Post/Author/DateTime	Post
jennibert 05-12-07, 11:05 PM	Welcome to Hero Craftsmen #9, 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 Paragon of Good. The selfless paladin, the kind rogue, the fighter with the heart of gold…these are the stuff of legend…and of this competition. Heroes adventure for many reasons, but the characters we are looking for here do so for only the highest and best of reasons. Can you build a character that lives up to the challenge? The required level for this competition is 4th level, which gives each character 5400gp to spend on magic items and equipment, with no more than 1800gp 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): 4th Ability Score Generation: 28pt. buy (DMG p.169) Character Wealth: 5400gp Max. Value of any single item: 1800gp 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: Player’s Handbook II, Complete Adventurer, Complete Arcane, Complete Divine, Complete Warrior, Complete Mage, Complete Scoundrel, the Spell Compendium, the Magic Item Compendium, the Expanded Psionics Handbook, and the Book of Exalted Deeds. The use of Psionics, Item Creation rules, Epic Characters, and anything else in the Official SRD is permitted. For this specific contest, no other material may be used, including any other variant rules in Unearthed Arcana. 7) Additionally, the character must be created with the recommended character wealth as discussed in the DMG (note that you may not spend more than 1/3 of your entry's total wealth on any one item), with average hit points per hit die (eg-2.5hp for d4, 3.5hp for d6, 4.5hp for d8, 5.5hp for d10, 6.5hp for d12; Max hit points at 1st level), using the 28 point-buy system, as discussed in the DMG pg169. For those who do not have access to the DMG, the following sample arrays of scores have been set up for your convenience: 18, 14, 12, 10, 8, 8 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10 8) One special rule regarding Crafting: When crafting a magic item from your character, you may pay the 50% gp cost and ignore the XP cost. However, your character must still meet all prerequisites in spells, minimum level requirements, etc., or account for the cost of hiring a spell caster to cast the spells for you. Please note this is a change from previous competitions. 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, TheChilliGod, 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 TheChilliGod, Zherog, jennibert, JasonOrlandoHawk, Heros_Backpack, and DarkKitsune. Jennibert will be our coordinating judge. This contest starts when this post is posted, and is due to end at 11:59pm GMT on Wednesday, May 30, 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.
jennibert 05-12-07, 11:06 PM	The Grand List of Good Entries Delwin of Rifflain (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12390275&postcount=26) by yellowdingo (disqualified for editing too late) Captain Garrett (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12391264&postcount=27) by Haruspex Tarum the True (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12394332&postcount=32) by wrecan Felix Elendrell (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12411591&postcount=36) by TheScapegoat Dionisio Durante, aka The Pilgrim (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12471693&postcount=62) by Endarrion Hilda Warroy (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12484583&postcount=65) by otakutaylor Treylanca Merossa (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12505551&postcount=71) by edwardsobel Sophia Wilfreda (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12545056&postcount=82) by Mercurius Quentyn Bryce (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12555089&postcount=86) by Kit_the_Odd Sahtra Soulsought (http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=12681034&postcount=100) by TheChilliGod disqualified for entering after the competition was over, being submitted by someone judging the competition, and using a book not allowed...
jennibert 05-12-07, 11:07 PM	Questions (Not the FAQ per se....as most questions only get asked once...;)) Is there a restriction on the alignment? Can we have Evil characters dedicated to good via any means necessary? There is not technically such a restriction.....but more than one judge has stated that you will likely get a very low Thematic Creativity score if you do so. Not certainly, but highly likely. If my character has a mundane animal, like a horse, do I need Handle Animal to give it tricks? Or perhaps I can assume that it came with tricks (unlikely, but just making sure). Compare the cost of a warhorse or warpony with that of a regular horse or pony. This would give a rough judge of the difference if one wanted to obtain a trained animal of some kind. But be sure to show your work so the judges know what you've been doing. So if my character has ranks in Handle Animal, would you judges let me teach it additional skills up to it's normal limit (normally 3 or 6)? If yes, would there be any additional costs for this? If you have Handle Animal, and you can reasonably be assumed to make the DC then yes - you can train your own animal. The skill doesn't list any particular cost. What I mean is, are points taken away if a character is considered cliche? Conversely, are points awarded if a character fits part of a cliche, but is still unique? The answer depends on the judge, but generally speaking a cliche is possibly less likely to get a higher Thematic Creativity score, but the difference is often not large.
jennibert 05-12-07, 11:09 PM	And the competition is open! Let the entries begin! Oh, and you are all so lucky that I don't get to compete in this one, because my exalted womanizing druid would totally win this competition if I entered him:D. Good luck to everyone! I'm looking forward to your entries! A note also: Zherog pointed out in the last competition that we are only allowed to purely "bump" our thread once every 48 hours. So if we fall low, please say something constructive rather than simply bumping:).
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-12-07, 11:22 PM	I'll go ahead and ask the question on everyone's mind: Will Haruspex beat his 21 hour record for fasting entry posting time? Will some one else claim the record? I'll say this in regards to my standing in this competition: I've been banned from using 90% of the material in BoED for a reason. I don't play nice when I play good-aligned characters... if that makes any sense at all. Looking forward to the entries. I'm really excited to have an excessive number of judges this time around (Mercurius, why did you abandon us? All of the judges could have been working side by side!). Jason
TheChilliGod 05-13-07, 02:06 AM	It's so lovely to see such an open competition such as this one! So many books allowed, and at such a low level (rivaled only by HC#1!), I wish I was in it. ... Well, no, not really. I don't do very good good characters. They're usually like... "And, here we have Brother Bartholomew. He's a priest of Rao, who's taken a vow of silence, and also suffers from Tourrett's syndrome!" ...(Sigged and Subscribed)
Maekrix_Waere 05-13-07, 02:25 AM	I WOULD enter this, but I simply do not know how to make Good Aligned characters...I never, EVER get a chance to use my BoVD...
Comus 05-13-07, 02:40 AM	Oh, man. I have the perfect guy for this. My only attempt at playing the 'good is nice' paladin... and the reason I am no longer allowed to play Dwarves (scottish accent is apparently okay, but canadian is not). It was my one chance to redeem myself after my elf paladin, Bloodbane Vaughn Doom, who was raised by orcs, wore the armor of a Blackguard (passed down through his family), and used an Orcish Double-Axe. Yeah. He was not a nice paladin.
FRRC 05-13-07, 04:45 AM	Oh, man. I have the perfect guy for this. My only attempt at playing the 'good is nice' paladin... and the reason I am no longer allowed to play Dwarves (scottish accent is apparently okay, but canadian is not). It was my one chance to redeem myself after my elf paladin, Bloodbane Vaughn Doom, who was raised by orcs, wore the armor of a Blackguard (passed down through his family), and used an Orcish Double-Axe. Yeah. He was not a nice paladin. I was thinking about that. The Reverse, but still Good, Paladin.
FRRC 05-13-07, 06:15 AM	Is there a restriction on the alignment? Can we have Evil characters dedicated to good via any means nessecary?
Haruspex 05-13-07, 08:17 AM	Just to be different, this time I'll post my entry on the 29th of May. ;)
jennibert 05-13-07, 09:56 AM	I WOULD enter this, but I simply do not know how to make Good Aligned characters...I never, EVER get a chance to use my BoVD... No reason not to give it a try! That's what this competition is really for, letting you practice your character building skills. You might surprise yourself:) Is there a restriction on the alignment? Can we have Evil characters dedicated to good via any means nessecary? There is not technically such a restriction.....but you better have a really good background to explain it or you'll take a serious hit to your Thematic Creativity score!
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-13-07, 10:10 AM	Is there a restriction on the alignment? Can we have Evil characters dedicated to good via any means nessecary? Just to give you a fair warning, I hear this question so often when I run a "Good-Alignment Required" campaign that you will probably score rather low when I judge. That question earns an automatic "No!" in my campaigns, and will probably send you rather low on your Thematic Creativity here. However, other judges may find it to be a unique approach. One thing you might consider (btw, Maekrix, this might help you as well) is a Redeemed Villain. They start their career evil, but then become heroes through some dramatic circumstance. Redeemed Heroes can be quite interesting. (Down Side: A little hard to do convincingly, since you only have 4 levels. Still, it is a possibility.)
Haruspex 05-13-07, 10:38 AM	If my character has a mundane animal, like a horse, do I need Handle Animal to give it tricks? Or perhaps I can assume that it came with tricks (unlikely, but just making sure).
Zherog 05-13-07, 11:19 AM	I WOULD enter this, but I simply do not know how to make Good Aligned characters...I never, EVER get a chance to use my BoVD... As Jenni said, use this opportunity to explore something new and expand your character creation skills. I most often play the "morally ambiguous" character, but I have played a paladin/monk with the Vow of Poverty feat and the Saint template. No, he didn't have a stick up his ass (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0223.html), either. ;) Is there a restriction on the alignment? Can we have Evil characters dedicated to good via any means nessecary? In my opinion (and as an example), a neutral evil thug who happens to be working for the Church of Pelor to destroy undead is going to score really low on thematic creativity. The contest isn't "Make a character who works for the forces of good." The contest theme is "make a character who's an exemplar of a good alignment." Now, if you meant the sort of thing Jason was talking about - the dirtbag rogue who has been redeemed and now fights selflessly for the Church of Pelor - yeah, that's going to be a cool character concept. Only having four levels in which to work makes it difficult, but not super-difficult. If my character has a mundane animal, like a horse, do I need Handle Animal to give it tricks? Or perhaps I can assume that it came with tricks (unlikely, but just making sure). I totally would work with you on this in my own campaigns. But by the rules, no - you can't assume an animal comes with tricks. With one exception - a warhorse (or similar mount) does in fact come with pre-taught tricks; that's why they're capable of fighting in combat without geting spooked. You could maybe try using the price difference between a regular horse and a war horse, and use that to extrapolate what a trained animal costs. That, at least, gives you a little backing in the rules. If you go that route, I highly recommend you "show your work" at the end, so all the judges understand how you got to whatever price you picked. You might find a judge or two who disagrees still, but in my opinion it won't hurt your score as bad as doing it and not showing your work.
Zherog 05-13-07, 11:22 AM	Also, I'll be the "nice judge" and point out that there's a rules change in regards to item crafting. Just so nobody continues to use the old rule out of habit. :)
Heros_Backpack 05-13-07, 02:03 PM	If my character has a mundane animal, like a horse, do I need Handle Animal to give it tricks? Or perhaps I can assume that it came with tricks (unlikely, but just making sure). Warhorses, warponies and riding dogs definitely come ready trained. I'd be prepared to accept that a basic riding horse/pony also came trained to the basic riding purpose, but anything fancier would need to be accounted for.
Far_Traveler 05-13-07, 04:09 PM	Um... I may just sit out of this competition... I probably will enter, but I might not...
FRRC 05-13-07, 05:58 PM	Um... I may just sit out of this competition... I probably will enter, but I might not... :( Should have made this a twin character contest or atleast a minimum level of 6 for Leadership. The Duo could be called Goody Two-Shoes. For the record, I'm claiming that name for future use.
Haruspex 05-13-07, 09:14 PM	The reason I asked is that there are some new tricks in Complete Adventurer (I think) that might be useful for my character's animal. Maybe not a war-trained animal, perhaps a mule or something similar. So if my character has ranks in Handle Animal, would you judges let me teach it additional skills up to it's normal limit (normally 3 or 6)? If yes, would there be any additional costs for this?
Zherog 05-13-07, 10:11 PM	The reason I asked is that there are some new tricks in Complete Adventurer (I think) that might be useful for my character's animal. Maybe not a war-trained animal, perhaps a mule or something similar. Note that I didn't say you could only have a war trained animal. I suggested you look to the cost of a war trained animal compared to the cost of a "normal" version of the animal to get an idea of what it might cost to purchase an animal that's already trained. And remember - if you go this path, show your work, or you'll make some judges (like me :D ) grumpy. So if my character has ranks in Handle Animal, would you judges let me teach it additional skills up to it's normal limit (normally 3 or 6)? If yes, would there be any additional costs for this? If you have Handle Animal, and you can reasonably be assumed to make the DC then yes - you can train your own animal. The skill doesn't list any particular cost.
Haruspex 05-13-07, 10:20 PM	Note that I didn't say you could only have a war trained animal. I suggested you look to the cost of a war trained animal compared to the cost of a "normal" version of the animal to get an idea of what it might cost to purchase an animal that's already trained. And remember - if you go this path, show your work, or you'll make some judges (like me :D ) grumpy. If you have Handle Animal, and you can reasonably be assumed to make the DC then yes - you can train your own animal. The skill doesn't list any particular cost. Thank you for your swift reply. Beware the angry mule kick of great justice! :D
jennibert 05-13-07, 11:09 PM	Much discussion while I was at work all day.... Questions post is now updated! Any judge disagrees with the answers, let me know and I'll be glad debate with you why I am right and you are wrong.....or something like that;)
Endarrion 05-13-07, 11:28 PM	I have le question: Are cliches bad? What I mean is, are points taken away if a character is considered cliche? Conversely, are points awarded if a character fits part of a cliche, but is still unique?
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-14-07, 12:32 AM	I have le question: Are cliches bad? What I mean is, are points taken away if a character is considered cliche? Conversely, are points awarded if a character fits part of a cliche, but is still unique? That depends largely upon the judge in question. I, myself, don't mind "cliche" characters too much. For example, I didn't deduct points in HC#8 for people who entered rogues, even if that was the most "cliche" class for Urban Heroes. Some of the best characters I've played, and run games for, have been very cliche characters. (I once ran for a Barbarian whose catch phrase was "Rage, Frenzy." Arguably the most popular character in any of my games, despite being cliche.) However, what I do mark off for is multiple similar entries. If I see more than two characters who fall under the same general "concept," I will typically take 1 point off each character that uses that idea. (Last competition, no one lost points b/c they took levels in Rogue, but several people lost a point for creating "Anti-Crime/Vigilante" style characters.) So, long story short: I won't deduct points for a well-designed "Captain Paladin Do-Gooder" in this competition (note key term: well-designed), but I will deduct points if I have to judge three or more Paladins. Other judges may have different ideas. Clear as mud? Jason
yellowdingo 05-14-07, 02:31 AM	Delwin of Rifflain Mystaran Elf (Multiclass Wizard/Fighter) Lawful Good Level 2/2 STR 16, DEX 10, CON 7, INT 18, WIS 10, CHA 8; FORT +1, REF+0, WILL+3, SPEED 20, INIT +0, AC14 HP 14, MELEE +6, RANGED + 3, Weight(medium/89lb), Height(4’9”), Age(126), next experience level (10,000xp) Skills Climb(10/7), Concentrate(3/5), Calligraphy(7/3), Gather Information(1/2), Listen(7/3), Search(9/3), Spellcraft(11/7), Spot(7/3) Feats Scribe Scroll, Alertness, Quickdraw, Focus(Longsword), Focus(Longbow) Languages © Elf, Thyatian, Traladaran, Darokinian, Gnomish Spellbook 1-Ventriloquism, Sleep, Shield, Protection from Evil, Magic Missile, Identify, Hold Portal, Comprehend Languages, Charm Person Equipment Longsword, Longbow, 20 arrows in quiver, Saddlebag, (2) Bread loaves, Cheese (1/2lb), Meat (1/2lb), Candle, (2)daggers, Explorers outfit, Flint and steel, Flour (1lb), Salt (1lb), Magnifying glass, Beltpouch, Scalemail, Soap(1lb), (2)spellcomponent pouches, Wizard spellbook, (2) vials, empty, Waterskin(full), Bottle of spicewine Magic Items Amulet of Location Wealth 118gp Share in a Ship (4000gp) Description Born AC874, Delwin watched the Thyatian invasion of Traladara, The rise, fall, and rise of the Marilenev, and The Arrival of Stephan Karameikos III. Delwin having constantly run afoul of Bargle’s Agents since his gift of an amulet, has become wary of blundering into a location with an enemy most-likely waiting for him. He prefers to avoid entering Dungeons, and likes to set up outside and draw out the intelligent and hungry monsters by baking a spice-wine bread over a fire. He knows much of the attention his fellows attract has been due to the cursed amulet around his neck (a “gift” from Bargle the Infamous in exchange for information from Delwin’s extensive journals), but sees it just as useful for those people he prefer to know where he is. Delwin has extensive journals on the goings on in Traladara over the last hundred years (mainly local gossip laced with history) and Bargle the Infamous would love to know where he keeps them.
