 (2000) Periapt of wisdom +2 (4000) Cloak of charisma +2 (4000) Pearl of Power (1st level) (1000) Everburning torch (110) Wand of cure light wounds, 50 charges (750) Wand of light, 50 charges (375) Scrolls with following spells: remove paralysis, delay poison, remove disease, lesser restoration, remove curse (862.5, crafted by herself) Silver holy symbol of Alran-Kor (25) Spell component pouch (5) Set of 2 platinum rings (50) Waterskin (1) Whetstone (.02) Flint and steel (1) Chalk, 3 pieces (.03) Signal whistle (.8) Silk rope, 50 ft (10) Scroll case, 2 (2) Keys to her apartment (figured in cost of lock) Cleric’s Vestments (free at character creation) Military Uniform (1 gp, used traveler’s outfit price as probably consists of about the same) Nice Dress (30 gp, used courtier’s outfit price as is probably similar enough) Clothing for a six year old girl (4, because it seemed a good amount) Simple silver earrings for everyday wear (2) Simple necklace made of woven copper wire (2, never worn. Belonged to Eliot: she’s keeping it for Shanara) Gold earrings, fashioned as a snake-like coil around small pieces of obsidian (20, a gift from Eliot for her 26th birthday, just weeks before he died. In the colors of Baumol, she never wears them….but can’t seem to make herself dispose of them.) Gold necklace set with blue quartz (50, a gift from Halen and Maron for her 30th birthday) Gold necklace and matching earrings, set with red garnets (200, a gift from Stellan) Black lab known as Company, trained as a guard dog (25, a gift from Hroth, who also gave the dog his name. Company follows Misery on every day duties, but is not permitted to go anywhere that might be dangerous.) Small apartment near the Brande (1000, used simple house pg 101 of DMG) (I have assumed this includes basic furniture, such as beds and a table and some chairs. I don’t have prices for those anyway) Good lock (80) Darkwood chest (300) Toys to amuse a six-year-old girl (20 total, kept in chest) Winter blankets, 3 (1.5) Mirror, approximately equivalent to 3 small steel (30) Iron pot, 2 (.1) Clay jug, 4 (.12)** Clay pitcher (.02)** Clay mugs, 6 (.12)** Clay plates, 6 (.12, assumed same as mugs)** Utensils, 6 sets (12, assumed price for dagger, as needn’t be as sturdy) Wine glasses, 2 (4, assumed same as price for bottle—finer quality, but less glass) **All claywear colored in a pattern of blue and white (1 extra for luxury) Paper, 50 sheets (20) Inkpen, 2 (.2) Ink, 5 oz (40) Soap, 4 lbs (2) Sewing needle, 3 (1.5) Candles, 50 (.5) Firewood, 1 week’s worth (.07) Food supplies, enough for 2 people for 1 w eek, common meals (4.2) Fine wine, 3 bottles (30) Hammer (.5) Crowbar (2) Amber, silver pearl, amethyst (300, hidden in her apartment—her emergency fund) Loose coins (156.7 equivalent, though much of it is in more useful smaller coins) Misery also pays Liza 3 silver per day to take care of Shanara but I’m not sure how to account for that in her gold totals, so I’ll just state it and let the judges figure out how much to take from her remaining gold:). There she is, my beloved Misery. And believe it or not, that background *is* condensed... A side note: I bet none of you ever thought you'd see the word "Wenlyforlyffed" again. Mwa ha ha ha!
Zherog 04-02-07, 11:02 AM	Just an FYI: I've gone ahead and added HC8 to the "master list" that I maintain over on the Feedback thread.
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-02-07, 11:40 AM	List Updated! There she is, my beloved Misery. And believe it or not, that background *is* condensed... A side note: I bet none of you ever thought you'd see the word "Wenlyforlyffed" again. Mwa ha ha ha! As a side note: Chilli, I think I'm going to need to borrow some kittens...
Endarrion 04-02-07, 01:52 PM	Quick question: Does wearing bracers of armor interfere with a monk's abilities?
Zherog 04-02-07, 02:37 PM	Nope. Monks can gain an armor bonus, just not from actual armor. Things like the mage armor spell, bracers of armor, and the Vow of Poverty feat are all ways a monk can gain a legal armor bonus to AC.
FRRC 04-02-07, 05:41 PM	And if some DM's allow it, you can enchant regular clothes too. Hot Pants of Arrow Catching +5 :D :D
FRRC 04-03-07, 01:19 PM	And if some DM's allow it, you can enchant regular clothes too. Hot Pants of Arrow Catching +5 :D :D Thread killer. Bump
Endarrion 04-03-07, 09:36 PM	Thread killer. Bump Thread Killer. Bump. ;)
Zherog 04-04-07, 12:25 AM	[tangential topic] If you haven't noticed it yet, Endarrion, I recently left you feedback in HC7. Sorry it took so long. [/tangential topic]
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-04-07, 12:35 PM	Thread killer. Too be entirely honest, I didn't expect much activity on this thread this week. For Jews, Passover has begun. For many Christians, this is Holy Week. I imagine there are a lot of busy people this week. We may see a few posts, but I expect that this thread will pick back up next week on Monday or Teusday. In particular, I expect that this thread will become immensly popular on next Friday, when the usual rush of characters comes pouring in at the last minute. In some cases, it seems like the only people worse about procrastinating than the contestants are the judges themselves! :cool:
FRRC 04-04-07, 01:31 PM	Too be entirely honest, I didn't expect much activity on this thread this week. For Jews, Passover has begun. For many Christians, this is Holy Week. I imagine there are a lot of busy people this week. We may see a few posts, but I expect that this thread will pick back up next week on Monday or Teusday. In particular, I expect that this thread will become immensly popular on next Friday, when the usual rush of characters comes pouring in at the last minute. In some cases, it seems like the only people worse about procrastinating than the contestants are the judges themselves! :cool: Serious Buzz-kill :P I have to finish before Friday. Its when we get paid. Drunken time.
Endarrion 04-04-07, 04:33 PM	If you haven't noticed it yet, Endarrion, I recently left you feedback in HC7. Sorry it took so long. Thanks Zherog :)
Ziggaraut 04-04-07, 09:09 PM	Man, these entries are too good. Unless I get some kind of fantastic idea, consider my promise to post a character rescinded.
Zherog 04-04-07, 09:13 PM	Don't let the previous entries scare you off. You'll learn a ton from making a character, and you'll have fun doing it. Don't enter for the sake of winning; enter for the sake of entering. :)
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-04-07, 10:57 PM	Man, these entries are too good. Unless I get some kind of fantastic idea, consider my promise to post a character rescinded. That gives me an idea... :plotting: If we can just get one incredible person to post "the perfect entry" at the start of each competition, then we can scare off all other possible contestants, which means as a judge, I only have to grade one character... :gah: Sorry, I just remembered the purpose of these competitions. It has nothing to do with being the best, but rather helping other people in this competition become more familiar and comfortable with the rules. :teach: Just so you know, Ziggaraut, I entered HC#2 on a whim, just to see how I would do. When I saw the quality of the entry put forward by another contestant, Mercurius, I thought he would claim the Gold for sure. Imagine my immense surprise when I barely edged him out by less than half a point. You may surprise yourself. Last competition, we had two brand new competitors place in the top 5, with one actually taking a medal (Bronze, I think). This contest is still anyone's game. Also, think of it this way. Each contest, the judges note that the entries have notably improved over the previous contest. Thus, each round, the contestants are getting better. If you want to wait until the competition gets easier, you'll be waiting a long time. ;) Seriously, give it a try. It's not about medals, ranking, or status. It's about learning the game, and improving your abilities. I'm a long standing judge, but when I put on the contestant's robes again last round, I still got called out on some pretty substantial mistakes. (Did I forget how to read when I was looking at my Prestige Class requirements? :embarrass ) Give it a try. Surprise yourself.
jennibert 04-05-07, 06:59 AM	Just so you know, Ziggaraut, I entered HC#2 on a whim, just to see how I would do. When I saw the quality of the entry put forward by another contestant, Mercurius, I thought he would claim the Gold for sure. Imagine my immense surprise when I barely edged him out by less than half a point. You may surprise yourself. :waits: Yeah... Damn you. :pbbbtt: Took me five more competitions before I finally got a win. {D'oh! This'd be Mercurius... Darn jennibert being logged in on my computer...}
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-05-07, 12:19 PM	:waits: Yeah... Damn you. :pbbbtt: Took me five more competitions before I finally got a win. {D'oh! This'd be Mercurius... Darn jennibert being logged in on my computer...} Well... to be painfully technical... You won HC#6, not HC#7, which would make it four more competitions, not to mention the fact that you didn't actually enter HC#3 or HC#5. However, I did my research. It did, in fact, take you five more competitions to score a win from your original attempt in HC#1. I'll avoid mentioning who beat you out there. :cool: Just as a side note, the only I reason I won HC#2 was "darn skill point totals." You had a much more solid character concept, you were just rushed b/c Zherog was playing mind games with the whole GMT time issue.
TheChilliGod 04-05-07, 03:53 PM	Just as a side note, the only I reason I won HC#2 was "darn skill point totals." You had a much more solid character concept, you were just rushed b/c Zherog was playing mind games with the whole GMT time issue.Make that me that was playing with the time issues, because back then I apparently forgot what time zone I was even in, never mind how to properly word 'midnight.' Seriously, you'd think that living in a GMT+12 area, that when it's midnight in Greenwich, it's midday here, right? Because 12:00 + 12:00 = 24:00. But no, apparently, it only = 23:00. Lousy system, I oughta giv't a good kick where the...
Zherog 04-05-07, 03:57 PM	Blaming me seems to be the norm. My wife does it all the time... :bored:
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-05-07, 06:07 PM	Sorry Z... So my research wasn't as precise as I thought... :D
Heros_Backpack 04-08-07, 03:48 AM	(Drags thread off page 3) :bump:
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-08-07, 03:40 PM	Less than a week to go! Btw... Happy Easter everyone!
jennibert 04-09-07, 04:01 PM	well, it's been 24 hours more or less since the last post, so.... :bump:
Zherog 04-09-07, 05:11 PM	Guess it would be a good idea if I were to actually finish my entry, eh?
AmericanYeti 04-09-07, 05:57 PM	I'm afraid I'm probably going to have to sit this one out. Just not enough time now...
wrecan 04-10-07, 09:23 AM	Reading over the entries, I think Hammet (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11928404&postcount=24) (my entry), Sir Clafon Golegas (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11939088&postcount=29) (TheChilliGod's entry), and Lieutenant Chaplain Misery Mulligan (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11958591&postcount=44) (jennibert's entry) would be a really great urban adventuring party (and we're all Lawful Good in alignment!), if we could round up a decent arcane caster! Hammet takes the rogue spot, Clafon the fighter slot, and Misery the divine caster slot. All we need is a decent arcane caster and we'd be set! So far, we haven't had any arcane casters in the competition. :weep:
Far_Traveler 04-10-07, 09:26 AM	My character could be the BBGG! (Big bad good guy)
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-10-07, 10:07 AM	wrecan, feel free to post comments about others characters and discuss the build process. It's almost a tradition now: to have a private conversation hidden behind stat blocks so the judges can't see it! I'm quite certain you remember some of the spell casting routines that were used to prevent one certain judge who shall remain nameless from cheating last time... And you can trust me not to look. I'm Lawful... ;)
wrecan 04-10-07, 11:14 AM	Well, mostly I was just bumping the thread and seeing if I could inspire someone to submit an arcane caster. I wasn't posting on the relative merits of the entries. I just noticed that the three LG entries fill the fighter role, rogue role and cleric role.
wrecan 04-10-07, 11:18 AM	But since we're talking, I did have some questions for some of the entrants... How is Gurbok an "urban adventurer"? He's got a prestige clas built for dungeon delving. (Hence the title.) And he seems to be built for living in mines or small minimg communites. I was curious how you envisioned him acting in an urban environment and what he would bring to an urban adventuring party. How can you have a lawful neutral werewolf? I thought that lycanthropes automatically get the alignment of the base, which would be chaotic evil. Shouldn't he be an ex-monk? Am I missing a feat or something?
Zherog 04-10-07, 11:23 AM	How can you have a lawful neutral werewolf? I thought that lycanthropes automatically get the alignment of the base, which would be chaotic evil. Shouldn't he be an ex-monk? Am I missing a feat or something? I'm not DarkKitsune, but that never stopped me from opening my big mouth and answering a question before... :D Alignment: Any. Noble creatures such as bears, eagles, and lions tend to produce good-aligned lycanthropes. Sinister creatures such as rats, snakes, and wolves tend to produce evil-aligned lycanthropes. This is a reflection of how these animals are perceived, not any innate quality of the animal itself, so the alignment of the animal form can be arbitrarily assigned. If that's not the biggest back-pedaling in the core rules... But, basically, the alignment is "Any" and it's sometimes vaguely determined by how society perceives the animal.
wrecan 04-10-07, 11:27 AM	Wow. I never noticed that before. And yet the SRD still lists the individual creatures' alignments as "always" an alignment. Freaky. Thanks for the answer!
Zherog 04-10-07, 01:21 PM	:tiphat: :evillaugh
DarkKitsune 04-10-07, 02:08 PM	But since we're talking, I did have some questions for some of the entrants... How can you have a lawful neutral werewolf? I thought that lycanthropes automatically get the alignment of the base, which would be chaotic evil. Shouldn't he be an ex-monk? Am I missing a feat or something? With thanks to Zherog for fielding the question, I actually fully expect to be marked down for having an entire clan of non-CE werewolves. The reason for this is that I personally (and strongly) feel that the 'Always ____' line should be restricted to Outsiders, Elementals, and creatures for which morality is a non-issue (mostly animals and constructs). Being a major fan of shifters (ie. lycanthropes), I chose to ignore that line in the stat block in order to build the character I had envisioned prior to cracking open the books. Mind you, I've had several square peg/round hole issues more serious than a conflicting alignment. As an aside, should I have stuck to the alignment given me, I would not have been able to be a monk at all - as a natural werewolf, he would have been doomed to be CE from birth ;)
FRRC 04-10-07, 02:23 PM	Going to finish the character tonight and then write up the background tomorrow on my half-day. Got a Ranger 7/Justiciar 2 thing going on.
jennibert 04-10-07, 11:59 PM	:tiphat: :rofl: :bow: Looking forward to more entries....I agree with wrecan, we should pick up an arcane caster....preferably LG to go with Hammett and Clafon and Misery's party ;). I just read over the names of your cohort and followers....:rofl:. I love themes in names. I'd've given you bonuses on either background or thematic creativity for that;). Haven't read most of the others yet, but I will at some point....
wrecan 04-11-07, 12:22 AM	Thanks! I was wondering if anybody was going to catch that. I really enjoyed Misery's backstory, by the way. I've never seen a PC with a child before. Great use of Leadership.
Haruspex 04-11-07, 06:45 AM	But since we're talking, I did have some questions for some of the entrants... How is Gurbok an "urban adventurer"? He's got a prestige clas built for dungeon delving. (Hence the title.) And he seems to be built for living in mines or small minimg communites. I was curious how you envisioned him acting in an urban environment and what he would bring to an urban adventuring party. I thought the intro paragraph should be clue enough. The principles and skills used in dungeon delving can also be used to rob houses. He works as a mason, which I thought was a job suited for urban people (I hope so anyway). It also can be a cover for his less than legal activities. Cities have plenty of targets to rob, and hopefully plenty of masonry. He is Small, and can make himself even smaller via his reduce class feature. What urban adventure is complete without cramped spaces to crawl into? When they're walking around the viscount's mansion, his stonecunning can help detect oddities in the structure.
Haruspex 04-11-07, 07:02 AM	About Hammet, is he supposed to be based in one city, or does his organization support him in other places? Also, is he using Weapon Finesse on his morningstar?
Far_Traveler 04-11-07, 10:43 AM	Thanks! I was wondering if anybody was going to catch that. I really enjoyed Misery's backstory, by the way. I've never seen a PC with a child before. Great use of Leadership. Really? Way back when I made Dogma in HC#5 he had a daughter.
wrecan 04-12-07, 09:38 AM	About Hammet, is he supposed to be based in one city, or does his organization support him in other places? Also, is he using Weapon Finesse on his morningstar? 1. He is based on one city, though he could easily bring his cohort and skilled followers with him if he needs to conduct a mission in another city. 2. Crud. I meant to make that a light mace, not a morningstar. Good catch. Really? Way back when I made Dogma in HC#5 he had a daughter. I have to admit, I didn't start reading the HCs until contest #6. Sorry.
Endarrion 04-12-07, 09:41 PM	Jack, aka "White Face" Jack CN male human Ninja 3, Fighter 2, Rogue 4 (Ninja found in Comp Adv pg 5) Height: 6’ 0” Weight: 170lbs Deity: None Languages: Common, Elven. AC: 21 (4Dex + 1deflection + 1nat + 3armor + 2Wis) Flat footed: 21 (4Dex + 1def + 1nat + 3armor + 2Wis) Touch: 17 (4Dex + 1def + 2wis) +1 dodge bonus vs traps. HP: 47 (7d6 + 2d10 + 9) Speed: 30ft Initiative: +8 (+4Dex + 4ImpInit) Ability Scores Base Strength: 10 Dexterity: 16 (+1 lvl 8) Constitution: 10 Intelligence: 13 Wisdom: 14 (+1 lvl 4) Charisma: 14 Current Strength: 10 Dexterity: 18 (+2enhancement) Constitution: 10 Intelligence: 13 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 14 Attacks Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+7 Attacks: +1 Keen Rapier +12/+7 (1d6 +1/ 15-20x2) Sudden Strike/Sneak Attack: +2d6 each. Saves As long as Jack’s Ki Pool isn’t empty, he gets a +2 on Will saves +1 on Reflex saves vs traps. Fortitude: +5 (5base) Reflex: +12 (8base + 4Dex) Will: +6 (2base + 2Wis + 2Ki) Skills (76 Total Points) Bluff: +11 (9ranks + 2Cha) Climb: +7 (7ranks) Disable Device: +12 (6ranks + 4Dex + 2circumstance) Gather Information: +9 (5ranks + 2Cha + 2synergy) Hide: +12 (8ranks + 4Dex*) Jump: +7 (5ranks + 2synergy) Knowledge(local): +6 (5ranks + 1Int) Listen: +6 (4ranks + 2Wis) Move Silently : +12 (8ranks + 4Dex) Open Lock: +15 (9ranks + 4Dex + 2circumstance) Perform: +13 (11ranks + 2Cha) Search: +11 (7ranks + 4Dex*) Sleight of Hand: +11 (5ranks + 4Dex + 2synergy) Tumble: +12 (6ranks + 4Dex + 2synergy) *Tactile Trapsmith (see Feats) Feats Combat Expertise (take up to –5 on attack and add same number to AC for 1 round) Eyes in the Back of Your Head (cannot be flanked)* Improved Feint (Bluff check to feint in combat as move action) Improved Initiative (+4 Initiative checks) Improved Toughness (gained 9 HP and +1 HP every level thereafter)* Tactile Trapsmith (add Dex bonus rather than Int to Dis Dev and Search checks)** Weapon Finesse (add Dex bonus to attack rolls instead of Str) *Complete Warrior **Complete Adventurer Class Abilities Ninja Ki Power: add Wis modifier to AC. Ki Pool = 3. Add +2 to will saves as long as pool isn’t empty. Sudden Strike: When target denied Dex bonus, attack does +2d6. Trapfinding: find traps with DC higher than 20 and use Disable Device to disable magic traps. Ghost Step: Become invisible for 1 round as swift action (requires one Ki Pool). Poison Use: Never risk poisoning self. Rogue Sneak Attack: When flanking or target denied Dex bonus add +2d6 to attack damage. Trapfinding Evasion: Successful Ref save against spell that allows half damage on successful save instead does no damage. Trap Sense: +1 to AC and Reflex saves against traps. Uncanny Dodge: Retain Dex o AC even if flat-footed or struck by invisible attacker. Fighter Extra feat at 1st and 2nd level. Proficiency with all simple and martial weapons as well as all armors and shields (including tower shields). Equipment [I]+1 Keen Rapier 8,400gp Gloves of Dexterity +2 4,000gp Ring of Protection +1 2,000gp Amulet of Natural Armor +1 2,000gp Bracers of Armor +3 9,000gp Ring of Mind Shielding 8,000gp Entertainer’s Outfit 3gp Explorer’s Outfit 10gp MW Thieves’ Tools 100gp 50’ Silk Rope 10gp Grappling Hook 1gp Climber’s Kit 80gp LEFT OVER: 2,396gp (I estimate The Theatre at 2,000gp, so he actually only has 396gp) TOTAL: 36,000gp Level Breakdown Human Feat: Combat Expertise Ninja 1-3 Feats: 1(Improved Initiative), 3(Eyes in the Back of Your Head) Skills(8/lvl) 1 = 4 ranks in each Bluff, Climb, Disable Device, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Open Lock, Tumble (32 for first level). 2 = 1 rank in each Bluff, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Open Lock, Tumble. 2 in Listen. 3 = 1 rank in each Bluff, Hide, Move Silently, Tumble. 2 in Listen and Search. Rogue 4-6 Feats: 6(Tactile Trapsmith) Skills(10/lvl) 4 = 7 in Perform. 1 each in Bluff, Hide, Move Silently. 5 = 1 each in Bluff, Climb, Hide, Move Silently, Perform. 3 in Gather Information. 2 in Knowledge(local). 6 = 2 ranks in each Disable Device, Gather Information, Knowledge(local), Open Lock, and Search. Fighter 7-8 Feats: 7(Improved Feint), 8(Weapon Finesse) Skills(4/lvl) 7 = 2 each in Climb and Perform. Skills(4/lvl) 8 = 1 each in Knowledge(local), Perform, Search, Sleight of Hand. Rogue 9 Feats: 9(Improved Toughness) Skills(10) = 1 each in Bluff and Perform. 4 in Sleight of Hand. 2 in Open Lock and Search. Appearance and Personality Jack stands at 6 feet and weighs 170 pounds. He is lithe and quick. His dirty-blonde hair is worn down and falls just below his chin. The most unusual feature of his face is his eyes; his right eye is blue and his left is green. He normally dresses in loose-fitting shirt and trousers. He wears boots and a dirty leather trench coat. When he is on a job, he wears his trademark wide-brimmed hat and porcelain drama mask. Jack is best described as … complicated. He has a dark sense of humor and does not mind telling people exactly how he feels. One minute he’ll be laughing and joking and the next he’ll be brooding and quiet. Jack also has no sense of shame. He is brazen and never blushes. His philosophy concerning his profession as an assassin is that he only kills for money. He never kills for fun. Killing for fun results only in death or jail. While Jack holds no ideas of dying both free and of his own will, he tries to prolong his life for as long as possible. Jack also has no qualms about killing anyone whatsoever. He does not have a higher agenda such as killing for good or evil, he only kills for himself (although lately he has taken to accepting contracts for dirty politicians in particular). The most important part of Jack’s personality, and the most redeeming quality (if any), is his love for the people of his city (yes, his city). Jack is known as the keeper of his brother, his brother’s friend, his brother’s friend’s friend, and so on. His door is always open to those who need a place to keep out of the weather, and his wallet always open to those in financial distress. Jack would ultimately like to set up a free drama school for children. Background Jack was born in the largest (and most corrupt) city on Edaia – Daerlund. His family was destitute and lived on the street due to his father’s insatiable gambling habit. In order to repay the debt owed, Jack’s father gave him up. Argo Dat, a loan shark, then became Jack’s surrogate father when Jack was only three. When Jack grew up he later found out that his mother left his father and moved to a small town outside of Daerlund, and his father was eventually murdered for his growing debts. Jack’s time with Argo was short-lived and he retained no memory of it. After six months with the man, the Black Lotus ninja clan of Daerlund assassinated Argo. The clan had accepted a contract for Argo’s assassination and carried it out. When they found the boy they knew not what to do with him and brought him back to their clan headquarters. Whilst Jack’s fate was being decided, the Red Knife assassins’ guild of Daerlund was forming a plan to destroy the Black Lotus. The ninja clan was a major player in the workings of Daerlund and had a hand in its founding. The clan overstepped its boundaries when it began taking contracts for assassination. The Red Knife had been in Daerlund nearly as long as the Black Lotus and the two co-existed only because they did not mettle in each other’s affairs. Jack was eventually made to stay with the clan as part of Argo’s reparations. He learned and trained for the following thirteen years of his life. It was shortly after his sixteenth birthday when the Red Knife attacked the Black Lotus. Jack normally would have joined the Lotus in the defense of the clan, but he had grown weary of the restrictions placed on him by their strict rules and insipid dogma. The clan became aware of the Knife’s plans a few days before the attack and informed the clan members of the approaching battle. Jack decided it was the perfect time for a sudden, and indefinite, leave of absence. Jack disappeared in the mayhem of the guild-war and went into the slums of Daerlund. He had no money and no connections as well as no identity – no one would know who he was, he was just another hungry mouth in the slums. Of course, Jack had bigger plans for himself than living out the rest of his life in a hovel in some back alley. Over the following months Jack learned of a small theatre that had recently opened in the area. He always had an interest in the performing arts, and already possessed some skill at deception. He tried out and, since the new theatre was sorely in need of actors, got a small part in the drama, “Protracted Daylight Hours’ Expedition Towards Darkness.” The play did not do well, but the proprietor recognized Jack’s talent and he received the leading role in what would become the beginning of his stardom, “The Ogre’s Brood.” The dark comedy fit Jack like a glove and his star began to rise. He trained under the owner of the theatre (aptly named “The Theatre,” it being the only such establishment in Daerlund) and enjoyed his work immensely. Bram, the owner, was a successful actor in Reinoa (the largest, most beautiful city as well as the premier stage-acting town) and knew his craft completely. He was a great teacher, not only in stage, but also in thievery. In order to help pay the bills, Bram and a few of the other actors would indefinitely borrow things of value from unsuspecting nobles and well-to-do around Daerlund. To Bram’s surprise, the young man held no qualms over stealing. Bram soon learned that Jack appeared to have no conscience whatsoever. He found this troubling and decided to show Jack the good things in life. He took Jack around the slums one day while he gave out money to the poor and homeless. Bram did more than give hand-outs, he offered some people jobs and even bought one family of seven a week’s worth of groceries. Jack saw the generosity displayed by Bram and it awakened a feeling of compassion for those around him. He also realized why Bram, a successful actor for more than three decades, had barely a copper to his name. Bram by no means gave Jack his feeling of compassion; he merely watered the seeds that were already planted. Some things are innate and cannot be learned; Jack’s compassion, as well as his guiltlessness, are innate. Five years later, Bram was assassinated. He was fifty-five years old. Jack inherited The Theatre by Bram’s will and had the total support of the actors. Jack’s martial training that he underwent while with the Lotus clan became valuable again when Jack decided to take revenge on the Red Knife guild for the murder of his mentor. That was when Jack had one of the actors at The Theatre, an elf by the name of Arterio, craft the porcelain drama mask that would become his trademark. Jack began competing with the guild for contracts. He also hunted some of them down and murdered them for his own satisfaction. In the red haze of hate and revenge that came over him, Jack never forgot his ties to the community that had lifted him to stardom. All of the money from his contracts went to The Theatre or the poor and starving. Jack eventually drew the attention of the city guard, and a detective by the name of Ford Cobble. Cobble was one of the few state personnel who were not corrupt. He knew he could never really change the city, but he did his best by capturing criminals and bringing them to justice (the ones who weren’t on the mayor’s payroll, that is). Over the following years Jack and Ford enjoyed a cat-and-mouse relationship. Jack was always one step ahead of Ford, but Ford knew who Jack was. He didn’t have the evidence he needed, but he knew in his gut that Jack was the murderer known as “White Face.” Although the two opposed each other in profession, they had several parallels. In another life under different circumstances, they could have been the best of friends. Presently, Ford and Jack have a great deal of respect for each other. Jack does not underestimate Ford and vice versa. They have a strange relationship in which they do not truly trust each other, but are the closest things to true friends that either of them have. As far as Jack’s moonlighting as an assassin, he has recently taken to assassinating politicians around the city, particularly ones that oppress and use the poor. If any of the clan members of the Black Lotus are alive, Jack doesn’t know it. It is in Jack’s interest if all of the members are dead, as any who survived would find great pleasure in seeing Jack die. Jack never contacted his mother. He thought it best if she never knew of what became of him. Friends and Enemies Enemies The Red Knife Assassins’ Guild is perhaps the most dangerous enemy that Jack has. They do not know of his past affiliation with the Black Lotus clan but if they found out about it, they would definitely take a great interest in Jack’s demise. As of now, they do not know White Face’s true identity but are trying to discover it and end the competition just as they did with the Lotus clan. The various politicians of Daerlund also have a stake in Jack’s death. Friends The entire population of the slums counts Jack as a friend. Most would go out of their way to help him and not a few would risk their lives. The actors at The Theatre. The only actor that knows Jack’s alter ego is Arterio, and he isn’t talking any time soon. Arterio would like to see every last Red Knife assassin dead for what happened to Bram. The rest of the group is as loyal to Jack as the people of the slums. ??? Ford Cobble. Ford Cobble is sometimes friend, sometimes foe. When the chips are down, Ford would protect Jack but only insofar as to keep Jack alive so that he can bring him to justice. Anticipated Questions Why did you take levels of Ninja? I realize that taking three more levels of Rogue would probably be more mechanically advantageous, but the levels of Ninja are integral to one very appealing (to me at least) aspect of Jack’s character: he is creepy and unpredictable. Being able to disappear and reappear (Ghost Step) is useful not only in combat, but also on stage. Why the few ranks in several different skills? The ranks in Gather Info and Knowledge(local) are important to Jack’s background and ability to, well, gather information. The ranks in Listen are so he is at least a little hard to sneak up on, and the ranks in Sleight of Hand are useful to him on stage. Where does Jack live? The Theatre. Why the mask gimmick? I think it’s cool. This character is adapted from a third level (fighter 1/ninja 2) that I played in a friend’s campaign. That incarnation of Jack wore the mask all the time. I changed a lot to adapt him to this competition. For instance, since we rolled ability scores, I had to sacrifice his original scores of four 17s and two 15s. I really like this character and originally thought of him as chaotic evil, but toned him down a bit at my friend’s behest. Why were Argo Dat and Bram assassinated? Jack doesn’t know. He doesn’t really care why Dat was murdered. Bram was murdered because of the way he treated the poor and the popularity he was gaining with them. Those higher up on the food chain didn’t like the prospect of a revolt or revolution, so Bram was killed. Jack suspects as much and wants to find the one that made the contract for Bram’s assassination and murder him.