Haruspex 05-14-07, 07:50 AM	CAPTAIN GARRETT “The world is an unfair place, harsh and cruel. It falls to the mortals to make it just and righteous.” Polishing his spear, an armored human sits on the riverbank watching children play in the stream. The look in his eyes is wistful, but also determined. Putting down his spear, he then produces a sheet of paper from his bag and studies it. Looking over his shoulder, you see that it is a list of wanted criminals. After a few minutes, he stands up and as he recites a short prayer chains his spear to his gauntlet. He then packs his gear into the bags on his mule and mounts his horse. Captain Garrett Medium Humanoid (human) Fighter 4 Hit Dice: 4d10 (26 hp) Initiative: +0 (+0 Dex) Speed: 30 feet (6 squares), 20 feet (4 squares) in armor, 50 feet (10 squares) on warhorse Armor Class: 18 (+8 full plate) touch 10, flat-footed 18 Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+8 Attack: Masterwork greatspear +10 melee (2d6+6/x3) Full Attack: Masterwork greatspear +10 melee (2d6+6/x3) Space/Reach: 5/5 (10 feet with greatspear) Special Attacks: - Special Qualities: - Base Saves: Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +1 Saves: Fort +5 (+1 cloak), Ref +2 (+1 cloak), Will +1 (+1 cloak, -1 Wis) Starting Abilities (28 point buy): Str 18, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 10 Current Abilities: Str 19 (+1 level), Dex 10, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 10 Skill Ranks: Climb 7 ranks, Craft (armorsmithing) 7 ranks, Handle Animal 7 ranks, Intimidate 7 ranks, Ride 7 ranks Adjusted Skills: Climb +8 (+4 Str, +2 kit, -5 armor), Craft (armorsmithing) +11 (+2 Int, +2 tools), Handle Animal +7, Intimidate +7, Ride +9 (+11 to stay in the saddle) (+2 synergy) Feats: Subduing Strike, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (greatspear), Weapon Focus (greatspear), Combat Expertise, Short Haft, Improved Disarm Environment: Any Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 4 Language: Common, Draconic, Dwarven Alignment: Lawful Good Traveler's outfit (free) Masterwork greatspear (325 gp) Masterwork armorsmithing tools (55 gp) Masterwork full plate (1,650 gp) Locked Gauntlet (8 gp) Phylactery of Faithfulness (1,000 gp) Cloak of Resistance (1,000 gp) Backpack (2 gp) Mule (8 gp) Tricks known- attack, come, down, subdue, stay, work. Pack Saddle (5 gp) Climber's kit (80 gp) Everburning torch (110 gp) Waterskin (1 gp) Tent (10 gp) 10 day's trail rations (5 gp) 50 feet of silk rope (10 gp) Masterwork manacles (50 gp) 10 tanglefoot bags (500 gp) 6 flasks of holy water (150 gp) Whetstone (2 cp) Heavy Warhorse (400 gp) Military Saddle (20 gp) Spare Money (10 gp, 9 sp, 8 cp) Every level Garrett gains 5 skill points (20 at 1st level). He puts all his ranks into Climb, Craft (armorsmithing), Handle Animal, Intimidate, Ride. Garrett’s first level feats are Subduing Strike, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (greatspear), and Weapon Focus (greatspear), the last of which is taken as a fighter bonus feat. At second level Garrett takes Combat Expertise. At third level Garrett takes Short Haft. At fourth he takes Improved Disarm. Garrett is a 6 foot tall, 168 lbs, 25 year old male human. Since his discharge from the Obsidian City Guard, Garrett has made contact with a number of good-aligned temples and has offered his services to them. He has accompanied a number of paladins and clerics on missions as a cohort/squire, and has recently pledged himself to the service of Pelor. Things have been somewhat quiet in the area surrounding Obsidian, so Garrett is planning on travelling further away and is happy to do so with companions. Influenced in part by St. Cuthbert's clerics, he has decided to dabble a little in bounty hunting. Anything over what he needs to survive is usually sent back to his home city, though he has trouble when it comes to magic items. Most of the time he will give half his magic items back to Obsidian, and keep the other half for himself. These include a magic cloak which he recovered from a bandit and a phylactery of faithfulness which was gifted to him by a cleric of Pelor. Items such as lyres of building, decanters of endless water, spell scrolls (for Rex) and other items useful for a city will usually be sent home. Garrett will usually avoid combat against strangers unless they clearly mean him or an innocent bystander harm. He will consult his phylactery of faithfulness if he has reason to be suspicious. In combat against humanoids, Garrett prefers to knock them out (Subduing Strike) if he can help it. If they are armed, he will attempt to knock their weapons away first (Improved Disarm). Short Haft gives him greater tactical flexibility in dealing with threats. Though his greatspear can be used as a throwing weapon, Garrett does not believe in throwing away his weapons. To further emphasize this point, he will always bind his weapon to his locked gauntlet. According to Garrett, it signifies his adherence to duty. The fact that his wife crafted the spear may also have something to do with it. Garrett was a guard in Obsidian City, a place that depended mostly on the nearby gemstone mines. Though he was not the most observant of men, Garrett was a formidable combatant and a glare from him was normally enough to deter troublemakers. The son of an armorsmith, Garrett would work on his own armor and those of his comrades in his spare time. His work was satisfying because he sincerely enjoyed keeping the city safe from all manner of trouble. By the age of 21, he had caught the eye of the Minister of War Oblatio. The young man was asked to join the minister's personal guard, an offer which he readily accepted. This was a fortunate turn for him, as he had recently been wed to his childhood friend Amber in a marriage arranged by both their parents. While working for the minister entailed higher wages, Garrett began to encounter the shadier side of life. Some of his comrades noticed suspicious people tailing the minister, and on one occassion Garrett accidentally handled a poisoned letter addressed to Oblatio. Though he got to the clerics in time, it was an unpleasant experience. One day as Garrett was patrolling the ministry, he noticed that some of the other guards were not at their posts. As he searched, he made a most gruesome discovery. One of the guards had been decapitated and hastily stuffed into a cupboard. Garrett raised the alarm and ran towards the minister's room. He arrived just in time to see a figure clad in red standing at the door. The two guards posted there had already fallen. Garrett challenged and engaged the intruder, managing to render him unconscious. Oblatio then came out of his room and asked Garrett to take the intruder to be interrogated. Garrett met for the first time the chief interrogator of Obsidian city, a wizard by the name of Rex. Numerous scars lined his face and arms, signs from his time in a drow city. As Garrett brought the red-clad intruder to Rex, he decided to stay behind to witness the questioning. At first the wizard started with polite but firm questions, which Garrett had used himself in the past. However, the prisoner would answer only with silence or curses. After ten minutes of fruitless conversation, Rex started to use the more sinister tools of his trade, which shocked Garrett greatly. As the two left the bloodied and crippled prisoner in his cell, Garrett confronted Rex over his methods. This was a mistake, as Rex was many times Garrett's senior. In the end, Garrett was sent to guard the stables for a few days so he could cool down. During his time with the horses, Garrett began to ask himself many difficult questions. Was Rex right to do what he did? The intruder had killed half a dozen guards and the city needed information about his employers. After much thought Garrett decided that Rex had done the right thing, but had used more force and violence than neccessary. When his time in the stables ended, Garrett visited the graves of the fallen guards and vowed to honor their sacrifice. Investigations revealed that the intruder was an operative of a so-called "Red Dragon Cult". This cult prided itself on the ability to murder individuals in positions of authority. Garrett was sent with other city forces to root out this cult, and managed to apprehend a large number of cultists. Among the guards, Garrett was known for his ability to take enemies alive. He would also try to convince them to willingly give up information, to spare them from ending up at the hands of Rex. Over the years more cultists were captured and questioned, and guard finally managed to locate the cult leader in the city. As usual, Garrett was among the guards sent to apprehend the individual in question. As the guards approached the abandoned mine, they were shocked to discover that the leader of the Red Dragon Cult was a local half-dragon businessman. As the guards tried to apprehend him, a large number of kobolds emerged seemingly from the walls and surrounded the guards. Many guards and kobolds fell in the fight, but in the end the cult leader was captured. He was brought back to be questioned, and Garrett thought that it was all over. Later he found from Rex that the businessman had been using kobold labor to run Obsidian City's mines. While the city's miners worked near the surface, he had hired kobolds to dig out the deeper areas. The minerals mined by the kobolds were covertly added to the warehouses, and everyone had assumed that all the work was local. The businessman said that if the kobold tribe did not hear from him, they would no longer work for Obsidian and the city would suffer as a result. Garret had been promoted to the rank of captain during the long hunt for the cult, and as such he had a say in the matter. He decided to prosecute the half-dragon with the full force of the law, ignoring his threat. The businessman was found guilty of heading a murderous cult, illegal mining, and secretly hiring outsiders. After his execution things started to go badly for Obsidian City. Without the kobolds, the mining industry was significantly slowed down, and kobold raiders started to attack the city. Even worse, the kobolds already knew how to access the mines, and they killed many miners before the tunnels could be sealed. Garrett, feeling responsible for the city's misfortune, fought himself to exhaustion trying to fend off the kobold raiders. Eventually a group of adventurers had to be hired at a very steep cost to exterminate the kobold settlement. This caused Obsidian City to fall into a slow decline, as the coffers were emptied just after the profits from the mines slowed down. Garrett donated much of what he owned to prop the city up, but it was an uphill battle. More and more people were forced to work in the mines to make up for the slack, causing unrest to stir in the hearts of the people. The city's trading partners were demanding that Obsidian meet the agreed upon quotas, lest they cut all ties. As Garrett pondered what to do, he went into the chapel of Pelor to pray. He spent the night in the chapel, and in his dreams he was approached by a servant of the Sun Father. The servant told Garrett that he had carried out his duty to the city, but had caused it great harm in the process. To reverse the damage, Garrett would have to leave Obsidian and find a way to revitalize the city. If he could not find anything, then at least he could send the city money instead of having the city pay his wages. When he awoke the next morning, Garrett decided that his path was clear. He would leave the city and make money to send back to boost the drained coffers. If he could find some way to restore Obsidian's mines to their former productivity, that would be better still. Gathering his spear, armor, horse, and mule, he bid Amber and the city farewell, leaving to undo the wrong that he had done. Amber: While she supports Garrett in his attempts to help the city, the young weaponsmith (N female human expert 3) makes no secret of her desire to see Garrett find a safer job. Her forge is never too busy for her husband, but she does charge normal prices as a matter of principle. Interrogator Rex: While the scarred interrogator (LN male human rogue 3/wizard 3) and the altruistic captain do not see eye to eye on many issues, they regard each other as comrades in service of Obsidian City and leave it at that. Rex supplies Garrett with reliable information, though he never reveals where he gets this information from, much to Garrett's unease. In return, Garrett tries to send back as many arcane scrolls as he can, as Rex was always more of an interrogator than he was an arcane scholar. Obsidian City: Most common folk of Obsidian, used to their lot in life, see Garrett as a well-meaning if naive person. They appreciate his efforts however, and will not act against him without a good reason. Since he donated most of his personal belongings to the city, Minister Oblatio (N human male aristocrat 8) and Rex occasionally lend assistance as best as they can (mostly with information). However, they are mostly busy trying to keep Obsidian from ruin, the minister having to deal with military threats and Rex trying to expand his regrettably limited repertoire of spells. The Red Dragon Cult: While Garrett's efforts and the subsequent purges have left the cult's influence in Obsidian nonexistent, sleeper agents still wait in other regions for orders. In the grand scheme of things, Garrett is more of a nuisance than a threat, but this may change as the captain continues his travels. The greatspear weapon is from Complete Warrior. The Subduing Strike feat is from the Book of Exalted Deeds. The Short Haft feat is from the Player's Handbook 2. The subdue trick is from Complete Adventurer.
Zherog 05-14-07, 07:54 AM	However, what I do mark off for is multiple similar entries. If I see more than two characters who fall under the same general "concept," I will typically take 1 point off each character that uses that idea. (Last competition, no one lost points b/c they took levels in Rogue, but several people lost a point for creating "Anti-Crime/Vigilante" style characters.) Personally, I would think the first person to hit a particular theme should get the proverbial benefit of the doubt in your system. *shrug* I have le question: Are cliches bad? What I mean is, are points taken away if a character is considered cliche? Conversely, are points awarded if a character fits part of a cliche, but is still unique? In past contests, I've had a concept in mind that I thought was the stereotypical "answer" to the theme. For example, in the Divine Servant contest, a cleric was the hands-down most obvious answer to the theme. If you hit upon my "stereotype" you then have a little more work to do in order to wow me. It doesn't automatically give you a lower score - but you have an uphill battle. Now, there've been contests where I couldn't really think of the stereotypical answer, and in those I didn't worry about it too much. Basically, I try to spend less than 30 seconds thinking about the theme; if I get more than two ideas that quickly, I don't really worry too much about it. So the short answer to your question: cliche can cause your Thematic Creativity score to drop a little bit, if you don't put an interesting spin on the cliche. It wouldn't be significant, though - no more than 1 point.
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-14-07, 11:15 AM	Personally, I would think the first person to hit a particular theme should get the proverbial benefit of the doubt in your system. *shrug* I copy/paste everything over to word, and it organizes the files alphabetically. I guess I could hunt down which character came first, but typically by the time I'm done judging, I have no clue who came first or last, nor do I have the energy to care. Also note: I don't penalize a concept unless three or more people use it. If you post, and two other people have the same idea as you... Finally, two contestants, and they came up early! Good to see you! yellowdingo, I believe this is the first time I've seen you in one of these competitions. Welcome!
Zherog 05-14-07, 11:39 AM	I copy/paste everything over to word, and it organizes the files alphabetically. I guess I could hunt down which character came first, but typically by the time I'm done judging, I have no clue who came first or last, nor do I have the energy to care. Ah - that explains why you send me scores in alphabetical order rather than in the order the entry was submitted - and thereby forcing me to find the name in my spreadsheet when I'm coordinating. :D
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-14-07, 12:49 PM	Ah - that explains why you send me scores in alphabetical order rather than in the order the entry was submitted - and thereby forcing me to find the name in my spreadsheet when I'm coordinating. :D To be honest, that's an unintentional, but entertaining, side-effect... :P Of course, that means that when I coordinate, and everyone sends me their scores (in order of posting), I have to hunt down the names on my spreadsheet. So, you get your revenge.
wrecan 05-14-07, 02:55 PM	Tarum the True Male Half-orc Cleric/Church Inquisitor 3/1http://mikesrpgcenter.com/nwn/npcs/daelinredtiger.gif Physical Description Tarum is a study in contrast. Physically, he would be an imposing figure. In the prime of his youth, at the age of 25, he stands an imposing and muscular 6’ 6” tall, and he weighs 290 lbs. His skin is the typical olive color of his kin, but his hair is golden in color (likely the birthright from his human mother) and fine, rather than coarse like the hair of many other half-orcs. In contrast, he wears a suit of gleaming plate mail, burnished with the starburst that ius the symbol of his order. Rather than a helmet, he wears the traditional chapeau of the Order of the Chapeaux, signaling to all who see him that this half-orc has dedicated his life to St. Cuthbert. When adventuring, he will also be seen with a cord of rope over one shoulder, a laden backpack and bedroll, and a loop containing 10 javelins. On his belt is his mastwerworked morningstar, the trademark cudgel for priests of his order. Personality Tarum is not well-spoken. In fact, he is often blunt to the point of rudeness. He speaks plainly, though honestly, and he has little patience for the niceties of small talk and politeness. He has an utter disdain for anybody who makes a living spinning tales or deceiving. And he has no qualms about exposing a person’s darkest secrets, in the name of truth. It is his firm opinion that all things are better when exposed, and not a few people have tried to insult him by claiming he is more priest of Pholtus than of Cuthbert, to which he often responds, “Pholtus is the god of light. The truth is not a ray of sunshine; it is a heavy cudgel that will beat back the forces of deception and of evil.” Tarum in a party Tarum is a good back-up combatant and a party healer. He will fit in well with any adventuring party who seeks a divine caster. However, he is most weak in ranged attacks. In such cases, he will cast entropic shield and try to close the distance as quickly as possible. Socially, Tarum is… challenged. He tends to fade in the background, and is often mistaken as a man-at-arms, rather than a priest, notwithstanding his Cuthbertesque chapeaux and gleaming holy symbol. More disconcerting is his outright hostility to any strategy that involves deception. His preferred strategy, in physical and social conflicts, is to be forthright, direct and blunt, even if a more subtle approach would make more sense. Because of his lack of tact and his active desire to expose lies that most others would rather leave hidden, he is often seeking out new parties with which to adventure…Tarum does not know who his parents are, only that he was left on the steps of the Church of St. Cuthbert, less than a year after an orcish raid on a nearby settlement. It does not take a genius to figure out that Tarum was the offspring of one of the raiders and one of the settlers. The priests of Cuthbert, however, never judged Tarum on his parentage, even encouraging him to learn about his orcish heritage from the few half-orc converts to Cuthbert. Tarum’s, name, in fact, comes from the word for “honesty” in orcish, and Tarum was always a scrupulously honest boy. Touched by the priests’ devotion and compassion, Tarum felt the calling at an early age to be a priest of the cudgel-wielding saint. Because of his size and physical strength, he was recruited by the Order of the Rosy Cross of Truth, a small lesser-known order in the Church of St. Cuthbert, dedicated to ferreting out demons hiding as men. He was trained martially, and given religious instruction as well as instruction in recognizing arcane spellcraft. They trained him to be a templar for the Order and he was happy to have a place in the world. He was assigned as a lesser priest to support Fulsom, an experienced priest with a keen eye for ferreting demons. He even earned a commendation when he struck the killing blow against a quasit that was familiar to an evil sorcerer slain by Fulsom. Fulsom was a rising star in the Church, with a devoted following among the lower ranks (including Tarum). Tarum idolized Fulsom, and was proud to have been assigned to his retinue. His world came crashing down around him when he overheard Fulsom conspiring with other experienced priests of the order. They felt that Malroy, one of the leaders of the Order of the Rosy Cross was too timid in confronting those who had studied the dark arts, but who had not yet made pacts with demons. They felt such people should be punished, while Malroy pursued redemption of such souls. Fulsom was part of a group that was planning a coup against Malroy. Tarum was devastated. Priest against priest? He was divided between his loyalty to Fulsom and his loyalty to Cuthbert. He agonized over what he should do next. In the end, he turned his commander in to the superiors of the Order. An investigation followed, and Fulsom was dismissed from the Church. This made him unpopular with many of his former companions, many of whom thought the expulsion of Fulsom was manifestly unjust. But in this act of standing up against his peers for what he believed to be right, Tarum also found new purpose. He sought to be an inquisitor now, a seeker of truth. The elders of the order knew his enemies would try to get him within the church. So they assigned him to the Order of the Chapeaux, and out of the Order of the Rosy Cross. The members of the Chapeaux shepherded him in his quest to receive ordination as an inquisitor. He achieved it earlier than nearly any other priests before him. However, his enemies sought him out, even in the Chapeaux. Shortly after Tarum’s ordination as an Inquisitor, Milgram, an elven priest in the Order of the Billets, sympathetic to Fulsom, and a famed hunter of orcs, sought to malign Tarum’s reputation, making it seem that he was aiding a band of orc mercenaries. Tarum’s mentor among the Inquisitors, a stern dwarf named Korin Onyxlathe uncovered the slander and, like Fulsom, Milgram was ousted from the Church. Tarum’s superiors knew that Tarum would always be pursued by those sympathetic to Fulsom and Milgram. Tarum was simply too gruff in demeanor, too rough, too… orc-like, to ever truly fit in in the Church hierarchy. They discussed this issue with Tarum. He agreed. He did not wish to be an inquisitor who seeks out conspiracies within the church. Such inquisitions found him by fate; he had not sought them. Rather, he sought to bring Cuthbert’s love of truth to all people. Though he remained in the Order of the Chapeaux, he left the hierarchy. Now he seeks a life of adventure, where he can fight evil and injustice, expose secrets and bring the world to a more just and honest place. Allies Malroy, an elderly priest in the Order of the Rosy Cross, whose life was saved when Tarum exposed Fulsom’s treachery. Korin Onyxlathe, a dwarven inquisitor in the Church, and Tarum’s mentor. Lesser priests. Tarum’s dedication to truth and honor has gained him the respect of many priests of Cuthbert. He is often used as an example of pure devotion to the god. Enemies Fulsom, the priest that Tarum exposed. He has now joined the Church of Hextor and serves as the priest for a powerful tyrant. While Fulsom’s duties keep him busy, he often sends mercenaries and lackeys to try to exact revenge on the half-orc priest that humiliated him. Milgram, the elf that tried to slander Tarum has allied himself with the Church of Vecna, god of secrets. Milgram resents Tarum’s strict code of honesty and hopes to cause Tarum to fall, to become dishonest and to show himself to be nothing more than the vile marauding orc that Milgram believes Tarum to be. Fulsomites. There are many in the Church who were friends with Milgram and Fulsom and who blame Tarum for their fall. Many of them are candidates themselves for giving into their darker emotions and trying to take down the orc upstart. Aggressive Priests. The Church of St. Cuthbert is often divided amongst those who seek to punish and those who seek to redeem sinners. Both Fulsom and Milgram were in the camp of those who sought to punish. While they decry the depths to which those priests have fallen, they see Tarum’s attacks as an attack on their philosophy. Unlike Milgram and Fulsom, they will not compromise their religious devotion to get revenge, but they will use their political influence within the Church to prevent Tarum from promotions.Alignment: Lawful Good Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (half-orc) Hit Dice (hp): 4d8+4 (25) Speed: 20 ft. (30 ft. unarmored) Initiative: +0 Armor Class: 18 (10 +8 [armor]), touch 10, flat-footed 18 Special Abilities: Aura (moderate lawful and good), Darkvision (60 ft.), Detect Evil at will, Domain Access (Destruction, Inquisition, and Protection), Favored Class (barbarian), Improved Dispel (+4 to dispel magic checks—though he can’t cast that spell as of yet), Orc blood, Protective Ward (+3 on next saving throw to person touched, 1 hour duration), Smite 1/day (+4 on melee attack and damage), Spells, Spontaneous Casting (cure spells), Turn Undead 1/day (+0 on check, +1 on turning damage, as 3rd level cleric) BAB/Grapple: +2/+5 Attack: Mwk Morningstar (wielded 2-handed) +6 melee (d8+4/19-20x2) or dagger +5 melee (d4+3/x2) or gauntlets +5 melee (d3+3/x2) or javelin +2 ranged (d6+3/x2/30 ft. range increments) or dagger +5 ranged (d4+3/19-20x2/10 ft. range increments) Saves: Fort +4, Ref +3 (w/Lightning Reflexes), Will +8 Abilities: Str 16 Dex 10 Con 12 Int 12 Wis 17 Cha 6 Class Skills (-6 skill check from armor): Concentration +4, Craft (any) +1, Diplomacy +0, Gather Information -2, Heal +3 (+5 w/kit), Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (history) +1 (but only common knowledge), Knowledge (religion) +6, Knowledge (the planes) +3, Profession (any) +3, Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +5 Feats: Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack Languages: Celestial, Common, Orc Possessions (5,400 gp/110.34 lbs.) Full plate (which includes gauntlets) (1,500/50) Mwk morningstar (308/6) Dagger (2/1) 10 javelins (10/20) Silver holy symbol (starburst) (25/1) Bedroll (.1/5) 50 ft. silk rope w/grappling hook (11/9) Backpack (2/2) containing: Clerical vestments (-/-) Crowbar (2/5) Healers’ kit (10 uses) (50/1) Masterwork manacles (50/2) Scroll of dispel chaos (1,125/-) Scroll of find traps (150/-) Scroll of lesser restoration (150/-) 2 Scrolls of neutralize poison (750/-) 2 Scrolls of remove fear (50/-) 4 vials antitoxin (200/-), 4 vials holy water (100/4) wand of cure light wounds (50 charges) (750/-) 208 gp and 9 sp (208.9/4.34) Commonly Memorized Spells Zero-Level (5): Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Light, Mending, Read Magic First-Level (4+1): Doom, Entropic Shield, Summon Monster Ix2; Inflict Light Wounds (destruction domain) Second-Level (3+1): Bear’s Endurance, Bull's Strength, Resist Energy; Zone of Truth (inquisition domain)Initial Abilities (28 pts): Str 14 (6) Dex 10 (2) Con 12 (4) Int 14 (6) Wis 16 (10) Cha 8 (0) After Racial Adjustment: Str 16 (+2) Dex 10 Con 12 Int 12 (-2) Wis 16 Cha 6 (-2) After 4th level: Str 16 Dex 10 Con 12 Int 12 Wis 17 (+1) Cha 6 Initial Skills (12): Concentration 2, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Knowledge (religion) 4, Knowledge (the planes) 2, Spellcraft 2 2nd Level (+3): Concentration 3 (+1), Knowledge (arcana) 2, Knowledge (religion) 5 (+1), Spellcraft 3 (+1) 3rd Level (+3): Concentration 3, Heal 2, Knowledge (arcana) 4 (+2), Knowledge (religion) 5, Knowledge (the planes) 2, Spellcraft 4 (+1) 4th Level (as Church Inquisitor) (+5): Concentration 3, Knowledge (arcana) 4, Knowledge (religion) 5, Knowledge (the planes) 2, Sense Motive 5 (+5), Spellcraft 4 With Ability Adjustments: Concentration +4, Diplomacy +0 (thanks to Sense Motive synergy), Heal +3, Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (religion) +6, Knowledge (the planes) +3, Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +5 Initial Feat: Lightning Reflexes 3rd level Feat: Power Attack
jennibert 05-14-07, 07:52 PM	I hate to have to say this, because I hate to discourage a new competitor...but there is only a fifteen minute grace period for editing a character after its posted, yellowdingo, and your edit time is 22 minutes after your post time. We will have to disqualify your entry. But don't lose hope! In previous competitions, we have allowed disqualified participants to post a new entry, and you are welcome to do so. And please do leave your entry up--some of our judges will be happy to still give feedback if you wish it! Other participants please take heed of this rule! I don't want to have to disqualify anyone else.
jennibert 05-14-07, 07:56 PM	Oh, to weigh in on Endarrion's earlier question.... I feel similarly to Zherog. A cliche is probably going to have to work harder to impress me for a good Thematic Creativity score. Not that it can't get a good score in that category, merely that you'll probably have to have an interestsing twist to add if you want to.
Zherog 05-15-07, 11:52 PM	But don't lose hope! In previous competitions, we have allowed disqualified participants to post a new entry, and you are welcome to do so. I hope you do. :) And please do leave your entry up--some of our judges will be happy to still give feedback if you wish it! I'm one of those judges who will still offer you comments about your character that was DQ'ed, though I'll do it after the ones I have to actually judge.
TheScapegoat 05-16-07, 03:54 AM	Felix Elendrell Male Half Elf Monk 2/ Spell Thief 2 [ECL 4] Stat Block Alignment: Lawful Good Hit Dice: (2d8) + (2d6) (19hp) Initiative: +2 (+2 Dex) Speed: 30 feet (6 squares) Armor Class: 15 AC (+2 Dex, +3 Monk Ac Bonus) Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+1 (+2 BaB, -1 Str) Attack: Quarterstaff +2 melee (1d6), Unarmed Strike +1 melee (1d6-1) Full Attack with Quarterstaff: Flurry of Blows +1/+1 melee (1d6/1d6) Full Attack with Unarmed Strike: Flurry of Blows +0/+0 melee (1d6-1/1d6-1) Class Abilities: Detect Magic, Evasion, Flurry of Blows, Sneak Attack +1d6, Spell Grace +1, Steal Spell (0 or 1st), Steal Spell Effect, Trapfinding, and Unarmed Strike. Racial Abilities: Immunity to Sleep and +2 on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects. Half elves have Low-light vision and Elven blood (for all effects related to race half elves are considered elf). Skill bonuses: Listen, Search, and Spot +1; Diplomacy and Gather Information +2. Saves: Fort +4 (+3 base +1 cloak), Ref +6 (+3 base, +2 Dex, +1 cloak), Will +10 (+6 base, +3 Wis, +1 cloak) Abilities: Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 14 Skills: Bluff 6, Decipher Script 5, Diplomacy 2, Disable Device 5, Escape Artist 4, Gather Information 2, Hide 4, Jump 1, Knowledge (Arcana) 7, Knowledge (Religion) 5, Listen 7, Move Silently 5, Search 6, Sense Motive 5, Spellcraft 4, Spot 7, Tumble 7 Feats: Combat Expertise, Stunning Fist, Combat Reflexes, Improved Feint Languages: Common, Elven, Celestial, and Infernal. Total Cost: 5,279gp, 4sp, 2cp Total Weight on Felix: 25lbs. (light load) +1 Quarterstaff – 1,600gp/ 4lbs. Cloak of Resistance – 1,000gp/ 1lbs. Backpack - 2gp/2lbs. Flint and Steel - 1gp/ - Grappling Hook - 1gp/ 3lbs. Bullseye Lantern - 12gp/ 3lbs. 1 Flasks of Oil - 1sp/ 1lbs. 50 Ft. Silk Rope - 10gp/ 5lbs. 2 Torches - 2cp/ 2lbs. 2 Tanglefoot Bags - 100gp/ 4lbs. 3 Cure Moderate Wounds – 900gp/ - 2 Remove Curse – 1,500 gp/ - Light Horse - 75gp Riding Saddle - 10gp/ 25lbs. Saddlebags - 4gp/ 8lbs. Bedroll - 1sp/ 5lbs. Tent - 10gp/ 20lbs. Masterwork Manacles - 50gp /2lbs. 2 Scroll Cases - 2gp/ 1lbs. 5 Sheets of paper - 2gp/ - 2 Flasks of Oil - 2sp/ 2lbs. 120gp, 5sp, 198cp - 6lbs. Starting Abilities: Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 15, Cha 14. Wisdom gains plus 1 at 4th level for stat advancement. Starting Skills: Escape Artist 2, Hide 2, Jump 2, Knowledge (Arcana) 4, Knowledge (Religion) 3, Listen 2, Move Silently 3, Sense Motive 2, Spot 2, Tumble 2 Level 2: Knowledge (Arcana) 1, Listen 1, Spot 1, Tumble 3 Level 3: Bluff 2, Decipher Script 1, Disable Device 1, Search 2, Spellcraft 1 Level 4: Bluff 2, Decipher Script 2, Disable Device 2, Search 1, Spellcraft 1 Starting Feats: Combat Expertise and Stunning Fist Level 2: Combat Reflexes Level 3: Improved Feint Humble beginnings are where Felix Elendrell came from. His mother, a human, was a seamstress who worked for a local guild making a meager sum. His father, an elf, worked for a local wizard as a carriage driver. If it wasn’t for the charisma and good nature of his father he may have lived his life doing common work just like his parents. Over the years of service Felix’s father became good friends for the man he chauffeured. He was able to convince the influential wizard to convince the church of Boccob to take him in for schooling and to serve Boccob. He was successful and when he was 7 Felix was taken to the local monastery, which served as church and magic school, to study. Felix was taken in to study and train his body by the monk order that lived in the monastery. Felix was a quick learned and followed the teachings of the order well. He was taught about the schools of magic, how to defend himself, and about how to control and balance the forces of magic. Felix picked up his teachings so quickly that his teachers decided he would be perfect for a new type of magical studies. He was taught to manipulate the magic of others. In his time at the monastery Felix became good friends with a wizard apprentice named Alessio Turon. Both Felix and Alessio where very religious and became good friends spending late hours discussing the place of magic in the world and who should control it for the good of the races. They both agreed that it was the duty of those who followed Boccob to find evil artifacts and magic and destroy them, returning there magical energies back into the world. Eight years after his training began Felix was given his first act to serve Boccob. The wizards had discovered a cult that where using a strange item known as the Shadow Cauldron to curse the local people giving them nightmares that brought them to death. Felix was asked to take the artifact to a large wizard’s school in the capital city that would have greater resources to study the cauldron. When Alessio found out where Felix was going he instead in join him. His wish was granted and this would be the first of countless adventures the two would share together. A veteran paladin named Thomas Gustoff was sent with the pair to ensure there safety. Thomas was known to the two as he was one of the many men that guarded the monastery. He had always had a fondness for Felix, often training with him or telling him and Alessio stories about his journeys in the service of Boccob. He was an obvious choice to send with the boys as they held him in high regard. The mission was a success and it was the turning point to which Felix and Alessio decided their future. After they completed their training they would venture out from the monastery in search of those that would use magic to hurt the common people. There quests took them from hunting insane wizards to searching dark tombs for evil ancient artifacts. During there travels they would keep what they needed to survive and send the rest back to the monastery for research and tithe. Felix always sent back a little for his family who would never have to lift a finger for another man again. Felix is fair skinned half elf who stands 5 feet 4 inches tall and weights only 115 pounds. Despite his training he never become as strong bodied as other monks of his order. He is still very quick however and his intellect matches many of the wizards who studied in the schools near where he trained. He often wears common clothing of dark greens and tans, sewn by his mother. He has long black hair he ties back with thin leather straps and his eyes are dark brown and sit deep into his eye sockets. His only clothing of note is a cloak he wears that bears the symbol of Boccob on the clasp. He carries a wooden quarterstaff that has runes drawn along the entire shaft. Felix is a very kind and well spoken. His training as taught him to stay calm even in situations where forces against him attempt to riley him into anger. He has great contempt for those that study evil magic, and it is because of this, not despite that has made him who he is. Those that are evil are often disgruntled and weak hearted, and if he where to act in similar ways he could fall into such darkness as well. Alessio Turon: Long time friend of Alessio and fellow adventurer. Alessio can generally be found alongside Felix. He takes frequent trips back to the monastery in which he and Felix where trained in order to do research and further his academic study. Thomas Gustoff: Mentor and friend to both Felix and Alessio, Thomas is always willing to aid the two. His first duty is to protect the monastery that the pair trained at but when he can he gets out his traveling boots and goes on short adventures with his young friends. Felix’s forte is taking out spell casters and removing the magical effects that aid the parties’ foes. He will usual stay in the rear and attempt to move to the flank and rear of the enemy in order to take out wizards or at least strike melee enemies from the rear. Felix will often use sub dual tactics in order to take down his enemy rather then killing them. He especially prefers bringing in evil spell casters in order to discover what dark deeds they may have already committed so that the wizards guild can divert any damage they have done. When forced into one on one melee combat Felix will take advantage of his agility to slip up his opponent or defend himself. Fighting either defensively or using improved feint as necessary.
wrecan 05-16-07, 11:27 AM	+1 Quarterstaff – 1,600gp/ 4lbs. Um... that's 2,600 gp. Also you forgot to list skill synergies (as did I, though Tarum only had one skill synergy) Edited: I wanted to say I liked your entry very much. I think monk/spellthief is a great combo. Very clever.
TheScapegoat 05-16-07, 11:45 AM	Um... that's 2,600 gp. Also you forgot to list skill synergies (as did I, though Tarum only had one skill synergy) Edited: I wanted to say I liked your entry very much. I think monk/spellthief is a great combo. Very clever. Blast your right. And I knew that too, not sure where along the lines I must have changed it from a 2 to a 1 and didn't realize. Oh wells. :( Thanks for the comment. :D My only personally problem was after I had posted it (always happens AFTER you post) I didn't really feel like I had gotten across how he was the EPITOME of Exalted. Didn't want to read the other entries until I had posted mine, just finished yours Wrecan. Love the back story.
Zherog 05-16-07, 01:49 PM	Didn't want to read the other entries until I had posted mine. I do the same thing when entering either HC or one of the comps over on What's a DM to Do forum. That way, I know my entry wasn't influenced by other entries, even if the judges don't know that for sure.
TheScapegoat 05-16-07, 04:33 PM	[Posted just for fun, not actually entry.] Was sitting around bored and decided to write up a concept for the same character that I was considering while working on him. I have been wanting to run a cleric who takes the vow of poverty for some time and I may end up running this guy down the road. Back story for the character is basically the same. Some differences are that he is human instead of half elf and studies as a cleric rather then a monk. He also sends back all of findings to the wizards for study as well as enough to support his family and community. I ended up not using this concept for a few reasons. One I have a feeling a few people will use VoP and so decided against that. Two see one in reference to cleric, which isn't a bad thing just wanted something different. Three I probably screwed up some of the rules for VoP and other exalted feats and it just wasn't worth it. :D Though I ended up screwing up some easys stuff anyways. :P When adventuring with a party if any demonic or evil items are found he will firstly take that as his share of the take in order to insure it makes its way into hands that can destroy it. Felix Elendrell Male Human Cleric of Boccob 2/ Spell Thief 2 [ECL 4] Alignment: Lawful Good Hit Dice: (2d8) + (2d6) (19hp) Initiative: +2 (+2 Dex) Speed: 30 feet (6 squares) Armor Class: 17 (+2 Dex, +5 VoP) Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+2 Attack: Shortspear +6 (+2 BaB, +1, +1 Exalted Strike, +3 Intuitive Attack) melee (1d6+1) Class Abilities: Detect Magic, Divine Spell Casting, Domain Abilities: Knowledge and Magic, Endure Elements (VoP), Exalted Strike (VoP), Sneak Attack +1d6, Spell Grace +1, Steal Spell (0 or 1st), Steal Spell Effect, Trapfinding, and Turn Undead. Saves: Fort +3 (+3 base), Ref +2 (+2 Dex), Will +9 (+6 base, +3 Wis) [Gains +1 against saves vs. spells from Nymph’s Kiss feat] Abilities: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 14 Skills: Bluff 8, Concentration 4, Diplomacy 4, Gather Information 6, Heal 6, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Knowledge (History) 4, Listen 5, Search 3, Spellcraft 6, Spot 5, Tumble 7 Feats: Combat Expertise, Exalted Turning, Intuitive Attack, Nymph’s Kiss, Sacred Vow, Vow of Poverty (VoP). Languages: Common, and Celestial. Equipment: 2gp 5sp/3lbs Backpack – 2gp/ 2lbs. 1 Day Rations – 5sp/ 1lbs. Usual spells prepared (Can spontaneously cast Cure spells): 0 Level: Detect Magic, Light, Read Magic, Resistance. 1st Level [Domain]: Comprehend Languages, Protection from Evil, Summon Monster I, [Detect Secret Doors]. Starting Abilities: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 14. Wisdom gains plus 1 at 4th level for stat advancement. Starting Skills (Cleric): Concentration 3, Heal 2, Knowledge (Arcana) 4, Knowledge (Religion) 2, Knowledge (History) 2, Spellcraft 4. Level 2 (Cleric): Concentration 1, Heal 1, Knowledge (Religion) 1, Knowledge (History) 1 Level 3 (Spell Thief): Bluff 2, Gather Information 2, Spot 2, Tumble 3 Level 4 (Spell Thief): Bluff 2, Listen 2, Search 2, Spellcraft 1, Tumble 2 Starting Feats: Nymph’s Kiss (VoP), Sacred Vow and Vow of Poverty. Level 2: Intuitive Strike (VoP). Level 3: Combat Expertise. Level 4: Exalted Turning (VoP).
jennibert 05-16-07, 07:35 PM	Entry list updated! And another newcomer, too! Yay! :D Keep 'em coming, guys and gals!
jennibert 05-17-07, 11:18 PM	wow....I'm almost afraid to post. That's two in a row that have gone 28 hours without any additional posts to the thread....Come on, guys, you know you can chatter better than that... :D
Endarrion 05-17-07, 11:24 PM	Here's some chatter: What does IIRC mean? How does one post pictures, not just links, on the boards?
FRRC 05-18-07, 02:35 AM	Here's some chatter: What does IIRC mean? How does one post pictures, not just links, on the boards? IIRC = If I Recall/Remember Correctly To post an image put IMG tags around the link. For example: [ IMG ] Link goes Here [ /IMG ] Do it without the spaces in the tags. Alternatively, there is an "Insert Image" icon in the tool bar belonging to the "Go Advanced" post.
TheChilliGod 05-18-07, 02:42 AM	Grr... I forgot for a few seconds that I'm actually supposed to be in the judging panel! Kind of embarrassing, reading "NON-JUDGES EYES ONLY!" on a sblock, and thinking to myself, **Nope, not me! Lookie!** :doh: Ah well, promising entries so far!
wrecan 05-18-07, 09:06 AM	I guess it's true what they say. Good is boring.
FRRC 05-18-07, 01:35 PM	Sometimes I find Good as hard to pay 'well' as Chaotic Evil.
Endarrion 05-18-07, 02:58 PM	Thanks for the help FRRC :) And as for the discussion of good, I sometimes get tired of running games or playing in games where everyone has to be angsty or dark or whatever. A lot of times I just wish the players would play real heroes instead of the dramatic anti-hero.
Zherog 05-18-07, 04:44 PM	My character before this current one was a paladin/monk asimaar with the Vow of Poverty feat and the Saint template. It was far and away the hardest character to roleplay I've ever played. There were all sorts of things to delve into with the character from a roleplay standpoint. It was crazy fun, and a big challenge.
wrecan 05-18-07, 04:56 PM	Hey, I love playing good characters. I'm just wondering why we've only had 4 entries to date. Of course, it's only been eight days.
FRRC 05-18-07, 05:00 PM	I'm still on the characters background. Keep getting stuck on it.
Endarrion 05-18-07, 06:55 PM	Hey, I love playing good characters. I'm just wondering why we've only had 4 entries to date. Of course, it's only been eight days. Yeah, I figured that's what you meant, but I thought I'd delve into the aspect of your comment that hinted at good being boring to play. Don't worry about the amount of entries though. Me and FRRC are submitting for sure, and then there's the slew we'll probably recieve at the deadline.
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-18-07, 08:58 PM	Like every competition, we'll see about 1/3 of the entries go up in the last 48 hours, w/ most of those popping up in the last 24. Personally, I prefer good-aligned characters. Then again, I'm probably biased since I'm such a fan of the "Horribly Dramatic, Over-the-Top Quest to Save the World from Imminent Destruction (and if I'm Lucky, Marry the Princess at the End)" style of game. Paladin may not be quite my style, but at the end of the day, I'm just more satisfied when another Dark Tower lies in rubble. (Grandoise applause from the multitudes I just saved is optional.) If I wanted to be bitter, snide, cynical, backstabbing, and anti-social, I'd go back to high school. As Abraham Lincoln once said, my characters are "...convinced that right makes might..." and that drives them to do amazing things. On a related side note: Superman was always my favorite Superhero. Batman was too dark. Wolverine was far too violent. Spiderman (while cool) couldn't get a date. Superman could (and did) reverse the course of human events for the right reasons, only to purposefully hide behind a pair of geeky glasses. Phenominal power w/ none of the ego (unless it's Superman 3, but that's what made the movie worth seeing). For those who are having trouble coming up w/ character concepts, don't be afraid to look up some source material. My opinion of the "Civil War" comic series aside :banghead:, comic book and movie characters can be excellent inspiration for characters. One of my favorite characters ever was a "Punisher" rip-off (that was ruined by a bad story-teller, but that's an entirely different rant...). Note how those heros think and act, and it may give you some ideas for characters of your own.
Endarrion 05-18-07, 09:58 PM	Haha, I sometimes think that Wolverine isn't violent enough. Superman is cool, although I'd like to see what would REALLy happen when he super-punches some bank robber in the chest. My bias for good characters in D&D comes from my dad and how he taught me how to play. There was no question why our characters were adventuring: it was to make money and save the world in the process. He always thought of adventurers as mercenaries, which makes sense, but we never did "evil" things. When there WAS a chance to choose between right and wrong, we always did the right thing. It was just how it worked. Of course, that was when I was 5-12. After that I wanted to experiment more, 3rd edition came out, and my dad lost interest in D&D (he played an extremely low-rules version of 1st edition). So I was forced to find others of my own age to play, and they were all interested in being angsty and whatnot, so that's what got played. Now, I like a little balance, but games seem to lean too much towards mercenary games with little moral questioning. I would really like to play an all good-guy game, but one of my players (my girlfriend) hates the stereotypical "save the world" theme (which just so happens to be my favorite theme). Oh, just for the record, my favorite superheroes are Wolverine, The Hulk, Spawn, and Captain America.
TheScapegoat 05-18-07, 10:04 PM	Grr... I forgot for a few seconds that I'm actually supposed to be in the judging panel! Kind of embarrassing, reading "NON-JUDGES EYES ONLY!" on a sblock, and thinking to myself, **Nope, not me! Lookie!** :doh: Ah well, promising entries so far! No worries. I don't see any problem with another contestant pointing out the errors in others so that he can insure the judges see them to improve his chance in winning. :D Nah seriously I don't mind at all. Wrecan even pointed out something about his own. I had to be a smart :censored: though :D.
Haruspex 05-18-07, 10:57 PM	In my opinion, it may have to do with realism. If in real life I encountered a generous person without any ulterior motives, I'd be a tad suspicious. I think most modern stories no longer use that sort of character though. Well, the stories aimed at adults anyway. Then again, the lonely brooding cynical anti-hero can be a bit depressing to read about. So it depends mostly on my mood.
FRRC 05-19-07, 02:41 AM	I hate Superman. He is only a hero because everyone needs him, not because he feels it is right. He has no real principles. He's good because he needs to be. My favourite "heroes" are Punisher, Spider-Man and Batman. Punisher does what everyone is thinking but doesn't do. Spider-Man is a hero because he feels its right, and Batman is like the opposite of Punisher. I like to play good, but not in the conventional way. I like to play "good by any means nessecary". I like Anti-Heros, but they dont always have to be dark.
jennibert 05-19-07, 06:34 PM	I like to play good. Even though my first two D&D characters were both technically neutral (Misery didn't become LG until after the campaign ended....), they both played some pretty heavy good tendencies. I've got two characters in online campaigns right now who are good--one's even exalted (though more in the sense of being incredibly soft-hearted than "I must forward good as a concept"). I like being the girl (or occasionally guy) who saves the world.:D Having said that though...I like a bit of angst in my good. I like to have to make my characters make tough choices and live with the consequences. And I love making them have issues....I guess I kind of come into the Spider-man and Batman club in that way--though my favorite hero is probably going to be Buffy, the Vampire Slayer....or possibly her best friend Willow. Now there's some superheroes who had plenty of stuff to deal with and tough choices to make....And now Mal Reynolds from Firefly is coming to mind....I love Joss Whedon:). On a side note: Mercurius also has an entry (which I haven't seen and won't let him discuss with me) that he'll probably be posting at the last minute, since he's been working like crazy lately.