Endarrion 04-12-07, 09:43 PM	Yay!!!!!!!! It's done!!!!! And on time too!!!!! Good luck to everyone! :)
Far_Traveler 04-12-07, 11:23 PM	Fetive Grave, "Phage the Sewer Scourge" CG Goblin Druid 9 Age: 23 Eyes: Green Skin: Greenish Yellow Hair: Dire Rat Brown Abilities: Str: 6 (0pts, -2 racial) Dex 10 (0 pts, +2 racial) Con 8 (0 pts) Int 14 (6pts) Wis 22 (16pts + 2 level, +2 headband) Cha 12 (6pts, -2 racial) HP: 35 AC: 10 + 1 size + 0 dex + 4 armor + 1 deflection + 0 natural = 16 Speed: 30ft. Attack(Damage)[breakdown]: Dagger +6/+1(1d3-2) [6BaB, +1size, -2 str, +1 masterwork] Saves: +8 Fort, +6 Ref, +14 Will (6/3/6 druid, -1/0/5 ability, 3/3/3 cloak) Conditional Saves: +4 against the spell-like abilities of Fey Immunities: Poison, Disease, Tracking, Overgrowth Language: Goblin, Common, Draconic, Elven Feats: Leadership (score: 9 + 1 cha + 2 great renown (defender of Oasis)) Cohort: -2 animal companion, Followers: +2 base of operations (Oasis) total: 10 cohort, 14 followers Augment Summoning Spell Focus (conjuration) Natural Spell Skills: Concentrate +11 (12 ranks, -1 constitution) Hide +15 (6 ranks, +4 size, +5 competence) Move Silently +15 (6 ranks, +4 racial, +5 competence) Spot +18 (12 ranks, +6 wisdom) Listen +18 (12 ranks, +6 wisdom) Knowledge (Nature) +4 (0 ranks, +2 intelligence, +2 nature sense) (DC 10 or below only) Handle Animal +13 (12 ranks, +1 charisma) (+4 in addition with Plague) Ride +6 (0 ranks, +4 racial, +2 handle animal) Survival +8 (0 ranks, +6 wisdom, +2 nature sense)(+2 for aboveground natural enviroments) Wild Empathy +10 (9 druid levels, +1 charisma) (+4 in addition with Plague) Spells: 6/4/4/3/2/1, 0/2/2/1/1/1/1 bonus 0th: Purify food and drink x2, create water, mending, detect magic, cure minor wounds 1st: Speak with animals, Pass without Trace, Obscuring mist, endure elements, calm animals, cure light wounds 2nd: Summon swarm x2, gust of wind, reduce animal, barkskin +4, soften earth and stone 3rd: Poison, contagion, cure moderate wounds, stone shape 4th: Giant Vermin, Cure serious wounds, Control Water 5th: Animal Growth, Cure Critical wounds Possessions: (due to Purfi, wands, potions, wondrous items are at 75% price if requisites are met between Fetive or Purfi) Masterwork dagger (302) +1 Studded Leather of shadow and silent moves (8,675) Periapt of Health (5,625) +2 headband of Wisdom (3,000) Decanter of Endless Water (6,250) Cloak of Resistance +3 (6,750) Handy haversack (2,000) Ring of protection +1 (2,000) Holly and Mistletoe x50 (-) Everburning Torch (50)(see: club with continual flame cast on it) Map case with 20 sewer maps (in goblin/draconic hybrid code) (4.1) Ink, spare parchment x10, inkpen (10.1) Flint and steel (1) 100ft. Silk Rope (20) 2x Masterwork manacles with amazing grade locks (400) Cure light wounds scrolls x20 (500) Cure light wounds potions x5 (250) Steel mirror (10) 4lbs of soap (2) signal whistle (.8) 3 flasks (.09) 2 scotch bottles, 2 vodka bottles, 2 whiskey bottles (30 total) 10 platinum, 11 gold, 85 silver, 41 copper in coin Encumbrance: 10lb. studded leather, 5lb. haversack, light load 15lb. Animal Companion: Plague, Dire Rat HP: 42 (7 HD) Initiative: +9 Speed: 40ft, 20ft climb Low-light vision, Scent Str 13 Dex 20 Con 12 Int 1 Wis 12 Cha 4 Attack (Damage) Bite +10/+5 (1d4+1 plus disease) AC: 17 (10 + 1 size + 1 natural + 5 dex) BaB/Grapple: +5/+2 Saves: +6/+10/+3, +4 will against enchantment (base 5/5/2, 1/5/1 ability) (Note: dire animals get all good saves instead of weak will, would that apply? Add 3 onto will save if so) Feats: Weapon Finesse(b), Alertness, Stealthy, Improved initiative, Evasion Skills(points): Swim +13, Climb +13, Hide +14(3), Move silently +10(3), Spot +5(2), Listen +5(2) Dire Rats gain a +8 racial bonus on swim and climb, and can take 10 on climb at any time, as well as use their dexterity modifier on swim and climb checks. Filth Fever: on bite, DC 14, incubation period 1d3 days, damage 1d3 dex and 1d3 con. the DC is constitution based. Tricks: Fetive can command Plague to do the following tricks: Attack, Attack unnatural, Heel, Go home, Fetch, Hide, Come. Fetive was a goblin borne to parents in the slums of the great city of Tempus Fugit, his father was a manservant, his mother a maid. However, he came to be in a very poor time to be a Goblinoid. The day prior to Fetive's birth, a dwarf with a particular vendetta against goblinoids came into power. This dwarf's name was Celesto Morgan. He funded a group of mercanaries to slaughter every single goblinoid within the boundaries of the city. Fortunately, high-profile goblinoids were targeted first, so the other goblins recieved ample warning. They quickly fled to the sewers, where they met a goblin who had trained in druidic arts. This Goblin was Pestile Diaz. With these arts he slowly built a city in the sewers, he created water purification items, shaped the stone, created a thriving ecosystem for the goblins, now known as Oasis. Afterwards, the reptilian races joined them. But all of this was nothing compared to what he did to ward off the hunters. He, with the help of some other goblins, created the persona of Phage, the Sewer Scourge. Phage was, according to (goblin patented) legend, Phage is a terrible beast that has command over rats, spiders, crocs, and anything else that is in a sewer. He devours anyone who enters, and hunts down children who stay up past their bedtime (okay, the goblins didn't come up with that last part). Oasis is a city of goblins and kobolds who are mostly very frail, despite clean-ish living. There used to be bugbears, lizardfolk and hobgoblins too, but they were slaughtered after leading a crusade against Tempus Fugit. Thus, the city is sized for the smaller folk, more defensible that way. After an incident involving an angry stuck crocodile, Fetive, and Pestile, Fetive's parents decided to send him to be Pestile's apprentice. It never occurred to Pestile to take one, so he immediately went along with the idea. After Pestile's demise (old age), Fetive took up the mantle. He continued his work training up the defenses of Oasis, something that Pestile neglected, by stocking the sewers with trained rat swarms, dire rats, crocodiles, unleashing giant spiders in strategic positions, and traps crafted by the kobolds and maps with red herrings and misleading warnings, only decodable to those who know it or those with knowledge of Goblin and Draconic who succeed on a DC12 decipher script check. With these defenses in addition to Fetive's near-constant vigil, Oasis should be safe for times to come, the defenses tested near-constantly by adventurers-to-be. But now, he plans on taking on the city in a fight that requires wits, laws, and possibly numbers. He may need some help... Fetive has the entire sewers mapped out, and has placed approximately three dozen medium monstorous spiders throughout. Since thier placement, 2 of them have grown to large, 1 has grown to huge, and they have reporduced about 40 small spiders, 100 tiny, and about 7 swarm's worth of diminuative spiders. These spiders are not trained, but the ones sized medium and above are confined to thier rooms with porticullis set to open by presssure plates. The only reason they survive is due to the goblins feeding them regularly with live prey. The traps surrounding the spider rooms are only set off by 100lbs or more. Rats, Crocs, and Snakes are also scattered about the sewer. these are trained to detain prey, avoid the scent of citrus(marked faintly near every trap), and in the cases of crocodiles and snakes, retreat through the water systems to get healing at a station when wounded. At the station, there are low-level clerics and druids armed with wands of cure light wounds. Rats are in organizations of swarms or Dire Packs. Fetive's Pride and joy, however, is the Giant Constricter Snake he raised personally(with a little help). He named it Jormundgor. Whenever Fetive can, he brings Jormundgor along with Plague to a fight. Most traps in the sewers only affect medium sized folk, although there are still pit and arrow traps that can hit foes of all sizes. It is made sure that the maitenence workers know these traps extra well. All traps have a manual reset, with patrols resetting traps as needed. There are only six magical traps in these Sewers, made by Pestile himself There are six passages into Oasis, and each has a room filled with monsters. One with Spiders, another with constricter snakes, another with vipers (the only room with vipers), another with crocodiles, another with rats, and finally one with various types of beetle. the traps are set to activate Animal Growth or Giant Vermin, set off whenever a spell is cast within 60ft of the trap. They are recharged by Fetive expending the appropriate prepared spell. However, while the defenses have been very good at keeping intruders from living, it has not done as well at being subtle about it, something Fetive failed to consider when he expanded operations. Soon enough, Celesto may just send someone competent enough to actually do something other then die. Fortunately, he may just send someone who would sympathize with Oasis's plight... Fetive is 2'11 and dressed in rags, hiding his armor and cloak. It doesn't do that great of a job, but it hides the armor from a casual glance. When not in his armor, he prefers a loincloth and his magic items. Fetive wants more then anything acceptance into 'big' society, for him and his wards. He has a very healthy aversion to trusting them though. However, if he lays trust to someone he will guard them with his life, just as he does with Oasis. Fetive prefers subterfuge to combat. However, if provoked he will summon some help and use Animal Growth, and then Wildshape into his mighty Constricter Snake form. Enemies: Celesto Morgan is still alive and in power, he has at the very least distracted the city from social ills by his many crusades against monstrous races, first the goblins then the reptillians, he is now looking towards orcs... Celesto has converted the entire legislation of Tempus Fugit into his pawns, none knowing that he is in fact a sorcerer. Allies: The humble city of Oasis is typically at the disposal of Fetive, although he is loathe to do so as life is hard enough without him tapping into valuable resources. Although he of course would not hesitate to use his knowledge and his city to hide his friends, for that is what he does best. Cohort: Purfi, Chaotic Good 7th level goblin wizard Purfi is Fetive's older sister, she came to the city from her apprenticeship from Deus of Artifice and ensuing adventures well after Oasis's construction. She was to be executed publicly for being a goblin, but she was rescued from the prison by Fetive himself. It was because of Purfi that Oasis was able to be built in a such a short time, as Pestile did not have the skills for proper outfitting of such an endeavor. If she had not intervened, surely they would of been wiped out by adventurers long ago, as Fetive wouldn't of been able to fend them off, his magic exhausted maintaining Oasis. She has long ago made Oasis self-sustaining, however, and she longs for the days after her apprenticeship, when there was excitement and danger. Notable Feats: Craft wondrous item, Brew Potion, Scribe Scroll, craft wand, Extend spell Notable Spells: Pyrotechnics, Minor Creation, Polymorph, Secret Page, Major Image, Continual Flame Notable Skills: Craft (alchemy), craft (woodworking), Craft (Stonemasonry), Craft (metalworking), Appraise Followers: Dak'Na, kobold rogue 2 Dak'Na is the maintanence officer of Oasis's defense system. He manages the squad that maintains the traps, the monsters, and scouts. It was Dak'Na that designed most of the traps, as well as created the Code used to keep secret traps. Notable Skills: Hide, Move silently, Decipher script, Craft(trapmaking), Handle Animal 15 kobold/goblins 1 The other 15 followers of Fetve is used to maintain the traps, the monsters, etc. These followers represent them because the Inhabitants of Oasis tend to only defend themselves. all of them have trained together in 2 squads, 10 kobolds and 5 goblins. Kobold notable skills: Craft(Trapmaking), Hide, Move Silently Goblin notable skills: Handle Animal, Hide, Move Silently NOTE: I was unsure as to if it was modifiers or average, decrease all physical stats by 2 if the former(3 if odd) Dire Rat, Advanced (Medium) Str: 14 Dex: 15 Con: 14 Attack: +8 bite Damage: 1d6+2 plus disease Special: Disease DC 14, Filth Fever AC: 13, 11 flatfooted, 12 touch Saves: 8/5/11 Speed: 40ft, 20ft climb Grapple: +8 Crocodile Str: 19 Dex: 12 Con: 17 Attack: +10 Bite or +10 Tail slap Damage: 1d8+4 or 1d12+4 Special: Improved Grab (bite) AC: 15, 14 flatfooted, 11 touch Saves: 9/4/11 Speed: 20ft, 30ft swim Grapple: +10 Constricter Snake, Advanced (large) Str: 25 Dex: 15 Con: 17 Attack: +13 bite Damage: 1d4+7 Special: Improved Grab, Constrict 1d4+7 AC: 15, touch 11, flatfooted 13 Saves: 9/5/11 Speed: 20ft, 20ft swim, 20ft climb Grapple: +17 Dog Str: 13 Dex: 17 Con: 15 Attack: Bite +7 Damage: 1d4+1 Special: N/A AC: 15, flat footed 12, touch 14 Saves: 8/6/11 Speed: 40ft Grapple:+3 And that's it!! Hoo boy was I busy this competition, I think the concept can rival Dogma's... Notes: I must admit, It might be difficult to establish him in a campaign, but one could say that he sends an envoy to a more tolerant place to send help... or he meets the party personally while on a patrol himself and extend mercy to those who would aid him, or something along those lines. I think that he would make a very valuable companion, seeing as how he can bring them through the sewers, a much more advantageous battlefield and a way to move from place to place in the city. I tend to take liberties, and I might of pushed up my backround advantages a tad, but I'm a Hero in one city, a villian in another. I have Kobolds and Goblins with Handle Animal ranks at my disposal, I think I did it right. I present Fetive Grave to your mercy.
Maekrix_Waere 04-13-07, 12:21 AM	Far_Traveler, if Fetive Grave ever wants a bit of help with his...dwarf problem...tell him to give Ki'ahestiryl a call. :P He'd even be willing to do that job for free. :eek:
edwardsobel 04-13-07, 03:10 AM	Kyrani Tabadore (a.k.a Tabby) Elf -- bard 4 / Rogue 3 / Enchanter 1 / Streetfighter 1 http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s18/edwardsobel/tabbypiccontest.jpg Tabby was born into a poor lifestyle. Though she never really knew her father she was very attached to her mother, one could say they were more like sisters than mother and daughter. Tabby was born on a cold winter evening in an old semi-usable wagon that was a part of a small traveling carnival. The Carnival was named Clyde Brothers, and owned by a pair of scheming human swindlers always looking for easy money but they had a sharp tongue and quick wit, they have been known to sell ice to a Frost elf. Tabby's mother was a part of an acrobatic troupe and Tabby was to join when she was old enough. She studied hard but was always distracted by the carnival mage (a senile old man but fun to be with). His name was Praxis. Praxis was a member of the Order of the Rose Sorcerous Society, he showed Tabby several simple tricks but she never liked the illusions, she wanted to learn charms to entice the audience to watch her. Praxis was fun to be with, always an easy joke when he was around but you had to admire his perseverance (especially to put up with Tabby’s antics). Praxis even recommended her to the Order of the Rose Guild because as he would say “The girl is high spirited but has talent. Just got to curb that chaotic nature”. The Order accepted her on a trial basis (at least until she was of age). Tabby came to really like Praxis as a father figure (even though he was human). Even when Praxis died (when Tabby was in her thirties, which is still a child to an elf) Tabby felt a deep sorrow. She wouldn’t talk or smile for a whole year and cried almost every night. Her closest friend (besides her mother) was gone. It wasn’t until Tabby got the chance to be in the show with her mother she smiled again. Tabby grew even closer to her mother after Praxis’ death. Tabby enjoyed being part of the show. Performing feats of acrobatics, escape artist routines, and even tried the tightrope (not too successful at that but at least she tried). There was one show Tabby finally got to be in with her mother’s troupe (the knife throwing) Tabby was the target of course. In the troupe there were two brothers, twins, that both liked Tabby and as luck (or un-luck) they were the knife throwers for the act. Well, one show just before the act was to start Tabby was off with another fellow, a cute kid (maybe 16 or 17 human years of age) and loving every minute of it I might add. The brothers found Tabby and the other boy kissing behind an animal cage and boy were they ******. Of course Tabby had no idea she was caught, at least until they went out to perform. The knives were a little close for comfort that show until one hit (not supposed to happen by the way) right in the shoulder. Tabby tried hard to make amends with the brothers but they didn’t want to hear about it. Tabby was a little heartbroken, after all she did like the two and her romp was more to make them jealous (as a joke) than to really hurt them. The two brothers fighting were bad for business and the Clyde brothers kicked them out of the carnival. Tabby pleaded to let them stay but who listens to a little girl anyway. Time went on and Tabby grew bigger and soon was performing with her mother in the troupe doing stunts and even filling in as a clown now and then (No puns please). That’s when it happened. The caravan was attacked by orcs on a long stretch of road in the wilderness taking everything. The Clyde brothers were killed and Tabby and her mother were wounded and left for dead. Tabby was the first to awaken and upon seeing her mother she felt pain unlike anything she felt before but thanks to the gods she was still alive. Tabby scrounged around the battle scene for any food or money that she could use. All she found was the Rapier that one her admirers used in a sword display sideshow (surprising the orcs left it behind). Tabby and her mother wandered for days with little to eat until they found themselves at the city of Monmurg. Not having any money they were forced to live in an old run down shack in the seedy part of town. Tabby’s mother never fully recovered from her wounds and infection set in while on the road and she was always ill. They needed money to survive so Tabby’s mother sought work wherever she could and Tabby was left to fend for herself while she was away. Tabby learned to live on the streets taking small bits of food from street merchants and the like. It was a warm evening when she saw her mother “working” at a local tavern. Dancing for money. Tabby glanced in the window and was mesmerized by her mother’s grace on the stage only interrupted by an occasional cough from her illness. Tabby was quickly chased from the window once discovered and not a moment too soon. After she left, her mother began her “work” with the gentlemen patrons. Tabby’s mother became pregnant and gave birth to a half-elven boy. With no money to feed him and the illness getting worse she was forced to rely on Tabby to steal what she could to keep them going. It was Tabby’s 90th birthday when Tabby got a gift from her mother, a beautiful violet “dancing” dress. A slit up to the hip showed just enough leg to be tempting but not vulgar. Tabby tried it on and it fit perfectly, her mother did up her hair, eyes, and nails. There stood a half-sized woman where only a child stood a moment before. Tabby asked her mother what to do now. Tabby’s mother fought back tears and said to “dance” for the gentlemen and be nice to them and they will be nice to you. Tabby knew what she had to do and that was the last time she saw her mother. She died that night from the illness. Tabby and her baby brother were alone now, she tried her best to take care of him but it was too much. Tabby took her brother (at the age of 6) and headed to the orphanage at the church of Pelor. There she left her brother in the hopes he will have a loving home and a warm bed to sleep in. Tabby left like a thief in the night. Tabby remembered the advice she got from her mother before she died “Be true to yourself and never let anyone take away your smile”. Tabby began her work at the tavern she first saw her mother dancing all those years ago. Tabby mourned her mother’s passing even till now, several years later. She never knew what came of her half-elven brother nor what his new name is She only knew him as “Podarious” or Podo as she liked to call him, and his unique birthmark that looked like a tiny spade on the back of his neck. After working the dance for a few years Tabby got to be quite popular She has been known to do a spell or two to entice a larger tip from the patrons but nothing to fancy (she didn’t want to let on that she knew magic. (That was her little secret). Tabby made good money at the taverns, but she only kept enough to keep fed and keep a leaky roof over her head. The remainder of her earnings went to the church of Pelor orphanage to finance the care for her brother. Years passed and Tabby’s brother was no longer at the orphanage, she tried to find out what happened but never got any information about his adopted parents. Tabby continued to contribute to the church regularly the only way she could think of to repay their kindness and secrecy. The bar Tabby mainly worked got to be quite popular even attracting the attention of the local thieves’ guild (who of course wanted in on the action). It was about the time Tabby was 110 years old she was going the see the tavern owner about her pay when she heard a scuffle going on inside. She cracked the door to peek in. A man pointed a hand x-bow at the owner’s head while two other men held him down “twang” and he fell over dead in a pool of blood. Tabby shrieked and of course got the attention of the killers. They tried to grab Tabby before she could get away. During the struggle was when she noticed one of the henchmen was half-elven and had a spade shaped birthmark on the back of his neck. “Podo?” she cried but he didn’t even recognize her. Tabby got away that night. Tabby never heard about what happened from that night. She moved to another tavern to work and found a temporary refuge in the Order of the Rose Guild Hall. But it was bad practice for the guild to harbor those that may be involved in a crime so they intended to turn her over to the city guard. Tabby didn’t want any part of that she was carefree but not stupid, she knew that she would be framed for the murder (if she wasn’t already) the assassins guild would make sure of that. Tabby needed a new hideout so she eventually joined the knife pendant thieves’ guild. Tabby liked this guild, it was small enough to not be noticed, and was a common guild for the lower classes street urchins of the city. The guild never asked for much but was a safe house when Tabby got in trouble again and again and again. On Tabby’s 114th birthday, she received an unmarked present at her home. Inside was a gold heart shaped locket and a book bound with fine leather and embossed elf runes. When Tabby opened the Locket, a phantasm image of her mother appeared. It said: “As close as we were even I had secrets, Praxis was my teacher and I too was an illusionist, your magical talents obviously come from me and your high spirit is from your father. This book was my spell book, keep it and protect it, as it is all there is of mine to give to you. Keep this locket close to your heart and I will be there too. Be true to yourself and never let anyone take away your smile.” Tabby cried for hours that night and realized that someone knows about her past (someone from the carnival) and that someone knew her. For the next several years Tabby attempted to find the sender of the gift. Until one night while leaving the tavern she was working at, she realized she was being followed, when she tricked her trailers she “got the jump on them”. After a little “female persuasion” she heard what she wanted. She was a loose end to murder several years earlier and it was her brother attempting to send them on the wrong track to keep her safe. She asked where her brother is now and they replied, “probably dead sent into exile for turning against the guild”. Tabby let the thieves go that night and began looking for a way out of town. She has heard rumors of a group known as “Hammett’s Hands”* maybe they can help. * See the entry Hammett (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=11928404&postcount=24) for info on this by “wrecan” Stats: Base: Strength: 10 (2 pts) Dexterity: 14 (6 pts) Constitution: 12 (4 pts) Intelligence: 13 (5 pts) Wisdom: 11 (3 pts) Charisma: 15 (8 pts) Final: Strength: 10 Dexterity: 18 (+2 race, +2 magic) Constitution: 10 (-2 race) Intelligence: 14 (+1 level 8) Wisdom: 11 Charisma: 16 (+1 level 4) Race: Elf Levels: bard 4 / Rogue 3 / Enchanter 1 / Streetfighter 1 Alignment: Chaotic Good Hair: black Eyes: blue Height 5’ 3” Weight 100 lbs Age: 119 Languages: common, elf, draconic Combat stats: HP: 34 (7d6 + 1d4 + 1d8) AC: 21 (+5 Armor, +4 Dex, +2 ring of force shield) Touch: 14, Flatfooted: 15 (17 with ring), AC 16 vs. Incorporeal with ring activated Init: +5 (+4 Dex, +1 Streetfighter ability) Base Attack: +6/+1 Masterwork Rapier: +11/+6; damage 1d6; Crit 18-20/x2 Masterwork Whip: +11/+6; damage 1d3; Crit 20/x2; non-lethal damage; (15’ reach) Armor worn: +1 Mithral Chain shirt Glammored: (ACP 0, ASF 10%, max Dex +6) Saves: Fort: +5 (+4 base, +1 magic) Ref: +12 (+7 base, +4 Dex, +1 magic) (+1 vs. traps) Will: +8 (+7 base, +1 magic) Feats: Combat Expertise (level 1) Improved feint (Level 3) Weapon finesse (Level 6) Scribe Scroll (Wizard bonus feat) Disguise spell (level 9) Level by level Breakdown: Level 1: Bard: 28 skill points +1 Balance, +3 bluff, +2 Diplomacy, +4 Gather Information, +1 Knowledge Arcana, +2 Knowledge local, +1 knowledge nature, +2 Move Silently, +4 perform dancing, +1 profession carnival performer, +1 sense motive, +2 sleight of hand, +4 tumble. Feats: Combat expertise (PHB 92) Level 2: Rogue: 9 skill points +1 bluff, +1 Diplomacy, +1 hide, +2 Intimidate, +1 knowledge local, +1 perform dancing, +2 Profession escort Level 3: Bard: 7 skill points +1 gather Information, +1 Knowledge Arcana, +1 knowledge nature, +1 perform dancing, +2 sense motive, +1 spellcraft. Feat: Improved Feint (PHB 95) Level 4: Rogue: 9 skill points +2 balance, +1 bluff, +1 gather information, +2 intimidate, +1 perform dancing, +1 profession escort, +1 tumble. +1 charisma Level 5 Bard: 7 skill points +1 appraise, +1 balance, +1 bluff, +1 open lock (cc), +1 perform dancing, +1 sense motive. Level 6 Rogue: 9 skill points +1 Disable device, +1 disguise, +2 Escape Artist, +1 Forgery, +1 hide, +1 Intimidate, +1 perform dancing, +1 sense motive. Feat: Weapon finesse Level 7 Bard: 7 skill points +1 balance, +1 bluff, +1 Diplomacy, +1 Disguise, +1 Escape Artist, +1 gather Information, +1 Perform dancing. Level 8 Enchanter: 4 skill points +1 knowledge local, +1 knowledge nobility, +1 knowledge religion, +1 Profession Escort. +1 Intelligence. Opposition schools: necromancy and Evocation. Feat: Scribe scroll (wizard bonus feat), gain cat familiar Level 9 Streetfighter: 6 skill points +1 bluff, +1 disable device, +1 knowledge local, +1 listen, +2 spot. Feat: Disguise spell (Complete Adventurer 108) Class abilities: Trap sense (Ex) +1 reflex saves vs. traps. Bardic Knowledge (Ex) 1d20+6 Bardic Music 4/day Countersong (Su) for 10 rounds 30’ radius Fascinate (Sp): 2 creatures, Will save negates (DC=perform check), lasts up to 4 rounds up to 90’ away. Inspire Courage (Su): +1 on saves vs. charm and fear, +1 attack and damage rolls, lasts as long as performing +5 rounds. Inspire Competence (Su): +2 bonus to a skill check within 30’ and can see/hear performer. Lasts up to 2 min. Evasion (Ex): no damage on successful reflex save vs. magical attack Sneak Attack: +2d6 Trapfinding (Ex) can find traps with DC >20 Familiar: Cat gain alertness when within arm reach Enchanter: +1 enchantment spell per day per spell level, +2 spellcraft to learn new enchantment spells, cannot learn Necromancy or Evocation spells. Always ready (Ex): +1 initiative checks Streetwise (Ex): +2 gather information and knowledge local checks. Racial abilities: Low light vision Immunity to sleep +2 saves vs. enchantments +2 spot, search, listen checks Auto search secret doors within 10’ +2 Dex, -2 Con Favored class Wizard Magic Items: Hat of Disguise (1,800 gp) Cloak of resistance +1 (1000 gp) Choker of Eloquence, lesser (6000 gp) Potion cure light wounds x4 (200 gp) Gloves of Dexterity +2 (4000 gp) Ring of Force Shield (8500 gp) Ring of mind Shielding (8000 gp) Armor (+1 Mithral Chain shirt, Glammored) (4800 gp) Scroll Cure Moderate wounds (150 gp) * Scroll Identify (93.75 gp)* *(Crafted item) Non-magical equipment: Courtier’s outfit x2 (60 gp) Entertainer’s outfit x2 (6gp) Backpack (2 gp) Disguise kit (50 gp) Holy symbol, wooden (Pelor) (1 gp) Thieves’ tools, masterwork (100 gp) Spell component pouch (5 gp) Tindertwigs x5 (5 gp) Belt Pouch x2 (2gp) Lock Amazing x2 (300 gp) Amber 150gp Bloodstone 50gp Jasper 50gp Bedroll (0.1 gp) Chest (2gp) Ink vial x2 (16 gp) Inkpen x2 (.2 gp) Case, map or scroll x2 (2 gp) Parchment (sheet) x3 (.6 gp) Masterwork rapier (320 gp) Masterwork Whip (301 gp) Cash on hand: 33 gp, 3 sp, 5cp Skills (those with ranks or enhancements) Appraise: +3 (+1 rank, +2 Int) Balance: +11 (+5 ranks, +4 Dex, +2 synergy) Bluff: +16 (+8 ranks, +3 Cha, +5 choker) Diplomacy: +16 (+4 ranks, +3 Cha, +4 synergy, +5 choker) Disable Device: +6 (+2 ranks, +2 Int, +2 tools) Disguise: +15 (+2 ranks, +3 Cha, +10 hat) Escape Artist: +7 (+3 ranks, +4 Dex) Forgery: +3 (+1 rank, +2 Int) Gather Information: +14 (+7 ranks, +3 Cha, +2 Streetfighter, +2 Synergy) Heal: +2 (+2 healers kit) Hide: +6 (+2 ranks, +4 Dex) Intimidate: +10 (+5 ranks, +3 Cha, +2 synergy) Jump: +2 (+2 synergy) Know (Arcana): +4 (+2 ranks, +2 Int) Know (local): +9 (+5 ranks, +2 Int, +2 Streetfighter) Know (nature): +4 (+2 ranks, +2 Int) Know (Nobility): +3 (+1 ranks, +2 Int) Know (religion): +3 (+1 ranks, +2 Int) Listen: +5 (+1 ranks, +2 elf, +2 familiar) Move Silently: +9 (+2 ranks, +4 Dex, +3 familiar) Open Locks: +7 (+1 ranks, +4 Dex, +2 tools) Perform Dancing: +13 (+10 ranks, +3 Cha) Perform Singing: +8 (+3 Cha, +5 Choker) Profession escort: +4 (+4 ranks) Profession carnival performer: +1 (+1 ranks) Search: +4 (+2 Int, +2 elf) Sense Motive: +5 (+5 ranks) Sleight of hand: +8 (+2 ranks, +4 Dex, +2 synergy) Spellcraft: +3 (+1 ranks, +2 Int) Spot: +6 (+2 ranks, +2 elf, +2 familiar) Tumble: +9 (+5 ranks, +4 Dex) Arcane spell failure 10% (* = Enchantment school) —— 0-Level Spells —— Acid Splash phb: 196 Arcane Mark phb: 201 Daze* phb: 217 Detect Magic phb: 219 Detect Poison phb: 219 Ghost Sound phb: 235 Mage Hand phb: 249 Mending phb: 253 Message phb: 253 Open/Close phb: 258 Prestidigitation phb: 264 Read Magic phb: 269 Repair Minor Damage car: 120 Resistance phb: 272 —— 1st-Level Spells —— Feather Fall phb: 229 Hypnotism* phb: 242 Identify phb: 243 Orb of Sound, Lesser car: 116 Sleep* phb: 280 Wizard spell per day: (Arcane spell failure = 10%) 0-Level spells: 3 +1 Enchantment (Save DC 12) 1st level spells: 2 +1 Enchantment (Save DC 13) spell typically prepared: 0: Daze, message, Prestidigitation, Ghost sound 1: Hypnotism, Feather fall, Orb of sound lesser. Phb = Players Handbook Car = Complete Arcane Cad = Complete Adventurer —— 0-Level Spells —— Daze phb: 217 Detect Magic phb: 219 Ghost Sound phb: 235 Prestidigitation phb: 264 Read Magic phb: 269 Summon Instrument phb: 285 —— 1st-Level Spells —— Silent image phb: 279 Charm Person phb: 209 Invisibility, Swift cad: 153 —— 2nd-Level Spells —— Calm Emotions phb: 207 Cure Moderate Wounds phb: 216 Bard spells per day: (no arcane spell failure with light armor) 0-level spells: 3 (Save DC 13) 1st level spells: 3 (save DC 14) 2nd level spells: 1 (Save DC 15) Salem Male cat familiar AL: Neutral; Size: Tiny; familiar Init +2 (+2 Dex); Senses [scent, low light vision] Listen +3, Spot +3 AC 15, touch 14, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +2 size, +1 natural) Hp 17 Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +8 Spd: 30 ft. 2 claws +10 (1d2-4) (+6 BAB, +2 Dex, +2 size) Base Atk +6; Grp -6 Abilities Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7 Special qualities: improved evasion, shared spells, empathic link Feats: Weapon Finesse, stealthy Skills: Balance +15, Bluff +6, Climb +6, Diplomacy +2, Hide +16, Intimidate +3, jump +10, listen +3, Move Silently +8, Sense Motive +6, Spot +3, Survival +1. 1) Tabby can almost always be found in the church of Pelor on her mother’s and her brother’s birthday in prayer and she lights a candle for each in their memory. Tabby has found a friend in the church of Pelor in Monmurg although there is little left of it now since the scarlet brotherhood seized control of the city. The church still is in operation, as the brotherhood never will fully shut it down. 2) The high priest is Cornelius (a human cleric of Pelor level 5). 3) Tabby has a weak spot for children and loves to entertain them and see to their well-being. She will always fight those that are “mean to children” (Cornelius has always said that she would be a good mother). 4) Tabby like to over act her capabilities when she meets new people she usually tries to be more powerful than she actually is. Mostly this is because she has a hard time trusting people and she want to try and scare them from taking action against her. 5) Deep down she is longing for a close friend that she can trust with everything. Tabby born CY472 Carnival attacked: CY545 Lived in Monmurg: CY545 – CY591 (46 years) Brother born CY561 Mother died: CY562 Brother given to church for adoption: CY567 Witness assassination (Brotherhood takes over): CY582 Exotic Dancer/Prostitute: CY562-587 (25 years) Barmaid (no prostitution): CY587-CY591 (4 years) Receives mysterious gift: CY586 Current year: CY591 1) The murder she witnessed was a hit by the Scarlet Brotherhood; the owner was a rather influential Noble and was a threat to the Brotherhood’s eventual occupation. 2) Tabby’s half-brother is a fighter/Thief, Assassin for the Scarlet brotherhood and has abandoned them in pursuit of his sister but still has some connections with the organization. He has a price on his head from the brotherhood for betraying them. 3) The assassin guild mentioned is actually the Scarlet Brotherhood. my notes about the character: this is one of my PC's that I have played for may years since 3rd edition first came out. she has been many different classes depending on the game. I even had her be a Tibbit race once. I have always enjoyed playing this character and I hope enjoy her story. There is more to her dtory but I didnt want to bore you all with details of individual game sessions. I also thought it a neat idea to have a loose tie to another entry in this contest I hope that nobody objects, but it is loose enough to be removed with changing the story. ...
Far_Traveler 04-13-07, 10:39 AM	Far_Traveler, if Fetive Grave ever wants a bit of help with his...dwarf problem...tell him to give Ki'ahestiryl a call. :P He'd even be willing to do that job for free. :eek: Take him alive. I shall prepare the Sewers for the Hunt.
Lazzmaniandevil 04-13-07, 12:44 PM	Kanti Magourik, Half-elf Urban ranger 5 / vigilante 4 Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (elf) Hit Dice: 9d8+9 (53 hp) Initiative: +3 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares) Armor Class: 21 (+3 Dex, +6 armor, +1 shield, +1 deflection), touch 14, flat-footed 18 Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+7 Attack: shortsword +12 melee 1d6+1 (17-20/X2) or shortbow +12 ranged 1d6+1 (X3) Full Attack: shortswords +10/+10/+5 melee 1d6+1 (17-20/X2) or shortbow +12/+7 ranged 1d6+1 (X3) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: smite the guilty Special Qualities: immunity to sleep spells and effects, low-light vision, favored enemy, wild empathy, animal companion, detect evil, streetwise, quick search, speak with dead Saves: Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +8 (+2 vs enchantments) Abilities: Str 11, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 16 Languages: Common, elven Skills: Climb + 0 (+2 with ropes), Concentration +4, Diplomacy +7, Disguise +10 (+12 with kit; +20 with hat), Escape artist +8 (+10 with ropes), Gather info +17, Handle animal +8, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (local) +14, Listen +8, Ride +5, Search +5, Sense motive +14, Spot +8, Use ropes +8 (+10 with bindings) Feats: Alertness, urban tracking (b), two-weapon fighting (b), endurance (b), weapon finesse, great fortitude, two-weapon defense Challenge Rating: 9 Alignment: Neutral Spells: Ranger caster level 2nd; Ranger spell(s) per day – 1; Vigilante caster level 4th; Vigilante spells per day – 4/2; Vigilante spells known – 4/3 Spells' DC: Ranger spell(s): 13 + spell level; Vigilante spell(s): 13 + spell level Typical ranger spell prepared: Level 1 – Pass without trace; Vigilante spells known: (arcane spell failure chance = 10%) Level 1 – comprehend languages, detect magic, disguise self, expeditious retreat; Level 2 – detect thoughts, invisibility, sonic weapon (CAd); Smite the guilty (Su): Once per day, Kanti can attempt to smite someone who he has witnessed doing a crime in his home city (+4 to attack and +4 damage). Favored enemy (Ex): Kanti chose vermin as his 1st favored enemy. He gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against vermin. Likewise, he gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures. He then chose humans as his 2nd favored enemy (and for his bonus increase). He gains a +4 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against humans. Likewise, he gets a +4 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures. Wild empathy (Ex): Kanti can use body language to improve the attitude of an animal. His check modifier is +8. Animal companion (Ex): Kanti currently has a dog named Zathar as an animal companion (see below). Detect evil (Sp): Kanti can detect evil as the spell of the same name at will. Streetwise (Ex): Kanti has a +2 bonus to all his gather info and knowledge [local] skill checks. Quick search (Ex): Kanti can search a 5X5 square as a move action. Speak with dead (Sp): Once per day, Kanti can speak with dead as the spell of the same name (caster level 4th). Possessions Market price weight note c hs 2 +1 keen shortsword 16,620gp 4 lb +1 shortbow 1,330gp 2 lb 40 arrows 2gp 1.5 lb 4.5 lb (10 c, 30 in hs) +2 mithril shirt 3,100gp 10 lb Periapt of wisdom +2 4,000gp -- Ring of protection +1 2,000gp -- Cloak of charisma +2 4,000gp 2 lb Hat of disguise 1,800gp -- Handy haversack 2,000gp 5 lb Disguise kit 50gp -- 8 lb (in hs) 2 traveler's outfits 2gp 5 lb 5 lb (one worn, one in hs) Silk rope, 100ft 20gp -- 10 lb (in hs) Waterskin 1gp -- 4 lb (in hs) Bedroll 0.1gp -- 5 lb (in hs) Flint and steel 1gp -- -- (in hs) 2 days of rations 1gp -- 2lb (in hs) Bullseye lantern 12gp 3 lb Spell component pouch 1gp 0.5lb 2 smokesticks 40gp -- 1 lb (in hs) 3 Tanglefoot bags 150gp -- 12 lb (in hs) 2 Thunderstones 60 gp -- 2 lb (in hs) Potions** 1,450gp -- -- Gems*** 1,290gp -- -- Coins**** 29.9gp 0.4 lb 0.8 lb Total 36,000gp 33.4 lb (54.3 lb in haversack) * c=carried; hs=haversack ** 5 X cure light wounds; 2 X cure moderate wounds, 1 X eagle's splendor, 1 X invisibility *** 1 aquamarine (550gp), 2 red spinels (110gp each), 3 white pearls (90gp each) and 5 chalcedony (50gp each) **** 4pp, 28gp, 18sp, 10cp; 8gp-8sp-4cp are carried; the rest is in hs) Abilities breakdown: base pt-buy lvl/4 item total Strength 11 3 10 Dexterity 15 8 +1 16 Constitution 12 4 12 Intelligence 10 2 11 Wisdom 13 5 +1 +2 16 Charisma 14 6 +2 16 Total 28 Skills breakdown: Climb + 0 (Str) = + 0 Concentration + 1 (Con) + 3 ranks (rgr) = + 4 Diplomacy + 3 (Cha) + 2 (rac.) + 2 (syn.) = + 7 Disguise + 3 (Cha) + 7 ranks (vig) = + 10 Escape artist + 3 (Dex) + 5 ranks (vig) = + 8 (+10 w/ropes) Gather info + 3 (Cha) + 8 ranks (rgr) + 2 (rac.) + 2 (sw) + 2 (syn.) = + 17 Handle animal + 3 (Cha) + 5 ranks (rgr) = + 8 Intimidate + 3 (Cha) + 4 ranks (rgr, cross-class) = + 7 Knowl (local) + 0 (Int) + 8 ranks (rgr) + 4 ranks (vig) + 2 (sw) = + 14 Listen + 3 (Wis) + 2 ranks (rgr) + 2 (al.) + 1 (rac.) = + 8 Ride + 3 (Dex) + 2 (synergy) = + 5 Search + 0 (Int) + 4 ranks (rgr) + 1 (rac. = + 5 Sense motive + 3 (Wis) + 8 ranks (rgr) + 3 ranks (vig) = + 14 Spot + 3 (Wis) + 2 ranks (rgr) +2 (al.) +1 (rac.) = + 8 Use Rope + 3 (Dex) + 5 ranks (vig) = + 8 Legend: rgr=ranger; vig=vigilante; al= alertness feat; sw=streetwise class ability; rac.=racial bonus; syn.=skill synergy Skill points: Ranger - (level 5 + 3) X 6 = 8 X 6 = 48 Vigilante - (level 4) X 6 = 24 Skill points spent: Ranger - 28 class ranks + (4 cross-class ranks X 2) = 48 skill points Vigilante - 24 class ranks = 24 skill points Saves breakdown: Fort +4 base (ranger) +1 (vigilante) +1 Con +2 (feat) = +8 Ref +4 base (ranger) +4 (vigilante) +3 Dex = +11 Will +1 base (ranger) +4 (vigilante) +3 Wis = +8 Physical description Kanti is a 44 years' old half-elf. He is not particularly tall at 5'6" and he is rather slim, weighting merely 130 pounds. He has straight, relatively long, blond hair that covers his pointy elven ears. People, especially women, will first notice his eyes, which are an astonishing golden honey brown. When not in a particular disguise, he generally wears a dull brown traveler's outfit. He almost never wears jewelry, unless it is necessary for a particular disguise. Personality At first, Kanti seems like a very sociable and likeable person, who leaves a very good first impression to everyone he meets. He likes to listen to other people's stories, but over time, some persons will get the impression that he listens more for his own personal enjoyment than out of caring for them, or out of any desire to help. Despite his sociable exterior, Kanti has a tendency to be a bit selfish. Background Kanti was born and raised with humans, with his mother, the only daughter of an adventuring gear merchant, who had already taken over the shop when Kantio was born. She wanted to give her child an elven first name, so that his elven father, an adventurer and regular customer of the shop, would not be forgotten. When she saw the child's light brown, almost golden eyes, she decided to call him eagle's eyes, or Kanti in the elven language. She gave him her own father's last name, Magourik. She was hoping for her child to be proud of his shared (human and elven) heritage. As he grew up, Kanti spend most of his days at the shop, listening to the customers' stories and basically learning everything there was to know about his town's inhabitants and the local legends that attracted adventurers. Little Kanti could literally spend hours listening to adventurers telling his mother why they needed that particular sword, or how some treasure they were trying to sell came into their possession. Logically, he developed a taste for living those stories himself. His first opportunity came on a particularly cold winter where the town was infested by vermin looking for some of the city heat. Adventurers were hired by the town for public buildings but many citizens could not afford to pay adventurers for their private properties. The young half-elf tracked down the vermin in exchange for a meal or sometimes even for free. When his mother died, he closed down the shop and tried to use his contacts to get more adventurous work. He was soon recruited by Turgas, a regular customer of his mother's shop. The man was the chief of the local thieves' guild, who had been using the Magourik's shop to sell items he had stolen. He knew that Kanti must have heard many stories that would be useful to him. He also knew that people trusted Kanti very much and that the young half-elf would have no problem getting information from them, so he hired him as an informer. At first, Kanti did not care too much about what use Turgas made of the information he was giving him. He was just glad to be useful to somebody. Of course, he knew who Turgas was, and he knew that when his boss was asking for the location of a famous painting inside the count's manor or how many guards would surround a rich aristocrat at a particular event, he wasn't asking just out of curiosity. Somehow, Kanti had convinced himself that it shouldn't be his concern and that he was doing nothing wrong. The half-elf kept his job as an informer for quite some time but all changed the day he met Chandia, a beautiful young maiden for which he felt deeply in love. At first, he did not want to tell the women what he was doing, but as Chandia was growing more and more suspicious that he was involved in something illegal, he decided to tell her. The women made him realize that even though his involvement was rather an indirect one, he was still involved and therefore, he should be considered a criminal. As Chandia said it herself, "you can't shake the devil's hand without embracing his evil ways". Kanti knew that he could not simply quit his job, so he found another way to repent himself and gain the respect of his loved one. He started to write anonymous letters to the town's authorities, alerting them of potential crimes the thieves' guild was about to commit. This worked well for some time, but one day, he happened to witness a crime as it was happening. He took one look into Chandia's eyes and he knew that if he wasn't going to intervene, he would loose her love forever. So Kanti did what he had to do and stopped the crime from happening. Needless to say that Turgas wasn't too happy when he learned that one of his employees had prevented one his thieves to complete a mission he had personally assign him. Kanti pleaded to his boss that he had not recognize the perpetrator as one of the guild members. Turgas was ready to forgive his trustee informer, but he later received some really incriminating information. The mayor's assistant, a man called Gustav, was corrupted and was secretly an ally of the thieves' guild. He had send Turgas one of the anonymous letters that were sent to the authorities, alerting them of potential crimes. The guild chief quickly recognized the writing of Kanti and has wanting him dead since then. Kanti learned that his own life was in danger the day his beloved Chandia was assassinated, killed by a single arrow to the neck, as she was walking in the town's park accompanied by Kanti's dog, Zathar. The half-elf eventually learned that he was the target of the assassin. Apparently, Turgas had given the mission to ends Kanti's life to his best assassin, a surprisingly stealthy half-orc named Trenviak. The cold-blooded half-orc had been warned about Kanti's talent for disguise, so when he recognized the dog, he immediately but wrongfully concluded that Chandia was actually Kanti in disguise. Current situation Kanti has practically never shown his real face to anyone since the incident that cost his girlfriend's life. His continuous disguise has been successful so far, but he has recently learned from a merchant that was a friend of her mother that Turgas has ordered a large quantity of scrolls of true seeing, in hopes of piercing his former employee's disguise. Naturally, the half-elf now realised that he must flee the city he loves, as it is getting way too dangerous. His current plan is to find a group of adventurers and join them on a mission that would take them anywhere, as long as it is far from his hometown. In due time, once he will have learned to trust his newfound friends, he hopes that he will be able to tell them his story, come back to his city and with their help, eliminate the thieves' guild. Enemies and allies Kanti has many enemies in his hometown, since all members of the thieves' guild have received word that whoever could bring Turgas the treacherous informer's head would be greatly rewarded. Pretty much every single person associated with the guild in one way or the other would probably killed Kanti if they had the chance. It is estimated that about 10% of the town's militia are corrupted, and although Kanti still knows who among the older guards are corrupted, he hasn't been informed about the new recruits' allegiances. Most members of the militia that aren't corrupted don't know about him, but they would protect him like they would protect any regular citizen, if Kanti was to be assaulted in a public place. Kanti has a particular hatred towards Turgas himself, Gustav, the man who blew his double agent cover, and of course, Trenviak, the man who killed his beloved Chandia. As for allies, many of his mother's former customers would probably accept to help Kanti if they had the chance. However, many of those former customers are either associated with the thieves' guild, or bounty hunters that would do anything for some gold. In that context, Kanti prefers to stay in disguise and rarely reveals himself to anybody. Zathar, Kanti's animal companion (riding dog) Size/Type: Medium Animal Hit Dice: 2d8+4 (13 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares) Armor Class: 16 ( +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14 Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+3 Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+3) Full Attack: Bite +3 melee (1d6+3) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: — Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent, link, share spells Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +1 Abilities: Str 15, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Jump +8, Listen +5, Spot +5, Survival +1*, Swim +3 (+7 tracking by scent) Feats: Alertness, TrackB Alignment: Neutral Tricks known: Attack, Come, Defend, Down, Guard, Heel, Track Zathar is a gentle and devoted companion who will show aggressiveness only when his master his threatened or has ordered him to attack. Its fur is average length, dark brown on his back with lighter shades of brown on his legs.
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-13-07, 12:46 PM	The master list has been updated! Wonder who else will submit a character in time... I also just realized I'm an incredibly lazy judge. I haven't posted a single FAQ in the FAQ spot. Oh well. A quick announcement. I will be out of town tonight, so Heros_Backpack will be calling time on this contest. Yes, I'm traveling (albeit briefly) on Friday the 13th. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?
Zherog 04-13-07, 02:00 PM	Percival “The Night Watchman” Isringben Male Human rogue 4/fighter 2/vigilante 31 CG Medium humanoid (human) Init +5 Senses Listen +10, Spot +10 Languages Common, Dwarven, Orc - - - - - - AC 21 (+5 Dex, +5 armor, +1 deflection); Touch 16; Flat-Footed 162; trap sense +1, uncanny dodge hp 59 (9 HD) Fort +9, Ref +14, Will +7; evasion, trap sense +1 - - - - - - Spd 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee +13/+8 rapier (1d6+2, 18-20/x2) or +13/+8 light hammer (1d4+2, 20/x2) or +12/+7 sap (1d6+1 nonlethal, 20/x2) or +11/+6 rapier (1d6+2, 18-20/x2) and +11/+6 light hammer (1d4+1, 20/x2) or Ranged +13/+8 composite longbow (1d8+1/x3) Base Atk +7; Grp +8 Atk Options Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, smite the guilty 1/day (+0 attack, +3 damage), Sneak attack +2d6 SQ Quick search, streetwise +2, trapfinding, trap sense +1 Combat Gear potion of cure light wounds x4 (200 gp), potion of cure moderate wounds (300 gp), acid flask x2 (20 gp), alchemist’s fire x2 (40 gp), smokestick x2 (40 gp), tanglefoot bag x2 (100 gp), thunderstone x2 (60 gp). Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th): At Will — detect evil - - - - - - Abilities Str 12, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 10 Feats Alertness, Combat Expertise, Improved DisarmB, Improved Trip, Investigator, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon FinesseB Skills Balance +16, Bluff +6, Climb +8, Diplomacy +4, Disable Device +14, Gather Information +17, Hide +10, Intimidate +8, Jump +8, Knowledge (local) +15, Listen +10, Move Silently +10, Open Lock +17, Search +14, Sense Motive +12, Spot +10, Tumble +16 Possessions Combat gear, +1 mithral glamered shadow chain shirt (8700 gp, 12.5 lbs), +1 rapier (2320 gp, 2 lbs), +1 light hammer (2301 gp, 2 lbs), sap (1 gp, 2 lbs), masterwork composite longbow (+1 Str) (400 gp, 3 lbs), 20 arrows (1 gp, 3 lbs), amulet of health +2 (4000 gp), boots of elvenkind (2500 gp, 1 lb), cloak of resistance +2 (4000 gp, 1 lb), gloves of dexterity +2 (4000 gp), Heward’s handy haversack (2000 gp, 5 lbs) [contains all gear], ring of protection +1 (2000 gp), ring of climbing (2500 gp), masterwork thieves’ tools (100 gp), masterwork manacles x2 (100 gp), 50’ silk rope (10 gp), bedroll (.1 gp), caltrops x2 (2 gp), 10 candles (.1 gp), 10 pieces of chalk (.1 gp), crowbar (2 gp), flint and steel (1 gp), grappling hook (1 gp), 2 oz ink (1 black, 1 red) (16 gp), 2 inkpens (.2 gp), ledger/note book (priced as 50 pages of parchment) (10 gp), small steel mirror (10 gp), 10 pitons (1 gp), 2 belt pouches (2 gp, 1 lb), 5 days rations (2.5 gp), sewing needle (.5 gp), shovel (2 gp), tent (10 gp), 10 torches (.1 gp), waterskin (1 gp), whetstone (.02 gp), dull grey ioun stone3 with continual flame (135 gp4) silver holy symbol of St. Cuthbert (25 gp, 1 lb), Traveler’s outfit (0 gp), 3 pp, 49 gp, 55 sp, 88 cp Totals: 36,000 gp, 33.5 lbs Appearance: Percival is of slight build, standing 5’8” tall and weighing 178 pounds. He has coal black hair, cropped short (he learned long ago crooks will pull on long hair in a brawl to gain an advantage). His eyes are a light brown color, and his skin is tanned. Numerous scars criss-cross his face and arms, with one major scar running from his scalp, over his eye, and down to his chin. He keeps his armor in the appearance of simple yet comfortable clothes most of the time. He wears a lapel pin bearing the holy symbol of his patron deity, St. Cuthbert. Background: Percival loved his city, loved everything about it. He loved the sounds, the smells, the people. Well, he loved almost everything anyway. Crime was rampant in the city, from petty theft up to regular murders. From a very early age, Percival knew it was his destiny in life to serve his city and rid it of the foul crime that caused so much despair for so many. At a young age, Percival joined the city watch. He brought with him some eclectic skills he had learned while a youngster, and while on the job learned to hone his skills in defensive combat. Percival enjoyed his work and performed it with great vigor. He truly believed he was making a positive difference in the lives of those who lived in his beloved city. In his fourth year on the job, trouble in his city was at an all-time worst. Grave robbers were digging up corpses on a regular basis; even worse, thugs were being paid to commit random murders, and the corpses taken off to some unknown location. Fear gripped the city. The Watch struggled to find clues, but came up with precious little. They staked out cemeteries, only to find they still missed the crimes. Percival had the good fortune, in his opinion, to find a clue while searching a murder location. Weary of the fear and panic these criminals were causing in his beloved city, Percival made a fateful decision. He abandoned proper protocols; rather than properly logging evidence and informing his Watch Commander of what he had learned, he immediately and determinedly began tracing the clue. The path lead him to a mystic’s shop in the slums. Percival’s instincts told him something wasn’t right about the place; rather than entering, he carefully and quietly crept around the building. Peering in a window, he was horrified to see a man and woman in a workshop, hacking apart bodies to build a monstrosity. Percival knew the rules. In order to enter the building, he needed to inform his Watch Commander, and then needed to secure backup. He ignored the rules. Using his skills and lightning reflexes, the Watchman entered the building through a second floor window, and quietly made his way to the work room. The smell of decay hung in the air, and Percival had to breath through his mouth to avoid gagging on the smell. He arrived at the work room before too long, and stood to observe for just a moment. “You shall terrorize my city no longer, Evil-Doers! Surrender, so that you may face the proper justice!” Of course, being evil-doers, those building the flesh golems didn’t surrender. They attacked Percival with a viciousness he was not expecting. The young Watchman fought bravely, trying at first to subdue the pair of criminals. Alas, he was forced to resort to lethal blows when it became obvious to him that he had a choice: either he would die here, and become part of their macabre project, or they would die. Percival fought for his life, and slew the villains. Remembering his duty, he went to find the nearest Watch Commander, despite his many wounds. Percival dutifully reported the details of what had transpired, and a team was dispatched to gather the bodies and evidence. Through much of the city, Percival was lauded as a hero. He had brought a stop to the murders single-handedly. Yet not everyone considered him a hero. Jonas McGee, the commander of the City Watch, viewed Percival as a dangerous renegade, and brought him up on numerous charges, including murder. Percival was stripped of his position with the city Watch; and while he was not convicted of murder in the courts, he was found guilty of several lesser crimes. The city’s hero Watchman was forced to spend one year in a hard labor camp. Percival had difficulty while working in the labor camp; after all, many of the criminals and thugs were there as a direct result of his work. Despite his hardships while in the prison camp, the former Watchman served out his time as a model prisoner. Upon his release, he returned to the city he always loved. His year away did nothing to quell the love the population had for him. He remained a hero in the eyes of many – the one man who could set about to make things right. At first, Percival was uncomfortable with this; he simply wanted to get on with the rest of his life. His viewpoint changed for good, however, one fateful night while he hung out in the neighborhood tavern. Percival was enjoying a friendly game of darts and a few pints with some of his friends, off-duty Watchmen, when he came in. Everybody, of course, recognized Magnus Dawanar, a mid-level crime boss from the Dawanar Gang. Magnus was here for one reason – to shake down the tavern owner, who had failed to pay his “protection” money. Most patrons left the tavern when Magnus entered. Those who remained moved as far away from the bartender as possible. Then the beating started. Magnus pummeled the poor tavern owner, an old dwarf named Bardinar Ironbeard. Percival implored his friends to do something, and was shocked to learn they were under strict orders not to act against the Dawanar Gang while off duty. Percival then made a decision that altered his life forever. Percival charged Magnus, catching the thug off-guard. As he charged, the former Watchman drew his blackjack; he proceeded to taunt Magnus, shaming him for attacking the old man and goading the thug into attacking him instead. Magnus was all too happy to put down this new hero. He drew his sword and attacked Percival with the ferocity of a trapped wild animal. Magnus opened a vicious gash along Percival's face, almost blinding the former Watchman before Percival proceeded to subdue Magnus, to the delight of those still in the tavern. He then acquired some rope from Bardinar, secured Magnus, and hauled him to the nearest guard station. Percival instantly became a folk hero – the man who did what the Watchmen could not. Percival decided his job, his very destiny, was to bring in the criminals the Watchman either could not or would not. He worked tirelessly hunting criminals in his city, because that’s how he now viewed it – his city. His detective work has brought down dozens of high powered thugs, as well as corrupt city officials who accepted bribes to turn a blind eye towards the criminal activity of some - including his former boss, Jonas McGee. He enjoys the freedom that comes from no longer having to work under the restraining rules of the Watchmen. He has the admiration and respect of the people of the city, who have taken to calling Percival The Night Watchman, due to his penchant for working during the evenings while doing the job the real Watchmen should be performing. Criminals beware! You never know when the Night Watchman will have you in his sights! Tactics: Percival strives to capture his prey, rather then kill – even when the suspect is wanted “dead or alive.” He’s not opposed, however, to making it hurt when dealing with a criminal. Often he’ll intermix lethal and nonlethal attacks, switching from his signature rapier and hammer to his trusty blackjack when he feels a perpetrator is on the verge of dropping unconscious. He hasn’t forgotten his training from his time on the Watch, nor what he learned while in the work camp. Percival typically opens combat by attempting to disarm his foes of whatever seems to make them the most dangerous – whether it’s a thug’s sword, a sorcerer’s spell component pouch, or a priest’s holy symbol. Should his target look to run away, Percival is quick to trip them, bringing their retreat to a crashing end. Ability Scores Strength: 4 points Dexterity: 10 points, +2 level (4th and 8th), +2 gloves Constitution: 4 points, +2 amulet Intelligence: 6 points Wisdom: 4 points Charisma: 2 points Build Table: Lvl Class Feats Class Features 1 Rogue 1 Alertness, Investigator Sneak attack +1d6, trapfinding 2 Fighter 1 Weapon Finesse 3 Fighter 2 Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm 4 Rogue 2 Evasion 5 Rogue 3 Sneak attack +2d6, trap sense +1 6 Rogue 4 Improved Trip Uncanny dodge 7 Vigilante 1 Detect evil 8 Vigilante 2 Streetwise +2 9 Vigilante 3 Two-Weapon Fighting Smite the Guilty 1/day, Quick search Skills: Total Skill 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ranks Balance 4 1 1 1 1 1 9 Bluff 4 1 1 6 Climb 1 1 2 Disable Device 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 Gather Information 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 11 Intimidate 2 2 1 1 6 Jump 2 2 1 5 Knowledge (local) 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 11 Listen 4 1 1 1 7 Open Lock 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 Search 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 Sense Motive 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 11 Spot 4 1 1 1 7 Tumble 4 1 1 1 1 1 9 ------------------------------------------------ Total per level 44 5 5 11 11 11 9 9 9 Balance: 9 ranks, +5 Dex, +2 synergy from Tumble = +16 Bluff: 6 ranks, +0 Cha = +6 Climb: 2 rank, +1 Str, +5 from ring = +8 Diplomacy: 0 ranks, 0 Cha, +4 synergy (Bluff, Sense Motive) = +4 Disable Device: 10 ranks, +2 Int, +2 masterwork tools = +14 Gather Information: 11 ranks, +0 Cha, +2 synergy (Know (local)), +2 Investigator, +2 streetwise class feature = +17 Hide: 0 ranks, +5 Dex, +5 from armor = +10 Intimidate: 6 ranks, +0 Cha, +2 synergy (Bluff) = +8 Jump: 5 ranks, +1 Str, +2 synergy (Tumble) = +8 Know (local): 11 ranks, +2 Int, +2 streetwise class feature = +15 Listen: 7 ranks, +1 Wis, +2 Alertness = +10 Move Silently: 0 ranks, +5 Dex, +5 from boots = +10 Open Lock: 10 ranks, +5 Dex, +2 masterwork tools = +17 Search: 10 ranks, +2 Int, +2 Investigator = +14 Sense Motive: 11 ranks, +1 Wis = +12 Spot: 7 ranks, +1 Wis, +2 Alertness = +10 Tumble: 9 ranks, +5 Dex, +2 synergy (Jump) = +16 Attacks and Damage: Rapier: 7 (BAB) + 5 (Dex (Weapon Finesse)) + 1 (enhancement bonus) = +13 Damage: 1d6 base + 1 (enhancement) + 1 Strength = 1d6+2 Hammer: 7 (BAB) +5 (Dex (Weapon Finesse)) + 1 (enhancement bonus) = +13 Damage: As primary hand weapon: 1d4 base + 1 enhancement +1 Str = 1d4+2 As off-hand weapon: 1d4 base +1 enhancement = 1d4+1 Sap: 7 BAB +5 (Dex (Weapon Finesse)) = +12 Damage: 1d6 base + 1 Str = 1d6+1 Longbow: 7 (BAB) +5 Dex + 1 (enhancement) = +13 Damage: 1d8 base + 1 (Str) = 1d8+1 Saves: Fortitude: +3 Fighter, +1 Rogue, +1 Vigilante, +2 Con, +2 cloak of resistance = +9 Reflex: +0 Fighter, +4 Rogue, +3 Vigilante, +5 Dex, +2 cloak of resistance = +14 Will: +0 Fighter, +1 Rogue, +3 Vigilante, +1 Wis, +2 cloak of resistance = +7 1: Complete Adventurer 2: I’m aware that technically my flat-footed AC is 21 because of uncanny dodge. I prefer to record my “without Dex” AC in this spot anyway, because there are plenty of other ways to lose Dex other than being flat-footed, and I have no problems remembering that my flat-footed AC is the same as my regular AC. 3: SRD, psionics chapter 4: Priced as everburning torch (110 gp) + dull grey ioun stone (25 gp)
Zherog 04-13-07, 02:13 PM	Heh. I've been working on my vigilante for two weeks; figures that less than two hours before I finally get a chance to finish up writing it and posting it, somebody else posts one. :rolleyes: So there's some things I would've prefered to do differently. I really would've liked to get Track into my build. I pondered taking a level (well, ok, two levels) of ranger; but, frankly, ranger didn't feel right. I know the urban ranger variant was permitted, buy my employer blocks the d20srd.org site, and I could never seem to remember to look it up while I was at home. :rolleyes: Even with that, I considered just taking the feat, rather than trying to get it for free from a class. The problem there was the fact that Track only works with the Survival skill, and the skills is cross-class for all my classes. That strikes me as utterly useless - I literally would rather not have it then to have a gimped version of it. It's my opinion that Track should function on either Search or Survival - but, of course, opinions and houserules don't really matter in this contest. I briefly considered having Percival's first level as fighter rather than rogue; I ditched that for one reason - I hate cross-class ranks, as a general rule (though the character I'm currently playing in a game does make use of them). I decided the concept worked well enough with rogue as the first level character, and that allowed me to get rid of all the cross class ranks, so there it is. All told, I like the character. I think he's a fun concept, and I think the numbers are playable. I think he can pretty much do what he's designed to do - locate and capture crooks; his hit points are high enough to stand up in a fight, and his saves are all good enough that he's not super-weak at any of them. It was only after I was about 90% completed with the stat block that I remembered vigilante gets spellcasting. I went and looked it up, and found it was Charisma based - and Percival's Charisma isn't exactly his strong suit. I considered re-arranging his stats a little so I could get his Charisma up to at least +1, but then decided that would create too many other changes. I was certain I wouldn't get all of them right, and so for the sake of keeping my math as good as possible, decided to just suck it up and not cast spells (though he could use wands of those spells, if I had cash to buy any). I purchased his equipment quite literally with an eye towards "grab just about anything that could potentially be useful." He has a lot of stuff, but I can see just about any of it getting used at some point. I originally had a masterwork sap listed, but I ended up needing the cash for something or other, so that got dropped down to a regular ol' sap. In an adventuring group, Percival could most definitely fill the "rogue" roll by finding and removing traps, and opening locks when necessary. In my opinion he's good enough in these skills to be the "main" person responsible for them. He's functional in melee combat, with a bunch of options available - from sneak attack to tripping to disarming to smiting. So there's some of the design thoughts behind the character. We'll see how many judges recommend to me the urban ranger and/or the Track feat. :D
Lazzmaniandevil 04-13-07, 02:43 PM	You know what they say, Zherog, great minds think alike... and apparently, so do we!