Zherog 05-20-07, 08:01 PM	I like to play good. I often lean towards "morally ambiguous" for some reason. Maybe that's why Drusai (my exalted paladin/monk) was such a challenge to play. *shrug*
wrecan 05-22-07, 09:02 AM	Like every competition, we'll see about 1/3 of the entries go up in the last 48 hours, w/ most of those popping up in the last 24. At this rate, that would be two entries. :(
jennibert 05-22-07, 08:12 PM	At this rate, that would be two entries. :( There's still more than a week left....including Memorial Day weekend (for those of us in the US at least!). Perhaps the percentage will be up this time:)
Endarrion 05-22-07, 10:19 PM	Dionisio Durante, aka The Pilgrim Dionisio Durante LG male human Bard 2, Paladin 2 Height: 6’1”……….Weight: 200lbs Deity: none Languages: Common and Elven. AC: 18 (8armor) …..Flat footed: 18 …..Touch: 10 HP: 24 Speed: 30ft (20ft in armor, run at x3) Initiative: +0 Ability Scores Strength: 14 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 12 Intelligence: 12 Wisdom: 14 Charisma: 15 (+1 level 4) Attacks Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5 Attacks: Mwk Falchion +6 (2d4 +3/ 18-20x2) Saves Fortitude: +6 (3base + 1con + 2cha*) Reflex: +5 (3base + 2cha*) Will: +7 (3base + 2wis + 2cha*) *Devine Grace = charisma bonus (+2) to all saving throws. Skills (48 total points) Concentration………………....+6 (5ranks + 1con) Diplomacy………………….......+6 (4ranks + 2cha) Gather Information…………..+5 (3ranks + 2cha) Heal…………………………........+5 (3ranks + 2cha) Knowledge (arcana)…………+6 (5ranks + 1int) Knowledge (history)………...+5 (5ranks + 1int) Knowledge (religion)………..+4 (3ranks + 1int) Listen ……………………….......+7 (5ranks + 2wis) Perform (sing)………………....+8 (6ranks + 2cha) Sense Motive……………….....+6 (4ranks + 2wis) Spellcraft……………………......+7 (4ranks + 1int + 2synergy) Feats Devoted Performer and Obscure Lore from Complete Adventurer Devoted Performer: Paladin and Bard levels stack for smite evil and bardic music uses/day Still Spell: Spells take up a spell slot one level higher, spontaneous spells take at least one full round to cast. Obscure Lore: +4 insight bonus on bardic knowledge checks. Class Abilities Bard Spells: 5 zero level spells and 2 first level spells known, 2 zero and 1 first per day. Bardic Music: Countersong- use bard’s perform check instead of saving throw on magical effects that rely on sound. ………………Fascinate- Perform check is DC for creature’s saving throw, if fails saving throw, creature is fascinated for 1 round/bard level (2). ………………Inspire Courage- +1 morale bonus on saving throws (charms and fear effects), attacks, and damage rolls. Bardic Knowledge: +9 (lvl2 + 1int + 2synergy + 4insight) Paladin Aura of Good: project aura of good as level 2 paladin. Detect Evil: use detect evil at will. Smite Evil: +6 damage on melee attack against evil creature, useable 1/day. Divine Grace: bonus equal to charisma on all saving throws. Lay on Hands: Heal up to 4hp 1/day. Equipment Full Plate Armor….…………………………..........1,500gp Wand of Cure Light Wounds…………...........750gp Masterwork Falchion…….…………………........375gp Potion of Barkskin (+4)………………………......900gp Potion of Haste……………………………….........750gp Potion of Eagle’s Splendor…………………......300gp 4 Flasks of Holy Water………………………......100gp Explorer’s Outfit……………………………...........Free at char. gen. LEFT OVER: 725gp TOTAL: 5,400gp Level Breakdown Feats: Human- Obscure Lore ……..Level 1- Still Spell ……..Level 3- Devoted Performer Bard 1-2 Skills (32 at first, 8 at second) 1= 4 ranks each in Concentrate, Diplomacy, Knowledge(history), Knowledge(arcana), ….Listen, Perform(sing), Sense Motive, Spellcraft. 2= 1 rank each in Concentrate, Knowledge(arcana), Listen, Perform(sing), and Spellcraft. ….3 ranks in Gather Information. Paladin 3-4 Skills (4/lvl) 3= 1 rank each in Knowledge(religion) and Heal. 2 cross-class ranks in Perform(sing). 4= 2 ranks each in Knowledge(religion) and Heal. Spells Known 0- Daze, Detect Magic, Flare*, Light*, Prestidigitation. 1st- Invisibility, Swift*^, Charm Person. *No somatic components. ^Spell Compendium Build Info If Unearthed Arcana were allowed I would’ve used Divine Bard instead of normal bard. I chose the falchion over a greatsword or something similar for flavor and the critical threat range. I have him in plate armor for flavor and I don’t really think it’s a bad build. He utilizes spells without somatic components, wands, potions, and when he has to cast a spell such as Charm Person in armor, he uses the Still Spell feat. The armor also makes him a better combatant. Appearance and Personality Dionisio, while nearing middle age (he is currently 32), is a very solid looking man. He has hard muscles as well as a broad chest and shoulders. Normal people of his homeland have slightly darker skin and dark hair, but the long years spent in a cell in the dark have made Dionisio’s skin pale compared to his people. His hair has gone from dull black to a shiny white (influenced as much by his ascension to paladin-hood as the underground cell). He has a large beard that is light gray in color and dark blue eyes. His face is somewhat angular like most people of his country, but it has been hardened and weathered by the trials of his life. Although only 32, he looks much older, not only because of the color of his hair and the lines in his face, but because of the way he carries himself and the kindly, wise aura that permeates his being. He does not strut or show off for attention; in fact he does not usually want any attention at all. Still, one cannot help but listen when he speaks or notice when he enters a room. Dionisio is the personification of kind and good. He uses his musical and arcane talents to entertain children, he gives money to the poor and feeds the hungry. He has taken abuse so that others will not and expects nothing in return. His soft voice and kind words stand in contrast to his somewhat intimidating appearance. Background The Pilgrim no longer uses his birth name, Dionisio Durante. He forsook that name and that past while rotting in the depths the prison “Citadel One-Hundred and One.” The Citadel was so named because there were one-hundred other prisons where “normal” criminals were kept, but the Citadel One-Hundred and One was for special cases. One such special case was Dionisio Durante, now known as The Pilgrim. Dionisio was an average villager for the first twenty-one years of his life. He was raised in a large household in a small fishing village in the middle of nowhere. His was a life destined for mediocrity. At the age of eighteen he married Rosaria, one of the prettier girls in the village. They were madly in love since sixteen, and were steadfast friends throughout childhood. Shortly after he was married, his father was elected mayor of his village. The old mayor, Baldomero, was a crook and was overthrown. Dionisio, never interested in politics or fish mongering, used his natural talents as a singer to provide for his family. He enjoyed great success in the local inn and earned a decent living. Rosaria bore Dionisio two children in three years. The first was a boy who was named after his father, the second was a girl they named Belle. It was in Dionisio’s twenty-first year, his daughter not quite six months old, that life as he knew it would change forever. A nobleman who had been buying land in the area acquired the expanse that Dionisio’s village called home. He was a despicable man and when he came to the village he demanded that they pay exorbitant taxes if they wished to keep their homes. The villagers complied because they could do little else. The noble’s presence actually helped by bringing in more business to the small village and increasing trade. However, that was also when things started getting worse. The increase in traffic through the village brought crime as well as business. The noble had his mercenary forces patrol the village to keep order. After that, the noble started enforcing stricter rules, some of which were completely arbitrary. He enforced a curfew and demanded that his mercenaries be given free stays at any homes in the village. One night, a group of mercenaries stayed at Dionisio’s home. At first they were just rowdy and rude. Then, after they got some liquor in them, they went after Rosaria. Dionisio tried to stop them, but they were trained warriors and he was a poor villager. They beat him into unconsciousness and raped his wife, all the while the two children cried in their room upstairs. After the mercenaries left the next morning, Dionisio tried to go to the noble for justice, but he was laughed at and thrown out of the courthouse. Rosaria became pregnant, and nine months later, after Dionisio’s twenty-second birthday, she died in childbirth. Dionisio wanted to kill the child at first. He knew it wasn’t his and it had caused the death of his wife. But in the end his conscience demanded that he care for the child, named David, and he raised it as his own. Dionisio’s conscience could not keep him from falling into a deep depression though. He quit singing and got a job working on a fishing boat to earn more money. All he did was work and sleep. He hardly saw his children and had to pay a sitter to look after them. Baldomero, the ex-mayor of the village, never forgave Dionisio’s father for taking his position, and made a deal with the noble. Dionisio’s father was given the title of Judge and his duty was to punish the criminals of the village. The noble wanted him out of the way because he was not the puppet that the noble wanted, and Baldomero agreed to do it if he was appointed Judge. The noble agreed and a within a week of Dionisio’s wife dying, his father was assassinated. It was deemed that his fall from the balcony of his home was an accident and no investigation was performed. The appointment of Baldomero as Judge came a little too suddenly and unexpectedly for Dionisio. Baldomero hadn’t been seen in the village since he was overthrown, and for him to not only be back, but to be appointed Judge, was too coincidental for Dionisio. He went to Baldomero and confronted him, but Baldomero admitted nothing and laughed at Dionisio. He tried getting some of the village behind him, but no one wanted to listen to the ramblings of a crazed widower. A few days after the meeting with Baldomero another group of mercenaries demanded to stay at his home. He consented because he had no choice, but locked himself and his children in a bedroom upstairs. During the night, Baldomero had the home set on fire. Dionisio barely escaped with his children. The mercenaries were killed in the fire. Outside of the wreckage, Dionisio was arrested for the arson. He was brought before Baldomero where evidence of the arson was shown. It was said that the door to the room in which the mercenaries stayed had been locked, therefore guaranteeing their demise. The prosecutor argued that Dionisio killed the mercenaries to avenge his wife’s alleged rape, and a rebuilt home from the generous noble. Dionisio knew nothing of the locked room, and tried to defend himself, but Baldomero found him guilty. All of this happened without the noble’s knowledge, and to keep his actions and motives secret, Baldomero sent Dionisio to Citadel One-Hundred and One, the fabled prison of no return. After Dionisio was sent away, Baldomero had the children sold into slavery, and talk of Dionisio died over time as people stopped caring about justice and started concerning themselves with staying in Baldomero’s good graces. It turned out that any questioning of Baldomero’s rulings ended poorly for the accusers. Dionisio’s sentence was life, as was the case with the other prisoners of the Citadel. For the first five years, Dionisio was in solitary confinement. Then, to conserve space, he was given a cellmate; a man named Emilio. Emilio was a very pale, almost emaciated old man with a great beard and a balding head. Dionisio found the only friend he would ever have in his chance meeting with Emilio. Emilio taught Dionisio the Elven language and turned his budding singing talent into magic. As it turned out, Emilio had been a bard before he was locked away in the Citadel. He was a great teacher and Dionisio learned quickly. Emilio also taught Dionisio how to let go. He taught Dionisio to let go of his troubled past and his hate and revenge. Dionisio was reluctant at first, but grew to accept the idea of putting his energy into helping eradicate the evil that plagued him and helping those who could not help himself. The only problem was that neither of them would be leaving the Citadel any time soon. The two finally got their chance one day when an outbreak of Leprosy due to a new inmate forced the movement of several dozen prisoners, including Dionisio and Emilio. They were all put in a temporary holding cell that was normally the mess hall. Dionisio and Emilio were able to rouse the other prisoners into trying to break out and when the guards came back into the hall the prisoners rushed en masse and the duo and about twenty others made it out into the open. With the help of the other prisoners, the two absconded with a small boat and made their way towards the shore. Unfortunately, the prison guards were able to quell the uprising and started chasing the fleeing prisoners. One such guard boat came after Dionisio and Emilio. The pursuers caught up to the malnourished pair in short time. A short battle ensued in which the pair of prisoners, using desperation and surprise, were able to jump aboard the guard vessel and throw the three men over board. The two were injured in the skirmish though and eventually passed out shortly before reaching the shore. Half dead and suffering from blood loss, Dionisio washed up on the shore of the mainland. Emilio made it to shore with him, but not alive. Dionisio buried his friend and started wandering the mainland in search of civilization. He collapsed in exhaustion two days later and dreamed wild dreams. He dreamt that he was immersed in white light and saw a vision of himself as some sort of holy warrior. He knew in his heart that he wanted that; to do good, help others, and punish the evil. He was filled with the overwhelming desire to live; after having spent eight years in a place where death was the only guarantee, he finally wanted to live. He awoke on the beach- he hadn’t moved at all. The entire two days of wandering was a dream. He felt invigorated though. He felt different. He looked at his reflection in the water and saw his new self: not only was he healthy and strong, his hair and beard were completely white. Certainly the time in the dark prison made him pale, but this was otherworldly. At that moment, Dionisio made the decision to stop answering to that name- he had no name. He was reborn. He traveled for the following two years, and it was during his travels that he earned the moniker, “The Pilgrim.” News of his good deeds spread and his reputation preceded him. During his travels, he received a vision of his three children as slaves working in some mine or cavern. The vision was not more descriptive, and so he has no idea where his children might be, but he is searching for them and has resolved to find them or die trying. Important Places Names are intentionally left generic or omitted completely to better fit in with any setting. Citadel One-Hundred and One The Citadel of No Return is a small island located in the southern ocean, approximately 700 miles from Dionisio’s village. Dionisio’s Village A large town of approximately 4,000 inhabitants. Friends and Enemies The Noble: The Noble is only known as “The Noble.” No one in town knows where he comes from or what his motives are. The Noble cares little for The Pilgrim, but if The Pilgrim were to return to the village and start trouble, The Noble would quickly deal lethally with the upstart do-gooder. The Noble dresses in expensive armor and always wears a helmet. He is physically imposing at over six feet tall and is often riding his large black stallion to accentuate his station and bearing. Baldomero: Baldomero is a greedy coward. He would try to kill The Pilgrim if he returned, and if that didn’t work, he would turn to cowering and bartering for his life. Baldomero is of average height and has become a bit overweight in recent years. He has black hair and a round, usually flushed face. Dionisio’s Children: David, Belle, and Dionisio Jr. are 10, 12, and 13 respectively. They are currently working for a slave trader mining gold and other minerals in a mining complex somewhere on the continent. All three believe their father to be dead but would be over-joyed to discover the contrary and be liberated from their current enslavement. Dionisio’s Other Family: His mother died of a heart attack while Dionisio was in prison. Dionisio has 3 siblings- 2 girls and 1 boy. Their names and ages are: Patricia 35, Sandra 30, and Hector 28. The sisters live together with their families in Dionisio’s village, and Hector has moved to the largest nearby city and supports himself as a merchant. http://media.teamxbox.com/games/ss/182/1089720888.jpg
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-22-07, 10:31 PM	Well, I've been keeping up w/ the thread for the past few days, but I've only now had time to sit down and comment. In my opinion, it may have to do with realism. If in real life I encountered a generous person without any ulterior motives, I'd be a tad suspicious. I think most modern stories no longer use that sort of character though. Well, the stories aimed at adults anyway. Then again, the lonely brooding cynical anti-hero can be a bit depressing to read about. So it depends mostly on my mood. I have two differing ideas on this view point: 1) Rarity is what makes exalted characters so compelling. I would be inclined to agree that most people on this Earth have an alterior motive, and it doesn't take getting burned more than once to develop a heavy dose of cynicism. Still, when you do meet those individuals who are sincerely generous and humble, they stick in your memory after hordes of insincere smiles have faded. This contest focuses on the "Epitemy" of Exalted, which is (by definition) the rarest of a rare breed of human(oid). 2) We typically overlook the "Exalted Heroes" of real life. I've seen people (quietly, without the recipient being aware) donate in excess of $500 at the drop of a hat to help someone in need. The greatest heroes are masters of stealth, not in that shadows are their friend, but in that you never know it was them that helped you in your hour of greatest need. An Exalted Hero can be easily overlooked when placed next to a typical adventurer, a mercenary devoted to power and pride. Why? They aren't performing thier deeds out of a desire to recieve "applause." They may graciously recieve rewards presented, but they never adventure because they seek those rewards. I'm reminded of one young man that I work w/ from time to time. He'll go out of his way to help just about anyone, he's incredibly talented, and many people have said he's one of the most generous people you could ever meet. However, at a team meeting a few months back, the group leader attempted to publicly recognize him for it, and he was visibly embarrassed and upset. He, like many "Exalted" characters, didn't want to be applauded for his work. He did what he thought was right. I hate Superman. He is only a hero because everyone needs him, not because he feels it is right. He has no real principles. He's good because he needs to be. I would be inclined to disagree. Superman has at least one chief virtue: humility. Despite his incredible powers, he doesn't use them for money, status, or (political) power. He's more than happy to save the world, and then disappear completely from sight, until he is needed again. Superman 3, while featuring the lamest villain from the entire series, managed to have (IMHO) the best scene from the series. The battle: Superman vs. Clark Kent. Superman had gone egotistical and started using his powers for all the wrong reasons. Who is greater: a man of steel or an awkward newspaper reporter? The answer is the reason I've long respected Superman. Punisher does what everyone is thinking but doesn't do. Spider-Man is a hero because he feels its right, and Batman is like the opposite of Punisher. Don't get me wrong, I also enjoy these characters quite a bit as well. Of them, I'd say (ironically, considering my previous posts) that the Punisher is my favorite. However, what makes them all "Heroes" is their respect for life in general and innocent life in specific. Spiderman (w/ the exception of when he was wearing the symbiote) and Batman never killed a foe unless there was no other option. Punisher, despite his rather explosive techniques, always made sure that innocents weren't in his line of fire. I can handle a little "Dark, Angsty, etc...," but I have a profound respect for the portion of their personality that seperates them from Super-Humans and makes them Superheroes. I like to play good. Even though my first two D&D characters were both technically neutral (Misery didn't become LG until after the campaign ended....), they both played some pretty heavy good tendencies. I know where you're coming from on this one. My characters have a tendancy of starting of LN, and progressing to LG by the conclusion of the campaign. Two in particular were Hank Bastion (my Punisher rip-off) and Noah Itala (a Forgotten Realms Loremaster). Both started off very disciplined, but throughout the course of the game, began to lean towards the Good end of the alignment spectrum.