Maekrix_Waere 04-13-07, 03:56 PM	Take him alive. I shall prepare the Sewers for the Hunt. That would cost 225 gp for Drow Poison. (He's a dwarf, and even Dwarf Aristocrats have a respectable save vs. poison)
FRRC 04-13-07, 05:48 PM	Kivan Human Male Urban Ranger 7 / Justiciar 2 Lawful Neutral Medium Humanoid Languages Common, Goblin, Gnome Weight Allowance (lb) Light (<76); Medium (77-153); Heavy (154-230) Current Load 40lb -------------------- AC (10 +2 Dex; +5 Armour; +1 Deflection) [+1 Dodge against designated target] Flatfooted 16; Touch 13 Initiative +2 (+2 Dex) HP 55 Hit Dice 7d8 + 2d10 + 9 Saves: Fort: +6 (+1 Con; +5 Urban Ranger) Ref: +7 (+2 Dex; +5 Urban Ranger) Will: +6 (+1 Will; +2 Urban Ranger; +3 Justiciar) Space / Reach 5 ft / 5 ft Base Attack / Grapple +9 / +16 Speed 30ft -------------------- Attack Mercy: +13 (1d8 +3 Strength; +1 Enchantment; [+1d6 Non-lethal {Merciful}; +1d6 Non-lethal Strike]); Crit: 19-20/x2; Slashing Lawbringer: +12 (1d6 +3 Strength; [+2d6 vs. Chaotic Alignment{Axiomatic}; +1d6 Non-lethal Strike]); Crit: x2; Bludgeoning Unarmed: +12 (1d6 +3 Strength; [+1d6 Non-Lethal Strike]) Full attack Two-Weapons: Main-Hand: Mercy: +11/+6 - Off-Hand: Lawbringer: +10/+5 Mercy: +13/+8 Lawbringer: +12/+7 Unarmed: +12/+7 Special Attacks: Improved Unarmed Strike; Non-Lethal Strike (+1d6); Improved Grapple ------------------- Special Qualities: 1st Favoured Enemy (+4 vs. Humanoid (Human)); Urban Track; Wild Empathy (1d20+4); Combat Style (Two-Weapon Fighting); Endurance; Animal Companion (Wolf); 2nd Favoured Enemy (+2 vs. Animal); Improved Combat Style (Improved Two-Weapon Fighting); Bring ‘em back alive*; Non-lethal Strike (+1d6)*; Improved Grapple*; Crippling Strike* *Justiciar – Complete Warrior pg. 47 -------------------- Spells Base Spells: 1; Bonus Spells: 1 Per day: 2 (DC: 10 + Spell Level +1) Prepared: Level 1: Detect Secret Doors*, Pass Without Trace *Accessible through Urban Ranger Spell list Base Abilities: Str 14 (6); Dex 14 (6); Con 13 (5); Int 13 (5); Wis 11 (3); Cha 11 (3) Abilities: Str 16 (+3); Dex 14 (+2); Con 13 (+1); Int 14 (+2); Wis 12 (+1); Cha 13 (+1) Feats: 1: Improved Unarmed Strike 1: Track (Human Bonus Feat) 3: Skills Focus (Gather Information) 6: Dodge 9: Investigator Skills Climb: +8 (5 Ranks; +3 Strength) Gather Information: +19 (12 Ranks; +1 Charisma; +2 Investigator; +3 Skill Focus; +2 Skill Synergy) Handle Animal: +5 (4 Ranks; +1 Charisma) Hide: +12 (10 Ranks; +2 Dexterity) Jump: +8 (5 Ranks; +3 Strength) Knowledge (Local): +13 (11 Ranks; +2 Intelligence) Listen: +10 (9 Ranks; +1 Wisdom) Move Silently: +16 (9 Ranks; +2 Dexterity; +5 Boots) Search: +13 (10 Ranks; +1 Wisdom; +2 Investigator) Sense Motive: +11 (10 Ranks; +1 Wisdom) Survival: +7 (6 Ranks; +1 Wisdom) -------------------- Equipment Explorer’s Outfit – 8lb – 10gp Masterwork Manacles x2 – 4lb (2lb each) – 100gp (50gp each) Acid Flask – 1lb – 10gp Cloak of Charisma +2 – 2lb – 4,000gp Gauntlet of Ogre Power – 4lb – 4,000gp Ring of Protection +1 – 2,000gp Ring of Feather Fall – 2,200gp Boots of Elvenkind – 2,500gp Weapons and Armour: Mercy – Merciful Longsword +1 – 4lb – 8,315gp Lawbringer – Axiomatic Light Mace – 4lb – 8,305 Mithril Chain Shirt +1 – 13lb – 2,250gp (+5 AC; 6 Max Dex Bonus; 0 Armour Check Penalty; 10% Arcane Spell Failure) Potions: 2x Shield of Faith – 100gp (50gp each) 3x Cat’s Grace – 900gp (300gp each) 2x Cure Moderate Wounds – 600gp (300gp each) GP - 710 Personality/General information: Kivan is the quiet sort. Only really speaks when he needs to. Due to no particular event in his life, Kivan prefers to not kill his enemies. It is just something he is against, but does not place himself above it. He had grown up playing in the streets with Barnsley, an older boy who was, what other called, an Urban Ranger. Trained at scouting the streets for information. Kivan has never been very fond with animals, he seems to rub them the wrong way. The one that seems to like him is Punch, a playful dog who never gets to play with Kivan unless he barks constantly in protest. Kivan has no permanant residence. He prefers to sleep in an Inn or on the streets. Depends on the weather. Punch Neutral Medium Animal Hit Dice: 3d8+9 (26 hp) Initiative: +3 (+3 Dex) Speed: 40 ft Armor Class: 19 (+3 Dexterity; +6 Natural) Touch 13 Flat-footed 16 Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +2 Space/Reach: 5 ft / 5 ft Base Attack/Grapple: +2 / +5 Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+4) Full Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+4) Special Attacks: — Special Qualities: Low-light vision, Scent, Link, Share Spells, Evasion Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6 Skills: Jump +9, Listen +5, Spot +5, Survival +1 (+4 with Scent ), Swim +4 Feats: Alertness, TrackB, Toughness Tricks: Attack, Come, Defend, Down, Guard, Heel, Track, Work Personality: Punch is a loyal companion of Kivan's. He is the more playful side of Kivan and tries to keep his master in a generally happy mood. Background Kivan entered the office, his dog behind him. It was a mess, the signs of someone acting very frantically; not thinking. Dust had covered everything now, and various insects had made the corners in the room their home, which the hungry dog had already begun consuming. Brushing away the dust covering come of the papers on the floor, Kivan picked up some pages and began to look over them. His whole life had been logged by Officer Morgan, the owner of the office. Some of the entries peeked Kivan’s interest: Entry 12 Winter Day 6 I’ve been chasing various suspects that are considered to be linked to the Blue Twinkle Brothel murders. Admittedly, some of the suspects are not directly linked to the murders, but have been taking part in related activities. Some of the people that were related to the murders have been found tied up to sign-posts, to each other and in alleyways. Each had a note on them: “By order of the Lord of the Land, this man has been convicted.” Seems a lot like the workings of Kivan, a man I had once hired to help me track down the Black Thumb brothers. I have not heard from him since. Entry 13 Winter Day 8 I spent yesterday walking around in the snow trying to track down the mystery vigilante. After interrogating some of the people who were detained by him, my suspicions were correct. I now believe it is the work of Kivan the Merciful. Town Guard Profile found on next page. Kivan quickly flicked through the shuffled pages to find his portfolio. It was in a list of other suspects, who as far as Kivan was concerned are still eluding him: Suspect 7: Kivan – Surname Unknown Age: Late 20’s Height: Average Male: 5ft 5 to 6ft Build: Slightly muscular Note-able features: Lower face mask, loyal dog travels with him. Suspected crimes: Vigilantism, possible murder, thievery, failure to obey the laws. Status: Whereabouts unknown, suspected to be alive. Kivan flicked back to the Officer’s diary. Entry 14 Winter Day 9 *Entry has had substances spilled on it, impossible to read* Entry 15 Winter Day 14 As mentioned before, Kivan has been moving about with two other suspects: A Mage named Kristophe Sertum and a Hexxer who is yet to be identified. If my suspicions are correct, they have succeeded in capturing all the Brothel murderers. They have confessed and are set to be executed tomorrow. I would usually commend men who capture criminals but they are doing it outside the boundaries of civilian arrests and have elevated themselves to a level of criminal nature. I have made it my personal mission to arrest Kivan and his associates. Kivan thought back to those days when he used to capture criminals with his companions. Kristophe had retired, now with a family: Three wives and two daughters. The Hexblade, Ivellios Nailo, had disappeared shortly after Kristophe’s retirement. He sought more adventurous companions. Flicking through the pages, Kivan found quite a recent entry. Entry 46 Spring Session, Day 32, Day of Pelor I have to be careful today. I’ve recently learned that the Red Tie Gang is going to make an appearance today in the parade. They’ve been on the Wanted list for a while now. Vandalism, murder, thievery; they’ve done the lot. The gang has recently grown in power, securing their place in the criminal underworld. No thug, criminal or gang even makes a move without going through them first. But I’m not worried about them; the guard will take care of them. I’m after that blasted criminal Kivan. Still he eludes me. No doubt he is going to be there, he has been after the Red Tie’s for the past few months. **Additional Entry The parade was chaos, but was soon brought to an end after the Red Ties had been apprehended. No sign of Kivan himself, just two gang members tied to sign-posts. Entry 57 Spring Session, Day 57 I managed to track down Kivan’s parents. They apparently live in one of the farm houses just outside the city walls. I asked them many questions, but got few answers. All I got was that he grew up with them, but ventured into the city lots. He had spent time with a older boy named Barnsley (Deceased) who taught him various skills about tracking and surviving the streets. I didn’t get a lot more out of them. Punch had finished chewing on all the insects in the room and was quite satisfied with himself, so satisfied in fact that he thought he deserved a rest. He began walking all over the pieces of paper at Kivan’s feet, trying to find a place to rest. Kivan gave him a quick nudge with his foot to get him off. The dog barked in protest. Kivan sighed as he skipped through more of the pages, to the last few entries in the diary. Entry 68 Autumn, Day 1 I saw him! Kivan, that bastard! I saw him in an alley; his sword in the chest of the leader of the Red Ties, Miss Gillian Redsole. I almost had him too, but he disappeared in the darkness before I could get to him. I finally have him! He’s mine at last! Entry 69 Autumn, Day 2 I spent all day today trying to find Kivan’s whereabouts. I’ve located his residence, which is located in the slums district. I’m going to kill him! He’s caused me so much trouble; I even lost rank because I spent so much on resources trying to find the scum. Victory and justice! That was two months ago. Officer Morgan had been killed on Day two of Autumn. He had killed by an impersonator, who tried to frame Kivan. The man has yet to be found. What Kivan didn’t understand is why Morgan has never asked the Mayor about the note on all the men he had captured. If he had asked, he would have seen that Kivan was in fact working within the law, and then all of this could have been avoided. Kivan gathered some of the extra notes on the floor, called Punch over, and then left the office. His next order was to find the impostor, but he would need help from others if he were to find him. Kristophe: A Mage who had joined Kivan for only a few months. He was a noisy mage and often got himself into a few rough spots, which is the main reason why he retired. He settled down with three wives and has had two daughters since. Ivellios: The Hexbalde was much like Kivan. He was quiet, careful. Kivan and Ivellios never really got along with each other due to their moral values. Kivan prefered not to kill, where Ivellios thought that criminals deserved to die. Officer Morgan: Not an enemy of Kivan. He was merely not clued in on the situation. Kivan never really had no idea that Morgan was after him till he died. It was then that Kivan had realised that maybe he was a little too secretive. Abilities STR: 16 (6) +2 Gloves DEX: 14 (6) CON: 13 (5) INT: 14 (5) +1 Level 8 WIS:12 (3) +1 Level 4 CHA: 11 (3) +2 Cloak Urban Ranger 1 Urban Ranger 2 Urban Ranger 3 Urban Ranger 4 Urban Ranger 5 Urban Ranger 6 Urban Ranger 7 Urban Ranger 7 / Justiciar 1 Urban Ranger 7 / Justiciar 2 Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total Climb 2 1 1 1 5 Gather Information 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12 Handle Animal 1 2 1 4 Hide 4 2 1 1 1 1 10 Jump 2 1 1 1 5 Knowledge (Local) 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11 Listen 4 1 1 1 1 1 9 Move Silently 4 1 1 1 1 1 9 Search 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 Sense Motive 2 1 2 1 1 7 Survival(cc) 2 1 1 1 1 6 Total 93 Finally finished it. So tired.
Far_Traveler 04-13-07, 05:48 PM	That would cost 225 gp for Drow Poison. (He's a dwarf, and even Dwarf Aristocrats have a respectable save vs. poison) Good point, but he's a (gold) dwarf sorcerer, he probably has even more resistance... I'll train one animal for you. Any animal, be it crocodile, hippogrif, griffon, owlbear, what have you. Good enough? I have enough help to make train up to maybe 10-16 HD range. I just need a good egg.
Zherog 04-13-07, 05:57 PM	Equipment Explorer’s Outfit – 8lb – 10gp ... Boots of Elvenkind – 2,500gp I don't know why, but a lot of this stuff caught my eye while skimming your character. The weight of the clothes do not count towards your encumbrance if you're wearing them. In addition, one set of clothes is free. Also, boots of elvenkind weigh one pound. Like I said, no idea why those two things jumped out at me... *shrug*
Maekrix_Waere 04-13-07, 06:04 PM	Good point, but he's a (gold) dwarf sorcerer, he probably has even more resistance... I'll train one animal for you. Any animal, be it crocodile, hippogrif, griffon, owlbear, what have you. Good enough? I have enough help to make train up to maybe 10-16 HD range. I just need a good egg. Sorceror?:mage: Ooooh, this WILL be fun....very fun indeed....:plotting: Also, one Black Dragon Egg, coming up.:evillaugh If it wouldn't disqualify me, I'd add Fetive Grave as one of Ki'ahestiryl's contacts and a Wyrmling Black Dragon as a soon to come ally. After all, even if you fail to make it like you, if worse comes to worse, I'll....liberate it from your "clutches." :evillaugh
Kit_the_Odd 04-13-07, 06:57 PM	Brezel Taran, the Breeze Bandit Brezel grew up in the slums and back alleys of Brycenburg. He learned many lessons in those dank places. Like how to protect himself by not being found. Like the fact that there are people out there that do not care in the slightest if you live or die. Like the fact that there are those with more than they could ever use, yet are unwilling to do a thing for those who lacked even a crust of bread – and dying of that lack. And so, unsurprisingly, Brezel became a thief and a burglar. Yet unlike so many others in those squalid places, he had a mother than taught him to be better than those he stole from. His father had been killed by a mugger shortly after the family moved to Brycenburg leaving the family poor and without a breadwinner. His mother worked hard to make a living for her and her son. She taught Brezel compassion, and loyalty, and while she may not have taught him any particular respect for the law, she did teach him to be good. Brezel soon found that he was well suited for the role of burglar, not only did he have his race’s natural abilities and advantages in that regard, but he soon found that he had some minor magical abilities that assisted his efforts. His ability to detect secret doors and magic, as well as being able to read magic occasionally gave him a great boost in his larcenous career. Brezel focused his talents on being unseen and on being able to get into places no one else could. Like the time he took a dare to filch Bargam the Wizard’s hat from his bedroom, while Bargam was asleep in the room. Of course, Brezel was very lucky that Bargam had a good sense of humor after he discovered it missing. How was Brezel supposed to know that the hat was a gift from Bargam’s dad? That incident did teach Brezel in a very direct fashion that his thefts affected real people. While Brezel had never been one to steal from the poor before (after all, they didn’t have much worth taking anyway) he made it a point after that to be more selective about his victims. Given his good nature and larcenous abilities it is little wonder that Brezel became something of a hero to the poor he shared his acquisitions with. And it is also little wonder that he became well known to the city guard, not personally (he was too good a burglar for that), but by reputation. The local gossips began to refer to the “Wind Bandit” in reference to his stealth and habit of getting into places though inaccessible to any but the wind. A local bard, named Phillip, began to sing songs about the “Breeze Bandit” after Brezel mentioned the name to him. Brezel felt that while he didn’t want to be caught for his thefts, his pseudonym should at least be closer to his real name. The rewards for the Breeze Bandit went unclaimed, however, because the few who could have fingered Brezel were that same that had been helped by his sharing of his ill-gotten wealth. Official Brezel makes his living as a Sewer Scrambler, a group of people that keep the underground services of Brycenburg running well. Brezel is oftem tasked as a ‘cleaner’, which sounds almost as bad as it is. It doesn’t mean cleaning the sewers of garbage, but of animals, monsters, and other things that find their way in. Because the undercity is known to connect to a large cave system it is not uncommon for creatures to get into the sewers, or for the ‘cleaners’ to follow them back into the caves, where treasure troves are rumored to exist. This has also helped Brezel explain some of his equipment, as things discovered during his work hours – which tradition allows the ‘cleaners’ to keep. This has also had an unexpected and benifical side effect. Brezel’s ‘treasure finds’ have led to more people joining the Sewer Scramblers, which has led to a more effective undercity and a nicer city overall. Brezel had a bit of a mixed relationship with the city guard. The guardsmen that saw their job as that of protecting and serving the people of Brycenburg found Brezel to be a helpful source of information. They sometimes wondered how he got the information, but generally decided they’d rather use a less than upright source to find and take down murders and other really nasty characters than quibble about how he got them the leads. The guardsmen that were concerned only with the laws as written were frustrated with Brezel because they were sure he was the Breeze Bandit, but they couldn’t prove it, and they had bigger fish to fry – like the Southside Strangler. To the guardsmen that only wanted to push others around Brezel was the cause of many a small ‘accident’, usually involving mud or similar substances. But they couldn’t prove it either, because most of those pranks were Brezel’s first use of helpers. Not long after Brezel’s 25th birthday (which he celebrated by ‘liberating’ 2 bottles of wine from the Northside Judge’s wine cellar) a new Lord Mayor was appointed to rule the city. The old Lord Mayor, Bernard, was a kind man, if a little to apt to listen to the opinions of the rich and powerful. The new Lord Mayor, Perchal, was not kind. And if Bernard had been flattered by the rich and corrupt, Perchal was embraced by them. He was willing to do anything to increase his own power, influence, and wealth. For the price of a ‘gift to the Lord Mayor’ many a shop keeper was accused of being in default on his taxes, his shop seized and sold to someone else (the gift giver usually) to pay off the alleged debt. Brezel’s mother, Willa, owned a very small seamstress shop where she made some of the finest clothes to be found in the bad part of town. Brezel had often suggested that she try to make more money by selling her talents to the rich, knowing that her skills would soon make her the most popular clothier in the city. But she refused saying that she’d rather make a study plain shirt for an honest laborer than a fancy gown for a spoiled brat. Unfortunately her talents were heard of by one of the spoiled brats uptown. When the rich woman requested that Willa make her a gown for an upcoming ball, Willa said that she was willing, but that it would take her 2 weeks because of the previous orders for shirts and pants from other clients. Willa withstood the following bribes, whines, and threats as the rich lady tried to get her to change her mind. After failing to get what she wanted the rich lady soon after gave a very expensive statue to the Lord Mayor. And within a week Willa’s shop was gone and she was on the street, penniless. Within another week the rich ladies entire wardrobe was found cut to ribbons and her house burgled most thoroughly. Willa’s reputation allowed her to find ‘good deals’ on a new shop and stock. The Breeze Bandit had an even higher price placed on his head. And a new wave of crime started. After seeing what happened to his mother Brezel had a mission in life. He gathered a group of friends together with similar ideas. Among this group was Phillip the bard, now a popular entertainer in Brycenburg known as “Fancy Phil”. A number of the young boys that had helped Brezel prank the guards also joined the movement. They called themselves the Poor Boys. They began to do what they could to make life miserable for all the arrogant and corrupt in Brycenburg. Embarrassing secrets became common knowledge, thousands and thousands of gold pieces worth of valuables went missing, many a fancy room or set up was defaced or ruined shortly before a fancy party, and the Lord Mayor started getting many fewer gifts once it was realized that was the quickest way to get a visit from the Breeze Bandit. The Breeze Bandit remains uncaptured despite constantly rising rewards for his capture and increasing pressure on the city guard to “get off their collective rear-ends and do something!” The city guard is almost entirely an enemy of Brezel by now, or of the Breeze Bandit at any rate. The few honest and good guardsmen left (as opposed to brutal and corrupt) now see him as a threat to the public, rather than a nuisance to the rich. This is not because of the losses the victims have taken, but because of the casualties taken in the efforts to capture the Breeze Bandit. Brezel may not be a freedom fighter, and he may not be all that effective at changing the corruptness and arrogance of the rich in Brycenburg. But his is mad about it, and the Breeze Bandit has become in the minds of many the personification of the poor and downtrodden’s disgust at the way things are being done. Brezel is 3’1”, 35lbs, with blue eyes and dark brown hair. He usually wears sturdy, but non-descript clothing allowing him to blend in to the crowds. He has been known to participate in Fancy Phil’s shows as an acrobat, but always wears a mask to avoid anyone connecting his face with Phil’s, or his face with the types of skills that a burglar might possess. Despite his relatively young age of 29 he is definitely a leader among the poor of Brycenburg. Brezel’s burglary techniques are a mixture of absolute care and stealth and daring and flashy techniques. Brezel and his helpers will usually case a potential heist days in advance. They will map out entries, exits, and other aspects of the place. The break-in itself is almost always designed to be done with no one’s knowledge, often using one of Phil’s performances as a distraction. Brezel doesn’t want to kill anyone, but as time has gone on he has less and less sympathy for those that oppress and their lackey’s. He would not kill anyone if there is another option, but neither is he willing to be captured or killed himself. Brezel is a burglar, not an assassin. When things go wrong, however, Brezel seems to embrace the chaos of the chase and will lead any chasers of a merry chase, often leaping from roof to roof and even throwing himself from spires and walls to escape (trusting his Ring of Feather Falling or Slow Fall ability to save him). Willa - Brezel's mother. She is a kind person and a very skilled seamstress. She worries about her son, but doesn't disapprove of his actions. Phillip “Fancy Phil” Flewder – Human Male Bard 7 – Brezel’s Cohort. Phil is effectively 2nd in command of Brezel’s group, although he doesn’t have any ambitions to lead. He is just Brezel’s most loyal, and most effective follower. He often provides distractions and diversions for Brezel. The Poor Boys – These 6 young men are Brezel’s core followers. Most of the others involved in Brezel’s schemes are paid, bribed, blackmailed, threatened, or otherwise induced to participate. Usually by the Poor Boys. The Poor Boys- Jan – Human Male Rogue 1 Petros – Gnome Male Bard 1 Og – Half-Orc Male Barbarian 1 Brand – Half-Elf Male Sorcerer 1 Kileen – Halfling Male Rogue 1 Rand – Human Male Fighter 1 Lord Mayor Perchal - He is the epitome of the corrupt and evil ruler. He hates the Breeze bandit and wants him gone. Which for him means "dead, and preferably tortured for a long time first and killed painfully." The City Guard - there are a few honest guardsmen left, and it is possible Brezel would help them if they asked. But he probably won't get any help from them. The rich of Brycenburg - most of them would cheerfully rip the Breeze Bandit limb from limb, if they could just get their hands on him. Brezel and his crew could fit into any urban area large enough to have a large number of poor or a sizable under-class. He would especially be found in a city with a lot or arrogant and/or corrupt rich folks. Like many rogues, Brezel could easily be a neutral or evil character if his motivations were different. The increasing pressure to capture Brezel might force him out of the city. This could be a very fun way to use Brezel, even though it could play havoc with his Leadership feat. The whole ‘city-boy stuck in the wilds’ could be very interesting. After all, he may know his way around Brycenburg, but probably doesn’t even know how to find north or pitch a tent. Brezel Taran Halfling Male Rogue 5/Thief-Acrobat 4 CG Starting Ability Buying: STR: 12 (4 pts) DEX: 16 (10 pts) CON: 12 (4 pts) INT: 14 (6 pts) WIS: 8 (0 pts) CHA: 12 (4 pts) Current Abilities (w/o gear): STR: 10 (-2 race) DEX: 20 (+2 race, +1 lvl 4, +1 lvl 8) CON: 12 INT: 14 WIS: 8 CHA: 12 Current Abilities (w gear): STR: 10 DEX: 22 (+2 Gloves of Dexterity) CON: 12 INT: 14 WIS: 8 CHA: 14 (+2 Cloak of Charisma) HP: 43 (6 + 8d6 +9) AC: 26 (+5 armor, +6 shield, +6 Dex, +1 size, +2 Agile Fighting), add +1 when fighting defensively or total defense, add +1 vs traps Touch: 19, Flat-Footed: 26 BAB: +6/+1 (Grapple +2, Melee +7, ranged +13) Init: +6 (+6 Dex) Fort: +6 (+1 Rogue, +1 T-A, +1 Con, +2 Vest of Resistance, +1 race) Ref: +17 (+4 Rogue, +4 T-A, +6 Dex, +2 Vest of Resistance, +1 race), add +1 vs traps Will: +4 (+1 Rogue, +1 T-A, -1 Wis, +2 Vest of Resistance, +1 race) add +2 moral bonus vs fear (race) Speed: 30ft/x4 (20ft base + 10 ft Boots of Striding and Springing) Attack: +1 Rapier, +14/+9 (+7 BAB, +6 Dex (Weapon Finesse), +1 enhancement)), 1d4 + 1, 18-20/x2 Masterwork Dagger, +14/+9 (+7 BAB, +6 Dex (Weapon Finesse), +1 MW), 1d3, 19-20/x2 Masterwork Dagger (thrown), +15/+10 (+7 BAB, +6 Dex (Weapon Finesse), +1 MW, +1 race), 1d3, 19-20/x2 Masterwork Sling +15/+10 (+7 BAB, +6 Dex, +1 MW, +1 race), 1d3, 20/x3 Feats: 1st: Insightful – detect magic, detect secret doors, read magic 1/day 3rd: Weapon Finesse – Dex to attack 6th: Leadership – 1 7th level cohort, 6 1st level followers 9th: Tactile Trapsmith – Dex to Search and Disable Device Class Abilities: Sneak Attack – 3d6 when target denied Dex bonus to AC Trapfinding – Can find traps with DC higher than 20 & disarm magic traps Evasion – no damage on Ref save. Trap Sense - +1 reflex & AC vs traps Uncanny Dodge – retain Dex bonus when flat-footed Slow Fall – treat falls as 30 ft shorter Acrobatic Charge – charge over difficult terrain and through allies Skill Mastery – take 10 on Balance, Climb, Jump, and Tumble Fast Acrobatics – ignore some speed-based penalties on Balance, Climb and Tumble Kip Up – stand from prone as free action w/o AoO Steady Stance – not flat-footed when balancing or climbing, +4 bonus to Balance and Climb checks when taking damage Agile Fighting - +2 AC in light or no armor, additional +1 when fighting defensively or using total defense, no penalties to AC or attack when kneeling, sitting, or prone Defensive Roll – 1/day – Reflex save for ½ damage on an attack that would reduce to 0 or fewer hit points. Skills: Balance: +20 (+12 ranks, +6 Dex, +2 synergy (Tumble)), can take 10, +4 on checks when taking damage. Climb: +16 (+12 ranks, +2 race, +2 kit), can take 10, +4 on checks when taking damage. Disable Device: +18 (+10 ranks, +6 Dex (Tact. Trapsmith), +2 MW tools) Hide: +25 (+10 ranks, +6 Dex, +4 size, +5 Shadow Armor) Jump: +21 (+12 ranks, +2 race, +2 synergy (Tumble), +5 Boots of Striding & Springing), can take 10. Listen: +1 (-1 Wis, +2 race) Move Silently +25 (+12 ranks, +6 Dex, +2 race, +5 Silent Moves Armor) Open Lock: +16 (+8 ranks, +6 Dex, +2 MW tools) Search: +16 (+10 ranks, +6 Dex (Tact. Trapsmith)) Spot: +5 (-1 Wis, +6 ranks) Tumble +20 (+12 ranks, +6 Dex, +2 synergy (Jump)), can take 10. Use Magic Dev.: +10 (+8 ranks, +2 Cha) Languages: Common, Halfling, Dwarven, Gnome Non-Core Sources: Thief-Acrobat PrC– Complete Adventurer pg. 83 Tactile Trapsmith Feat – Complete Adventurer pg. 112 Insightful Feat – Complete Arcane pg. 80 All prices in gp. Attribute Items Gloves of Dex (+2), 4000 Cloak of Charisma (+2), 4000 Saves Vest of Resistance (+2), 4000 Armor Mithril Shirt +1 of Shadow & Silent Moves, 9600 Darkwood Buckler +1, 1205 Weapons Rapier +1, 2320 MW dagger, 302 MW sling, 300 sling bullets (20) , 0.2 Magic Items Heward’s Handy Haversack, 2000 Ring of Feather Falling, 2200 Boots of Striding & Springing, 5500 Consumable Items Universal Solvent, 50 Dust of Tracklessness, 250 tanglefoot bag, 50 tindertwig (3), 3 Mundane caltrops, 1 hooded lantern, 7 oil (3 flasks), 0.3 Silk rope (50 ft), 10 Winter blanket, 0.5 chalk, 0.01 crowbar, 2 flask (empty), 0.03 Flint and steel, 1 mirror, 10 mug, 0.02 Trail Rations (2 days), 1 Sack, 0.1 waterskin, 1 whetstone, 0.02 Tools & Clothes MW thieves' tools, 100 climber's kit, 80 explorer's outfit, free entertainer's outfit, with mask, 3 Total 35,997.18 Cash 2gp, 4sp, 42cp 1st – Rogue 1 - Feats: Insightful – Skills: Balance 4, Climb 4, Disable Device 4, Hide 4, Jump 4, Move Silently 4, Open Lock 4, Search 2, Spot 2, Tumble 4, UMD 4. 2nd – Rogue 2 – Skills: Balance 1, Climb 1, Disable Device 1, Jump 1, Move Silently 1, Open Lock 1, Search 1, Spot 1, Tumble 1, UMD 1. 3rd – Rogue 3 – Feat: Weapon Finesse – Skills: Balance 1, Climb 1, Disable Device 1, Hide 1, Jump 1, Move Silently 1, Search 1, Spot 1, Tumble 1, UMD 1. 4th – Rogue 4 – Dex Increased – Skills: Balance 1, Climb 1, Disable Device 1, Jump 1, Move Silently 1, Open Lock 1, Search 1, Spot 1, Tumble 1, UMD 1. 5th –Rogue 5 – Skills: Balance 1, Climb 1, Disable Device 1, Hide 1, Jump 1, Move Silently 1, Search 1, Spot 1, Tumble 1, UMD 1. 6th –Thief-Acrobat 1 – Feat: Leadership – Skills: Balance 1, Climb 1, Disable Device 1, Hide 1, Jump 1, Move Silently 1, Search 1, Tumble 1, UMD 1. 7th – Thief-Acrobat 2 – Skills: Balance 1, Climb 1, Hide 1, Jump 1, Move Silently 1, Open Lock 1, Search 1, Tumble 1, UMD 1. 8th – Thief-Acrobat 3 – Dex Increased - Skills: Balance 1, Climb 1, Disable Device 1, Hide 1, Jump 1, Move Silently 1, Search 1, Tumble 1, UMD 1. 9th – Thief-Acrobat 4 – Feat: Tactile Trapsmith - Skills: Balance 1, Climb 1, Hide 1, Jump 1, Move Silently 1, Open Lock 1, Search 1, Tumble 1, UMD 1.
Far_Traveler 04-13-07, 07:06 PM	Sorceror?:mage: Ooooh, this WILL be fun....very fun indeed....:plotting: Also, one Black Dragon Egg, coming up.:evillaugh If it wouldn't disqualify me, I'd add Fetive Grave as one of Ki'ahestiryl's contacts and a Wyrmling Black Dragon as a soon to come ally. After all, even if you fail to make it like you, if worse comes to worse, I'll....liberate it from your "clutches." :evillaugh I'm fairly certain that I could hatch a black dragon, but They're too smart to have any hold on. I'd just need a good acid pit, I'm sure that Purfi could cook some up... Probably have to do some research... But, of course, this is all assuming we could ever meet :P And why not? He sent envoys to various cities to grab some good, stealthy/influential assistance. Also, I like Fetive. In a contest of Wizards, Rogues, and Urban Rangers, I made a Druid.
Maekrix_Waere 04-13-07, 07:17 PM	Wow, the contest isn't even over and we already have a full-fledged assassination plot coming to fruition. I'll have to enter these more often.:D
Heros_Backpack 04-13-07, 08:01 PM	Gentles all, I'm calling time. This contest is now officially closed. Let the judging begin! :whatsthis
Maekrix_Waere 04-13-07, 08:03 PM	Gentles all, I'm calling time. This contest is now officially closed. Let the judging begin! :whatsthis Finally!:D
Far_Traveler 04-13-07, 08:14 PM	You haven't seen anything yet. By the way, If you ever need snake or spider poison, I'm sure I could get some. And Purfi has been looking to diseases to make a more potent posion, Maybe you could lend her your expertise. Might want to score small size first though.
Maekrix_Waere 04-13-07, 08:19 PM	You haven't seen anything yet. By the way, If you ever need snake or spider poison, I'm sure I could get some. And Purfi has been looking to diseases to make a more potent posion, Maybe you could lend her your expertise. Might want to score small size first though. I'm not getting small size... Also, about expertise...I'm not (yet) a poisonmaker. Give me another level. (Assassin :D) I'll have 10 ranks in it then.:D Also, I just realize it would be easier to take the dwarf alive then I originally thought. Just punch him when he's asleep. I rolled it up and have to ask two questions-Does the dwarf have more than 23 hp? If so, does he have more than 46 hp? If the answer to either of those is no, then you, my friend, have one K.O.ed dwarf at your mercy. :evillaugh And...one Guard Captain of a metropolis which would be oh SO willing to accept these now leaderless citizens into their city. :evillaugh
Far_Traveler 04-13-07, 08:35 PM	Awesome. We'll make a campaign out of it. Lets just get some more peeps and a DM and we can do it over the boards!
Maekrix_Waere 04-13-07, 08:42 PM	Awesome. We'll make a campaign out of it. Lets just get some more peeps and a DM and we can do it over the boards! Funny part is...I actually have a bunch of tables saved on my computer which are made of squares, that could be used to make battle maps...the largest one is 57x36 (:eek:), and the smallest is 7x10.
Far_Traveler 04-13-07, 09:30 PM	Awesome. Any volunteers for DMing characters from this? I'd imagine with this one we can.
TheChilliGod 04-13-07, 10:46 PM	Not me, I'm still rather new to forum games. Well, see you later, all my hopes and dreams. Go dance around someone who has a chance of winning. :D No, seriously, I've already compiled a list of everything that's wrong with my entry, and there's quite a few bits. I'll tick them off when judges get around to commenting. ... At least I've put experience up on anagrams, and fleshed out a little bit more of my CS.
Maekrix_Waere 04-13-07, 11:36 PM	Sooooooo....exactly WHEN is the judging going to start?
TheChilliGod 04-14-07, 12:14 AM	Ideally? Two weeks ago. Officially? Now. Realistically? Next week. When will it finish? About two weeks from now, weather-permitting.
jennibert 04-14-07, 12:21 AM	Actually, Markrix_Waere, some judging has already started. Mercurius has actually been judging off and on for most of the past week. And will continue to do so...fortunately with some extra time as his new job has him off in the evenings for once :):):):):). But, just so you know.....Judging will take a while. Because the entries (mine in particular...sorry) are often long, and require lots of fun book checking and cross-referencing to find all of the mistakes that we have all, inevitably, made. Fortunately for you, I'm not judging this time, so things should go faster than some previous times, but still, allow at least a week for results. That said....so many good entries:). I've been reading backgrounds, and I've liked what I've seen so far. I still have a few more to read, and I'm too lazy to post much in the way of comments, but overall there are many interesting characters in this competition. It is an honor to compete against you. And my entry is all about honor....:)
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-14-07, 01:32 AM	Sooooooo....exactly WHEN is the judging going to start? Ideally? Two weeks ago. Officially? Now. Realistically? Next week. When will it finish? About two weeks from now, weather-permitting. :bigeyes: That's what I should have been doing over Spring Break! Oh well... I have an excuse for why I haven't started judging yet... I think it goes: "In order to be as consistant as possible when scoring the entries, I should judge them in as small a window frame as possible, so that they are all judged in approximately the same frame of mind." Granted, that frame of mind is probably titled "Paniced Last Minute Rush to get Everything Done," but at least I'm being consistant. Only I could come up with professional jargon, and use it as an excuse to be lazy for the last two weeks... :D Master list has been updated to include all official entries. Anyone who wishes to post characters now, you will not be considered for prizes or scoring, but feel free to post your character. After scoring is finished, the judges will provide feedback on your character as well. Thanks for everyone's entries. I will now drive myself crazy for the next two weeks!
Maekrix_Waere 04-14-07, 03:07 AM	Only I could come up with professional jargon, and use it as an excuse to be lazy for the last two weeks... :D Meh, I prefer this one: "In order to achieve the peak of my productive abilities, I must be under some form of pressure. I have found that when I wait until I have the minumum neccessary amount of time to complete the project within the deadline remaining, that I end up producing a product of higher quality then if I were to, say, complete it as soon as I hear that said product is needed." Also, its a "+5 Last Minute Rush to get Everything Done of Great Panicing." :D
Zherog 04-16-07, 08:57 AM	:bump: :D
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-16-07, 04:44 PM	Also, its a "+5 Last Minute Rush to get Everything Done of Great Panicing." :D As long as it's not a "+5 Judge's Bane Vorpal Rushed Deadline," I'm fine...
Mercurius 04-16-07, 10:44 PM	As long as it's not a "+5 Judge's Bane Vorpal Rushed Deadline," I'm fine... Don't be silly. An epic enhancement bonus is way outside the gold parameters of this competition.
Maekrix_Waere 04-16-07, 11:02 PM	Don't be silly. An epic enhancement bonus is way outside the gold parameters of this competition. I concur. BUT, maybe we should include PLATINUM parameters...or MITHRIL parameters...or even ADAMANTINE parameters. :evillaugh :evillaugh :evillaugh
Kit_the_Odd 04-17-07, 11:21 PM	In the words of the bard... Judge, judge, judge...judge the urban entries! Oh, and :bump:
Maekrix_Waere 04-17-07, 11:39 PM	In the words of the bard... Judge, judge, judge...judge the urban entries! Oh, and :bump: Woot for OOTS Referance.
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-18-07, 10:47 AM	:) Well, now that I've got a few minutes, time to get to work judging some entries. Judge, judge, judge...judge the urban entries! :mad: Are we done here? Ok. Back to work. Judge, judge, judge...judge the urban entries! :waits: Judge, judge, judge...judge the urban entries! :mage: "Cone of Cold!!!" :gel: <--- The Bard :bored: All right, time to get to work.
Kit_the_Odd 04-18-07, 01:11 PM	Um, I believe you have mis-understood me Jason. That is the chant of Inspire Competence. It is not an attempt to pressure or berate you, but rather to help you. Of course, I would hope this one turns out better than "Bluff, bluff, bluff,bluff the stupid ogre." (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0004.html)
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-18-07, 04:49 PM	JasonOrlandoHawk: Perform (OotS Reference): Check Result 5... Um, I believe you have mis-understood me Jason. That is the chant of Inspire Competence. It is not an attempt to pressure or berate you, but rather to help you. I did not misunderstand you, I was simply trying to reference another OotS comic. In particular, the "Concentrate, Concentrate, Concentrate... Concentrate on the Spell!" Sadly, my computer doesn't want to load the OotS webpage, so I can't link my poorly imitated comic for all to enjoy. Long story short, no offense taken, I was just trying to join in the joke... though now that I think about it... What do you mean "Inspire Competence?" :waits: ;)
Zherog 04-18-07, 06:37 PM	What do you think he means? :schemes:
Heros_Backpack 04-18-07, 06:50 PM	Um, I believe you have mis-understood me Jason. That is the chant of Inspire Competence. It is not an attempt to pressure or berate you, but rather to help you. Perhaps in that case I should respond 'Have, have, have, have some patience'? :D
Kit_the_Odd 04-18-07, 07:03 PM	Knowledge(spelling) check result = 2 :( Knowledge(OotS) check result = 3 :weep: Now that you explain the joke I do remember that strip. And for HB, here's another semi-obscure reference, "Patience, yeah, yeah, how long will that take."
Zherog 04-18-07, 09:17 PM	And for HB, here's another semi-obscure reference, "Patience, yeah, yeah, how long will that take." "Boot to the head" :D
Kit_the_Odd 04-18-07, 11:47 PM	Here is a link to the strip Jason referenced. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0041.html To the man climbing the cliff: "Excuse me, but I do not'a suppose you could'a speed things up?" "You know, this really isn't as easy as it looks. I'm afraid you're just going to have to wait." "I hate waiting."
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-19-07, 04:46 PM	What do you think he means? :schemes: I guess he was just trying to give me a +2 competence bonus on checks to notice errors while I was grading characters. I guess the author of one "Percival 'The Night Watchman" Isringben" is just going to be nitpicked more painfully than any other... ...as, entirely by coincidence, I happened to be grading that character when the song came to my attention. :cool:
Zherog 04-19-07, 07:25 PM	Good luck finding something to nit pick over. :D
Mercurius 04-20-07, 10:24 AM	Good luck finding something to nit pick over. :D Oh, I found a couple of things... :D
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-20-07, 10:52 AM	Good luck finding something to nit pick over. :D :evillaugh
Mercurius 04-20-07, 03:00 PM	*phew* Just poking my head in to inform everyone that I've managed to finish judging. I'll be sending my scores to the coordinator in a bit, and then I'll try and have comments start coming up Sunday night – I'm pretty much working all day and night tomorrow. :raincloud
Zherog 04-20-07, 03:48 PM	Oh, I found a couple of things... :D I reject your reality and substitute my own! :angelhide
FRRC 04-21-07, 06:24 AM	Le Bump.
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-21-07, 05:28 PM	Wow, Mercurius, you're already finished? Just to give everyone a head's up, this weekend has been busier than anticipated, so it will probably be Thursday/Friday before my scoring is completely finished. It's fun being a lazy judge... :D
Zherog 04-22-07, 06:54 PM	My current theory for why the judges haven't posted comments yet: The thread was on page two and they couldn't find it. :schemes: So, just to help them out... :bump:
TheChilliGod 04-23-07, 04:42 AM	Maybe it's because I haven't threatened them yet... *Insert Ultimately Ineffective Threat Referring to Generic Uncomfortableness Here* There, that should do it. Stealth Bump!
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-23-07, 09:41 AM	*Insert Ultimately Ineffective Threat Referring to Generic Uncomfortableness Here* :gah: Ok, ok, I'll actually start judging!
Mercurius 04-23-07, 12:32 PM	Wow, Mercurius, you're already finished? Just to give everyone a head's up, this weekend has been busier than anticipated, so it will probably be Thursday/Friday before my scoring is completely finished. It's fun being a lazy judge... :D I started judging during the last week of the competition, because I knew I wouldn't get it done on time otherwise. Good thing, too, because it took forever to get through Hammett... :ahem:
wrecan 04-23-07, 02:57 PM	Awesomeness always takes longer to judge. :P
Far_Traveler 04-23-07, 09:55 PM	By the way, if anyone was wodnering what kind of entry Ziggaraut didn't post, it was pretty bad. This was the gist of it: Ogre Sorcerer 2 Polymorphed into a dwarf for most of life Mother was cursed when pregnant and he was result In no particular order.
Heros_Backpack 04-24-07, 02:20 PM	Well, that's me finished judging. Comments will come when I've manged to remember which scribbled note belongs with which entry... :thinks: :thinks: :lightbulb
wrecan 04-24-07, 03:08 PM	it took forever to get through Hammett... :ahem: In my defense, mine was not the longest entry... {cough}Misery{cough}. Not surprisingly, the two long entries (mine and jennibert's) were the two entries that relied in no small part on the Leadership feat. Those are always going to elongate a character.
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-24-07, 05:29 PM	My sincere apologies to everyone, but I'm behind schedule. I've been going through a rather unexpected interview process, and it has cost me some time. I still plan to be finished by Saturday night at the latest, but there will be some delay. My apologies. (Darn other judges showing off, actually judging at a decent rate and all...) Btw, I've recently acquired a major headache. I decided to name it Hammett. :waits:
Zherog 04-24-07, 05:36 PM	My sincere apologies to everyone, but I'm behind schedule. I've been going through a rather unexpected interview process, and it has cost me some time. I still plan to be finished by Saturday night at the latest, but there will be some delay. My apologies. Are you giving the interview, or taking the interview? If it's the latter - Good luck!
wrecan 04-24-07, 06:50 PM	Btw, I've recently acquired a major headache. I decided to name it Hammett. :waits: Then my work here is done. :evillaugh
jennibert 04-24-07, 07:16 PM	In my defense, mine was not the longest entry... {cough}Misery{cough}. Not surprisingly, the two long entries (mine and jennibert's) were the two entries that relied in no small part on the Leadership feat. Those are always going to elongate a character. (BTW, this is Mercurius) Yours had much more, in my case, to do with making sure that everything you were doing with the leadership feat was on the up-and-up, rather than the background itself, which is what really significantly lengthens Misery's. That was much more just lots and lots of background.
wrecan 04-24-07, 07:51 PM	(BTW, this is Mercurius) Yours had much more, in my case, to do with making sure that everything you were doing with the leadership feat was on the up-and-up I understand that. Although, in my defense, I did ask several times if Followers were granted a 28-pt build and appeared to be assured they do. I used my own character's wealth to outfit them and even included few NPC-classed experts. (Though I now noticed I forgot to include Nell's class... which is Expert.) In addition, I shortchanged my character on possessions again by using my character's wealth to outfit the Cohort Dashielle, even though, technically, she gets recruited with wealth appropriate for her level). The biggest issue I see is my using bardic followers to boost Hammet's leadership score with great renown. It all depends on what the judges think "great renown" means. I did think about having a section on how his Leadership progressed through the levels. (number in parentheses is his leadership score vis-a-vis followers--his charisma means his cohort score is always maxed out) 6th (11): Level (6) + Cha 19 (4) + special power (1) : Recruits (ie marries) Dashielle (4th level cleric) 7th (12): Level (7) + Cha 19 (4) + special power (1) : Dashielle advances to 5th level, recruits 8 1st level experts, is fair and generous 8th (15): Level (8) + Cha 20 (5) + special power (1) + generous (1) : Dashielle advances to 6th, recruits a dozen merchants, Pinkerton, Nell and Lillian (who spins songs attesting to his great renown), rents inn as a stronghold. 9th (20): Level (9) + Cha 20 (5) + special power (1) + generous (1) + renown (2) + stronghold (+2) : Dashielle advances to 7th, recruits another 30 merchants, the rest of his teammates and implements protocols. Great renown: his hostory has him solving cases and looking out for the common man. I think that should qualify, even without bards singing his praises. Stronghold: His inn is exclusively used by him and his people. It can be used ot protect his followers. I don't see why this wouldn't count. Special power: I think spellthief powers should qualify, but it's been augmented by the fact that he keeps his powers mysterious. Nobody knows exactly what he is. Generous: He supplies every first level follower with masterwork artisan's tools (55 gp). Presumably, most 1st level NPC-classed characters begin play with nothing more than regular artisan's tools (5 gp). That doesn't even count for the parties and Hammet's services free of charge. I just figured adding another 250 words was superfluous. :)
jennibert 04-24-07, 09:03 PM	In my defense, mine was not the longest entry... {cough}Misery{cough}. :hides: Yeah, I'm always the long winded one....the judges should be grateful I didn't submit the novel-length version of Misery's story.....:evillaugh
Kit_the_Odd 04-25-07, 08:49 PM	Bump, bump, bump, bump the contest tread. This message brought to you by Things That Go Bump In The Night, Inc.
Zherog 04-27-07, 01:09 PM	What about things that go bump in the day? :bump: Sort of like that... :schemes:
jennibert 04-28-07, 12:39 PM	:bump:. Definitely :bump:
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-28-07, 04:52 PM	Hey everyone! Please forgive me for the delay. I am almost completely done judging the entries (three to go), but I have hit a spell of car trouble, and that is probably going to eat up my afternoon. Anyways, I should have the scores posted tommorrow night, or Monday afternoon at the latest. Thanks for your patience. Are you giving the interview, or taking the interview? If it's the latter - Good luck! Thanks! It's actually a little of both. One of the ministry groups I work with is going through a fairly major reorganization. The head of the ministry was recently moved from part-time to full-time, which means a lot more financial support will be coming from the state. At the same time, several of the individuals who have been working there are moving on to new positions out of town. This has left us with a lot more work to do, and a lot fewer people to do it. Thus, we are trying to reorganize before the new semester starts. There is the very slim possibility that it could result in a paid position for me, but that is unlikely. I'll probably just end up with a lot of extra work, but it's what I love doing, so I really don't care what position I end up with when this is complete. My main concern is trying to get everything pulled together before the previous leaders move out, which is in about a week and a half (which is why my schedule has been so hectic).
wrecan 04-29-07, 05:40 PM	Sorry to hear about your car, Jason! Take your time.
Zherog 04-30-07, 08:39 AM	So... how 'bout some comments from the two judges who are done their scores? :D
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-30-07, 01:02 PM	Alright, all the judging has been finished. Scores will be posted, hopefully, a few hours from now. (I am in the process of clarifying some things before final results go up.) My sincere apologies for the delay. I originally planned to post scores Friday night, and I have missed that deadline. I am very sorry. My life was just busier than I expected last week. Some quick items of business, while I wait for everything to finalize itself: I will be posting character comments both tonight (and possibly tommorrow night). If you do not want your comments made public, please contact me before 4pm CST this afternoon (basically, you've got 4 hours). Also, as I always like to say, please remember that my job as a judge is to find mistakes, errors, inconsitant items, and expose them. Please do not be offended by any comments made, as they show mostly the negative side of what we do. All of the entries were excellent, and I thank everyone for the time they put into their characters Also, since awards are about to be handed out, it's time for someone to volunteer to Coordinate HC#9. Also, eligible judges should probably indicate their intent to judge (or refrain from judging) during the next go around. As soon as everything is clarified, I will have scores up for you. Jason P.S.: I was going to bump the Hero Craftsman: Feedback, Suggestions, and Criticisms page, but I couldn't find it. Z, could you help me pull it back out?
Zherog 04-30-07, 01:34 PM	Also, since awards are about to be handed out, it's time for someone to volunteer to Coordinate HC#9. Also, eligible judges should probably indicate their intent to judge (or refrain from judging) during the next go around. Put me in the same position as this one: I'm available to judge if you need one more person to make it three, but would prefer to sit out. P.S.: I was going to bump the Hero Craftsman: Feedback, Suggestions, and Criticisms page, but I couldn't find it. Z, could you help me pull it back out? Done.
TheChilliGod 04-30-07, 03:14 PM	Well, I've taken a long-enough break from judging for a while, so I think I'm good and ready now for another round. I don't think I'll bother co-ordinating, though. Let someone new take that spot.
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-30-07, 06:11 PM	I've made you all wait long enough, so here goes... :teach: We will begin this afternoon by honoring the exemplary individuals who showcased some of the best work in each of the categories that were judged in this contest. Please bear in mind that the "Best in Category" awards are nomination awards, and they do not have any impact on the final scores, nor do they affect the distribution of the bronze, silver, and gold medals. Rather, these nominations serve to highlight exemplary items within this competition. So, without further ado, I present the "Best in Category" Awards. The nominees for Best in Thematic Creativity are: Lieutenant Chaplain Misery Mulligan By: jennibert Ki'ahestiryl By: Maekrix_Waere Hammett By: wrecan Lieutenant Chaplain Misery Mulligan By: jennibert By unanimous vote, the winner of Best in Background is Lieutenant Chaplain Misery Mulligan By: jennibert The nominees for Best in Rules Use/Mechanics are: Brezel Taran, the Breeze Bandit By: Kit_the_Odd Kivan By: FRRC Kivan By: FRRC The nominees for Best in Clarity are: Lieutenant Chaplain Misery Mulligan By: jennibert Jack, a.k.a. "White Face" By: Endarrion Kyrani Tabadore (a.k.a Tabby) By: edwardsobel Kyrani Tabadore (a.k.a Tabby) By: edwardsobel :clap: :cheer: :clap: Congratulations to all of our "Best of..." winners. Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for, the announcement of the bronze, silver, and gold medal winners for Hero Craftsman #8: The Cobblestone Jungle. Coming in 3rd place, with an average score of 26.33/35 (75.22%), our Bronze medal winner is... Kyrani Tabadore (a.k.a Tabby) By: edwardsobel Coming in 2nd place, with an average score of 26.5/35 (75.7%), our Silver medal winner is... Brezel Taran, the Breeze Bandit By: Kit_the_Odd Finally, the champion of Hero Craftsman #8, with an outstanding average score of 29.67/35 (84.7%), our Gold medal winner is... Lieutenant Chaplain Misery Mulligan By: jennibert :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :cheer: :bow: :king: :bow: :cheer: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Congratulations to all our winners! It has been a wonderful contest! The final (average) scores for all contestants, in no particular order are... Daren Makis, the Lone Wolf By: DarkKitsune 64.7% Fetive Grave By: Far_Traveler 67.1% Hammett By: wrecan 62.4% Kanti Magourik By: Lazzmaniandevil 62.9% Ki'ahestiryl By: Maekrix_Waere 62.9% Kivan By: FRRC 63.8% Percival "The Night Watchman" Isringben By: Zherog 70.5% "Runty" Gurbok By: Haruspex 68.1% Sir Clafon Golegas By: TheChilliGod 72.9% Jack a.k.a. "White Face" By: Endarrion 70% On behalf of the judges for Hero Craftsman #8: The Cobblestone Jungle, I would like to thank everyone for the time, energy, and creativity put forth to make this a wonderful competition. Everyone should feel proud of themselves. Good Night! And now I get to go read all of those private conversations I was excluded from earlier...
wrecan 04-30-07, 06:15 PM	Congrats to jennibert! Great entry. I've never been at the bottom of a contest I've entered before. I guess I need to brace myself for the comments...
FRRC 04-30-07, 06:40 PM	Wasn't expecting to get very high in this one. Kinda rushed it last day thing. Hooray for best in something though. It must mean there was something to pick at in Z's entry after all :D
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-30-07, 06:49 PM	General Comments First, as always, I really enjoyed getting to read all of the characters submitted for this competition. Please remember that the (character specific) comments that you are about to recieve are mostly negative, but that is what judging is designed to do: notice and point out flaws. I had a lot of fun during this competition, largely b/c many of the entries reminded me of several of my favorite comic book or movie characters. Thematic Creativity This is a catch-all category for me, and I typically grade it very quickly. This represents how well your character fit the "Urban" classification. I typically graded this in less than 5 minutes, after the first reading. The grading is very "general," so don't expect highly detailed feedback here. I also tried to judge your setting details here, if applicable, though I sometimes blended this in w/ Background. Typically, if your city was very well detailed, that brought your score up here. One thing I would like to compliment several people on is the fact that this contest has seen the most entries w/ character portraits. A character portrait is a quick, easy way to tell me a lot about your character, and I typically awarded a bonus .5 in this category if you provided a good picture to go with your character. Background Background is a very big category for me. It would be impossible to list everything I notice, but I note the main ideas. First, did your character justify your levels and classes? Second, since this is a Player Character creation contest, would this character work well in a group? Lastly, I looked for a healthy list of allies, enemies, and plot hooks that I could use were I to DM for this character. I really dislike the "everyone I know and love is dead" approach, and typically marked off for that. Also, I prefer one well developed Antagonist (who is a credible threat) to several potential sources of conflict. It's easier for me to write one major villain into my game than four or five lesser villains. See individual comments for details. Rules Use/Mechanics This is two seperate categories for me, each worth 5 points. The first category is Mechanics. This represents the RAW, period. Is your BAB correct? Did you remember synergy modifiers to your skills? There are cases where I may personally disagree w/ the RAW, but in regards to Mechanics, I try to stay as clase to the SRD/RAW as possible. Rules Use, on the other hand, is a measure of your character's power for their level. If your character is poorly constructed, has an obvious glass jaw (low saving throws was common in this competition), or was needlessly handicapped, I counted off here. In short: Mechanics: RAW, Rules Use: Power Gaming. See Individual Comments for details. Clarity I am an education major, so I grade like a teacher. Two comments I gave everyone were "Red Ink" and "Citation." Red Ink refers to spelling/grammar errors. Citation refers to referencing non-core material (classes, feats, skills, items, spells, etc...). Together, "Red Ink" and "Citation" are worth 1 or the 5 points in this category. After that, I was considering how easy it was to judge your character. Did you provide a Level-By-Level breakdown for me? Was the stat block neatly summarized? Overall, I was looking for something easy for me to grade. Lastly, did you include enough "white space" in your entry. If things ran together, it made it hard for me to read. There is one issue that I did not count off on in this competition, but I will probably start to count off for in future competitions: Non-Standard Race stats. We had many characters pull non-standard races from the MM. However, not one entry included a section of Racial stats and abilities. In future contests, I intend to make it clear that I expect those to be listed, even if provided in the MM.
Far_Traveler 04-30-07, 06:52 PM	I curse you for not putting it in any particular order! I thought I got 5th, but only 8th... Ah well! Still my best yet!