Endarrion 05-23-07, 08:53 PM	I know where you're coming from on this one. My characters have a tendancy of starting of LN, and progressing to LG by the conclusion of the campaign. Two in particular were Hank Bastion (my Punisher rip-off) and Noah Itala (a Forgotten Realms Loremaster). Both started off very disciplined, but throughout the course of the game, began to lean towards the Good end of the alignment spectrum. My problem with alignments is extremes. I either play really good characters or really evil characters with very few exceptions. Then again, I don't get to play very many characters because I'm always DMing... *sigh*
otakutaylor 05-24-07, 03:12 AM	Hilda Warroy Introduction: As you go about your daily tasks in the marketplace, delivering the freshly caught fish from the docks to your employers, your eyes glance at the passing carriages, carts, wagons and the like hoping to find one with a wide enough back you might steal a ride for a few blocks. Ahead of you a cart comes into view and you make haste to try and board, but you are stopped as sitting in the back of the cart is a donkey, elderly and with an apparently sprained ankle in a make-shift brace. "How can the donkey be riding in the cart?" you think, almost flabbergasted, but you quickly assume this cart must have another donkey pulling it, since this one is injured. Taking care not to sit on the donkey, nor draw the attention of the driver on the other side of the cargo this cart is moving, you hop aboard. "Oh, seems the cart got a bit heavier all of a sudden." Says a woman from the front of the cart. Busted, but usually the women let you off with a scolding, unlike when you hitch a ride from the guards wagons. You slide off the back and head around to confront the woman, if only to pretend to be polite. As you round the cart, however, you aren't met with the woman driver and her other mule. In the drivers seat is an elderly man, probably just as old as his donkey looked, but that's not what catches your attention. At the front of the cart, between the barding posts normally tied to the beast of burden is a six-foot suit of armor. Your eyes slowly ascend the figure, foot to head, noting the unbelievable stature, the various wounds, battle marks, and bandages around the figure, and the lack of gauntlets on an otherwise complete set of full plate armor. But at the top... A rather disproportioned face, with large lips yet a small chin. Fiery red hair, kept partially in check by a single headband and a set of brown eyes that look almost innocent despite small cuts and bruises that surround them. "You didn't need to get off. I'll give you a ride too, if that's ok with him." A voice says with only the slightest hint of femininity giving away her gender. She points to the elderly farmer, who nods his head. "Alright, hop on the seat there, we're going the ways across the market." She says as she gains her footing and begins to pull again. "Oh, and if you know of anywhere that might be a good place to spend the night, I just got into town from fighting off those orcs that have been a problem around here, and I haven't had the time to take my armor off yet." Stat Block: Name: Hilda Warroy Female Human Height: 6' 1" Weight: 207 Lbs. Hair: Fiery red Eyes: Brown Skin: White Alignment: Neutral Good Fighter 4 (4th) CR 4; Medium Humanoid HD 4d10+8(Fighter); HP 34; Init +2; Speed 20 (30 unarmored) AC: 21 (Flatfooted:20 Touch:11); Attack +7 base melee, +6 base ranged; Unarmed Strike (main hand): +8 1d3+5 Bludgeoning Critical: 20*2 Unarmed Strike (TWF): +6/+5 (buckler –1 Penalty) 1d3+5/1d3+3 See above. Longbow (Two hands): +6 1d8+3 composite +3 Strength Bonus Saves: Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +2; STR 17 (+3), DEX 15 (+2), CON 14 (+2), INT 8 (-1), WIS 11 (+0), CHA 9 (-1). Level 4 ability bonus: Strength. Skills: Climb +5 (7 ranks, 3 str, -5 penalty), Jump –1( 7 Ranks 3 str, -11 penalty). Feats: As Fighter: Armor Proficiency: heavy, Armor Proficiency: light, Armor Proficiency: medium, Shield Proficiency, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Tower Shield Proficiency. Chosen: Improved Unarmed Strike, Power Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus: Unarmed strike, Roundabout Kick, Weapon Specialization: Unarmed strike. Possessions: Weapons: Longbow, composite ( +3 Str Bonus) (400 gp); Arrows (20) (1 gp); Silvered Longsword Masterwork (315 gp). Armor: Full plate, Masterwork (1,650 gp). Shields: +1 Buckler (1,165 gp). Goods: Backpack (2 gp); Flint and steel (1 gp); Lantern, hooded (7 gp); Oil (pint) (1 sp); Oil (pint) (1 sp); Waterskin (full) (1 gp); Climber`s kit, Masterwork (130 gp); Traveler`s outfit (1 gp); Bedroll (1 sp); Rope, silk (50 ft.) (10 gp). Magic: Wondrous: Cloak of Resistance +1 (1,000 gp). Potion of Cure light wounds *6 (300g) Gold left over: 416G 7S (for potions and other minor items.) Although the weight of the items she carries puts her in the medium load catagory, she carries most of it in her backpack and can drop it easily so she can fight at a light load. Background: Youngest of three, though the middle sister passed at only 2 years ond. Hilda was the second daughter, and after her parents suffered from the loss of their second child they did their best to give extra care to Hilda to prevent the same events from taking place. (her parents never did elaborate on how she passed, even her brother never spoke of it who, at the time, was 7.) Hilda spent much of her childhood trying to prove to her parents she was strong enough to do things on her own, that she didn't need their help. Hilda got into quite a few fights as a kid, that although she technically started them she would always argue that whoever the kid was whose nose she broke deserved it, she still got in trouble. As Hilda grew older she learned of the war her country was having on the other border. Her hometown is in the west, inland, while the war was being fought in the northeast, on the shores. Hilda, at age 13, wanted very much to be able to help out, but since the battles took place so far away, and her country was almost guaranteed a win considering it's military might, despite the fact it was just taking so long thanks to the naval maneuvers. They didn't need her. Hilda, since she was little, revered Heironeous, for his well-structured disciplines, his devotion to good, and his strength. A paladin who prayed to Heironeous needed help from no one but the armor smith when he found too many orc teeth stuck in his gauntlets. Hilda, as many children were, was allowed on the temple's training grounds. As a sort of prayer for the well being of the soldiers in the northeast, they trained as soldiers even in their remote home region. (Well, as much of a soldier as a bunch of kids could.) Hilda, and a few of the other promising children would often gain a mentor or sorts, who would teach them the better parts of fighting. Even after learning the proper techniques for the sword, Hilda still resorted to her hands when she really needed to fight, however. At 17 years old, the war in the northeast now 8 months over. Hilda's life took a drastic turn. Her brother returned home, having left 8 years ago to learn the ways of nature. He had only a passing use of the divine, and by the word of his teacher "would have little else to learn that life itself wouldn't teach" so he had come home to let life teach him, while putting his simple magic’s to use helping both their fathers farm, as well as the farms of their neighbors. The church of Heironeous had also stopped its training prayers for those soldiers, since they had, by now; either had their funeral services or returned home. But Hilda attended each day until she found Heironeouses teachings to be so utterly wrong in one case. A visiting diplomat from the kingdom bordering on the west side was passing through the town, and being a general all-around jerk. His "diplomatic immunity" prevented not only the guard but all members of churches recognized by the crown to do nothing to interfere with him, other than simply point the direction he should be going. A single act of what would by game terms be defined as Chaotic good in a Lawful good building. Hilda, as was her tradition, broke the jerks nose with one bare-fisted punch. After much shouting Hilda left Heironious' church, and to put further distance between them, self the country and her home (since her brother came back they didn't need her help anymore). By the words of one of the outraged clergymen she was pointed in the direction of the Church of Kord, though: "Actions without thought! Good or not, are dangerous! Perhaps you'll join those barbaric Kord-men!" isn't really a good reference. Hilda took it. Miles from home; Hilda found a practicing church of Kord. But it was in horrible shape. Simply overhearing a conversation of the church needing help, She offered her service to them long before she knew just how much help they needed. In two years time following that, just past her 20th birthday, Hilda had near single-handedly rebuilt the church. Not the actual building of course, she has no skill in masonry, but her actions. From driving away evil entities, to protecting villagers, to even keeping the little ones company while their parents attended service. (And got drunk out of their skulls.) Many of the other followers were trained in unarmed combat, and though she never asked for their help herself, they offered to show her some new techniques. Hilda gladly accepted every time. Two further years after that, the church no longer needed her help. Hilda had gotten a taste of the adventuring life, and loved it. She, with the help of two like-minded people she met at the bar and a friend from the wizards’ school down the road left to go adventuring. Currently at the age of 23, having only been an "adventurer" for nary a year, Hilda has made quite the name for herself. Defending towns from orc raids, exploring two separate dungeons that later revealed to be connected under a noble family's house, and working up a reputation as being a silly woman who did chores for anyone who asks wearing full plate armor, yet fights her own battles without gauntlets on. She still retains good relations with the church of Kord, but can't help still believing that some of Heironeous’s teachings are a better path depending on the situation. She plans to patch things up at home one day, if she can. But right now, there's an old man with an injured donkey that needs a cart pulled, and if she doesn't stop to help those who ask then what kind of a good person would she be? Personality and outlook: Hilda is torn between the two extremes of LG and CG, she finds them both to be good choices, but has a hard time when either alignment picks their respective Lawful or Chaos over what is truly good. A kind woman Hilda believes that you should always be strong enough to do things on your own, and asking for help is the last resort, but a honorable one, and if anyone takes the time to ask you should always offer to help in any way possible. Somewhat lacking the brains department, Hilda tends to simplify problems, and likes to find short explanations for anything she tries to tell someone. Her favorite saying is: "See my hands? My right hand is stronger than my left, but my left wields a buckler. Neither hand alone can win a fight, my right can break bones, but not protect against a sword's swing, while my left has ample protection, but is not strong enough to defeat its foes. They need each other’s help, though neither likes to admit it. In return they both do the best job they can at what they do." of course someone always points out "why don't you just buy a sword?" Hilda has an odd temper, She has incredible patience for anyone who truly needs her help, or is doing the "right thing". But the moment you do something she'd define as immoral, she'll stop you. And if you resist, she'll stop you with her fist. Paragon of Good: Hilda is probably an oddity among "paragons of good" if you think of someone who's campaigning for good and justice you tend to think of paladins who constantly brings the fight to evil, or a cleric who bring down divine justice upon demons, not the lady who helps out the old farmer with his cart. But Hilda touches the lives of almost everyone she meets, be they goodly and in need of help or evil and in need of a butt whoopin'. Creators note: Following this is a short version of where the character came from. If this isn't allowed to be written (or judged on) in the contest, please skip or inform me so I can edit it off or something. Foreground: Hilda is actually the origin for St. Hilda, a Demigod in a campaign I'd planned out that unfortunately never reached the light of the gaming table. Both Heironeous and Kord granted Hilda demigod status together for her devotion to being strong for oneself and others. Her left hand is enchanted with Lawful energies, while her right, Chaotic, yet both have good in common. Her followers are odd in that few of them are actually NG like her; her followers are divided in half, those who follow her left fist, and those who follow the right. LG and CG respectively. There is no separation in the churches for them, since both sides agree there is a time and a place for every type of good action. Wow... Making a paragon of good is hard at level 4, especially with no divine powers, oh and according to the rules ToB and HoB aren't allowed otherwise She'd have superior unarmed strike (doing 1d6 unarmed damage) instead of roundabout kick and an everlasting ration (350g)
jennibert 05-24-07, 08:10 AM	Woo! More entries! List updated with Endarrion and otakutaylor's entries. Note: I will be out of town this weekend after Friday morning (EDT) and will probably not have access to the internet....so if I don't put your entry in the first post, it's not because I don't like you. (Well, it might be, but not necessarily;).) Keep 'em coming, people! (And see, wrecan--we got some more!)
wrecan 05-24-07, 09:07 AM	(And see, wrecan--we got some more!) Hooray! And good ones too!
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-24-07, 11:53 AM	Then again, I don't get to play very many characters because I'm always DMing... *sigh* I know exactly how you feel. :nonono:
Endarrion 05-24-07, 04:06 PM	I know exactly how you feel. :nonono: We should get together an online game and have someone else DM! :D
jennibert 05-24-07, 10:13 PM	Hooray! And good ones too! They ought to be! That's the theme of this competition! :rimshot: Actually, I haven't read them too closely, and will refrain from commenting on any entries until I'm done judging them all. But I will say that what I've looked over so far is interesting (from everyone, not just the last two entries).
edwardsobel 05-26-07, 02:57 AM	"A violent man entices his neighbor and leads him down a path that is not good." Proverbs 16:29 Treylanca Merossa (a.k.a Trey) Human – Cleric 4 http://www.jendah.se/images/gallery/misc/jaxi_done_725x400.jpg If you cant see the pic then click here (http://www.jendah.se/images/gallery/misc/jaxi_done_725x400.jpg) Trey was born just out outside the small town of Willip to the name of Treylanca Merossa, Daughter of Jonathon and Krista Merossa. Trey and her family never truly called anyplace home since they traveled quite frequently. Jonathon was a well-known salesman among the locals, frequently providing healing salves and ointments to many people at a price that anyone could afford. “People are always more important than Profit” He would always say. Except for not having a steady home Trey was as happy as any girl could be. She loved her parents as much as girl could. When Trey was only 12, Orc raiders attacked her family and all three were taken prisoner. They were sold to human slavers and split up among different buyers. Trey was a servant for an abusive noble family that wanted to keep their slave trade a secret living on a plantation about 10 miles north of Willip. Jonathon was shipped south to Monmurg, as was Krista. What happened during their time away is unknown to Trey. Despite the abusiveness of Lord Falis trey remained “untouched” her innocence remained throughout her captivity. Each beating handed to Try by her master left her bleeding and broken, Lord Falis would take some of her blood after each beating; the reason for which were never really known. Trey worked hard for her master, Lord Falis, but despite her horrid living conditions and continuous beatings at the cruel hand of the work master, Trey always had hope and faith. Each night she would pray an angel would come and take her away. Little did she know that angels were listening to her. Trey had a good heart; she never believed that she had a pure heart. Perhaps her innocence kept it pure or perhaps it was by the design of the gods, no mortal will ever know for sure. After 2 years the angels answered her prayers but not directly. An unnatural wind drove a ship toward Monmurg arriving there at just the right time to intercept a slave trader leaving port. Now this misguided ship had among her crew a band of adventurers, one of which recognized the slaver’s ship and a battle soon followed. Taking the slave master prisoner the group learned of others being held captive and their mission became clear. These adventurers saved Jonathon and Krista from the torments they were enduring, which lead these adventurers back to Willip to free Trey. Could it be coincidence? Or did the gods have some influence in the course of events? That is uncertain but the fact remains that this group of heroes freed Trey and her family. But freedom did not come without a price. Krista died on the ship during childbirth, and the child? He is the bastard brother of Trey; Krista was raped and beaten numerous times in her captivity this child was the result of those devices. As pure as Trey’s heart was, her brother’s was black and vile. With the blood of murderers, slavers, and villainous warlords coursing thorough his veins it could be said that the balance was maintained. One among the adventurers sensed the evil in the child and tossed it overboard. But the angels that brought deliverance to Trey did the same for the child. For the angels were not beings of good or of evil but saw a need to preserve a balance between the two. As such beings they have no alliance to any of the known gods. What happened to the child is unknown to Trey but when the time is right she will know. The adventurers arrived after many months of travel to the plantation where Trey was enslaved. But what they thought to be an easy victory over some stuffy noble turned into an Epic battle For Lord Falis was a Conjurer of great power and he was able to bring many demons to bear upon the heroes. Jonathon sought out Trey while the battle raged on covering the entire plantation. Many minions of the hells that escaped the fury of the adventurers were moving among the slaves slaughtering them in a seemingly systematic genocide. Jonathon’s failing health from age got the better of him and he was unable to escape the swath of Lemures that raged unchecked among the slaves. Trey screamed to her father but he lay unmoving in a pool of blood. Trey ran to her father’s side. There she was seeing the life ebb from him. Trey prayed to the angels and soon she felt the power of them course through her and her father. She now believed that the angels of her dreams were real. The angels did not grant life back to her father but instead took his life force and gave it to Trey infusing her with power she never realized. Grabbing the spear her father was carrying she turned to face the creatures approaching. Then with an angelic fury she began to turn the battle to her favor, fighting with the strength of the heavens. Trey collapsed after the battle was over. When she awoke there was a new wisdom in her eyes. She asked for her father, for surely the angels would have given him back to her. But it was not to be. His soul was now a part of her forever. The adventurers told Trey all that occurred on the journey. Now her father gone and her mother dead she had to move on. She carries with her the soul of her father and the heart of her mother. The pain brought on by the events of that battle Trey vowed to never take the life of an innocent and no matter what, never kill for her own self power. Trey took on the craft her father had before but now with a new meaning. She will not give aid to those needing it for profit. The angels will provide her with the means to live. Her help will be free. To help end the suffering of innocents and keep a balance of good, evil, and truth in the world. Seek to find a sign of hope in the eyes of evil and be aware of the evil in the hearts of even the best of paladins. To this day trey carries her father’s shortspear still coated in the blood of the demons she destroyed though she has vowed to never wield it against another it remains as the last physical reminder of her vow she made before the heavens. Deity, Domains, and Domain Spells: A cleric’s deity influences his alignment, what magic he can perform, his values, and how others see him. A cleric chooses two domains from among those belonging to his deity. A cleric can select an alignment domain (Chaos, Evil, Good, or Law) only if his alignment matches that domain. If a cleric is not devoted to a particular deity, he still selects two domains to represent his spiritual inclinations and abilities. The restriction on alignment domains still applies. Each domain gives the cleric access to a domain spell at each spell level he can cast, from 1st on up, as well as a granted power. The cleric gets the granted powers of both the domains selected. With access to two domain spells at a given spell level, a cleric prepares one or the other each day in his domain spell slot. If a domain spell is not on the cleric spell list, a cleric can prepare it only in his domain spell slot. Below is a description of Trey’s beliefs as a cleric not following a particular deity this gives the same freedom as the PHB description but adds a little fluff to enhance role-play without violating game mechanic rules. The angels are not a single god but a body of beings representing all the aspects of humanity. They are the form of the most holy arch angels (whose followings might include the purest of paladins) to the celestial angels whose followers are neutral with leanings to either good or evil both seeking to maintain a balance and finally to the arch devils or black angels, whose following may include the blackguard and the vilest of men’s souls such as warlords, slavers, pirates, etc. The angels have no preferred domains, as all domains are available to select from depending on the form of worship one chooses to take. Every mortal is free to choose their own way of life and no one way is better that another. The Holy symbol for the angels is a plain cross representing the intersection of good and evil in all humanity. Regardless of which path you choose the cross is the only constant. The angels do not denounce any other god and have no favor of any other god. All gods both good and evil have their place. The other gods are considered selfish and petty among the followers of the angels yet they have an understanding that they are also needed. It is not unheard of for neutral followers of the angels give tribute to an evil church if such an action helps to preserve the balance of power in the region, and vice-versa. Stats: Base: Strength: 10 (2 pts) Dexterity: 11 (3 pts) Constitution: 12 (4 pts) Intelligence: 13 (5 pts) Wisdom: 15 (8 pts) Charisma: 14 (6 pts) Final: Strength: 10 {+0} Dexterity: 11 {+0} Constitution: 12 {+1} Intelligence: 13 {+1} Wisdom: 16 {+3} (+1 level 4) Charisma: 14 {+2} Race: Human Levels: Cleric 4 Alignment: Neutral Good Hair: blonde Eyes: blue Height 5’ 10” Weight 185 lbs Age: 20 Languages: common, elf Combat stats: HP: 25.5 (4d8 + 4) AC: 11 (+1 Armor, +0 Dex) Touch: 10, Flatfooted: 11 Init: +0 (+0 Dex) Base Attack: +3 Masterwork Quarterstaff: +4; damage 1d6; Crit 20/x2 Armor worn: Masterwork Padded leather: (ACP 0, ASF 5%, max Dex +8) Saves: Fort: +5 (+4 base, +1 Con) Ref: +1 (+1 base, +0 Dex) Will: +7 (+4 base, +3 Wis) Feats: Sacred Vow (BoED pg 45) (level 1) Vow of Non-violence (BoED pg 47)(Human bonus) Brew potion (PHB pg 89) (Level 3) Level by level Breakdown: Level 1: Cleric: 16 skill points +1 Concentration, +2 Craft Alchemy, +4 Diplomacy, +4 Heal, +3 Profession herbalist, +1 sense motive (cross class); Feats: Sacred Vow (BoED pg 45), Vow of Non-violence (BoED pg 47)(Human bonus) Level 2: Cleric: 4 skill points +1 Diplomacy, +1 heal, +2 Profession herbalist Level 3: Cleric: 4 skill points +1 Craft Alchemy, +1 heal, +1 Handle animal (cross class), Feat: Brew Potion (PHB 89) Level 4: Cleric: 4 skill points +1 Craft Alchemy, +1 heal, +2 Knowledge religion; +1 Wisdom Class abilities: Aura (Ex): Radiates a moderate aura of good. Spontaneous casting: can spontaneous cast cure spells by sacrificing a prepared spell of equal level Restricted spells: cannot cast spell with the evil descriptor Turn Undead (Su): 5 times per day turn check 1d20+2 turn damage 2d6+6. Racial abilities: +4 skill points at level 1 +1 skill point each level after 1st Bonus feat at level 1 Favored class any Magic Items: Blessed bandages (10gp each) x10 (100gp) (MIC pg 152) Daylight pellets (150 gp each) x4 (600 gp) (MIC pg 156) Everfull mug (200 gp) (MIC pg 160) Magic bedroll (500 gp) (MIC pg 163) Healing Belt (750 gp) (MIC pg 110) MW quarterstaff (600 gp) Potion Cure light wounds* x8 (200 gp) Potion Sanctuary* x4 (100 gp) Potion Cure moderate* x4 (600 gp) Scroll Cure light wounds x4 (100 gp) Scroll Cause fear x4 (100 gp) Scroll Calm Emotions x2 (300 gp) Scroll lesser restoration (150 gp) MW padded leather (155 gp) *(Crafted item) Non-magical equipment: Wagon (35 gp) Light horse (75 gp) Pack saddle (5 gp) 20 days feed (1 gp) Bit Bridle (2 gp) Peasants outfit (free) Cleric vestments (5 gp) Cold weather outfit (8 gp) Traveler’s outfit x3 (3 gp) Healer kit x3 (150 gp) Wooden holy symbol (1 gp) Spell component pouch (5 gp) Hooded Lantern (7 gp) Lamp oil x10 (1 gp) Tindertwigs* x30 (10 gp) Healing salve* (complete Adventurer) x3 (10 gp) Antitoxin* x3 (50 gp) Tanglefoot bags* x6 (100 gp) Everburning torch (110 gp) Backpack (2gp) Canvas (10 sq yards) (1 gp) Scroll case x3 (3 gp) Flint steel x2 (2 gp) Ink vial (black) x2 (16 gp) Inkpen x2 (0.2 gp) Parchment x10 (2 gp) Iron pot (0.5 gp) Belt pouch x2 (2 gp) Sealing wax x2 (2 gp) Signet ring (5 gp) Chest x2 (4 gp) Good lock (80 gp) Amazing lock (150 gp) Small steel mirror (10 gp) Sack x2 (0.2 gp) Shovel (2gp) Tent (10 gp) Pitons x10 (1 gp) Hammer x2 (1 gp) Trail rations 12 days (6 gp) Sunrod* x3 (2 gp) Riding saddle (10 gp) Guard dog (25 gp) “Wolfy” Mule x2 (16 gp) Shortspear (1 gp) Waterskin x2 (2 gp) * Made using craft alchemy skill. Left over = 11 gp; 1 sp Skills (those with ranks or enhancements) Concentration: +2 (+1 rank, +1 Con) Craft Alchemy: +5 (+4 ranks, +1 Int) Diplomacy: +11 (+5 ranks, +2 Cha, +2 perfection (sacred vow feat), +2 community domain) Handle Animal: +3 (+1 ranks, +2 Cha) Heal: +12 (+7 ranks, +3 Wis, +2 healers kit) Know (religion): +3 (+2 ranks, +1 Int) Listen: +5 (+1 ranks, +2 elf, +2 familiar) Profession herbalist: +8 (+5 ranks, +3 Wis) Sense Motive: +4 (+1 ranks, +3 Wis) Domains: Healing (+1 caster level for healing spells) Community (+2 diplomacy checks and can use Calm Emotions as Spell like ability 1/day) spells per day: Level 0: 5 (save DC 13) Level 1: 4 +1 domain spell (save DC 14) Level 2: 3 +1 domain spell (save DC 15) Typically prepared spells: Level 0: Detect Magic, Purify Food/Drink, Cure Minor wounds, Detect poison, Resistance Level 1: Bless (Domain spell), Detect Evil, Healthful Rest (Spc pg111), Sanctuary (Save DC 18), Shield of faith Level 2: Cure moderate Wounds (Domain spell), Luminous Armor (BoED pg102), Healing Lorecall (Spc pg110) Spc=Spell compendium, BoED= Book of Exalted deeds Wolfy Small Animal Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (6 hp) Initiative: +3 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares) Armor Class: 15 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +1 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 12 Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–3 Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d4+1) Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d4+1) Space/Reach: 5-ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: — Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +1 Abilities: Str 13, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, and Cha 6 Skills: Jump +7, Listen +5, Spot +5, Survival +1* Feats: Alertness, TrackB Combat Dogs generally hunt in packs, chasing and exhausting prey until they can drag it down. Skills: Dogs have a +4 racial bonus on Jump checks. *Dogs have a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent. Wolfy knows the following tricks (See PHB under handle Animal skill): Guarding (DC 20): An animal trained to guard knows the tricks attack, defend, down, and guard. And also knows track, and heel in addition to the guarding purpose. (Total 6 tricks known)
Zherog 05-28-07, 12:03 PM	Seven entries with a tad over two days to go. And here we thought having a lower level contest would interest more people... Edward - do you have HC3 in your sig twice for a reason? ;)
TheScapegoat 05-28-07, 06:52 PM	I don't know, from reading the forums I get the impression that people really like making higher level characters. I may be generalizing and I really have no proof other then what I can remember. I see tend to see more threads asking for help creating some "x/3 x/6 x/4" character then low levels. This could just be because its harder to make high level characters tho.
wrecan 05-28-07, 07:28 PM	It's also more of a challenge to make higher level characters because there are so many more options.
jennibert 05-28-07, 08:15 PM	Am back. And list is properly updated. Come on people! We need more entries so I can regret giving in and agreeing to judge! ;)
Zherog 05-29-07, 08:17 AM	It's also more of a challenge to make higher level characters because there are so many more options. That's very true. But on the flip side, we've seen comments in past contests such as, "I would've entered if the level was lower." I've also seen the comment, "Why don't you guys ever do a really low level character contest?" So, those are the sort of comments and feedback my expectations were based upon. Just a bit over one day left. Let's get the last minute flood of entries running. :)
Zinegata 05-29-07, 09:45 AM	Hmmm... I like making Exalted characters :) Maybe I'll try to post in a bit.
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-29-07, 01:13 PM	I typically don't like dipping below level 6 for these competitions. The options are just too limited for my taste below that. At level 6, you can pick up leadership. You typically qualify for more feats. Perhaps the biggest reason, a multitude of PrC's are designed to be picked up at level 6. (I'm also of the opinion that the math is just too easy below level 6, the earliest possible level for iterative attacks...) Still, I can't help but suspect that the real reason that we're seeing fewer entries can be summed up in the phrase, "Do I have to play a Good Guy?!?!" I think we may have accidently started a "Paladin Thread." In which case, it's amazing we've had any responses at all. I'm currently running a Greek-Era Psuedo-Pirates game. I had someone join the gaming group a couple of weeks in, and his first question was, "What's your opinion on looting?" (Me) "It's a Pirates game." (Him) "Sweet. I tend to take everything that's not nailed down!" Respect for others life and property is a very rare trait in D&D games... Btw, hope you manage to get a character posted Zinegata
TheScapegoat 05-29-07, 01:29 PM	I figure it has a lot to do with that most people are relatively good and often quiet reserved (especially the kind of people apt to play D&D). D&D lets people play out there fantasies safely, and they do it.
edwardsobel 05-29-07, 01:42 PM	Seven entries with a tad over two days to go. And here we thought having a lower level contest would interest more people... Edward - do you have HC3 in your sig twice for a reason? ;) I like HC3 ! actually its a ploy to make it look like i entered more contest than I really did without lying. well either that or just a cut/paste error when updateing. will fix when I can.
Zherog 05-29-07, 03:25 PM	I like the first two explanations, Edward. :D
Mercurius 05-29-07, 11:12 PM	History I was born into a well bred family; my mother, Delilah, was the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and my father, Grant, was a member of the highest knightly order of Vierge - the Alabaster Rose. I was the younger of two siblings, nearly seven years younger than my brother Jared, who was always a devoted protector. At a young age, I was raised to believe in courtesy and hospitality, as well as all the other virtues of those living in my country; Honor, chivalry, honesty, and, above all, a devotion to life and the love of Miara. My childhood was idyllic; I was schooled in art, courtesy, magic, and everything else one might need to be a noble woman when I came of age, though even then I had little use for the finer things in life and cared not for elaborate gowns or the master-crafted gifts my uncles and aunts doted upon me. Then, of course, came the "War of the Beard" and the Erabaresi Conflict after it. Somehow, the diplomats of Vierge stationed in Thorsgrim, the dwarven nation to the east, were killed. Diplomats from both nations strove for a peaceable solution and to investigate the cause of the murders, but evidence suggested that the Viergans had been assassinated by agents of the noble families of the dwarves, which, honorable and proud as they were, they did not care for. Peace talks that needed to be handled as delicately as a spider's web broke down, first into arguments and slights upon honor and repute, and then, dramatically, into outright violence. The two once stalwart allies found themselves embroiled in a conflict brought about by their own beliefs in honor and justice. It was a bitter conflict. Of course, my father was called to battle, leading units of lesser knights and soldiers against the dwarven vigamadr and axemen. His celestial charger, Baradun, bore him true through many conflicts, but he was inevitably slain by the rifle fire of the dwarven snipers during a battle at the foothills of the Predaj Cliffs. My mother was devastated. My brother swore to avenge the honor of our fallen family member, and joined the war as well. He was there the day the gold dragon flew to Vierge's aid only to be cut down by the shadow worm summoned by the Red Witch. I only heard him speak of the engagement once, but the unnatural chill that spread across the battlefield as the living shadow slew our queen haunted him even months later. Eventually, the "War of the Beard" was cut abruptly short by the true source of the conflict - the kage elves and other dark kin, under the command of Lisseth's erabaresi Rubicant, made their war upon the beleaguered nations. Only the timely arrival and intervention of Cecil Aonir and his cadre of volunteer soldiers from the north managed to drive back the invaders and bring both of our nations something resembling peace. Unfortunately, it did not bring my brother back to us; Jared was never seen again. My mother retreated to her parents' estate to mourn, but, being of age to set out on my own, I instead chose to finally do my part for the wounded spirits of my people. Forswearing the vast fortune available to me, I instead took up the life of a traveling beggar, seeking out those in need and aiding however I could. I found very early on that my limited magical training helped me in resolving disputes without bloodshed, which was fortunate for I was woefully weak. Having seen firsthand what damage the loss of even one life could do to a family, I swore to never again kill a living being, and to resolve all conflict with as little violence as possible. This, of course, posed a great deal of difficulty when one sticks her nose in the affairs of bandits and criminals. Allen Madkien rescued me from a rather uncomfortable death when I found my powers of persuasion of no use. The mercenary company refused to accept a peaceable counter-offer to ignore their prior commission, and many of their lieutenants were resistant to my enchantments as well. Allen, a wandering knight errant with far less discipline than one would truly expect from a knight, came to my aid as the soldiers attempted to incapacitate me. He bested the unit's task master, who apparently was a rather intelligent undead of some sort, and once the monstrosity was finally vanquished, my skills at negotiation managed to bring the humanoid soldiers around to a more reasonable course of action. I praise Adoloa daily that Allen chose to accompany me. My youthful innocence had assumed that the right words, aided by a few carefully selected spells, would obviate the need for violence beyond my limited ability. I had, of course, failed to consider that there were far worse monsters than simple bandits and corrupt officials in the world. In short order, with the greater freedom that my "champion" granted me in transport (though he need not have), I found myself involved in disputes which ranged wider than a simple district. Many have been the times that I have negotiated a dispute over land between neighboring agents, and I believe I may have prevented a full-scale skirmish between the soldiers along the border of Vierge and Thorsgrim once, though perhaps that is immodest. The vows I have sworn to my god have empowered me with greater abilities over time, as well. At first, my magics were simply stronger against those they could already persuade away from violence, and my ability to see and avoid strikes from my enemies seemed to protect me as well as any suit of armor. I have since found that my mere presense can forestall a conflict, calming the heated blood that undercuts any hope of a rational exchange. This blessing came none too soon, as I happened upon a most peculiar enemy one day... I had heard tales of the root of the War of the Beard - a strife elemental who could elevate the desire for conflict in all nearby, who had slipped in amongst the peace talks disguised as a simple guard or other proxy and simply watched as our illustrious diplomats forgot all about decorum and instead drew their knives against their dwarven counterparts. From what I understand, the elemental had been an agent of the Red Witch herself, and had not been found when Morrigan was finally slain by Fenren Olgot and his fellow adventurers. I knew of this, but had not put as much stock in it as perhaps I should. The tales that reached Allen and myself were of a hand full of lords and their dispute over a newly discovered vein of gold in the northwestern portion of Vierge. By the time we had arrived, Lord Raymond had already sent soldiers to occupy the home of Lady Linnae, and there was a mounting sense of worry from the common folk as soldiers and knights began to amass at the estates of the other nobles. I managed, with great difficulty, to bring together the four remaining lords (for Lady Linnae was currently in shackles in Lord Raymond's keep), and that was when I sensed something work against the aura of peace Adoloa had granted me. Something not unlike a well of anger and hate echoed through the pacifying calm around me, and then I noticed the somewhat perturbed look on the face of a hand-maiden of Lord Raymond's. It took only a short time for the outrageous actions of the lords to shame them all into a well worded and beneficial treaty, which I foolishly thought had settled the matter. Afterwards, as I left the drawing room, I was set upon by the strife elemental herself, a tall woman of marble-white skin and dressed in violet and midnight blue jester's clothes. Her falchion, seemingly summoned from the air itself, cut quickly and dangerously, and my magical powers were almost useless against her. Fortunately, Allen came quickly to my rescue, and together we fended her off long enough for the lords and their retainers to arrive. Pandemonium, as the elemental called herself, was summarily driven off, though I suspect that I may have drawn her ire that day. Perhaps if I were given a chance to simply talk to her about it... But, alas, Allen's mother has recently become ill, and he has been called home to his estate in the hopes of easing her suffering. Civil unrest continues to grow amongst the populace in the south - the news that our own queen was truly a dragon has upset many, especially those living closest to the seemingly immortal half-dragon ruler of the Sapphire Islands. I cannot let what I hear there go unchecked, so I will go further south, while my best friend and champion travels east. Hopefully I will be able to find another, uh, bodyguard while I wait for news from Allen. Adventures Wherever there is conflict that diplomacy can avert, Sophia will find her way there. She relies upon her skills at diplomacy to end a fight long before it has truly begun, and her spells to cloud the minds of her enemies should battle actually be joined. Against undead, constructs, and other enemies with whom she cannot reason, she must rely upon illusions and her very limited combat prowess, but she prefers instead to rely upon the strength of her friends. No true soldier of peace marches to war alone, after all. Above all, Sophia seeks to ease the scars of the last war, and prevent another from every happening. She is, in many ways, the diametrical opposite of Pandemonium - her exalted aura makes her a veritable "peace elemental," and she seeks above all to avoid the conflict that her nemesis (though Sophia certainly would not consider her such) enjoys so much. Character Sophia is quiet when words are unnecessary, and eloquent when needed. She is well educated, and has picked up a few additional tricks in her travels. Her exclusive focus on non-violent magics makes her an excellent charmer, though she would rather not use magic to ensure a peaceable solution if possible. She is an open and devoted friend, and still communicates with her mother when able. Secretly, she hopes her brother is still alive somewhere, and that she might one day find him. She dresses in a simple workman's smock, as well as very worn sandals. Courtiers often sneer at her garb, but the nobility she radiates is palpable, and people find her almost impossible to ignore. She wears her auburn hair down to her shoulders, framing her tanned, caucasian skin. Her nose is somewhat small and round, and her grey-blue eyes are soft and discerning. Typically, she uses her prestidigitation spell-like ability to clean herself up before entering into diplomatic situations. Unlike many of her fellows, she does not worship Miara; she has seen far too much war done in the name of the goddess, even though Miara herself prizes life above all other things. Instead, Sophia dedicates her soul to Adoloa, the couatl god of healing and redemption, and she uses her words as a sacred elixir. She has yet to meet an agent of her god's greatest enemy, Baumol, and it is hard to say who would win in such an exchange - the corruptor or the redeemer. Setting Information This character is, again, from my homebrew campaign setting. It's a great joy to continue fleshing out my world via this competition, in fact. • Vierge is a nation in the south of Agris, the oldest sovereign kingdom on the continent. It is devoted to chivalry and the ideals of Miara, and the people of Vierge are known for being excellent hosts and neighbors. • Miara is the lawful good goddess of love, mercy, and healing. She believes in the sacred nature of all life, and admonishes her followers to spare even the vilest of foes. It is said she weeps tears of blood for every life lost, no matter to whom it might belong. • Adoloa is a foreign deity, forever appearing in the body of a couatl. He is the light to his twin brother's shadow, and opposes the corruptor, Baumol, at every turn. He teaches others that the world can be made a better place by redeeming those within it, using words and actions to provide a healing draught to the souls of the world and bring them all into the light of goodness. Sophia Wilfreda Neutral Good Human Beguiler 4 (PHB2 pg. 6) Strength: 8 (-1) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 12 (+1) Intelligence 16 (+3) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 14 (+2) Fortitude: +2 = + 1 Base + 1 Constitution (+4 vs. Poisons & Drugs) Reflex: +3 = + 1 Base + 2 Dexterity Will: + 5 = +4 Base + 1 Wisdom BAB/Grapple: +2/+1 Initiative: +2 Armor Class: 23 = 10 + 2 (Dex) + 7 (Exalted Armor) + 2 (Deflection) + 2 (Natural) Touch: 14 Flat Footed: 21 Hit Dice: 7 + 3d6 + 3 = 20.5 hp Speed: 30' = 30' Base Attack Routines Quarterstaff +2 (1d6+0; magic, bludgeoning) Ranged Touch +4 (varies) Tactics Sophia avoids physical conflict if at all possible. She uses spells to remove opponents as threats, and relies upon her AC and her aura of peace to negate attacks directed at her. She also relies heavily upon other teammates when combat escalates. Skills {Class Skill max ranks 7, cross class 3.5, 64 skill points total) Bluff (Cha) +7 = 5 ranks +2 Charisma Concentration (Con) +8 = 7 ranks + 1 Constitution Diplomacy (Cha) +19 = 7 ranks +2 Charisma +2 Perfection (Sacred Vow) +4 Exalted (Vow of Peace) +4 Synergy (Bluff & Sense Motive) Gather Information (Cha) +9 = 7 ranks +2 Charisma Knowledge (Local) (Int) +6 = 3 ranks + 3 Intelligence Knowledge (Religion) (Int) +5 = 2 ranks (cross-class) +3 Intelligence Listen (Wis) +7 = 6 ranks +1 Wisdom Search (Int) +9 = 6 ranks +3 Intelligence Sense Motive (Wis) +8 = 7 ranks +1 Wisdom Speak Language (-) Cave Orcish (Orc) Spellcraft (Int) +8 = 5 ranks + 3 Intelligence Spot (Wis) +7 = 6 ranks +1 Wisdom Languages Viergan (home nation), Renmazuan (human nation to east), Granach (Dwarven), Cave Orcish Feats 1st Level - Sacred Vow (+2 perfection bonus to Diplomacy) (BOED pg 45) - Vow of Poverty (human bonus) (Benefits based upon level) (BOED pg 48) - Vow of Nonviolence (Exalted Bonus) (+4 to DC of most Beguiler spells) (BOED pg 47) 2nd level - Vow of Peace (Exalted Bonus) (Calm Emotions Aura, other benefits. See below) (BOED pg 48) 3rd Level - Night Haunt (spell like abilities) (Complete Arcane pg 81) 4th Level - Vow of Abstinence (Exalted Bonus) (+4 vs Poisons and Drugs) (BOED pg 47) Proficiencies All simple weapons, hand crossbow, rapier, shortbow, shortsword, & light armor. Spells 6/7/4 Beguiler Spell List (PHB2 pg 11) + Inhibit (SC pg 123) Save DC 13 + level (most + 4 vs humanoids and monstrous humanoids) Special Abilities +1 skill point per level [Human] First level bonus feat [Human] Favored Class: Highest level [Human] Armored Mage Trapfinding [Beguiler] Cloaked Casting (+1 save DC vs. Flat-footed opponents) [Beguiler] Surprise Casting (Can feint to deny foe Dex vs spells and melee) [Beguiler] Advanced Learning (Inhibit (SC pg 123) [Beguiler] Beguiler Spells [Beguiler] AC bonus +5 [Vow of Poverty] Endure Elements [Vow of Poverty] Bonus Exalted Feats [Vow of Poverty]* Exalted Strike +1 Magic [Vow of Poverty] Calm Emotions Aura, 20' (Save DC 14 = 10 + 2 (level) + 2 (Charisma)) [Vow of Nonviolence] Manufactured Weapon break DC 13 (10 + 2 (level) + 1 (Constitution)) [Vow of Nonviolence] + 2 Natural Armor, +2 Deflection, + 2 Exalted AC bonuses (Stack with Vow of Poverty) [Vow of Nonviolence] Spell like abilities: 1/day - dancing lights, prestidigitation, unseen servant (DC 10 + spell level + 2 Charisma) [Night Haunt] Equipment Quarterstaff (4 lbs) Peasant's Clothes Spell Component Pouch (2 lbs) Weight Carried: 6 lbs [b]Notes 28 point stat-buy STR: 0 points = 8 DEX: 6 points = 14 CON: 4 points = 12 INT: 8 points = 15 + 1 @ 4th level WIS: 4 points = 12 CHA: 6 points = 14 *Vow of Poverty grants a bonus exalted feat at 1st level and every even level thereafter (see Save My Game: Vow of Poverty, Part 1 (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sg/20060609a) for official declaration of the level one bonus feat. If you disagree, discount her Vow of Abstinence.)