Mercurius 04-30-07, 07:00 PM	Okay, so it's about time I posted my comments. Sorry about taking a week longer than i meant to... real life work and such got in the way (I recently started a new position and have been acclimating somewhat...). Again, I'm going to be just going with my general impressions, and the things that need to be pulled out whenever I graded the character. Mostly, this'll be abridged errors and such... As a general rule, I didn't award as many points in theme for "skills" classes such as the rogue, spellthief, ninja, etc. They were much more of an obvious fit for urban adventures, so they weren't, IMHO, deserving of a full score. Your rules use here is impeccable... You made a slight error failing to account for your magical enhancements to Charisma for your paladin class abilities (Lay on Hands & Turn Undead). The big problem with the character, as I see it, is the presentation of the background... While it does provide NPCs and what-not that are useful to a DM, and I like that you invested in perform ranks, it just isn't terribly inspiring to read. It might have been the stuffy presentation and writing, which may or may not have been intentional, but it was just... not a riveting read. The main error you made was in your gold figuring – You seem to have mistakenly calculated armor and weapon enhancements at lower values than the should be. It wasn't a glaring error, though it means you overspent by a fair bit. Your background is a little cumbersome, but not bad. The biggest problem is that you really don't work much as an urban hero at the moment, due to the massive issue of needing to get out of the city... You said it yourself - "he must flee the city he loves," which makes him not as much of an urban hero as I was looking for to judge highly. Still, a very good use of antagonists and what-not. So, you clearly meant to have Boots of Striding and Springing instead of Boots of Speed, judging by your speed listing and such, but this is an error on your part. Your Ring of Alter Self could just as easily have been a Hat of Disguise, which would have actually saved you gold. I'm not sure I agree on the price of your ring of enlarge person... it's right by the numbers, but way too powerful for the cost... The big problem with the character, sadly, is that he's hardly an "urban hero." He has little reason to really adventure in an urban environment, and he's hardly a hero. An interesting antagonist, to be sure, but he wouldn't fit in well with any real parties I can think of. He'd be very good as a solo character and/or villain in an urban campaign, though. Well, the first really big error is that, by my calculations, you spent 30 points in your 28 point stat buy. Taking the lycanthrope rules in... boy was that a pain to figure out. The background and theme for this character were reasonably well done. I had a hard time dealing with the idea of any elf named "Mialee" being attractive after what WotC's illustrations of the iconic wizard have shown, but it was interesting enough... Your idea of a werewolf pack living inside a city and training as monks seemed a little odd to me, honestly... While most werewolves tend towards Chaotic Evil, I could buy lawful ones... It's just their desire to live in a city that seemed at odds with the general concept of werewolves... Oy, vay... Well, there were quite a few problems with this one, sadly enough... It took me a very long time to get through the finer workings of this character, and I was sad to say that there were several very big errors with him... First of all, a morning star isn't finessable, but I think you already knew that and just forgot to edit it... Still, it counted. Following this, your skill breakdown fails to account for some synergy and/or feats that you had. Your gold totals are a little off, both in the amount you're carrying and that you should have... You failed to account for the silver and copper piece fractions when figuring all your followers' sweat-shop crafted items, meaning you overspent a fair bit on mundane gear. Your homunculi network, though ingenious, simply does not work. You can't make a homunculus for anyone but yourself, for starters, so you couldn't have hired anyone to craft them for you. In addition, you gave yourself a discount as if the crafter was a follower/cohort, which he isn't. The only price for a Homunculus is the price for the pieces... You can't decrease that for anything. And the "Price: - (Never Sold)" is a real big tip off that you can't get them without crafting them yourself. Your discounted magical items were messed up: You'd need an 18th level caster to create a Shield of Faith +5 potion, meaning you'd need to pay full price for it, since Hammett's wife couldn't craft one at all. Finally, while it's in the spirit of the rules more or less to get discounts on gear, I personally dislike how you've used one feat (leadership) to effectively earn you two extra feats (Scribe Scroll, Brew Potion), not to mention scores of free skill points and crafting time... Your followers must devote months of time to making some of that gear, meaning that they're really doing an awful lot of work for free that might be interfering with how much they could really earn Hammett. And his spellcasters are apparently more than willing to give up XP for no compensation... Finally, your saves and other pieces of efficiency are terrible. Any opponent worth their salt would just dominate or charm you and have Hammett destroy everything he's built up for so long. With a will save that bad, it'd be incredibly easy, even if they didn't just finger of death or circle of death him... Your clarity hurt you badly, too. For a long while, I thought you'd overspent your skill points because you didn't enumerate things at all, and the stat block you used is a real chore to get through. You underspent on your stat block (you actually only spent 26 points instead of 28), and your stats don't reflect well in your background. With a wisdom of 8, your character should reflect either a lack of common sense or absent mindedness that are lacking from your background, and your complete lack of Sense Motive ranks means you would be hard pressed to tell if anyone was lying to you. You also didn't even name the paladin who so early on set Hammett on the right path, even though he should probably be someone important to your character. Okay... Well, just so you know for later competitions and probably for your own games, Mithral gear is already masterwork... You don't need to pay more to have it made so that you can enchant it. Therefore, you overpaid for your +1 Glamered Shadow Mithral Chain Shirt. Secondly, to get a +1 bonus composite longbow, you'd have to pay the 100 gp for the bow, the 300 gp for the masterwork, and the 100 gp for the strength bonus, for a total of 500 gp, not 400 gp. You therefore overpaid for one item, and underpaid for another. Silly Zherog. The BIG error on your part was spending 30 points on your stats... an error a few people made, bu one you should still have noticed easily enough. As for your background, you lack a lot of stuff that I know you look for in backgrounds: supporting cast, family, enemies, etc. Shame on you, Zherog. Shame, shame. The background itself is pretty good, though a bit on the standard side. Fun to read, and he could work in pretty well. There's just not a lot of baggage really to bring in along with him. He is tied very well to his city. Well, as far as I can tell, you failed to actually apply the Goblin stat mods to your stats, meaning that you should have had a higher DEX and lower STR and CHA. This is a major issue, since it plays hell with some of your skills (mostly making you better, actually...) You misspent a bit on gold... you've got 100 gp left over, but that's not too bad. The big problem with your character is that you don't really work as an urban adventurer... You move from place to place and have very few ties with an area to make you qualify, in my opinion, as an urban adventurer. Your story was run through with one or two character ties, including a powerful wizard and an interesting doppleganger villain, but it didn't rivet me, unfortunately. He could work with a party, but he seems very self interested, and might not be the best team player... Technically, you can run in heavy armor, you just do it at 3 times your speed, not 4 times. So there's a slight whoopsie there, though since it's extra clarity anyway... I didn't count much. You miscalculated the price of your third level scrolls, which is why you didn't get a perfect on rules. I saw no other problems. I appreciated your clarity. Not only did it help me notice a slight error in your stat skills list (you added right in the breakdown, but not on the actual list for Knowledge (local), you provided a lot of useful information. Thanks for giving me two different leadership breakdowns. Very useful and considerate. And then there's the background. Ahem. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v39/discipleofsakura/Other%20Peoples%20Stuff/catholdup.jpg I know the background too well to really say much about it, except to say to others that jennibert did indeed provide the abridged version of the character. Lots of helpful npcs to work in, villains and allies. Your character really, really suffered for some major flaws, not the least of which is that you made your character completely unable to function. For example, druids need to have some Neutral component to their alignments, so Chaotic Good means you cannot use any abilities. Even if you were, say, Chaotic Neutral or Neutral Good, you'd still be prohibited because you are wearing studded leather armor, which is prohibited by the Druid's armor vows. You overspent your gold a bit, too, which counts off a bit, and you gave yourself the benefit of Knowledge (nature)'s synergy bonus to your survival ranks, even though you have no ranks in the skill at all. The character itself was very interesting, though. He's not entirely as "urban" as he is "sub-urban." Still, he's very interesting, and I certainly enjoyed seeing character names from places like Dominic Deegan show up in the background. He'd be good to have in a party, and he brings a lot of interesting options to a group, though he might have trouble integrating because of his specific mission. There was only one real flaw in your character... One that is easy to mistake if you don't pay enough attention, and one that seems vaguely illogical anyway. You cannot tie Perform (Dance) to bardic music. It needs to e audible, so song or something would work, but as it stands, your bardic music abilities are nonexistent. Considering how much crazy multiclassing you had to deal with, though, the lack of other errors was quite impressive. Your background certainly felt very abridged. But considering it was still as long as it was, so much the better. There's not many NPCs to work in, but I think she'd work in a group reasonably well... BTW, how was the Tibbit race? I've seen 'em and thought they might be cool, but wasn't sure... Kivan lacks many things... A ranged weapon, a +1 enhancement bonus to allow Lawbringer to qualify for its Axiomatic enhancement, a properly advanced and clarified animal companion, and much adventuring gear, and accurate ranks in Sense Motive (you over spent a bit there). In addition, you made the same mistake Zherog did in regards to your Mithral armor - you charged yourself for masterwork when you didn't have to. Your background, while presented in an interesting way, fails to provide much information about your character. You don't tell us much of where he's from, why he's adventuring, or provide many NPCs to integrate. Overall, it's not awful, but it really doesn't give much more beyond a general idea that he doesn't really seem inclined to let others in on his mission. Inspired by V for Vendetta much? Still, Jack's got a fair bit going for him, though his stats have a few errors. You overpaid for your rapier, you lack any ranged weapon, and you really messed up your fighter skill points (while you can have max ranks as if they were class skills, without a feat like "Able Learner" from Races of Destiny, you can't pay one point per rank, so several of your skills are messed up (they should have half ranks instead of full ranks in some places ; Knowledge (Local), Perform, Search, and Sleight of Hand. You also didn't specify which Perform group you had selected. You don't have much in the way of adventuring gear or potions, poisons, etc either, and your theatre mustn't be very impressive if it only cost twice the price of the smallest home listed in the DMG... There's no backpack or anything to carry your gear, either, so lord knows where your rope or grappling hook are located. Your character's alignment seems very evil, honestly. I guess you justify neutrality more on the order of "he does evil things and he does good things, and they sort of balance cosmically," but the standard idea of good/evil in D&D indicates that he would possibly be CE, even if he would also work well with a group despite this "handicap." I couldn't find a single error in your rules. Good on ya. You listed yourself as having a +6 shield bonus, but you accounted for it in every other way as the +2 it should be. Your background is a fair amount of fun, and pretty tight. You provided good plot hooks, a few nice NPCs, and justification for your class, level, etc. Sadly, you're a rogue from the inner city, so Brezel didn't get any extra points in thematic creativity. And there you have 'em.
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-30-07, 07:04 PM	Thematic Creativity • Chaotic Good Rogue struggles against Lawful Evil government. Classic Urban Hero. Class Warfare is also a strong thematic element in many great stories. • Overall, you’re background wasn’t as “gritty” as I would’ve preferred. For such a hostile, controlling government, there’s very little blood spilled. I see Brezel as more of a Prankster than an Icon. Background • Antagonist. Living Plot Hooks… err… umm… Relatives. Friends. Location. You have a very solid background, and there is plenty of Evil DM Laugh material. As noted above, the story was a little more light-hearted than I would’ve preferred (i.e.: your mother was destitute and penniless for (what seems like) a few weeks at best. The (extremely poor) community managed to get her on her feet rather quickly. It amounts to a play style difference more than anything else though. • I would’ve liked to have seen some more detail about Brezel’s time w/ the Sewer Scramblers, and you really didn’t do enough with “The Southside Strangler.” Seriously, the second one has “Plot Hook” written all over it. • The lack of detail in some locations, along with the more light-hearted tone, does make this character seem (to me) to be more Low-Level Prankster than Mid/High-Level Revolutionary. However, this character is very usable by a in any game. Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: Skill Points: On your T-A levels, you gave yourself too many skill points. A T-A has 6+ Int. mod. Skill points/level, which would be (6+2) 8/level for you, but you’ve spent 9 skill points at each level. • Mechanics #2: Attacks: You forgot your +1 size bonus on attack roles for all your weapons. Also, I hate to nitpick, but you wouldn’t have iterative attacks w/ your MW Dagger (thrown) since you technically only have one dagger. • Mechanics #3: Agile Fighting: I believe that you may be misreading the rules for the Agile Fighting ability, but then again, they are poorly worded. The additional +1 when fighting defensively is actually an improvement to your Agile Fighting bonus while using those options. However, as written, you seem to have replaced your normal Fighting Defensively/Total Defense Bonuses w/ the +1 bonus. Just to make sure you understand, you’d still get the regular bonuses when using either of those options, which would be +3/+6 b/c of your ranks in Tumble. • Mechanics #4: You have a +2 racial bonus on saves vs. fear, not a +2 moral bonus on saves vs. fear (which allows the bonus to stack w/ other abilities like a Paladin’s Aura of Courage). Also, Stealth Clarity #1: it’s “morale” not “moral.” • Rules Use #1: Languages: You really don’t have a reason to list Dwarven among the languages you can speak. Considering your followers, and your background as a performer, I would’ve taken Elven instead. • Rules Use #2: Ring of Feather Fall: This item is almost useless for you. There are very few situations where you would need it. You can easily, in almost any situation, ignore 40 ft. of falling damage. (30 ft. from Slow Fall + 10 ft. from a DC 15 Jump/Tumble check to “Jump Down.”) In most environments, that would make your Ring of Feather Fall useless. The money could’ve been better spent elsewhere. • Rules Use #3: Ability Buy, Saving Throws, & Character Build: Honestly, this character tries to do too much. You’re a Leader of Men (hence the Leadership feat), but you haven’t taken any skills associated with that position (Diplomacy, Gather Info, Bluff, Sense Motive). What this ultimately does is give you a low Wisdom, which leads to a miserable Will save. Seriously, you are looking at an 80% fail rate (or worse) vs. 5th level spells. I would remove the Poor Boys (or, remove Brezel as the leader of the Poor Boys), trash the Leadership feat, and re-assign your abilities to make you a little more durable vs. spellcasters. Your followers could become NPC friends, and your character would be more effective in a party. • Rules Use #4: Leadership Score: You didn’t list your Score, or your method for determining it (which was, granted, rather easy to determine.). Clarity • Moderate Red Ink. (i.e.: What exactly is Dust of Tracklessness?) • Very Minor Citation Issues (Forgot to Cite Vest of Resistance +2) • Level-by-level breakdown was very handy. Thematic Creativity • Gang warfare… with teeth. It’s not Gangs of New York, but I like it. • Werewolves are fun, but I have some issues with your class and alignment. Werewolves are “Always Chaotic Evil.” As a DM, I don’t like making exceptions to the word “Always,” and if I do make an exception, I don’t like them to be so extreme. (Daren is an exception on both the Lawful-Chaotic axis and the Good-Evil axis. Monk has driven you to a point that, as a DM, I wouldn’t allow.) You could have made Daren a CN Werewolf/Druid and accomplished the exact same story (especially since Chaotic characters often have their own personal code of “honor.”) • The city of Sareth stopped just short of usable, for some reason. You gave me some locations (The Diving Swan, The Grand Bridge), but the picture isn’t complete. You were a few words shy of a beautiful backdrop for this character. Background • Very solid background. You shortchanged yourself on allies a bit, IMO. Still, very usable. Lots of potential plot hooks. • My main issue w/ this character is that you really didn’t earn ECL 9 in my book. You only mention your war w/ the Wererats. However, wererats are CR 2, which means that most of them are easy pickings for your character, especially w/ levels in Monk. I would’ve liked to see more adventures for your character. • In line w/ the previous statement, you’ve earned a reputation as “The (Lone) Wolf.” I willing to wager that the story of how you earned that title/reputation would answer my previous misgiving. • One last note: Only a fool places a romantic sub-plot in their background and believes it to be water under the bridge. ;) Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: Your point buy totals are off. It seems as if you used a 30 pt. buy, not a 28 pt. buy. • Mechanics #2: The description of the Lycanthrope template notes that you do not gain your Animal HD first. While that doesn’t affect your HP, BAB, or Saves, it does affect your skills. Your first level would’ve been Monk, w/ quadruple skill points (giving your 41 skill points, not 26). Also, on the subject of skills, you have a +4 bonus on Survival rolls to Track by Scent in all forms. • Mechanics #3: The Lycanthrope (Wolf) Template gives you Weapon Focus (Bite) and Iron Will as bonus feats. • Mechanics #4: Curse of Lycanthropy only applies to your bite attacks, which means that you technically don’t have it in your Human form. • Rules Use #1: While your gear total was perfect, there were some redundancy issues w/ your choices. First, Amulet of Mighty Fists and Potions of Magic Fang do not stack. Also, why would you need a Chime of Opening when you have a Ring of the Ram? (Yes, I know there is a difference between “opening the door” and “brutally shattering the door to pieces.”) • Rules Use #2: You have a dagger, so I would’ve included it in the attacks section. Clarity • No Red Ink. • Citation: I’m torn over citing non-standard race material from the MM. I didn’t count off for it, but I’m debating including that as one of my expectations for future HC competitions. • You needed a level-by-level breakdown, badly. • Minor issue: You should’ve noted the charges remaining on the Ring of the Ram and Chime of Opening. Thematic Creativity • Evil Goblin Beast that drags naughty children into the depths of the sewers, never to be seen again… hilarious! • Your character isn’t so much an Urban Hero as an Urban Planner. Hiding your own city beneath another is quite the accomplishment, which is justifiable for a character of your level. Well done! It also creates an effective backdrop for your character’s adventures. • I have qualms w/ your alignment on two levels: 1) Druids are supposed to be “partially neutral,” but you are Chaotic Good. Big Problem. 2) Goblins are “Usually Evil,” but you are Chaotic Good. Granted, it’s not as bad as violating the “Always…” alignment description, but it still doesn’t sit well w/ me. Personally, I’d resolve both issues by making this character CN (which has the side benefit of not necessarily violating the “Often Lawful Good” alignment description of your Dwarven antagonist). Background • Your background is very solid. I do have a few issues, however. • #1: Your character is so tied up in running Oasis that I doubt you could adventure unless your city was horribly destroyed… (Now what kind of DM might do that? :evillaugh ) • #2: Your Antagonist, Celesto Morgan, is too distant to be a true antagonist. He’s the cause of your troubles, but only indirectly. I would’ve liked a more developed rivalry (maybe by expanding on the rescue of your sister). • #3: I didn’t feel like you justified your level. You had very few activities involving combat, most notably a crocodile (which occurred before you even gained level 1), and rescuing your sister. You really needed more action to justify your power levels. • Compliment: I loved your Animal Companion’s name: Plague. I once played a Half-Orc Druid w/ a Dire Rat companion named “Measles.” I got a good laugh when I saw your companion’s name. I just hope you aren’t planning to feed Plague to your upcoming companion, the Giant Constrictor Snake… I would be very upset if that happened. Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: As mentioned above, your alignment should be partially Neutral. • Mechanics #2: Contagion is an Evil Spell, which means you aren’t allowed to cast it. Granted, I don’t know how Contagion is Evil, but Poison isn’t. I’m of the opinion that they either both should be Evil, or both shouldn’t be Evil. (However, that really doesn’t help you much, since I lean towards the former position.) • Mechanics #3: You miscalculated the price of your Decanter of Endless Water (6,750gp, not 6,250gp), which sent you 500gp over the gear total limit. There were some other funny pricing issues, like the multiple Bottles of Not-So-Fine-Alcoholic Beverages, but they were (fairly) reasonable, so I let them stand. • Mechanics #4: Your Wisdom modifier is +6, which brings your Will save bonus up to +15. • Rules Use #1: Discounted Magical Items: Yes, every item you own can be legitimately accounted for under the rules. The problem is this: they can only be accounted for under the rules recently. Literally, you have crafted several of your items at Caster Level 9, which means you have apparently been working your poor sister overtime, making your gear. The time frame doesn’t sit well with me for you to have that much gear crafted in (what would be) so short a period of time. Clarity • Minor Red Ink • Citation: I’m at an impasse over non-standard races from the MM. I didn’t count off for it, but I really think that the page numbers should be cited, or the racial stats should be listed. • Leadership: This is becoming a very unpopular feat for me. It almost doubles the workload for me as a judge on your character. Personally, less is more when it comes to Leadership. Keep it simple. I don’t have that much free time!!! • Since you only took levels in one class (Thank you! Thank you!), I didn’t need a level-by-level breakdown, but a list of racial abilities would have saved me a lot of time. • You needed some Spell Save DC’s. Also, while you included Common Wild Shape forms (which is very convenient), you probably should have listed some common summoned animals (since they are affected by your Augmented Summoning feat). Thematic Creativity • You definitely created an Urban Character, but I’m having trouble deciding if you created an Urban Hero or an Urban Planner. Still, you have the prerequisite ties to the city. • Curious Question: Is your Inn named “The Legitimate Businessman’s Association Bar & Grill?” :P Background • You’ve definitely established this character in his home town. You’ve got a plethora of allies, enemies, and contacts. Well done. • Issue #1: I don’t know how well this character would fit in with an adventuring group, seeing as you are constantly managing your own organization. Your character would be great for a solo campaign, but less than ideal for an adventuring party. • Issue #2: You have several possible antagonists, but they are all people that you’ve beaten (driven off, turned down, had arrested) before. If you came out on top the first time around, why would I assume that they could challenge you a second time? You really needed a strong antagonist who is comparable to you in power and influence. • Finally, you say that your family would never physically harm Hammett or his friends. Only if you have a really, really kind DM. (Side note: I’m not really, really kind.) Rules Use/Mechanics • Your Shield of Faith +5 (Potion) isn’t discounted. While a level 7 cleric could cast Shield of Faith, the +5 bonus is Caster Level 18. • Your saves are really low for a character of your level. You can reasonably expect to be facing level 4 or 5 spells, which have a minimum save DC of 16 and 17 respectively (usually higher). On all of your saves, that translates to a 50% fail rate or worse. I recommend that you rearrange some GP and purchase a Cloak of Resistance (or other similar item). • I do not agree with the “Special Power” portion of your Leadership score. Basically, anything granted to you by a base class isn’t going to qualify as “Special Power.” (Rant: Now, if Spellthief were a PrC, like it is in the Dragonlance setting, I’d whole-heartedly agree that it qualifies as a “Special Power.”) • Your followers do not use a 28 pt. buy to calculate their ability scores. They are not heroes, they are extras. Thus, they would use the non-elite array listed in the MM. • You do not need to calculate your followers’ gear, or your cohort’s gear in with your own gear totals. That just lowers your power level. All individuals you gain from the Leadership feat are assumed to come with their own gear, pay for their own lodging, etc… Now, your cohort does adventure with you, gaining a share of the treasure and experience, but that still doesn’t affect your totals. • I’d like to know how much experience your cohort and followers burn making magic items for you. Remember, they lose XP when they craft these items, and if you are constantly asking them to craft magic items, you are causing them to weaken themselves dramatically. Two or three minor items/level would be reasonable. After that, I’d probably rule that they didn’t wish to provide any more spells. • Where’d you learn Draconic? You’re a thief, not a wizard. Another language would’ve been more appropriate. Clarity • Minor Red Ink • Cite your Sources: Spellthief • Summarize your Leadership score: You could have said, “I run a large organization consisting of 50 level 1 merchants/craftsmen, and I use the organizations profits to rent an inn, provide tools (often masterwork) to my followers, and help the needy. I also can obtain discounts on any mundane item in the PHB and on low level scrolls and potions.” I would have said, “Ok.” You really didn’t need to spell all the details out for me. Remember the hints section, keep it simple when using the Leadership feat. • Your stat block was very easy to read. Thematic Creativity • Every time I see the PrC Vigilante, I think of the Punisher comic series. Thus, I can appreciate the gritty story you have provided, including your girlfriend’s gruesome murder. • Overall, only one line really hurt your score here: “His current plan is to find a group of adventurers and join them on a mission that would take them anywhere, as long as it is far from his hometown.” I think you wrote yourself into a corner, and now you’re running from the setting of this competition. Background • Dead family. Dead Girlfriend. The Punisher image really isn’t leaving my head in regards to your character. However, you have left yourself devoid of allies. I’m a cruel DM, but I’m not that cruel. • Healthy list of usable foes… excellent! Trenviak sounds like a world of trouble for you! • You had some excellent description of gaining your early levels, but I don’t know that you’ve really justified yourself past level 5 or 6. Besides killing vermin when you were young, as far as combat goes, you’ve only intervened in one encounter physically. Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: Gear Totals: First off, if everything is priced as listed, you have spent 37,960gp, which is above the contest limit. However, you under priced some of your gear. Your +1 Shortbow is 2,330gp, not 1,330gp, and your +2 Mithral Shirt is 5,100gp, not 3,100gp. Lastly, you didn’t seem to calculate your 4pp into your final total. • Mechanics #2: Your BAB is +8, which affects your attacks and your grapple modifier. • Mechanics #3: With Urban Ranger, you only add ½ your Ranger levels to your Wild Empathy checks, granting you a +5 bonus. • Mechanics #4: With Smite the Guilty, you add your Cha. Modifier to your attack, which means your attack bonus is +3, not +4. • Rules Use #1: I really think you went w/ the wrong combat style for this character. You had to burn two extra feats (Weapon Finesse, Two Weapon Defense) to make this build work. Considering your high Dexterity, I would’ve taken the Archery combat style (which would have freed up some feats and been cheaper in terms of gear). • Rules Use #2: I really worry about this character in melee. Your maximum damage, assuming all critical hits on a full attack, is 42 damage (magic)/round. Foes w/ DR would eat this character alive. You really need to find a way to bump Kanti’s damage potential. Clarity • Red Ink: Some of your mistakes were rather entertaining. For example, did Chandia have Multiple Personality Disorder, or were you just dating several women with the same name? Or, possibly, did you fail to realize that you kept referring to Chandia as “women?” • Citation Issue: So, where can I find that interesting Vigilante class? • You can simplify some portions of your entry. For example, it saves a lot of space to type: Smite the Guilty: 1/day (+3 attack/+4 damage), Speak w/ Dead: 1/day [CL 4]. • The main problem I have w/ the format of your character is that I kept overlooking your Alignment. I really like to see Alignment at the top of each entry. • You are incredibly lucky. Most of the time, when people use tables, they don’t copy well into Word so I can judge them. However, your tables actually transferred over smoothly, making my life as a judge much easier.
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-30-07, 07:14 PM	Thematic Creativity • Wonderful Concept for an Urban Villain. Displaced Captain of the Guard. Brutal murderer. Very gritty. • My main problem is that this character isn’t necessarily “Urban.” For example, I could drop this character into a Fort on the edge of the wilderness, and it wouldn’t change his background at all. You’ve got the skills and build of an Urban character, but you lack the strong ties to a city that would establish this character. Background • Two Major Problems: Teamwork & NPCs. • Teamwork: This competition exists to create PC’s, but one of the core assumptions of D&D is that you’re working with a team. Quoting you, this character wouldn’t play well with others, and as a DM, I probably wouldn’t allow this character into one of my games b/c of that fact. • NPC’s: There was a problem w/ your NPC’s, or more specifically, the lack thereof. You don’t have any strong NPC’s. No allies. No enemies. Just a string of victim’s bodies. There isn’t much for me to use, as a DM, to (plot) hook you into a story. • Otherwise, you have a very “Drow” story, and I appreciate that fact. I’m extremely sick of Chaotic Good Drow, who are rather common in my gaming group (at least they are usually rogues, not rangers… I might go berserk if that was true.). You portray the race well. Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: You forgot your Acrobatics +2 bonus on Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks. • Mechanics #2: Your HP seems to low. The total should be 27, not 25. Remember, you get max HP @ 1st Level. • Mechanics #3: Where did you get “Speed: 40ft?” Your Base Speed is 30ft, and Ninjas do not get a bonus to their speed like monks. If you speed is legitimate, it would grant you a +4 bonus on Jump checks. • Rules Use #1: Mundane Gear: This is a common lecture for me to give HC contestants, so please bear with me. You didn’t purchase any Mundane Gear whatsoever. However, there are several items that could’ve aided you in your attempt to impersonate a guard (i.e.: weapons, armor, disguise kit, signet ring, lantern/torches, manacles, etc…). However, there is one item in particular that is (quite disturbingly) missing from your gear selection. • “News at Nine: Tonight, Searek Gilper. Loyal Member of the Local Watch or Stark-Naked Lunatic? We report. You decide.” Clarity • Minor Red Ink • Cite your Sources! (Ninja, Jack of all Trades, Longspoon Thieve’s Tools) • Your format was easy to understand and double check, but you really needed some white space in your layout. • Remember to simplify some of the items on your character. For example, you could just say Trapfinding (As Rogue), Poison Use (As Assassin), and AC Bonus (As Monk). Also, abbreviate Piercing/Slashing as P/S instead of spelling it out. • You didn’t list your Flat-Footed or Touch AC. Also, don’t forget the range increment on your dagger. Thematic Creativity • Your character seems similar to old Marvel/DC superheroes, such as Daredevil and Batman. You hunt down criminals, but you refrain from killing them as best as possible. Solid concept. • You’ve even got the chief of police hunting you down for your “crimes.” • Very solid Urban Hero… but one thing just seems horribly out of place: 2nd Favored Enemy: Animals. Why? Background • Dude, seriously, feed your dog! I mean it. You don’t have enough friends as it is, so I don’t want you to lose this one. • I like the variety of enemies you provided for this character, including the reference to one of my favorite comic series of all time, the fools who tried to imitate the Punisher. • You biggest weakness is a lack of allies and NPC’s that work with your character. While your former allies and family are still around, they are fairly “out-of-the-picture.” Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: Gear: Lawbringer is an illegal weapon. According to the DMG p.223, in order to have a special ability on a weapon, you must first have a +1 Enhancement Bonus. Thus, you couldn’t have the Axiomatic special ability yet. Also, you overcharged yourself on the +1 Mitral Chain Shirt. It is 2,100gp, not 2,250gp. Remember, Mithral items include the masterwork trait in their price. • Mechanics #2: Survival is a class skill for Justiciar, which means that you technically have one extra skill point to spend. • Rules Use #1: Mundane Items: I’ll give you credit, you remembered clothing, and picked up some Acid Flasks, but I really think you could have used some more Mundane Gear. For example, your character has no light source. You’ve got the gold to spare, so consider some extra Mundane Gear when you adventure. (Also, invest in some rope. That way, you don’t have to buy new MW Manacles every time you tie some one up.) Clarity • No Red Ink. • Citation Issue: Justiciar? Where? • Your forgot to list the actual total for your Regular AC. Also, please list all your feats in one section. I don’t like hunting for them. Thematic Creativity • Ummm… so… let’s see. Possible ways to make an urban character. Seedy Back-Alley activities. (check) Ties to the local Thieves Guild. (check) Active role in a major social institution. (military/church: check) Power-brokering family w/ a carefully guarded secret. (check) Time spent in the sewers. (check) • Listen, I just don’t know how to say this… it just seems like you character isn’t really “urban enough” for this competition. :D • Just kidding. Excellent submission. The only way to make this character more Urban would be to have her regularly attending formal balls. Seriously, I think you hit every single point of Urban life, and did it remarkably well. Background • I have one very serious problem with your background: I don’t think you earned your level. No, I’m not saying that you didn’t have enough experience to justify level 9. I’m saying that you had enough experience to justify well beyond level 9. The background you have submitted is what I would expect from a level 14-16 character. Seriously, if anything, you went overboard. • Wow! Not one, but two, romantic subplots running around in the background! Practically custom made to an evil DM’s specifications. • Solid allies and enemies. Plenty of potential plot hooks. Like I said before, the only real problem is that you probably gave me too much. • Btw, excellent use of the 1st person to tell your story. Nicely done! Despite the length of your entry, it was easy to read. Rules Use/Mechanics • Do you have an obsession with making Lawful Good, very religious, combat intensive characters that refuse to take levels in the Paladin class? Just curious. • Mechanics #1: You came up 56gp shy of the 36,000gp mark for your gear totals. However, under is better than over, so no major problem here. • Mechanics #2: As a DM, I wouldn’t require ranks in Profession (Prostitute) as it represents a very brief period of your background. Also, I don’t see a reason to punish you by taking ranks in a skill you’d never use again. • Mechanics #3: One of your bonus languages, Maverian, is listed as the native language of your boyfriend. However, he’s only recently arrived on the scene. Did you learn the language from him, or did you pick it up beforehand? If you learned it from him, it probably wouldn’t be one of your starting bonus languages. • Rules Use #1: Personally, I’d say that this character easily qualifies for the “Great Renown” bonus to her Leadership score. Then again, I have some serious issues with your “Level bonus” to your Leadership score. I don’t think it’s accurate. • Compliment #1: Effective use of Cohort: I like the way you rolled up your Cohort to mesh perfectly with your combat style. Very well done! Clarity • Minor Red Ink. • No Citation Issues • My major problem with your entry was that, while your story was easy to read, you stat block was harder to dig through. Please, please find a way to condense your work. For example, on your attacks, you don’t need a separate damage line. Consider doing something to this effect: MW Bastard Sword (two-handed): +10/+5, 1d10+3, 19-20/x2. Less to read, but still very simple to check. Thematic Creativity • When I saw “The Night Watchman,” I was really expecting an Anthromorphic Turtle w/ levels in Ninja who wielded a pair of Sai as his primary weapon. Kudos for picking my favorite Ninja Turtle… (I was expecting a little more detail about a duel w/ a certain individual wielding katanas, but I guess you were pressed for time.) • Vigilantism was an expected concept for this contest, and we saw quite a few people take this route, though it seems as if every contestant reminded me of a different “pop culture” source. Very well rounded entry. • Btw, how many times did you manage to say “Percival loved the city,” in that background? I’m not sure you convinced me. ;) Background • You managed to pull off all the usual twists and turns of a Vigilante story very smoothly. Even the corrupt city official who was trying to take you down to protect his hide, while “obvious,” was still excellently done. • You’ve definitely given a DM a plethora of usable antagonists. This character probably averages 7 assassination attempts a month. • My main issue with this character is the lack of usable allied NPC’s. You don’t detail your family. You don’t detail your friends. You don’t even detail the Anthromorphic Rat who taught you all you know. Seriously, allies are acceptable for a character with your level. (Suggestion: a guy w/ black hair who uses sports equipment as impromptu melee weaponry.) Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: You used a 30 pt. build, not a 28 pt. build. • Mechanics #2: Gear Values: Your armor was too expensive. It would have cost you 250gp less than your listed price. Don’t forget, mithral armor is already considered masterwork when you buy it. Also, mithral chain shirt only weighs 10 lbs. Finally, your MW Comp. Longbow (Str. +1) is 500gp, not 400gp. All told, you have an extra 150gp to spend. • Rules Use #1: Lack of Vigilante Spells: I don’t understand why you handicapped yourself so much. I would definitely rearrange my point buy and gear totals so that you could take advantage of all your class abilities. All it would take is a slightly lower Int. score and a Cloak of Charisma, and you’d have access to all the resources of your class. Clarity • Minor Red Ink. • Cited your Sources. • My main gripe is that you had two gear sections (yes, I know that’s how this format works), and it really confuses me every time I attempt to calculate your gear totals.
wrecan 04-30-07, 07:15 PM	I try not to comment on comments, But I think I need to bring this one up. Your followers do not use a 28 pt. buy to calculate their ability scores. They are not heroes, they are extras. Thus, they would use the non-elite array listed in the MM. I asked whether followers get a 28 point-buy. I was told in response to my first asking that "Humanoid Cohorts use the 28 pt. buy method. Animal companions, familiars, and other such compatriots, however, use average stats for their species." Even though I only asked about followers, followers weren't in the answer. I didn't know if followers were more like "humanoid cohorts" because they're humanoid, or "animal companions, familiars and other such compatriots". So I asked again. Nobody answered me. It seemed to me that the distinction was between humanoids and animals/magical beasts. Humanoid followers would get 28 points and non-humanoid followers would get standard arrays. I'm not complaining about the overall score. Apparently, I made a lot of stupid mistakes on the rules. I'm just a little frustrated with this one because I actually considered the issue and tried to get clarification. Had I been told that followers had to use standard array, I may have picked a different character concept.
jennibert 04-30-07, 07:17 PM	Yay! You liked Misery! She's my favorite character I've ever played in any game, so I am very happy and looking forward to comments:D.* And thank you very very very much for the perfect competition to enter her in, and for judging her so well! I have to give kudos to my DM for some of her background plot points (Eliot, Ahern Moonshadow, Ronit):) But this does just confirm something Mercurius and I have been joking about: for us, Eliot is the key to this competition. Thus far, between the two of us we've won 3 golds....with Eliot's daughter, Eliot's brother, and Eliot's girlfriend;) But thanks to everyone who entered for the excellent competition. (I didn't glance too much at the stat blocks, but I did read everyone's background!) And thanks again to our three judges for their efforts! :clap: Edit: * So Jason posted comments while I was posting this:) So Jason--would you believe that, in the campaign that ended with the battle with Ronit and Eliot's death (which went differently, but I didn't like the way the dice fell so I rewrote it;)), Misery was only 6th level...and that because of that battle? Really:).