jennibert 05-29-07, 11:38 PM	List updated again. Now up to eight entries! Less than 24 hours to go, people. As a warning....and a hint.... :D
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-30-07, 11:53 AM	Hey Mecurius... Did you realize you're still advertising HC#8? I mean, it was a good competition, but still... :)
Mercurius 05-30-07, 12:50 PM	Hey Mecurius... Did you realize you're still advertising HC#8? I mean, it was a good competition, but still... :) Meh, it crossed my mind once, but I didn't have the time or inclination to get rid of if then. I guess I could remove it now. Not much sense in advertising this one, though. Being as how it's almost over. And how I'm gonna win and all. ;)
Kit_the_Odd 05-30-07, 07:05 PM	Quentyn Brycen If you had told Quentyn Brycen about the base classes of D&D a week ago and asked him to pick the one that best described him, he would have chosen Fighter. He would have been wrong. Quentyn was born and raised in Brockhall, a medium sized city in the Argention Empire. His father was a baker and his mother was an herbalist. Quentyn was apprenticed to a blacksmith at a young age. Like most of the young men of the city Quentyn was part of the militia, training twice a month with the soldiers of the guard and participating in “reconnaissance drills”. The “recon drills” were really just glorified camping trips, but were designed to help the city boys become familiar with the area around the city. Quentyn was 16 when the recon drill he was on took a much more serious turn. During the night, his entire group was captured by a band of hobgoblin raiders. These vicious creatures were the front of an invasion of the Argention Empire by a conglomeration of tribes. Thinking to have some fun with the captives, the hobgoblins offered to let the group except for one for as long as the remaining captive could keep silent under torture. The guard sergeant leading the drill had just begun to curse the hobgoblins when Quentyn spoke up. Knowing that Brockhall needed to be warned, and not seeing any other way he volunteered to stay if the hobgoblins swore to leave his friends alone completely until he screamed or begged for mercy. His friends tried to talk him out of it, thinking it safer to remain captives, but he told them that it was better that one person suffer so that many could be saved as long as that person was willing to make that sacrifice. The hobgoblin leader agreed to his terms and Quentyn told his friends to run for town and warn them, and to run quickly because he didn’t know how long he’d be able to hold out. Quentyn, drawing on his love for the people of Brockhall, and courage and fortitude he didn’t know he had, withstood the torture in silence for almost a full day. His ordeal did not end in death however. His friends had indeed run swiftly and a rescue raid was sent against the hobgoblins. But the hobgoblins had moved into permanently damaging tortures, rather than just beatings, not long before he was rescued. Despite the best efforts of the healers Quentyn’s left hand was left partially crippled. He could still grip things, but all dexterity was gone. He was barely able to use the hand to grip tongs, but has was able to blacksmith a little and in a city preparing for war that little was enough. War was slow to start with few actual battles, but many raids as the hobgoblins and their allies attacked and then faded back into the wild. Quentyn rejoined the militia and participated in several small actions, but most of his time was spent starting his own blacksmith shop working in the city. He built a small house next to the forge and even bought two puppies to raise as guard dogs. After two year of conflict the war began to grow. More attacks came and the Empire sent troops and supplies when Brockhall was no longer able to maintain itself against the attacks. Quentyn joined the army proper to defend his home. He still spent much of his time at the forge, but now it was almost all weapons and armor he worked on, rather than the tools and peaceful implements of before. Because of his knowledge of first aid, gained from his mother, Quentyn was given the assignment of being a combat medic. He was a soldier and fought as any other soldier, but he was also the closest thing his company had to a healer. His officers were amazed at how well he was able to do this work. More men that he worked on survived and even continued fighting than any of them believed possible. One night Quentyn woke of with a fright as two warm, heavy object lay down to either side of him as he slept. His dog had broken loose of their pen in the city and followed him. They had grown large and been trained as guard dogs for his home. While Quentyn worried about his home and forge lying unprotected he was also glad for the companionship and help his dogs gave him. They even went with him into battle and their success guarding him while he bound up wounds on the battlefield gained them the names Wreck and Ruin from his fellow soldiers. Quentyn was working at a back area hospital when he heard a commotion at a nearby prisoner camp. He rushed over to see what was happening. A captain from the Imperial forces had drawn his sword and was beginning to kill the unarmed prisoners. Quentyn ran and tackled him to the ground. Once the man was under control he claimed that a large rock had been thrown from among the prisoners that killed one of his soldiers as he was being healed. The captain declared that all of the prisoners must be executed for this. Grasping at straws to try to avoid this slaughter, Quentyn asked if they could try to separate the dangerous, oath-breaking prisoners from the non-combatants and those that had kept their oath of surrender. To his surprise the captain agreed with this (expecting that Quentyn would fail and that he’d still be able to kill them all). Quentyn examined the prisoners on by one accompanied by Wreck and Ruin. Most of them he saw were scared and, while mean and his enemy, just didn’t seem to be the kind that would murder the injured man. Other just looked vicious and angry, those he set in a different group. When he was almost done a new group of soldiers arrived, escorting a wizard to the city. When the wizard found out what happened he offered to cast the spell detect evil to help the identification of the prisoners who could not be trusted. To everyone’s surprise, especially his own, it was found that the group Quentyn ‘didn’t like the look of’ all identified as evil, while none of the main group did. Despite this remarkable coincidence, Quentyn was demoted and reassigned for ‘striking a superior officer’. The captain may not have been allowed his vengeance on the prisoners, but he was able to get some small revenge on the man who had stopped him. He was reassigned as a liaison to the mountain tribes of dwarves and humans that were loosely allied with the Empire. Because of his partially crippled hand he became known as “Scarhand” by the mountain people. His healing prowess, personal courage, and general kindness gained him great respect. His modest ability with the forge also helped him gain friends among the dwarves. Quentyn was able to take part in the forging of a set of magic armor for himself, along with some of his dwarf friends. Despite the out of the way nature of his posting Quentyn was able to play a vital part in one of the biggest battles in the war. A major battle had been raging around Brockhall itself for a full day when Quentyn’s friends brought news that enemy reinforcements were marching through a nearby mountain pass and would be likely tip the balance of the fight against the Argentions if they arrived. Despite their smaller numbers Quentyn and the mountain folk rushed to the mountain gap to stop the enemy. During the fight the enemy attempted spells to demoralize Quentyn and his allies, but they were able to withstand that attack and keep fighting. While fighting with a small group that was nearly surrounded, Quentyn noticed the enemy leader was nearby. Gathering all his courage Quentyn charged and attacked. This furious blow felled the enemy commander and proved a turning point in the battle against the reinforcements. That battle on the outskirts on Brockhall marked the beginning of the end for the war. Although skirmishes continued the main strength of the enemy was destroyed. After the fighting was over Quentyn left his friends in the mountains and journeyed home, looking forward to living in peace again. But things were not that easy. A new blacksmith named Barton had come to town, and with the end of the war there was not enough smithing to be done for both Quentyn and Barton. People found that Barton was quicker and often better as smith, since Quentyn had spent most of the last years learning fighting instead of smithing as well as being hampered somewhat by his hand. The girls he had known and liked growing up all seem to have gotten married to Imperial soldiers. And despite his efforts in war he was not regarded as a particular hero. Firstly because almost everyone had fought and suffered. And also because his posting in the mountains was so far that no one knew much of what had happened and it seemed like and ‘easy post’. His sacrifice to warn the city was mostly forgotten over the year of war. So with no work and not much else to rely on Quentyn turned back to his family. They were more than willing to take him in, but their resources were already stretched. His father and one brother had been killed in the war. Another brother had taken over the bakery, but the war had devastated many farms and the soldiers and war money were going away. Unsure of what to do he left town to seek solace and insight in the wild. What he got was more than he expected. While pondering his future he was visited by a messenger from above. He was told that he had been chosen as a champion of good. His sacrifice as a youth and his determination to do right had led the powers of good to grant him certain abilities. He was shown how he had already gained and used those powers without realizing it. Then he was told it was time to move forward in the quest and destiny that awaited him. Accepting this call Quentyn realized that his dreams of living a happy life in peace were unlikely to ever come true. But he looked forward to helping others attain that dream by guiding them to good through example and defeating evil in the world. Quentyn returned to Brockhall, took leave of his family after telling them of his experience, sold most of his possessions, outfitted himself with the necessary gear, and set forth with his loyal Wreck and Ruin trailing behind. Human Male, 21, 5’10”, 215lbs, Light Brown Hair, Brown Eyes In general, Quentyn is a very ordinary looking man except for his particularly broad shoulders and big arms, a legacy of his blacksmithing past. His left hand is extremely scared and partially crippled. He can still hold things with it, but the fingers do not move independently or very well. Basically his hand is either open or closed. This does not affect him in any game mechanics way, although he would not be able to use most weapons in his left hand. New to the role of paladin, Quentyn has not outfitted himself to look like anything other than a common adventuring fighter. He wears a steel holy symbol that he made himself year ago. It is a symbol of good in general, rather than of a specific diety. Wreck & Ruin – Quentyn’s loyal guard dogs. Stats – Riding Dogs trained for guarding – tricks known: attack, defend, guard, down The mountain tribes – these groups of dwarves and humans like and respect the man they call Scarhand. They will follow his lead in many things and would send help if he asked. The Brycen Family – Quentyn’s mother, 3 brothers, and 2 sisters have survived the war. They are not well off, but are surviving. Things will probably be fine for them once things begin to get back to normal. They are all a bit awestruck at the revelation that their brother and son is a paladin. Captain Argop – Not necessarily an evil man, but he does know how to hold a grudge. He isn’t seeking Quentyn, but if given the chance he would make life difficult for him. He is unlikely to believe such a “insubordinate, soft-headed weasel of a soldier” is actually a paladin. The invaders – hobgoblins, gnolls, etc. They are unlikely to know of Quentyn personally, although some may have heard of Scarhand that fought in the mountains. Quentyn is ready to join almost any good adventuring party. While he still has connection with Brockhall and that area he is also beginning to look to the wider world. He is unlikely to get along with anyone unmerciful, even if they are not outright evil. He won’t try to make anyone else follow his code of conduct, but neither will he violate his beliefs. He is more likely to leave a group to avoid conflict rather than try to drive the other away. While Quentyn as written does not follow a specific diety that could be changed. He could follow any diety of Good, but most likely one that also promotes healing and mercy. Quentyn Brycen Human Male Paladin 4 LG Starting Ability Buying: STR: 15 (8 pts) DEX: 12 (4 pts) CON: 10 (2 pts) INT: 10 (2 pts) WIS: 14 (6 pts) CHA: 14 (6 pts) Current Abilities: STR: 16 (+1 level 4) DEX: 12 CON: 10 INT: 10 WIS: 14 CHA: 14 HP: 26.5 (10 + 3d10) AC: 21 (10 + 7 armor + 3 shield + 1 Dex) Touch: 11, Flat-Footed: 20 BAB: 4, (Grapple 7, Melee 7, ranged 5) Init: +1 ACP: -6 Fort: +7 (+ 4, +0 Con, +2 Cha (Divine Grace), +1 Cloak of Resistance) Ref: +5 (+1, +1 Dex, +2 Cha (Divine Grace), +1 Cloak of Resistance), Will: +6 (+ 1, +2 Wis, +2 Cha (Divine Grace), +1 Cloak of Resistance) Speed: 20ft/x3 (30ft/x4 base) Attacks: Masterwork Warhammer, +9 (+4 BAB, +3 Str, +1 Masterwork, +1 Weapon Focus), 1d8+3, 20/x3 Masterwork Battleaxe, +8 (+4 BAB, +3 Str, +1 Masterwork), 1d8+3, 20/x3 Masterwork Shortspear, +8 (+4 BAB, +3 Str, +1 Masterwork), 1d6+3, 20/x2 Masterwork Composite Longbow (+3 Str), +6 (+4 BAB, +1 Dex, +1 Masterwork), 1d8+3, 20/x3 Feats: 1st: Power Attack 1st Human: Weapon Focus(warhammer) 3rd: Cleave Class Abilities: Code of Conduct Aura of Good – moderate Detect Evil – at will, as spell Smite Evil – 1/day, +2 to attack, +4 damage if target is evil Divine Grace – Cha bonus (+2) to all saves Lay on Hands – heal 8pts of damage per day Aura of Courage – immune to fear, allies within 10ft gain +4 vs fear Divine Health – immune to all diseases, including magical disease Turn Undead – as 1st level cleric, turning check 1d20+2, turning damage 2d6+3 Spells – Caster Level 2 Spells (1 per day) Access to all spells on paladin list, prepared during morning meditation. Typically will prepare Protection from Evil, Bless, or Bless Weapon depending on expected foes and allies. Skills: Concentration: +2 (+2 ranks) Craft(weaponsmithing): +4 (+2 ranks, +2 masterwork tools) Craft(armorsmithing): +4 (+2 ranks, +2 masterwork tools) Diplomacy: +7 (+2 ranks, +2 Cha) Handle Animal: +4 (+2 ranks, +2 Cha) Heal: +8 (+4 ranks, +2 Wis, +2 Healer’s Kit) Listen: +2 (+2 Wis) Profession(blacksmithing): +4 (+2 ranks, +2 Wis) Ride: +3 (+2 ranks, +1 Dex) Search: +0 Spot: +2 (+2 Wis) Languages: Common Non-Core Sources: none All prices in gp. Cloak of Resistance +1, 1000 Armor Banded Mail +1, 1250 Heavy Steel Shield +1, 1020 Weapons Mwk warhammer, 310 MW composite longbow (+3Str), 675 MW battle axe, 312 MW shortspear, 301 Consumable Magic Items Wand of CLW (10 charges), 150 Spell Component Pouch, 5 Alchemical Items 2 flasks of Holy Water, 50 5 Sunrods, 10 5 Tindertwigs, 5 Mundane Backpack, 2 Bedroll , 0.1 Winter blanket, 0.5 Caltrops, 1 Chalk, 0.01 Flask (empty), 0.03 Flint and steel, 1 Hooded lantern, 7 5 Flasks of Oil, 0.5 Mirror, 10 Mug, 0.02 5 days Trail Rations, 2.5 Silk rope (50 ft), 10 Waterskin, 1 Tools & Clothes Masterwork Artisans' tools (blacksmith), 55 Healer's Kit, 50 Steel Holy Symbol (price as silver), 25 Mount & Stuff Light Horse, 75 Riding Saddle, 10 Bit & Bridle, 2 Saddle Bags, 4 2 days of Horse Feed, 0.1 2 Guard Dogs, 50 4 days of Dog Feed, 0.2 Total 5394.96gp 5gp 4cp cash 1st – Paladin 1 - Feats: Power Attack, Weapon Focus(warhammer) – Skills: Craft(weaponsmithing) 2, Craft(armorsmithing) 2, Diplomacy 2, Handle Animal 2, Heal 2, Profession(blacksmithing) 2 2nd – Paladin 2 – Skills: Diplomacy 1, Heal 1, Ride 1 3rd – Paladin 3 – Feat: Cleave – Skills: Diplomacy 1, Heal 1, Ride 1 4th – Paladin 4 – Attribute: Str – Skills: Concentration 2, Diplomacy 1
jennibert 05-30-07, 08:03 PM	And the competition is closed. It is now past 11:59 PM GMT on Wednesday. Thank you to all who have entered. Any who wish to, please feel free to post characters. Some of our judges will be glad to comment, though you will not be eligible for the competition itself. And now for the judging....
TheChilliGod 05-31-07, 04:55 AM	What?! Already? Well, at least it's only 9 entries this time. And, hopefully being 4th-level characters only, I should have this whole thing over by next weekend. ... That is, if I can be pried off of WoW my godly duties! Yes.
Zherog 05-31-07, 03:11 PM	:bored: It's like freakin' clockwork! Every time one of these contests that I'm judging ends, a damn emergency comes up at work. For the past two weeks, I've been all but twiddling my thumbs and finding things to keep busy. This morning I come in to find, "Oh, by the way, this report that's used by our executives is broken now because of something that was done by somebody else. Yeah, you have to fix it, and drop all your other stuff. This is a high priority item." :bored: I still hope to get a lot of judging done this weekend, but I was hoping to get started today...
JasonOrlandoHawk 05-31-07, 04:34 PM	:confused: Now what was it I was supposed to be doing... :gah: Judging... NOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To be entirely honest, I probably won't get started this weekend. I work all weekend, and I have a Pastor's forum to attend tonight, so I probably won't get started until Tuesday. Still, I am hoping to have all of my judging done by next Saturday, unless the regularly scheduled emergency interrupts it. Jason
otakutaylor 06-02-07, 03:12 AM	Man, I'm all excited. Hope I don't do too badly, but it is my first time making a character for a competition. Makes me feel all warm inside, seeing so many good and well made characters. I'm getting tired of CN "do whatever I like, so I can act however" Giant sword weilding rogues.
TheScapegoat 06-02-07, 11:06 AM	:headexplo CN is the best alignment in the world! I will not sit idly by as you tarnish its good name. You will rue the day you talked ill of CN! :fight!: :fight!: :fight!: Also good luck to all. A lot of great characters and some pretty wild stories. As long as the judges responses for mine are not as harsh as my first MDMC I think I'll be ok.
JasonOrlandoHawk 06-02-07, 10:41 PM	:headexplo CN is the best alignment in the world! I will not sit idly by as you tarnish its good name. You will rue the day you talked ill of CN! :fight!: :fight!: :fight!: Beware the forces of LN! We will crush you!!! :invasion: Isn't brainwashing fun? Also good luck to all. A lot of great characters and some pretty wild stories. As long as the judges responses for mine are not as harsh as my first MDMC I think I'll be ok. :evillaugh
Far_Traveler 06-03-07, 08:33 AM	I'm sorry that I couldn't enter in this competition, I didn't see me having an idea that could remtoely qualify, much less compete. Next one, however, I'm so in.
Zherog 06-03-07, 07:57 PM	I'm sorry that I couldn't enter in this competition, I didn't see me having an idea that could remtoely qualify, much less compete. Next one, however, I'm so in. Even if we repeat the same topic? :smirk:
Far_Traveler 06-03-07, 08:47 PM	If you did, I'm afraid that I'd have to go a-murderin'.
Zherog 06-06-07, 09:48 AM	Just an update: I expect to have my scores in to Jenni no later than Friday. Of course, oftentimes my best laid plans get screwed up, but I'm doing what I can to meet that goal...
wrecan 06-09-07, 12:56 PM	And by "Friday", did you mean one in June? :)
JasonOrlandoHawk 06-09-07, 11:06 PM	Well... it is entirely possible that he's submitted his scores, but that other judges have not yet completed scoring. However, for the first time in the history of my judging this contest, the last judge to submit scores will not be me!!! In fact, as far as I know, I was the first one finished! (Largely b/c my family canceled, rescheduled, and then canceled for a second time a large family get-together/swim party. This left me task-less twice this week, but that allowed me to breeze through judging.) While we don't know who will ultimately be declared the victor, of the eligible judges, now would be a good time to start considering a coordinating judge for HC#10. Personally, my schedule is rather open, so I could easily do the job, but since I've had the opportunity twice before, I'll let anyone else who wants it have first shot. Related Side Note: It might also be a good time to get an early headcount on judges for HC#10. Formal decisions can't be made until a winner is announced, but a head start is probably worth while. Distantly Related Side Note: Btw, as far as I know, Zherog hasn't actually submitted his scores.
TheChilliGod 06-11-07, 05:09 AM	I can't believe that it took me that long to get off of my lazy arse and judge entries! I didn't even bother to write down any comments! Well... Maybe this had something to do with it... Sahtra Soulsought "Do you know... What it feels like on the other side? Hate them not, but pity them, as they know not the final outcome of their deeds." Hellbred 3rd level Conjurer / 1st level Master Specialist Alignment: Lawful Good Deity: Phieran Ability Scores: Strength 10 (+0) Dexterity 12 (+1) Constitution 12 (+1) Intelligence 17 (+3) Wisdom 8 (-1) Charisma 16 (+3) Hit Points: 15 Hit Dice: 4d4+4 Armor Class: 11 (+1 Dex) Touch AC 11; Flat-footed AC 10 Armor: None Speed: 30 ft (Run x4) Initiative: +1 Base attack bonus: +1 Grapple: +1 Attacks: Melee: Quarterstaff, +2 (1d6/20x2, Two-handed Simple Bludgeoning) Ranged: Masterwork Light Crossbow, +3 (1d8/19-20x2, 80 ft range, Ranged Simple Piercing) Saves Fortitude +3 (+1 base, +1 Con, +1 resistance) Reflex +3 (+1 base, +1 Dex, +1 resistance) Will +5 (+5 base, -1 Wis, +1 resistance) Skills: Bluff +5 (+2 CC Ranks, +3 Cha) Concentration +8 (+7 Ranks, +1 Con) Decipher Script +6 (+3 Ranks, +3 Int) Intimidate +5 (+0 Ranks, +3 Cha, +2 racial) Knowledge (arcana) +10 (+7 Ranks, +3 Int) Knowledge (the planes) +10 (+7 Ranks, +3 Int) Sense Motive +1 (+0 Ranks, -1 Wis, +2 racial) Spellcraft +15/+17 (+7 Ranks, +3 Int, +2 Synergy, +3 Focus (+2 when copying conjuration spells to spellbook)) Survival -1/+1 (+0 Ranks, -1 Wis (+2 Synergy on other planes)) Languages: Common, Celestial, Infernal, Abyssal Feats: Devil's Favor (B), Scribe Scroll (B), Spell Focus (Conjuration), Augment Summoning, Skill Focus (Spellcraft) (B) Wizard Spellbook: (Specialist Conjurer, Prohibited schools Illusion & Transmutation) 0 lvl: acid splash, arcane mark, dancing lights, daze, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, flare, light, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, resistance, touch of fatigue. 1st lvl: Summon Monster I, Mage Armor, Mount, Ray of Enfeeblement, Lesser Orb of Acid, Protection from Good, Sleep, Protection from Evil 2nd lvl: Summon Monster II, Fog Cloud, Melf's Acid Arrow, Baleful Transposition Typical Wizard Spells Prepared: 0 lvl (4+1/day, DC 13/15): Detect Magic x2, Prestidigitation, Read Magic + Acid Splash 1st lvl (4+1/day, DC 14/16): Mage Armor, Protection from Evil, Lesser Orb of Acid, Mount + Summon Monster I 2nd lvl (3+1/day, DC 15/17): Summon Monster II, Summon Monster II, Fog Cloud + Melf's Acid Arrow Hellbred Racial Traits: —Humanoid (Hellbred). —+2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks. —Evil Exception (Ex): Regardless of alignment or class restrictions, a hellbred can cast spells with the evil descriptor and never gains negative levels while wielding evil magic items. This ability does not shield a hellbred from losing access to class features if he violates a class's code of conduct. —Hellbound (Su): A hellbred can only be restored to life by resurrection or greater magic. —Infernal Aspect: Spirit (Su): Darkvision 30 ft.; +2 racial bonus to Sense Motive; +2 Cha, -2 Con —Automatic Languages: Common, Infernal, Ignan —Favored Class: Paladin. Wizard Class Features: —Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, and quarterstaff, but not with any type of armor or shield. —Spells —Bonus Languages: Draconic —Immediate Magic Alternative Class Feature (Ex): 3 times per day, a specialist conjurer that chooses this alternate class feature can teleport herself up to 10 feet as an immediate action. She cannot bring anyone else. This is the equivalent of a 1st-level spell, and has a caster level of 3. This ability replaces a wizard's ability to summon a familiar. Master Specialist Prestige Class Features: —Spellcasting: Increase in wizard spellcasting progression each level. Valuable Items: Quarterstaff (0gp), Masterwork Light Crossbow (20 bolts; 337gp), Pearl of Power 1st lvl (1000gp), Cloak of Resistance +1 (1000gp), Hat of Disguise (1800gp), Arcanist's Gloves (500gp), 4 Potions of Cure Light Wounds (200gp) Non-Valuable Items: Bedroll (1sp), Belt Pouch (1gp), Chain (30gp), Small Steel Mirror (10gp), Trail Rations, 10 days (5gp), 50 ft Silk Rope (10gp), Waterskin (1gp), Everburning Torch (110gp), Magnifying Glass (100gp), Spell Component Pouch (5gp), Spellbook (0gp), Peasant's Outfit (0gp), Donkey (8gp), Pack Saddle (5gp). Feed, 10 days (5sp) Gold Left Over: 27pp, 7gp 4sp Past: ((The following has been extracted from the Twin Diaries of Sahtra Soulsought.)) 28th of the Snake, 2998 AC My name is Sahtra Reveren. I am fifteen years old, and an apprentice summoner. My father is Jahred Reveren. He is my master, and the master of the Greater Greed. My mother is Eliza Reveren. She is a priest of my lord. My home is the Greater Greed, a holy priesthood in Takhis. My lord is Mammon. He is my god, and will one day grant me eternal wealth for my loyalty. This is my diary. It is a gift to me on my birthday. May it serve as a permanent mark of my glorious deeds to my Lord. 3rd of the Albatross, 2999 AC Another guard patrol almost found our home. They paid the price for their inquisitiveness, when Father called upon a group of fell hounds to burn them alive. Father told me that I need more training if I'm to prove myself useful to my Lord during these moments. I am to redouble my study hours. I shall, for my Lord. I dare not question either Father or my Lord. 21st of the Albatross, 2999 AC I summoned my first fiend today. It was a corrupted viper. Father is proud with me, and promises that I will be able to use these spells when defending my home from the guard. However, I need to study more if I'm to reliably command the creatures in the name of my Lord. 15th of the Stag, 2999 AC The Greater Greed has finally struck the first blow against the forces of Good. Father has captured a lesser priest of the Exalted Conclave, and is planning to interrogate her. I am to watch and listen well to what the priest says. I feel uneasy. Mother says that it is because of guilt, and guilt is a weakness to be cast away in the name of my Lord. The priest, by opposing our movements, has forfeited her life to the Greater Greed, and she will reveal all. 17th of the Stag, 2999 AC The priest underwent interrogation today. She was stubborn in giving information about her church's movements against us. She kept talking about 'misunderstood the light,' and 'pity.' I asked Mother later, she said that pity is another form of guilt, and is part of the feelings that weaken us. The light is nothing but the carrot to be placed in front of the donkey, and represents what my Lord and His kin fight against. 