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-30-07, 07:22 PM	Thematic Creativity • Strong ties to a Rogue’s Guild is an easy way to create an Urban Hero, and helping betray such a guild is a quick route to useful enemies. • Your main problem was a strong tie to any particular city. You move at least three times, which makes “The City” a backdrop, rather than an integral part of your character. This is not a poor character, but I feel like more needed to be done to make him reach “Urban” Hero status. Background • “Abnormal Relationship” rumors aside, you have a very solid background. You have plenty of enemies, solid allies, and an entire home town at the DM’s disposal. Excellent work! • My only real problem is that you handicapped your primary antagonist, Shadow Eyes. I want an antagonist that is prepared to challenge you to the full extent of your abilities. Were I the DM, Shadow Eyes would be teaming up with a Cleric very quickly. Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: Gear Totals: You have spent a total of 35,000gp, but the contest limits were 36,000gp. Yes, under is preferable to over, but still, you have handicapped yourself. Also, your Artisan’s Outfit is free at Character Creation. • Rules Use #1: Save Totals: Your Reflex save is fantastic, but I am very worried about your Fort and Will saves. As low as they are, they could really come back to bite you. While Will saves are not common in a Delver’s work, Fort saves are, and there are many CR 8 or 9 traps that require a DC 20+ Fort Save, which leaves you at a 75% fail rate. Were this character in my games, I would recommend boosting your saves at the first reasonable opportunity. Clarity • Very Minor Red Ink. • No Citation Issues. • My New Dilemma from this contest: Non-Standard Races from the MM. As I’ve said with other contestants, I didn’t count off for not citing the source (though I think I may in future contests). However, you really needed to spell out your racial abilities, particularly your ability score adjustments. • There are a few areas where you could simplify your entry. For saves, you could simply type “Ref: +12 (Base +8, Dex +4).” For skills, you could use a similar format, “Disable Device +16 (12 ranks, Dex +4).” Two separate sections (esp. for ability scores, saves, and skills) is typically unnecessary. Thematic Creativity • A running theme in this competition, the bane of criminals. Granted, you’ve taken a much more “by the book” (legal) approach. I’d say that Sir Clafon reminds me of Iron Man or Captain America (at least before the Civil War comic series. I hated that series.). • I think you may have the most “usable” city of all the contestants. You’ve given me information about the good guys, the bad guys (a little more could’ve helped), and potential rivalries between the various Paladin orders. Granted, you typically invent very solid backdrops for your characters. Well done once again. Background • I really enjoyed your background. You’ve actually given some depth to the Paladin class, and Sir Clafon has a personality that is very appealing. • I really enjoyed the multiple minor issues that separate Clafon from his compatriots within the Soaring Eagles (i.e.: Playing at the Silver Throne Tavern, “One Illegitimate Act,” etc…). There is lots of good story potential there. • My main problem is that you don’t have one solid, well developed antagonist for Sir Clafon. You have several potential sources for antagonists, but no actual developed villain for me to use. Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: Your HP total should be 72, not 77. • Mechanics #2: You forgot adjust most of your Paladin abilities for a higher Charisma score. You add +3 to hit (not +2) when using Smite Evil. You can heal 21 HP/day with Lay on Hands. Your Turn Undead ability should read: “Turn Undead: 6/day, +3, 2d6+7 (+4 Effective Cleric Level, +3 Charisma). • Rules Use #1: Class Selection: Ok, you and jennibert are apparently opposites. She builds the perfect Paladin, but never uses the class. You build a Paladin that would probably work better as a Ranger, Rogue, or Bard. Seriously, the only Paladin class skill that you’ve taken is Sense Motive. While Paladin works beautifully with your background, your build doesn’t play to a Paladin’s strengths very well. While I’d hate to sacrifice such a strong background, Paladin might not be the class for you. Clarity • Red Ink • Citation Issue: Justiciar, where? • You definitely needed some more white space in your background. It was hard to read. • Good job summarizing (almost) everything in your stat block. Literally, the only thing you needed to do to make the stat block perfect (IMO) would be to summarize the Full Attack and Attacks sections into one. Thematic Creativity • Carnival folk turned Street Urchin. Lots of connections to Thief/Assassin activity. Very gritty. Very Urban. Background • Your background may have been the most “involving” background in this competition. You really portrayed your struggle to survive well, which I liked. Very well written. • You have allies, enemies, and potential plot hooks, all of which are good to see. • Nice nod to a fellow contestant! (Not that his background needed to be any longer…) Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: One of your Entertainer’s Outfits is free at character creation, which leaves you with an extra 3gp. • Mechanics #2: Where did your character learn Draconic for one of your bonus languages? It really doesn’t fit well w/ your background. • Rules Use #1: Multiclassing: You are looking at some very serious Multi-Classing penalties w/ this character. It gets even more severe if you don’t count Enchanter as equivalent to a Wizard for purposes of the Elven Favored Class ability (which I wouldn’t do). Condense this character. Honestly, I’d recommend a Bard/Streetfighter. You don’t gain anything from Enchanter or Rogue that you wouldn’t get from these classes, and it would make your character stronger over all. Besides, merely possessing a spellbook isn’t the same thing as knowing how to use it. • Rules Use #2: Skills: You suffer from a severe lack of specialization with this character, probably due to the multitude of classes you took. Each character should focus on a few “key” skills, such as Bluff, Diplomacy, and Perform in your case. Try to do too much, and you really won’t do much of anything at all. • Rules Use #3: Profession (Escort): An unnecessary skill, IMO. You had an “income” skill, which was Perform (Dance). The description of how you survived was flavor text added to that. As a DM, I wouldn’t require you to take extra skills to represent your income. It just weakens you as a character. Clarity • Minor Red Ink • Citation: For the most part, you cited your sources, but I expect you to cite non-core items as well (Choker of Eloquence, Lesser). • Your Class Abilities section was too condensed. Summarize and Organize, if you please. • Though it wasn’t your fault, your skills table didn’t translate well when I copied it into Word, which means that I had quite the headache sorting it out (no points deducted, though). Thematic Creativity • Based off your appearance (and nothing else), I was really thinking “V for Vendetta” while I was reading this character. • You have definitely captured the “Gritty” feel that is appropriate to Urban adventures. • I really liked the thespian approach you took with this character. Very unique. Background • You have all the elements necessary for a successful character, including allies, enemies, plot hooks, and character goals. • I also really like the conflicting “compassionate towards the down-trodden” and “guiltless assassin” aspects of this character. It adds real depth. Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: Reflex Save: Your base save is +7, not +8, which gives you a total of +11 to your Reflex saves. • Mechanics #2: The Theatre: I estimate the cost of The Theatre at 5,000gp, based off the price of a “Grand House.” (DMG p.101) The “Simple House,” which costs 1,000gp, really doesn’t fit the scale necessary for a theatre. This, of course, puts you over the allowed GP limit for the competition. • Mechanics #3: Skills: Perform, Knowledge (local), Search, & Sleight of Hand are Cross Class skills for a Fighter. • Mechanics #4: Clothing: Either your Explorer’s outfit or your Entertainer’s outfit is free at character creation. • Mechanics #5: Eyes in…: The feat (Eyes in the…) doesn’t mean you can’t be flanked, it simply negates the +2 bonus that opponents get when flanking you. You are still considered flanked, so other bonuses still apply (such as sneak attack). • Rules Use #1: Class: Ditch the Fighter and Rogue levels. They slow you down. Sure, you get a few feats from Fighter, and the Perform skill from Rogue, but honestly, I think that a strait Ninja 9 w/ some Cross-Class ranks in Perform (Act) would be just as good. You would have a wider range of special abilities, and some of the feats you’ve acquired really don’t strike me as “in-character” anyways (Eyes in the Back of Your Head, Improved Toughness). Ki Dodge would make a fine replacement for the both of them. Clarity • No Red Ink. • Excellent job citing sources! • Condensed, but helpful, Level-by-Level. Nice work.
JasonOrlandoHawk 04-30-07, 07:28 PM	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. Summarize your Leadership score: You could have said, “I run a large organization consisting of 50 level 1 merchants/craftsmen, and I use the organizations profits to rent an inn, provide tools (often masterwork) to my followers, and help the needy. I also can obtain discounts on any mundane item in the PHB and on low level scrolls and potions.” I would have said, “Ok.” You really didn’t need to spell all the details out for me. Remember the hints section, keep it simple when using the Leadership feat. Still, clearly noted. I'll try to be more clear next time.
Far_Traveler 04-30-07, 07:29 PM	Thematic Creativity • Evil Goblin Beast that drags naughty children into the depths of the sewers, never to be seen again… hilarious! Yes, but to be fair, the fact that it's a goblin is unknown to the public. • Your character isn’t so much an Urban Hero as an Urban Planner. Hiding your own city beneath another is quite the accomplishment, which is justifiable for a character of your level. Well done! It also creates an effective backdrop for your character’s adventures. Yeah, But technically he didn't do it, his predecessor did. He just made the defenses. • I have qualms w/ your alignment on two levels: 1) Druids are supposed to be “partially neutral,” but you are Chaotic Good. Big Problem. 2) Goblins are “Usually Evil,” but you are Chaotic Good. Granted, it’s not as bad as violating the “Always…” alignment description, but it still doesn’t sit well w/ me. Personally, I’d resolve both issues by making this character CN (which has the side benefit of not necessarily violating the “Often Lawful Good” alignment description of your Dwarven antagonist). D'OH!!!!! Background • Your background is very solid. I do have a few issues, however. • #1: Your character is so tied up in running Oasis that I doubt you could adventure unless your city was horribly destroyed… (Now what kind of DM might do that? :evillaugh )Oasis has become more or less self-sufficient, it takes a BIG threat to shake those defenses • #2: Your Antagonist, Celesto Morgan, is too distant to be a true antagonist. He’s the cause of your troubles, but only indirectly. I would’ve liked a more developed rivalry (maybe by expanding on the rescue of your sister). Yeah, that might of beefed it out a little. I really couldn't think of much. • #3: I didn’t feel like you justified your level. You had very few activities involving combat, most notably a crocodile (which occurred before you even gained level 1), and rescuing your sister. You really needed more action to justify your power levels. It was just short of a footnote, but a few years of fending off intruders and training animals will bring up levels • Compliment: I loved your Animal Companion’s name: Plague. I once played a Half-Orc Druid w/ a Dire Rat companion named “Measles.” I got a good laugh when I saw your companion’s name. I just hope you aren’t planning to feed Plague to your upcoming companion, the Giant Constrictor Snake… I would be very upset if that happened. Yeah, that would be mean. Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: As mentioned above, your alignment should be partially Neutral. Yeah, that was almost as bad as forgetting to put in Druidic as a Language. • Mechanics #2: Contagion is an Evil Spell, which means you aren’t allowed to cast it. Granted, I don’t know how Contagion is Evil, but Poison isn’t. I’m of the opinion that they either both should be Evil, or both shouldn’t be Evil. (However, that really doesn’t help you much, since I lean towards the former position.)It is? Changing a G to a N could change so much. • Mechanics #3: You miscalculated the price of your Decanter of Endless Water (6,750gp, not 6,250gp), which sent you 500gp over the gear total limit. There were some other funny pricing issues, like the multiple Bottles of Not-So-Fine-Alcoholic Beverages, but they were (fairly) reasonable, so I let them stand. Yeah... oops. • Mechanics #4: Your Wisdom modifier is +6, which brings your Will save bonus up to +15.Dang. • Rules Use #1: Discounted Magical Items: Yes, every item you own can be legitimately accounted for under the rules. The problem is this: they can only be accounted for under the rules recently. Literally, you have crafted several of your items at Caster Level 9, which means you have apparently been working your poor sister overtime, making your gear. The time frame doesn’t sit well with me for you to have that much gear crafted in (what would be) so short a period of time. I suppose it is. Sorry. Clarity • Minor Red Ink • Citation: I’m at an impasse over non-standard races from the MM. I didn’t count off for it, but I really think that the page numbers should be cited, or the racial stats should be listed. • Leadership: This is becoming a very unpopular feat for me. It almost doubles the workload for me as a judge on your character. Personally, less is more when it comes to Leadership. Keep it simple. I don’t have that much free time!!! Sorry. I didn't think it was THAT complex... • Since you only took levels in one class (Thank you! Thank you!), I didn’t need a level-by-level breakdown, but a list of racial abilities would have saved me a lot of time. Duly noted. • You needed some Spell Save DC’s. Also, while you included Common Wild Shape forms (which is very convenient), you probably should have listed some common summoned animals (since they are affected by your Augmented Summoning feat). I didn't have enough time... notes bolded
Maekrix_Waere 04-30-07, 07:39 PM	Oh well, not bad for a first entry...at least I didn't get last. :P 'Grats to jennibert. Edit: On Notes- -HP:Were we supposed to take average rolls for hp? I actually used my dice. :doh: -"News at Nine":When doing assassinations and such, one would generally revert to their drow form...not only would it be more awesome looking (seriously, don't even TRY to compare the awesomeness ratings of a Human Ninja vs. a Drow Ninja...Drow wins HANDS-DOWN), but you would blend in better with the shadows (Not implemented in rules...but its true), and you wouldn't risk betraying said alter-ego. -Mechanics #1 and #3: :doh: -Dagger R.I.:I know you CAN throw daggers...but why would you risk losing a +2 dagger by throwing it? ESPECIALLY if it is your only weapon. -Ring vs. Hat:The hat still has to occur somewhere on the head. Also, if you're running from the scene of a crime, the inactive hat (see above) could very easily fall off your head (Once again...not implemented in the rules...but I know this from personal experience...minus the killing), and, being Lawful Evil, would I REALLY trust that noone would break into MY residence while I was out killing someone and steal my somewhat expensive hat. I chose ring to get rid of all those issues. Also...What self-repecting ninja wears a hat? A mask that also covers your head, maybe, but NOT a hat...I feel very strongly on that, BTW...Also, I know you could just keep telling the hat to be a mask...but you have to do it every 10 minutes, and that would get annoying REALLY quick.
Zherog 04-30-07, 07:58 PM	As for your background, you lack a lot of stuff that I know you look for in backgrounds: supporting cast, family, enemies, etc. While I'll give you the lack of family, you're kidding about supporting cast and enemies, right? Supporting Cast Mentioned former watchmen who are still friends Bardinar Ironbeard. the old dwarven tavern owner More general - anybody who has been a victim of crime Enemies Mentioned Magnus Dawanar - and, going further, the entire Dawanar Gang Jonas McGee, his former boss who turns a blind eye to crime More general - any criminal in the city, in particular those with a bounty on their heads
Zherog 04-30-07, 08:12 PM	Percival "The Night Watchman" Isringben Thematic Creativity • When I saw “The Night Watchman,” I was really expecting an Anthromorphic Turtle w/ levels in Ninja who wielded a pair of Sai as his primary weapon. Kudos for picking my favorite Ninja Turtle… (I was expecting a little more detail about a duel w/ a certain individual wielding katanas, but I guess you were pressed for time.) Heh. I've never watched TMNT - my brother liked them, so I was forced by laws of the universe to dislike them. I was also a little too old for them when they first came out, so it was generally easy to follow the laws of the universe. So, any connection between my character and a character from Turtles is purely coincidence. • You’ve definitely given a DM a plethora of usable antagonists. This character probably averages 7 assassination attempts a month. Heh. You think I have lots of enemies, and Mercurius doesn't think I have any. :rofl: I do in fact figure he's a marked man. I also figure I can take the hit, and then from there it's just extra XP and cash! :D • My main issue with this character is the lack of usable allied NPC’s. You don’t detail your family. You don’t detail your friends. You don’t even detail the Anthromorphic Rat who taught you all you know. Seriously, allies are acceptable for a character with your level. (Suggestion: a guy w/ black hair who uses sports equipment as impromptu melee weaponry.) See my comments to Mercurius about allies. While I didn't give most of them names (only the tavern owner is actually given a name) there's plenty of allies I thought. Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: You used a 30 pt. build, not a 28 pt. build. Yeah, not sure how the heck that happened. • Mechanics #2: Gear Values: Your armor was too expensive. It would have cost you 250gp less than your listed price. Don’t forget, mithral armor is already considered masterwork when you buy it. Also, mithral chain shirt only weighs 10 lbs. Finally, your MW Comp. Longbow (Str. +1) is 500gp, not 400gp. All told, you have an extra 150gp to spend. When I first started building the character, the armor wasn't mithral. I added it later and forgot to "take back" the masterwork cost. As for the weight: I went with the "Mithral items weigh half what a normal item weighs" rule. A chain shirt weighs 25 pounds, so a mithral one should cost 12.5 pounds. Not sure what happened with the longbow - the character sheet I use to build characters is on my other computer. • Rules Use #1: Lack of Vigilante Spells: I don’t understand why you handicapped yourself so much. I would definitely rearrange my point buy and gear totals so that you could take advantage of all your class abilities. All it would take is a slightly lower Int. score and a Cloak of Charisma, and you’d have access to all the resources of your class. I'm lazy, basically. I built most of the character from memory about the abilities of the vigilante. By the time I realized he got spells and they were Charisma based, I didn't want to go muck around with the other stats for fear of creating other problems. I knew this was going to come up, but I felt the small hit I was going to get for not being able to cast spells (at this point) was worth it, because I knew I'd miss something if I adjusted stats - either skill points or a skill modifier or something. • My main gripe is that you had two gear sections (yes, I know that’s how this format works), and it really confuses me every time I attempt to calculate your gear totals. I really do prefer this stat block format. They're probably not the best for presenting a character, but when it comes time to run a character it really does make it easier. Just for an example, you don't have to go digging through the long possessions block to find potions and wands and stuff - it's right there, in the combat section. One thing I did alter: Typically items get listed out one after another. I opted to put each item on its own line, because I know that sort of format makes it easier for me to judge (I can copy/paste into my Excel spreadsheet much easier that way).
Mercurius 04-30-07, 08:12 PM	While I'll give you the lack of family, you're kidding about supporting cast and enemies, right? Supporting Cast Mentioned former watchmen who are still friends Bardinar Ironbeard. the old dwarven tavern owner More general - anybody who has been a victim of crime Enemies Mentioned Magnus Dawanar - and, going further, the entire Dawanar Gang Jonas McGee, his former boss who turns a blind eye to crime More general - any criminal in the city, in particular those with a bounty on their heads I guess it was more that not many of them (aside from maybe Jonas) seemed particularly integrated. Maybe one or two mentioned a couple of times in passing, but they didn't stick in my head long enough to leave an impression. Might also be that I'm writing these comments a week after the final judging was finished...
Endarrion 04-30-07, 08:14 PM	Wows. Honestly, I wasn't thinking V for Vendetta at all. Besides the image which loosely fits the character, his whole motivation is totally different. I don't remember V from the movie ever wanting to do anything remotely good like establishing a free theatre for little homeless kids. Better luck next time I guess.
Zherog 04-30-07, 08:14 PM	-HP:Were we supposed to take average rolls for hp? I actually used my dice. :doh: It's in the rules section. ;) Max at first level, average (including the decimal!) every other level.
Zherog 04-30-07, 08:18 PM	Might also be that I'm writing these comments a week after the final judging was finished... :D That's why I do both at the same time. What I post as my comments is, essentially the notes I took while combing through a character. I think from the sounds of things I judge a lot like Jason does. I read your entry, and that pretty much cements your thematic creativity and background scores. Then I, basically, rebuild the stat block and try to figure out the differences. I'm still trying to figure out, though, how the frell I managed to use 30 points instead of 28... :thinks:
wrecan 04-30-07, 08:29 PM	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. Summarize your Leadership score: You could have said, “I run a large organization consisting of 50 level 1 merchants/craftsmen, and I use the organizations profits to rent an inn, provide tools (often masterwork) to my followers, and help the needy. I also can obtain discounts on any mundane item in the PHB and on low level scrolls and potions.” I would have said, “Ok.” You really didn’t need to spell all the details out for me. Remember the hints section, keep it simple when using the Leadership feat. Still, clearly noted. I'll try to be more clear next time. I thought about doing that. The only problem is then I wouldn't have been providing "all [you] need" in the form of name, race, class and levels. Just as an aside, I thought the whole point of having a 75% cost for magic items was so we didn't have to concern ourselves with XP costs. If I got penalized for followers manufacturing magic items because they would have balked at the amount of XP it would cost, shouldn't the rule be you get to purchase those items at 50% cost, but have to account for your followers' lost XP? (Also, the XP cost for the discount magic items I identified was only about 300 XP, to be split amongst my cohort -- who gains XP in adventuring -- and the 5th level wizard. I'm pretty sure a 5th level wizard can handle a 150 XP hit.) Aside #2: Assuming an average Craft DC of 15, and average Craft rolls, Hammet's followers can Craft all of the mundane items on the list (including the alchemy) in just under five weeks. Given that Hammet's been adventuring for years, I didn't think five weeks of work was going to cause anybody real financial hardship.
Endarrion 04-30-07, 08:57 PM	Could the judges please point me to the rule concerning skills that I violated? I seem to do this in every competition. It is my understanding that when a character has multiple classes all the skills for those classes are considered class skills. It makes no sense to me that the character could have MAX skill ranks as though the skills were class skills, but would still have to pay cross-class points. Thanks. EDIT: Mercurius- I see no fault in my logic for his alignment. Killing because you hate something (like a paladin or a serial murderer) seem a lot more evil than killing passionlessly for money. And when he kills for passion, he kills evil people, the same things that the aforementioned paladins do, and they're Lawful Good. Jason- If I don't power game, I don't think I should be faulted for it. I think that Jack would excel as a member of a party. But if you can tell me how, within the rules for the competition, I could've gotten Perform (acting) as a class skill, please tell me, because I seriously tried to.
jennibert 04-30-07, 09:37 PM	Could the judges please point me to the rule concerning skills that I violated? I seem to do this in every competition. It is my understanding that when a character has multiple classes all the skills for those classes are considered class skills. It makes no sense to me that the character could have MAX skill ranks as though the skills were class skills, but would still have to pay cross-class points. Regardless of whether a skill is purchased as a class skill or a cross-class skill, if it is a class skill for any of your classes, your maximum rank equals you total character level +3. (emphasis mine) That was the best I could find on quick notice. But my understanding of the rule is as follows: If you are a rogue 1/fighter 1, you may still have 5 ranks in Bluff, but it'll cost you 2 fighter skill points for the one additional rank because it's not a fighter class skill. Trust me, that just about kills me every time I build a multi-class character.... Though I didn't judge this competition, I seem to remember docking someone (who was likely you) for that in a previous competition....
DarkKitsune 04-30-07, 10:00 PM	Thematic Creativity • Gang warfare… with teeth. It’s not Gangs of New York, but I like it. • Werewolves are fun, but I have some issues with your class and alignment. Werewolves are “Always Chaotic Evil.” As a DM, I don’t like making exceptions to the word “Always,” and if I do make an exception, I don’t like them to be so extreme. (Daren is an exception on both the Lawful-Chaotic axis and the Good-Evil axis. Monk has driven you to a point that, as a DM, I wouldn’t allow.) You could have made Daren a CN Werewolf/Druid and accomplished the exact same story (especially since Chaotic characters often have their own personal code of “honor.”) I made a rant about this earlier in the thread. Basically, I really disagree with the 'always ___' alignment, and am a big fan of the 'savage noble' werewolf archetype. And yes, I made this choice knowing full well I would be docked marks for it :p. As an aside, I really don't feel D&D does Daren justice, and would love to rebuild him for various other systems • The city of Sareth stopped just short of usable, for some reason. You gave me some locations (The Diving Swan, The Grand Bridge), but the picture isn’t complete. You were a few words shy of a beautiful backdrop for this character. Background • Very solid background. You shortchanged yourself on allies a bit, IMO. Still, very usable. Lots of potential plot hooks. • My main issue w/ this character is that you really didn’t earn ECL 9 in my book. You only mention your war w/ the Wererats. However, wererats are CR 2, which means that most of them are easy pickings for your character, especially w/ levels in Monk. I would’ve liked to see more adventures for your character. Still have to work on this then. Pity, I really enjoy writing to this power level. Ah, well :/ • In line w/ the previous statement, you’ve earned a reputation as “The (Lone) Wolf.” I willing to wager that the story of how you earned that title/reputation would answer my previous misgiving. • One last note: Only a fool places a romantic sub-plot in their background and believes it to be water under the bridge. ;) Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: Your point buy totals are off. It seems as if you used a 30 pt. buy, not a 28 pt. buy. • Mechanics #2: The description of the Lycanthrope template notes that you do not gain your Animal HD first. While that doesn’t affect your HP, BAB, or Saves, it does affect your skills. Your first level would’ve been Monk, w/ quadruple skill points (giving your 41 skill points, not 26). Also, on the subject of skills, you have a +4 bonus on Survival rolls to Track by Scent in all forms. • Mechanics #3: The Lycanthrope (Wolf) Template gives you Weapon Focus (Bite) and Iron Will as bonus feats. • Mechanics #4: Curse of Lycanthropy only applies to your bite attacks, which means that you technically don’t have it in your Human form. Bwee... more stuff to learn :p. Most are obviously a problem with using a race I'm not familiar with, and not triple-checking the rules... however, I'm fairly certain I aimed for a 28-pt. buy when starting out. Maybe my math is off somewhere >.> • Rules Use #1: While your gear total was perfect, there were some redundancy issues w/ your choices. First, Amulet of Mighty Fists and Potions of Magic Fang do not stack. Also, why would you need a Chime of Opening when you have a Ring of the Ram? (Yes, I know there is a difference between “opening the door” and “brutally shattering the door to pieces.”) I'd have to double-check, but I don't believe Mighty Fists affects bite attacks. Magic Fang does. Other than that, you have a point • Rules Use #2: You have a dagger, so I would’ve included it in the attacks section. Clarity • No Red Ink. • Citation: I’m torn over citing non-standard race material from the MM. I didn’t count off for it, but I’m debating including that as one of my expectations for future HC competitions. • You needed a level-by-level breakdown, badly. I have to get around to actually remembering about these things when doing the stats. I know how useful they are, but am not in the habit :( • Minor issue: You should’ve noted the charges remaining on the Ring of the Ram and Chime of Opening. Responses bolded above. Responses to Mercurius: - I honestly didn't remember that 'Mialee' was already taken within D&D until after the contest closed. That was a "head bang on wall" moment >.< - As for werewolves in the city, well... the original character was slated to be a werefox (foxes are numbered among common urban mammals), but the MM doesn't have any info on foxes, so I went with the wolf. Square peg; round hole, but I feel it worked out. As for judging, I'm willing to judge the next competition, if people are willing to have me in spite of my poor showing the past couple competitions (and overall lurkiness, of course) >.>
Zherog 04-30-07, 10:01 PM	Jenni's correct on the class skill/cross class skill thing.
jennibert 04-30-07, 10:35 PM	Jenni's correct on the class skill/cross class skill thing. Thank you:) But actually, point of this post is to say that you can put me down as a "maybe" on the judging thing. And only if we keep it down to 6-7 level max. Cause, as evidenced by the last couple of competitions I've been a judge for, I have a tendency to vastly overestimate the amount of time I'll have for judging....or possibly vastly underestimate how much time each entry takes....or maybe both...
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-01-07, 12:48 AM	Thank you:) But actually, point of this post is to say that you can put me down as a "maybe" on the judging thing. And only if we keep it down to 6-7 level max. Cause, as evidenced by the last couple of competitions I've been a judge for, I have a tendency to vastly overestimate the amount of time I'll have for judging....or possibly vastly underestimate how much time each entry takes....or maybe both... Man, what kind of judge could horribly estimate the amount of time it would take them to complete the task of sorting through all the entries submitted... Oh yeah... :embarrass Never mind. Anyways, as for the list of judges, I'd be willing to judge again (been a while since we've had more than three judges in a competition), but I really don't want to coordinate twice in a row. Also, some general comments on some of the items being discussed (if I miss something, it's late, and I work in the morning, so I'll double check tommorrow). Rules Use=Powergaming Maybe I should clarify my statement a little better. I don't expect you to "Powergame" in the sense typically used on these boards, but I do expect you to have an understanding of the power level appropriate to this contest. D&D is built around a complicated series of mathematical equations, that boils down to "Challenge Rating 9" assumes a certain level of PC power. When I'm judging your "Rules Use," what I'm judging is how you measure up to that expected power level. All characters will have weaknesses, but there is a difference between a weakness and a handicap. I want to make sure you're operating at the power level appropriate to your ECL. As a side note, multiclassing is probably the easiest way to throw off your power levels. For example, when multiclassing heavily, one save typically falls much farther behind than it would normally be in comparison to the other two saves. What was once a weak save could quickly become an Achilles' Heel if you aren't careful. 75% Cost to Create Magic Items I may be misinterpreting this, but this is the intent of the rule, as I see it. Other judges, feel free to chime in on this issue, if necessary. The modified item creation rules exist, as best I can tell, to make my life much easier as a judge. If they worked normally, we wouldn't be judging an ECL 9 competition, we would be judging a 36,000 XP total competition. Why? Some people would submit level 9 characters and some people would submit level 8 characters with a nice scroll collection. To simplify things, the rule was instituted to keep everyone at a certain ECL. Therefore, as I see it, the rule applies to your character, and just for the purpose of entering this competition. However, as soon as this character leaves this competition (and enters a real campaign), the normal rules would apply fully. Thus, I judge with an eye towards how your item crafting would affect this character in an actual game. As I've said, this is how I look at it. If other judges (or contestants) feel differently, I won't be upset. It's just that the 75% rule only applies in this thread, so I try to remember what happens should the character actually hit paper. @ Endarrion I was suggesting taking Perform (Acting) as a Cross-Class skill while progressing in Ninja. Were this character in one of my campaigns, I'd probably allow you to switch out another class skill and add in perform since you considered it integral to your background. Still, here, the easiest way to go (IMO) would've been taking Perform cross-class. Also, I realize that V wasn't your inspiration, it's just the general outfit was so similar. (I did note that in my comments, right?)
Zherog 05-01-07, 01:24 AM	Endarrion - if you need more help with class/cross class skills, just say so. That's really one of the goals of these "competitions" - to help people learn something about the game. I'd be happy to go into things further if you need it.
TheChilliGod 05-01-07, 01:49 AM	Hm, forth if I can count fairly enough. Thank goodness. :) In all honesty, Clafon was a half-assed job and I'm not proud of him in any way at all. I won't bother with replying to any of the comments, since after a good skim-read, they all seem fair to me. ...Though I would debate the need for a prime antagonist for every character. I view that sort of thing as for developing in-game. But eh. Also, I think that I neglected to give Clafon a holy symbol, something which seems to have been looked over.
FRRC 05-01-07, 02:47 AM	Also, please list all your feats in one section. I don’t like hunting for them. I don't get this one. I clearly labelled a FEATS section. If it's about things like COMBAT STYLE then I can explain that. I did battle with this but decided against it since as per RAW it says: "...he is treated as having the Two-Weapon Fighting feat, even if he does not have the normal prerequisites for that feat." He is treated as having the feat but does not actually obtain it, although it can still be used for the pruposes of fulfilling requirements. He just never obtains it, thus I saw fit not to put it in there. A loose example would be when a character class gives the user a template. Outsider for example. You are treated as your base race (For Raise Dead), but for all purposes you're still an outsider.
Zherog 05-01-07, 08:18 AM	I understand your point, FRRC. On the flip side of the argument, though, look at any ranger in an official product and you'll see the combat style feats listed in the feats section. So there's precedent for it, even if I can see the reason why you didn't. *shrug*
Heros_Backpack 05-01-07, 01:04 PM	More comments - and I'll try not to repeat what's already been said. A nice, solidly made character, and certainly a memorable one. The race makes an interesting change from the human majority in this competition. You did, however, manage to lose 1000gp somewhere along the way. :D A long entry, and a complicated one! I found myself hunting up and down it several times before I found all the pieces of information I was looking for. Two notes: You have only used 26 points out of your 28 point buy. (Remember, you don't have to outfit your followers with your scores too! ;) ) Also, a morningstar is not a finessable weapon, which means (a) you didn't need that feat and (b) your attack with it should read +6/+1. If Daren didn't want his love to realise that he was a werewolf, why didn't he switch forms to animal when he was attacked rather than (I presume) hybrid form? Also, you don't mention a pack or other carrier in his description, yet you have rather a lot of gear to carry. :confused: Got to go. More comments later.
Mercurius 05-01-07, 01:44 PM	I've gotta say, I think I'll just file myself under "maybe" again. If you really need someone else, then I might be able to do it, but I think I enjoy entering these more than judging them. Too many entries to sift through... BTW, anyone got a link to the monk Hero Craftsman? After judging Chilligod's entry for this one, I want to see the difference between it and the one that took first before...
Endarrion 05-01-07, 02:48 PM	Thanks for the rules clarification everyone. I guess I'm being a rules lawyer because I'm still hung up on the fact that I can't see it written down anywhere that a character MUST purchase a skill cross-class even if its on one of his class lists. Jason- Yeah, that's what I would do in one of my campaigns too. The reason I didn't cross-class Perform was because I didn't think that the actor angle would be very believable if he was half as good as most others. And the reason I didn't take straight levels of ninja is... I don't think the ninja class is that good. I also didn't think that the abilities of the ninja fit the character concept or meshed well with his background (leaving the ninja clan after only a short time). Zherog- Thanks for the offer, but I understand the rules, though I disagree with them. Jenny- Thanks for the quick response and congrats :) EDIT: As to the V for Vendetta thing, I actually thought up the whole drama masked villian thing in my senior year of high school (04-05). Maybe I should have copyrighted it...
TheChilliGod 05-01-07, 03:05 PM	I've gotta say, I think I'll just file myself under "maybe" again. If you really need someone else, then I might be able to do it, but I think I enjoy entering these more than judging them. Too many entries to sift through... BTW, anyone got a link to the monk Hero Craftsman? After judging Chilligod's entry for this one, I want to see the difference between it and the one that took first before... There ya go. (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=733303) For me, the real difference was that I had actually played Xak-Tsunix as a PC (albeit briefly), and still have the desire to play him again (giving me that inspiration and will to see him succeed), while Clafon was someone created for the sole purpose of this competition, and therefore has no soul attached to it. Well, it's either that, or everyone else is simply just getting better than me. ;)
Heros_Backpack 05-01-07, 03:31 PM	Comments continued. Judging by your HP breakdown, you calculated your HP as if you had 10 levels, not 9. You also seem to have taken all (or almost all) of your skills cross class and you forgot to buy him a holy symbol. Over all, he was solid but not spectacular. I loved this idea, but I think on the whole, he is more of an Urban Antihero than a hero. The other side of that coin is, of course, that he appears to be a hero. Your HP should be 27 rather than 25, and you do appear to be running around naked! By the way, 'flabbergasted' is spelt correctly! This is the sort of entry that makes me very glad I can read fast! I enjoyed it, but it is rather long! One slight problem - Cleric's vestments are not on the list of outfits available free at character creation, which tips you 4gp over the money limit. You would have done better to take the military uniform as your free outfit. First of all, thanks for anticipating some of my questions. I won't ask them again. Second, your base reflex save is 7 rather than 8 (+3 Ninja, +4 Rogue). Unfortunately, for me, Jack was one of the few characters who just didn't stand out from the crowd. You do realize that every time Fetive Grave puts that studded leather armor on he loses all his druid abilities for 24 hours, don't you? Also, your everburning club is far too cheap. A casting of continual flame costs 60gp (3CL x 20gp) + 50gp material component. Even at 75%, that is a minumum of 78gp and could (depending whether you count material components in the price) go up as high as 95gp. Yours was a very clear, nicely set out character. Not much I can add except that it would have been nice to see the base class (Wizard I presume) in her class list rather than the specialisation (Enchanter). Also, when she summons an instrument, how does she play it? You were overspent by almost 2000gp! :OMG! You also miscalculated your BAB (it should have been +8). A word of advice: It's much better (and safer) to avoid using tables in this competition. They may look good in your post, but when transferred to Word, they tend to fall apart into unreadable chaos and that leaves me to try and put them back together again. You used 30pts out of your 28 point buy, which was not a good start. However the rest of the character was reasonably well put together. You did seem to have lost 2.1gp somewhere along the line, and again you used a lot of tables - which don't transfer to Word very well. What a novel way to write a background! This was a simple, solid, consistent character without many problems to sink a judge's teeth into! At last! A standard non-human race! By your AC breakdown, your actual AC is 30 not 26. Also, dex is used automatically for ranged attacks - Weapon finesse is not relevant here. Otherwise, a clear, easily usable character. I am also available to judge again - don't mind what level.
Mercurius 05-01-07, 03:59 PM	There ya go. (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=733303) For me, the real difference was that I had actually played Xak-Tsunix as a PC (albeit briefly), and still have the desire to play him again (giving me that inspiration and will to see him succeed), while Clafon was someone created for the sole purpose of this competition, and therefore has no soul attached to it. Well, it's either that, or everyone else is simply just getting better than me. ;) For me, it's the opposite. Every character I've entered has been one I've either played or really wanted to play, except for Giddion, who I made up for the contest specifically. Every other character got 2nd place (except for my dear monk, who got third thanks to you and your AC 13 :nonono: ), while Giddion pulled a win. Odd how that works out.
Far_Traveler 05-01-07, 07:21 PM	Comments continued. You do realize that every time Fetive Grave puts that studded leather armor on he loses all his druid abilities for 24 hours, don't you? Also, your everburning club is far too cheap. A casting of continual flame costs 60gp (3CL x 20gp) + 50gp material component. Even at 75%, that is a minumum of 78gp and could (depending whether you count material components in the price) go up as high as 95gp. Hm. Studded Leather thing = my bad. But everburning torch incldued material component only, because My cohort made it. her notable spells included continual flame.
Maekrix_Waere 05-01-07, 07:42 PM	-Mechanics #1 and #3:doh: Found my notes, and here is why I didn't have any mundane objects that would assist in impersonating a guard: Most items used by a guard in their line of duty (armour, weapons, torches, etc.) is issued to them by their city/state/kingdom/etc. and, as such, does not ACTUALLY belong to them. After all, if I were to have my alter ego resign from his post a city guard captain, the city would take his city guard weapon(s) and armour away from him, and give it to whomever takes his place. He couldn't just say, "Well, its been fun, but I think it's time to resign, see 'ya, all," and then walk off with a bunch of city property on his back, could he? Sure, they might award it to him for services rendered, but until then it doesn't actually belong to him. It stays in the armoury, along with everyone else's. As to being naked-I always thought that all characters start with a standard issue set of clothes, and the outfits listed in the PHB were additional clothes, made for specific purposes. After all, I don't see anywhere in the equipment section where it lists "Common(er) Clothes" as a purchasable outfit. I always assumed you just had at least one set of just, "Clothes" clothes, which weighed too little to count towards encumbrance, and which costed, I dunno, 1 cp, maybe 1 sp, or 1 gp for some really fancy clothes. Thats the reason for that one. Also, as to being an Anti-Hero...I never saw anywhere where the character could not be Evil...most Evil characters ARE Anti-Heroes. Note:These aren't criticisms, I just want them to be on the record.:P EDIT:Also, Jason, thanks for the complement about beign a good Drow...I pride myself on being borderline psychotic when I want to be. (Yes, I have actually had a registered psychologist confirm that for me.) EDIT #2:I'll probably be entering more of these, and I sincerely doubt you will be able to find me make any Good aligned characters. If only the Libris Mortis had been available for this competition...5 character ideas I thought of (and thought were better than this one) instantly had their hearts stripped out with the lack of that book.
Zherog 05-01-07, 08:04 PM	Thanks for the rules clarification everyone. I guess I'm being a rules lawyer because I'm still hung up on the fact that I can't see it written down anywhere that a character MUST purchase a skill cross-class even if its on one of his class lists. I'll see if I can dig up the page number for you. But first - it's time to put my kids to bed. :D edit: actually, found it while they're brushing their teeth. Page 60, the "How Multiclassing Works" section. Lidda, a 4th-level halfling rogue, decides to expand her repertoire by learning some wizardry. She locates a mentor who teaches her the ways of a wizard and she spends a lot of time looking over the shoulder of mialee, her party's wizard, while the latter prepares her spells each morning. When Lidda amasses 10,000 XP, she becomes a 5th-level character. Instead of becoming a 5th-level rogue, however, she becomes a 4th-level rogue/1st-level wizard. Now instead of gaining the benefits of attaining a new level as a rogue, she gains the benefits of a 1st level wizard. She gains a wizard's hit die (d4), a 1st-level wizard's +2 bonus on Will saves, and 4 skill points (2 for one wizard level plus two for the Intelligence bonus derived from her Intelligence score of 14) that she can spend as a wizard. These benefits are added to the scores she already had as a rogue. Her BAB, Reflex save bonus, and Fortitude save bonus do not increase because these numbers are +0 for a 1st-level wizard. She gains a 1st-level wizard's beginning spellbook and spells per day. Her rogue skills and sneak attack capability, however, do not improve. She could spend some of her 4 skill points to improve her rogue skills, but, since they would be treated as cross-class skills for a wizard, these skill points would each buy only one-half rank. (The exceptions are any Craft or Profession skills she may have, since Craft and Profession are class skills for both the rogue and the wizard). Hope that helps clear things up a little.
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-01-07, 10:12 PM	As to being naked-I always thought that all characters start with a standard issue set of clothes, and the outfits listed in the PHB were additional clothes, made for specific purposes. After all, I don't see anywhere in the equipment section where it lists "Common(er) Clothes" as a purchasable outfit. I always assumed you just had at least one set of just, "Clothes" clothes, which weighed too little to count towards encumbrance, and which costed, I dunno, 1 cp, maybe 1 sp, or 1 gp for some really fancy clothes. Thats the reason for that one. PHB p.129 Goods and Services Table, under "Clothing" "Peasant's Outfit, 1sp, 2lb." Different characters may want different outfits for various occasions. A beginning character is assumed to have an artisan's, entertainer's, explorer's, monk's, peasant's, scholar's, or traveler's outfit. This first outfit is free and does not count against the amount of weight a character can carry. Yes, you do get one outfit for free, but you still forgot to list it. Also, evil characters aren't disallowed, but evil characters that have been sumbited should still function well within a gaming group. I, as the DM, am famous for saying that it's not my job to referee a fight between my PC's. If you want to build characters and have them fight it out, do on your own time. Remember, you can still be Evil and have a sufficient amount of "people" skills to function in a group. In your case, you flat out said (something to the effect of) "I'd rather not work with bumbling idiots." Hence the deduction...
Haruspex 05-01-07, 11:33 PM	Congrats to jennibert for the win. I guess there wasn't a lot in there that made Runty particularly urban, though I wasn't really sure how to pull that one off. EDIT: I checked the ability scores, and the numbers add up. Str 4 points, Dex 6 points, Con 2 points, Int 6 points, Wis 6 points, and Cha 4 points. That equals 28. Unless I made a mistake somewhere.
TheChilliGod 05-02-07, 12:34 AM	Sorry, but have we found a coordinator yet? For, y'know, HC#9? As far as I can tell, we've got Heros_Backpack, DarkKitsune, JasonOrlandoHawk, and I that's ready for judging the next round, while Zherog, Mercurius and jennibert have said maybe, but we haven't got a set coordinator yet. ...Someone new, perhaps? :bigeyes:
Heros_Backpack 05-02-07, 06:47 AM	But everburning torch incldued material component only, because My cohort made it. her notable spells included continual flame. I realise it wasn't made with a crafting feat, but as it has been made, then it is worth (for this competition) 75% of the standard price - which is 78gp. Or at least, that's how I judged it. I prepare to sit corrected. :)
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-02-07, 08:30 AM	Sorry, but have we found a coordinator yet? For, y'know, HC#9? As far as I can tell, we've got Heros_Backpack, DarkKitsune, JasonOrlandoHawk, and I that's ready for judging the next round, while Zherog, Mercurius and jennibert have said maybe, but we haven't got a set coordinator yet. ...Someone new, perhaps? :bigeyes: I think a new coordinator would be excellent! H_B, DarkKitsune, and Mercurius, this is your chance to shine! Also, jennibert, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe you've had the opportunity to coordinate yet, either. Any of you up to the job? Also, as a side note, I'd really like to see more judges judging the next time around. When several qualified judges compete, it lowers the chances for newer competitors to take the gold (and yes, I readily admit to being guilty of that in HC#7). I would enjoy seeing a larger panel of judges next time around.
wrecan 05-02-07, 09:31 AM	EDIT: I checked the ability scores, and the numbers add up. Str 4 points, Dex 6 points, Con 2 points, Int 6 points, Wis 6 points, and Cha 4 points. That equals 28. Unless I made a mistake somewhere. Mine too. My understanding of PB is: 8-0, 9-1, 10-2, 11-3, 12-4, 13-6, 14-8, 15-10, 16-12, 17-15, 18-18 Hammets Abilities are Str 8 (0), Dex 12 (4), Con 10 (2), Int 12 (4), Wis 8 (0), Cha 18 (18) 0+4+2+4+0+18=28
Far_Traveler 05-02-07, 10:55 AM	You are incorrect. It is as follows: 8-0 9-1 10-2 11-3 12-4 13-5 14-6 15-8 16-10 17-13 18-16 you had 2 points left over, which could be assigned to any non-charisma stat on a 1for1 basis.
wrecan 05-02-07, 12:36 PM	Darn it! I was using a houseruled version of PB and din't realize it!!
Mercurius 05-02-07, 12:57 PM	Congrats to jennibert for the win. I guess there wasn't a lot in there that made Runty particularly urban, though I wasn't really sure how to pull that one off. EDIT: I checked the ability scores, and the numbers add up. Str 4 points, Dex 6 points, Con 2 points, Int 6 points, Wis 6 points, and Cha 4 points. That equals 28. Unless I made a mistake somewhere. It's mostly that you bought your stats, then didn't apply your racial modifiers for Goblin (-2 STR, CHA, +2 DEX). If we assume that the stats you have are including your racial mods, you under spent. I just figured, from your numbers/clarity, that you simply failed to apply your racial stat mods, and counted off for that. I didn't count off for the everburning torch not paying 75%. Unlike magic items which require item creation feats, the only thing an everburning torch actually requires is a material component and the spell, so I didn't figure it fell under the "magic item crafting" cost and judged accordingly. I guess it's up to interpretation. In other news, I'm still up in the air about judging, let alone coordinating. I have to admit I think I enjoy being a competitor more than a judge. I just don't have the time to really get in there and do it, and when I do, I seem to be kinda lazy. I mean, you guys have seen the comments I leave. But, then again, there is the point that letting judges, who have already earned gold medals, continue to compete does sort of hamper the chances of newer entries.
Lazzmaniandevil 05-02-07, 01:04 PM	You were overspent by almost 2000gp! :OMG! You also miscalculated your BAB (it should have been +8). A word of advice: It's much better (and safer) to avoid using tables in this competition. They may look good in your post, but when transferred to Word, they tend to fall apart into unreadable chaos and that leaves me to try and put them back together again. Thematic Creativity • Every time I see the PrC Vigilante, I think of the Punisher comic series. Thus, I can appreciate the gritty story you have provided, including your girlfriend’s gruesome murder. • Overall, only one line really hurt your score here: “His current plan is to find a group of adventurers and join them on a mission that would take them anywhere, as long as it is far from his hometown.” I think you wrote yourself into a corner, and now you’re running from the setting of this competition. Background • Dead family. Dead Girlfriend. The Punisher image really isn’t leaving my head in regards to your character. However, you have left yourself devoid of allies. I’m a cruel DM, but I’m not that cruel. • Healthy list of usable foes… excellent! Trenviak sounds like a world of trouble for you! • You had some excellent description of gaining your early levels, but I don’t know that you’ve really justified yourself past level 5 or 6. Besides killing vermin when you were young, as far as combat goes, you’ve only intervened in one encounter physically. Rules Use/Mechanics • Mechanics #1: Gear Totals: First off, if everything is priced as listed, you have spent 37,960gp, which is above the contest limit. However, you under priced some of your gear. Your +1 Shortbow is 2,330gp, not 1,330gp, and your +2 Mithral Shirt is 5,100gp, not 3,100gp. Lastly, you didn’t seem to calculate your 4pp into your final total. • Mechanics #2: Your BAB is +8, which affects your attacks and your grapple modifier. • Mechanics #3: With Urban Ranger, you only add ½ your Ranger levels to your Wild Empathy checks, granting you a +5 bonus. • Mechanics #4: With Smite the Guilty, you add your Cha. Modifier to your attack, which means your attack bonus is +3, not +4. • Rules Use #1: I really think you went w/ the wrong combat style for this character. You had to burn two extra feats (Weapon Finesse, Two Weapon Defense) to make this build work. Considering your high Dexterity, I would’ve taken the Archery combat style (which would have freed up some feats and been cheaper in terms of gear). • Rules Use #2: I really worry about this character in melee. Your maximum damage, assuming all critical hits on a full attack, is 42 damage (magic)/round. Foes w/ DR would eat this character alive. You really need to find a way to bump Kanti’s damage potential. Clarity • Red Ink: Some of your mistakes were rather entertaining. For example, did Chandia have Multiple Personality Disorder, or were you just dating several women with the same name? Or, possibly, did you fail to realize that you kept referring to Chandia as “women?” • Citation Issue: So, where can I find that interesting Vigilante class? • You can simplify some portions of your entry. For example, it saves a lot of space to type: Smite the Guilty: 1/day (+3 attack/+4 damage), Speak w/ Dead: 1/day [CL 4]. • The main problem I have w/ the format of your character is that I kept overlooking your Alignment. I really like to see Alignment at the top of each entry. • You are incredibly lucky. Most of the time, when people use tables, they don’t copy well into Word so I can judge them. However, your tables actually transferred over smoothly, making my life as a judge much easier. The main error you made was in your gold figuring – You seem to have mistakenly calculated armor and weapon enhancements at lower values than the should be. It wasn't a glaring error, though it means you overspent by a fair bit. Your background is a little cumbersome, but not bad. The biggest problem is that you really don't work much as an urban hero at the moment, due to the massive issue of needing to get out of the city... You said it yourself - "he must flee the city he loves," which makes him not as much of an urban hero as I was looking for to judge highly. Still, a very good use of antagonists and what-not. It looks like I did a bunch of stupid mistakes in this one. About writing myself into a corner with my character wanting to leave the city, I just didn't want the character to be perceived as tied to one city only. The guy is still a urban specialist and is likely to end up in another city. I thought it would leave some liberty to the DM as to decide if an eventual campaign would start in the city where all his enemies and friends are, or if he gets moved to another city and enemies are introduced gradually, as they find out where he has gone. Anyhow, congrats to all the winners !! As for myself, I'll try to do better next time. But at least I finished ahead of wrecan.... :P
Seeking_Knight_of_Graves 05-02-07, 01:09 PM	Well if it is ok I would like to join in as a new judge. I keep up with the posts, and though i have wanted to join I have not entered into a competition yet, I usually watch from the first entrant. If I am selected to be a new judge I would just need to know how to submit my rulings and such. Would be much fun to give it a go. Thanks Henry
wrecan 05-02-07, 01:46 PM	My fatal error was misreading the homonculous rules. That's what I get for trying to juggle a lot of ambitious elements: leadership, spellthief, homonculi. It over-enlarged and overcomplicated the entry and increased the potential for mistakes. I was brought down by my own ambition!
Zherog 05-02-07, 01:49 PM	Well if it is ok I would like to join in as a new judge. I keep up with the posts, and though i have wanted to join I have not entered into a competition yet, I usually watch from the first entrant. If I am selected to be a new judge I would just need to know how to submit my rulings and such. Would be much fun to give it a go. Thanks Henry Judging is limited to the "original" coordinators of the contest (Doopliss, TheChilliGod, and me), and any gold medal winners since that time. That said, anybody is free to post comments about any of the characters. By all means, enter the next one! :)
Seeking_Knight_of_Graves 05-02-07, 02:19 PM	Not a problem at all. ^_^ Thanks and I will join in the next one. Peace
FRRC 05-02-07, 02:49 PM	Next competition! Gogogogogogogogogogogogogogogogogogogogo gogogo etc. !!!!!! :D :D :D
edwardsobel 05-02-07, 03:09 PM	taking a while to figure out a reply to the judges comments. as for the question about playing a Tibbit. It was fun but was annoying to the rest of the party so I had to drop the concept for the sake of party cohesion. I really don't know why I picked the classes and skills that I did just seemed to flow when I was creating the character and trying to find the right version of the character I was evisioning was difficult. I wanted a character that could scrape by alone but can function in a party in some way. many times Tabby had a way of finding another quest to put the party in jepordy even if they wern't ready for it. I loved playing the character in games just seemed natural to submit her in a contest. I have some other characters for future contests worked up just waiting for the right theme (and a contest to allow the TOB for my whisper gnome swordsage/monk) I actually thought of starting a thread of a sort of rogue's gallery where characters can be posted, but need to formulate some posting guiedlines for it. there was another comment on the summon instrument spell. she may not be able to use her bardic music ability with an istrument but perform is untrained and she can still entertain and use countersong. thanks for the comments and I would suggest some bonus points for each 2nd and third place finish a contestant had in the past until they have a win then bonus points are forfieted. this contest was unable to increase the available judge pool as the winner was already an eligible judge of course the winner deserved the win the entry was great or...we just need to make some allowances in the future to ensure that we continue to increase the available pools of judges. such as this time around since the winner was already an eligble judge then the offer be made to the second place winner and if they are also already an eligble judge we continue on down until we gain a new judge for the next contest. just a random thought hope I'm not babbleing (oops... too late).
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-02-07, 04:42 PM	I think I may have unintentionally started a campaign to prevent judges from winning repeatedly. (Though I do agree with it, in principle.) I just mainly hoped that we'd have more than 3 judges, b/c it allows for a character to recieve criticisms, compliments, and suggestions from multiple sources. Not to mention, more judges means more ideas and conversation behind the scenes. By the way, as a historical note: Hero Craftsman #8: First HC contest run entirely by non-originating judges! (How'd we do?) While I don't necessarily think every judge should judge every time, 4 or 5 judges may make for a better exchange of ideas. However, the more immediate concern: Who's going to coordinate the next go around? I could do it, but I really don't feel like coordinating twice in a row. Also, I'd like to see someone new in the spot. Anyways, I really hope that my unintentional crusade against judges competing doesn't go too far. As I recall, DarkKitsune (and possibly Heros_Backpack) won out over a competing judge. Still, when you have several eligible judges competing, it does lower the odds of a new individual earning "judge" status.
Heros_Backpack 05-02-07, 07:11 PM	In the MDMC competitions, judges go on the list if they have won: 1 x 1st place or 2 x 2nd place or 3 x 3rd place or a combination of these. Would adopting this be an acceptable way to open up the judging ranks?
Endarrion 05-02-07, 07:44 PM	I'll see if I can dig up the page number for you. But first - it's time to put my kids to bed. :D edit: actually, found it while they're brushing their teeth. Page 60, the "How Multiclassing Works" section. Hope that helps clear things up a little. That's dumb ... but I concede the point.
jennibert 05-02-07, 07:47 PM	If I thought I had the time to judge, I'd offer to coordinate. But by my estimates, if we get HC#9 up and running by sometime next week, and then let it run the customary two weeks, it'll end just before Memorial Day. My two problems with that are that next week is book buyback (and as a salaried manager, I'm expected to be there more than my usual 40 hours), and I'll be out of town this weekend, and then out of town again Memorial Day weekend. I've tried to judge while away from home before, and it works even less well than judging at home. I'm tempted to say what the heck and do it anyway, but I don't want to disappoint anyone by taking three weeks to get scores back. If no one else wants to coordinate, I'll do it. But only if we're desperate.:) (Oh, and you're welcome, Endarrion. And thanks to everyone who has offered me congrats. Good job on your entries as well! And best of luck for HC#9!)
Zherog 05-02-07, 09:16 PM	If I thought I had the time to judge, I'd offer to coordinate. But by my estimates, if we get HC#9 up and running by sometime next week, and then let it run the customary two weeks, it'll end just before Memorial Day. There's no reason it couldn't be extended so it ended just after Memorial Day Weekend. :) Sounds like we have our coordinator! :angelhide
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-02-07, 11:22 PM	I agree w/ Zherog. I have extended the deadline on both competitions I have coordinated, specifically to make them fit my schedule better. That's the power of the coordinator! So, all in favor of voting jennibert into the coordinator position, compeletly against her will, hold two thumbs up. :ayyyy!: For the record, I actually am completely opposed to forcing anyone to accept a position against their will, but I'm still willing to convince other people to do it for me...
jennibert 05-03-07, 08:14 AM	I agree w/ Zherog. I have extended the deadline on both competitions I have coordinated, specifically to make them fit my schedule better. That's the power of the coordinator! So, all in favor of voting jennibert into the coordinator position, compeletly against her will, hold two thumbs up. I should not ha' said that. I should not ha' said that. ;) Oh well. Just be aware to anyone who's judging (and I'm not going back through the list right now to figure it out) that I may get a PM out tonight, but if not, you won't hear from me until Monday at the earliest, as I'll be visiting my parents and they have the slowest dial-up known to man or woman. Speaking of woman....am I the only female to have entered these competitions? User names can make it hard to tell....I've generally assumed that everyone else is male, but please tell me if I'm wrong:)
Zherog 05-03-07, 12:51 PM	To be honest, Jenni, I don't find coordinating to be all that much more work. You make the first three posts (Main post, entry list, FAQ); you update each at your best convenience; and you compile the scores from the judges at the end. There really isn't much more to be done. And... I'm tentatively in for judging the next one. You have the minimum three, as I recall, so I'll be the fourth. More judges makes for more fun. :)
jennibert 05-03-07, 08:10 PM	To be honest, Jenni, I don't find coordinating to be all that much more work. You make the first three posts (Main post, entry list, FAQ); you update each at your best convenience; and you compile the scores from the judges at the end. There really isn't much more to be done. And... I'm tentatively in for judging the next one. You have the minimum three, as I recall, so I'll be the fourth. More judges makes for more fun. :) The only problem is that the extra work comes at the time I don't have time....but I'll do it anyway. But I will go ahead and warn any would-be contestants: The competition will likely not be up until next weekend at the earliest, due to my RL time issues. But be sure and look for it then! New and exciting...and now with more judges than ever before!