21st of the Stag, 2999 AC The priest has been broken. She revealed that the Exalted Conclave's high church has asked for forces to purge Takhis of what she terms 'organizations that cling to evil.' Father then threw her into a cell to starve to death. The priest beckoned me, begged me to understand what I am doing to myself. I know what I am doing to myself. I am following the sacred creed of my Lord, and I am paving the way for riches and power beyond my imagination. 26th of the Stag, 2999 AC The fool. The short-sighted, moronic fool. She beckoned to me again from beyond her cell walls. I thought she was mad with hunger, but she didn't look any weaker. She told me her name is Helen. She preached to me lies about the false hope that I have been given, that I have contracted myself to my Lord, to spend a near-eternity of torture in his realm. Meager tales to persuade me from abandoning the Greater Greed. I am not fooled. My Lord does not lie to me. 30th of the Stag, 2999 AC Father is concerned that the moronic priest - Helen - hasn't starved to death yet. I can hear her beckoning to me every time I pass her cell. Father plans to counter the Exalted Conclave's move by poisoning their food supply. Lets see their holy gods protect them when they struggle for every last breath! My Lord's plan for this city is progressing well. 3rd of the Sparrow, 2999 AC Father's plan worked. I created a diversion in the form of the same viper that I summoned last year, and Father's creation poisoned the food. By the time that they figure out the food has been poisoned, half of them will be dead. And then, Father believes that we will be able to exert control over the rest through force. Political immunity organized by Mother will ensure that we won't be attacked by the guard. Father says my Lord will be pleased. Why does that moronic fool, Helen, keep nagging me? 4th of the Sparrow, 2999 AC She provoked me! She insulted my Lord in front of me! The moronic fool! She shall suffer hideous torture in my Lord's realm for her mouth! And I helped her along that way. I killed her with my summoned viper; bound as she was, her throat was an easy target. Father is displeased, but he doesn't realize that I saved him the trouble of killing her later. Why can I still hear her nagging? I must remember to talk to Mother about it. 6th of the Sparrow, 2999 AC This is all wrong! The poison was supposed to kill off the priesthood within a matter of days! Father went to check results, and he hasn't come back. The Exalted Conclave are here! They are slaughtering the Greater Greed like lambs! I'm blocking the door to my room, but I hear it, feel it, it's being rammed by something. They are coming, and there's nothing I can do to stop them. My viper has deserted me! My other incantations are used up! Still, the nagging! The preaching! Why can I still hear her? Helen is dead! Get out of my mind! The nagging. The preaching. I do not understand! Has my Lord forsaken me? Have I displeased my Lord? Gods, what have I done? What if she was right? She may have been trying to save me, and I killed her for it! Why can I only now see it? Helen, forgive me! Forgive me! They're breaking in! Helen, for~~ 12th of the Lion, 2999 AC My name is Sahtra Soulsought. I am 15 years old, and an apprentice summoner. My father is unknown to me, as is my mother. My home is the road, as it is the home of my master. My master is Phieran, the Tortured God. This is my diary. May it serve as an inspiration for others who suffer as I do. 13th of the Lion, 2999 AC I am used to this form of treatment by now. A month is all that I can remember vividly, though in the years before then, they haunt me. I can still hear the whispers in my head. They unsettle me. They tell me to turn towards the light, to abandon the darkness that will ultimately condemn me. I do not know how or why they reach my mind's ear. I cannot be seen. If I am seen by any human or other being, they scream and flee. I journey at night for this reason. Somehow, I can see clearly in the dark up to a short distance. I do not know how or why I can. I look at my skin in the revealing light of dawn, it is red. I do not know how or why that came to be. I pray that Phieran will show me in due course. 20th of the Lion, 2999 AC A beggar on the road approached me, and asked for money. Instead of money, I gave him some seeds that I had bought earlier for components. I told him to find a patch of land that nobody else can reach, and plant the seeds. And care for them, until they grow into great crops, which he can sell and buy more seeds with to support himself. The beggar thanked me for the gift, even though it was just a handful of seeds. He thanked Phieran. I asked him about Phieran, and he told me. The beggar taught me of the ways of the Tortured God, about how he sacrifices for others, and cares for those who suffer for the cause of holiness. I thanked the beggar for the gift, even though it was just a few words from a beggar. I thanked Phieran. This happened twenty days ago. 23rd of the Shark, 2999 AC I have arrived in a city called Takhis. This place makes me feel uncomfortable. Not because the guards are ever on the alert for people that look... like this. I feel uncomfortable because I feel like I am looking at my writing which I did not write, like my deeds which I have not done. The whispers grow louder. 25th of the Shark, 2999 AC I have gotten into Tarkis. I summoned a creature - a viper with skin red as my own - to distract the guards, and a cloud of fog to conceal my entrance. I have taken refuge in the Temple of the Exalted Conclave in Tarkis. The priests there - most of them, at least - saw past my appearance and inside me, they noticed something else. This place still unsettles me, however. These people, they appear to me as people that I have seen, though I know them not. One of the priests - who claims to hail Phieran also - has especially tended to me. His name is Harven. He looks at me strangely, as if he sees past me. The whispers grow louder when he is nearby. They continue telling me to turn towards the light. 28th of the Shark, 2999 AC Harven showed me something today. At nighttime, he took me to an abandoned house, and led me down to the cellar. It was no cellar, but a whole dungeon that seemed to be devoted to a devil lord. The whispers were very loud, that he had to speak louder so I could hear him. Harven told me that he and his fellow priests were poisoned by the people who used to live here - the Greater Greed. In retaliation, the militaristic members of the priesthood marched here and slaughtered every last one of the cultists. Harven says that his wife was kidnapped prior to the incident, and that they found her body with bloody tooth marks across the throat. Tooth marks like that of my summoned viper. Harven says they also found a girl there, who was scribbling on a diary the words of her wife's name. Helen. Harven was mercifully silent after then. I was left to myself and Helen's whispers. 30th of the Shark, 2999 AC This place - Tarkis - is too much for me to bear. Harven tells me that he knows Helen has not passed into the worlds beyond. I know as well, for Helen's Whispers would not still plague me if she had moved on. I resolved to find her, to put her soul at rest, to put Harven's heart at rest, to put my mind at rest. I set out tomorrow, with a goal to set my soul to. I know now that my soul has been condemned to Hell, but the best I can do is to find Helen, and to set right what I did wrong. Appearance: Sahtra appears to most as a wreck beyond hope, someone who appears to be 50 years old, or older. Sahtra's back is always hunched, and her clothing seems to have taken a wearing during her travels, appearing dusty and unclean. The gloves are worn, the cloak has been tattered, the belt pouch has a patch in it, and the bandana's color has long faded. However, the most striking part of Sahtra would have to be the chains that she keeps draped around herself like a scarf. These chains seem to drag her whole body down. Sahtra usually walks around as a human, but when she is denied the use of her hat of disguise, she appears more sinister. Her skin is of a red color, and she bears two horns that curve around and behind her like the horns of a red dragon. Her eyes glow with an eerie red color, and have deep sags down them that show her suffering more than any other part of her body would tell. Personality: The process of the Scourging has all but wiped Sahtra's memory of her past crimes, though she still knows that she has, in the past, committed acts of evil, and that only an epically heroic deed will save her from her well-deserved fate. Sahtra makes her daily life worth living by the knowledge that, where she is condemned, others will be free from corruption of the diabolical Baatezu. She struggles, day by day, to help those that are wavering see the true path, and to bring those that are irredeemable to their final judgment. Sahtra still suffers from what she terms, "Helen's Whispers." They plague her constantly, and get louder when Sahtra moves closer to events reminding her of her past life. Sahtra may seem distant or inattentive because of this, as Helen's Whispers continue to distract her. Sahtra reveres the Tortured God, Phieran, since of all the Exalted deities, he is the one that understands most Sahtra's plight. Sahtra does what she can to give the poor comfort, and she usually spends her time in cities doing work alongside the poor, such as giving them supplies, or sharing in their labour, or providing them with counsel and comfort. Friends and Foes: -The Greater Greed: It is not known if anybody truly survived the attack that wiped out the Greater Greed. One or two members may remain, and they would most likely confuse Sahtra with one who has made a pact with a devil or something, and would encourage her to commit acts of evil. -Mammon: Ooh, he's really peeved off that he didn't get Sahtra's soul. If any of his minions found her, she would quite literally have Hell to pay for. -The Fiendish Viper: Sahtra usually summons this creature, if not a small group of them. They seem to have taken on her feelings as well, and are there to comfort her when she is feeling lost, if even for a few precious moments. -Helen: Nobody knows where the spirit of the priest of the Exalted Conclave drifted off to after her mortal body was slain. It is she that Sahtra now seeks. -Harven: Half of him wants to kill Sahtra again for killing his wife, Helen, and he did actually get some satisfaction from Sahtra's loss when he told her what she did. The other half, however, pities her. Harven has secretly kept Sahtra's first diary, and also plans to collect the other diary - no matter the cost - when Sahtra dies again. -Yeah, it's a redeemed villain! There aren't enough redeemed villains in this contest, I say! More redeemed villains! Bet'cha weren't expecting a Redeemed Villain! *Does this crazy little Ha-I-pwn-u dance* -Twice a day, Sahtra casts Mage Armor on herself. She uses her Pearl of Power for the second time, so she has a +4 armor bonus for the 8 hours that is spent on traveling. Not figured into AC calculations. -The Exalted Conclave is not an organization of people, but an organization of all deities whose main focus is upholding the cause of good. They include Pelor, Phieran, Heironeous, and so on. Clerics of the same conclave tend to stick together. -If you're wondering why Sahtra's first diary ended midword, it's because she was killed midword. -Tarkis is a port city in the same country as Palend (where my last entry, Clafon Golegas, hailed from - though Clafon was born around the 3490's AC), and it is well-known for being a city of aloof thugs. Not a good neighborhood to hang out in. -Little bit of backstory behind the backstory here, but Helen's Whispers were inspired by some phenomenon I experienced two years ago during Summer. A mosquito woke me up during the night, so I slapped it and presumably killed it. However, every night then on for about three weeks, I could hear a mosquito flying around me and try how I might, I couldn't rid myself of that sound. Covering my ears, putting on insect repellant, hiding under the pillow, that didn't work. I could only drown out the sound with other noise. I know that I was imagining the sound, but it sounded very real and thus, very scary. -Spell Sahtra backwards and you get my inspiration for her name. Completely in reverse! -I would intend to have Sahtra go for the Malconvoker prestige class (Complete Scoundrel) after taking four levels in Master Specialist. -I agree with Mercurius that this competition is great for a DM as much as for a player - In my setting, Sahtra makes a deal with the nearby dwarven nation of Kander, which is being invaded by human forces from Sahtra's country in the 3010's AC. Sahtra summons an army of fiends to hold off the human forces, while a group of dwarven clerics calls upon a whole range of mountains to prevent the human armies from setting foot in the dwarven nation. Sahtra is killed by the earthquake that creates the mountains, but she attains salvation and is free from her hell-bound shackles. However, Sahtra never completes her quest to find the ghost of Helen, and suffered from her whispers until her final moments. -Bibliography: Hellbred from Fiendish Codex II (you can't stop me!); Phieran, the Tortured God, from Book of Exalted Deeds; Master Specialist Prestige Class from Complete Mage; Immediate Magic Alternative Class Feature from Players Handbook II; Devil's Favor bonus feat from Fiendish Codex II, Lesser Orb of Acid and Baleful Transposition from Spell Compendium, Arcanist's Gloves from Magic Item Compendium.
Zherog 06-11-07, 07:46 AM	To keep it short, my weekend went to :censored: hell in a handbasket right after I said I might have scores done Friday. My scores are in now; I'll post my comments when I find another 30 minutes or so free. Yes, life is still residing in that handbasket, and I'm pretty sure we're still passing through hell.
Zherog 06-11-07, 02:30 PM	So let’s start off the comments with a quick talk about some things I look for, and also about how I organize my feedback. I use three “categories” for organizing feedback to individual posters – Math Stuff, Background Stuff, and Other Stuff. Math Stuff: This is the crunchy bits of your character. It includes more than just math, though. If your BAB is wrong, I’ll point it out here; if you don’t qualify for a feat, I’ll point it out here; if you forgot languages, it’ll show up here. Background Stuff: This covers the fluff of your character. Anything having to do with who your character is will likely be talked about here. Other Stuff This is sort of the “catch all” category. Overall impressions about your character might be found here. Comments that have nothing to do with scoring (such as a “Z Rant”) will also be found in this section. So that’s how the feedback is organized. Let’s talk about things I look for. Description I want to know what your character looks like, how she dresses, and so on. Paint a mental picture for me. Family Everybody has a family. Tell me something about yours. And if you tell me they’re all dead, you’ll find you’re wrong. :) Allies Everybody has ‘em, so tell me about yours. Do you have a mentor who taught you your cool abilities? A childhood friend growing up? Whatever – give me somebody who likes you, the more specific the better. Adversaries Everybody has these, too. Whether it’s the neighborhood bully, the dude you stole the prom queen from, or whatever. More specific is better. I like names. Background matches abilities I swear, I once got a background from a player in a 1st level game that basically went on and on about all this stuff she did, to conclude with the sentence, “And that’s the story of how my character single-handedly slew the great wyrm red dragon.” :twitch: I want a background that matches your ability level; if you’re first level, no red dragon slayage. If you’re 12th level, don’t say, “He’s done some stuff here and there.” I don’t need details of every deed, but touch on some of the major points – especially in this contest, where you’re 12th level. One special note here. If you took a prestige class with one of those abilities such as “must make friendly contact with an outsider” or whatever, your background better hit upon that. Goals It’s not exactly part of your background, but it’s something I want to know about. In fact, in my game that’s been going for about 3 years now, I regularly (every 6-9 months) ask my players to reassess their character’s life goals. What’s the same? What’s changed? If I know what your character wants in life, I can tailor adventures to you. Personality This one is last intentionally. I don’t necessarily expect it with every character. Sometimes, you just don’t quite know for sure. It’s nice to have it there as a guide, but I don’t make a fuss if somebody doesn’t share it. You don’t need all of those things to make me happy. But if you skip your family (or tell me they’re all dead), don’t have any goals, have only one ally, and no enemies, there’s a good chance you’ll have a low score. Here’s what I look for when “grading” each section. Thematic Creativity How well did you embrace the theme? Did you think outside the proverbial box, or is your character a “cookie cutter” good guy? If you went with a cookie cutter theme, you can still score well here – but you really have to work a bit harder than somebody who hit me with a fresh look at the theme. That’s the sort of stuff affecting your score here. Background Did you weave your allies and enemies into your background, or did you toss them in to try to appease the wrathful judges? ;) Does your background match your level and numbers? Do you have goals? Does your background make sense? These are the things that go into making your score here. Rules Use Was your math correct? Did you qualify for all your feats? Did you have all your abilities listed on your character sheet? That sort of fun stuff is in this section. Clarity Typos and minor grammar errors are OK. Everybody makes ‘em, no matter how much they proofread. Significant errors, though, will impact your score. Grammar that’s so poor I can’t figure things out will impact your score. Could I find everything I wanted to find? When it was time to figure out your skills, could I easily find your totals? When I needed to check into your feats, were they easy to find? Were bonus feats labeled? If you used non-core information, did you let me know where to find it, or did I have to go do my own research? Overall, was your entry easy to read? Did you incorporate “white space” into your background text, or was it one long paragraph? Was your stat block neatly organized, or was it a jumbled mess that I had to make a DC 30 Decipher Script check to figure out? Those are the things you can expect to impact your clarity score. So, there’s the overview. On to the specifics. Math Stuff Feats: Subduing Strike, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (greatspear), Weapon Focus (greatspear), Combat Expertise, Short Haft, Improved Disarm Ideally, your fighter bonus feats are marked somehow. Standard format says to use a superscript ‘B’ after them, but I’m OK with any format to denote them. I can find the info by looking into your “build” sblock. 10 tanglefoot bags (500 gp) Well, that sure takes subduing your target to new levels. ;) You have a good Strength, and a warhorse, and a pack mule, so this is a moot point for Garrett. But I’ll point it out to others (because it’s a lesson I learned while making a weak-like-a-ninja wizard recently) – tanglefoot bags are freakin’ heavy! Each of those little bags of goo weighs four pounds! That adds up fast when you’re an elf wizard with an 8 Strength! Very nicely done on the stats! I do worry, however, about somebody who’s a front line fighter with a 10 Con. At your current hit points, you’re really just a crit away from being either unconscious or even dead. Just a quick example, if you were fighting your evil twin, a crit from his greatspear would (on average) kill you, even if you had taken no damage previously. Background Stuff Overall, it’s well written, easy to read, and generally entertaining. There’s a few things I find to be discrepancies, though. For one, I don’t particularly think a wizard who was in charge of interrogation would result to torture. Detect thoughts is a second level spell, so it’s available to third level wizards. If he’s willing to work with a cleric, zone of truth is also a second level spell. The two combined are far more reliable ways of interrogating a prisoner than torture. Also, it seems to me that Garrett’s background has a bit of “going beyond his means.” What I mean is, for example, he single-handedly captured the assassin where all the other guards failed, even though he was probably 3rd level or so? Similarly, he was the one who was capable of capturing the cult leader, again while he’s 3rd level or so? These events just strike me as things that seem a bit beyond his abilities. As a clarity sort of issue, I think it would’ve made more sense to put your “background” block first, then your “current status” block. With the way you have it, a lot of stuff in your “current status” section didn’t make sense. The Red Dragon Cult is an interesting villain for the GM to develop and work with. I’d still like to see a named rival, when possible, worked into the background. Something as simple as another guard Garrett beat out for his current position. Other Stuff Overall, I think you did a fine job hitting the theme. There’s plenty of moral ground to explore as Garrett moves through life, in particular his feelings towards Rex’s methods. I do question Garrett’s willingness to allow the torture he knows is taking place to continue. So it would definitely be a point I would push were I running the game. You have a few weaknesses you should look to cover up as the character advances in life. First, and foremost in my opinion, is his lack of a ranged attack. I can totally understand not wanting to chuck his spear around, but he should have a bow or crossbow. You can talk about honor and all that all you want, but there are just times you need a ranged weapon. The second thing you should look at covering as you level is your poor saves. Even your Fort save is on the low side, thanks to your low Con. But you should be especially concerned about your Will save, because you’re just asking to be the subject of enchantment spells that turn you into your party’s enemy (such as dominate person), or that remove you from combat (hold person and suggestion come to mind). Your Reflex save is low, too; more hit points (from a higher Con) would help make that matter less. Math Stuff Hit Dice (hp): 4d8+4 (29) I get 25. Eight at first level, 4.5 each additional level. 8+(4.5*3) = 8+13.5=21.5. Then we get four more from Con, for a total of 25.5, which rounds down to 25. Turn Undead 1/day (-2 on check, +1 on turning damage, as 3rd level cleric) You receive a +2 bonus to your turn checks as a result of a synergy from your ranks in Knowledge (religion). Skills: >>sniperoo<< You’re missing skill points. Church Inquisitor gets 4 skill points per level, not 2. So you have 2 more skill points you could spend at 4th level. Also, I’m curious why you list Craft, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Heal, and Profession, but you don’t list Listen and Spot. Also also, you can make untrained Knowledge checks, so your value for history is +1 not NA. However, you are limited to only learning stuff that has a DC of 10 or less. Languages: Common, Orc Half-orcs automatically know those two languages; your Int allows you one bonus language. Dagger (2/1) Do you carry these for decoration? ;) You don’t have them in your attack line in your stat block. Silver holy symbol (starburst) (1/-) A silver holy symbol costs 25 gold pieces and weighs 1 pound. Healers’ kit (10 uses) (50/1) Shouldn’t the bonus from this (+2) be noted in your Heal skill? Also, I bet ya Jason points out you’re running around nekkid. :D Commonly Memorized Spells Just a comment – no effect on your score. Whenever I play a cleric, I find it’s more efficient to purchase (or make) scrolls of things like lesser restoration or remove fear. They’re not spells you need often, but you sure don’t want to be without ‘em when you do need them. Now, you lack money, which is always a deterrent to having a lot of scrolls. And, you’ve started down this sort of path, it seems, with some of the scrolls you do you have. Background Stuff He was assigned as a lesser priest to support Fulsom I think Johnny Cash sung a song about him. :P Korin Onyxlathe Cool name! I think overall, your background is good. There’s room for a GM to work in events as needed, there’s some undefined stuff (his parents, the fate of Fulsom, etc). Basically, there’s stuff to work with. There’s two things I would do were this PC to come to my table. 1) You can be certain you’d learn who at least one parent was, if not both. It’s way too much fun for me to fill in those sort of blanks. :) 2) The very first thought I had for a plot arc involving your character was a follower of Vecna who used secrets to get Tarum to do things he otherwise wouldn’t – generally things that would advance the goals of Vecna behind the scenes, perhaps even at the expense of Cuthbert. Of course, you’d also, in time, be given the opportunity to figure it out and seek your vengeance. :) One thing I wasn’t too keen on was the corruption you uncovered within your organization. Normally, the story you spun would be fine; but here, it’s actually a pre-req for your prestige class. I’m just not completely convinced it’s a compelling enough plot as it’s currently defined to qualify for the prestige class entry. *shrug* Other Stuff I like the church inquisitor prestige class – I generally like any cleric prestige class where I can pick up another domain. But I never really paid attention to how early you can enter the class. I would prefer fewer sblocks. Your frequent use of white space within the sblocks is appreciated, however. I was expecting to see a cleric or two, though you score some kudos for working in a prestige class I like. Math Stuff Full Attack with Quarterstaff: Flurry of Blows +1/+1 melee (1d6/1d6) I’m not getting +1/+1. Your BAB is +2, your Strength is –1, and your weapon has a +1 enhancement bonus. Your monk levels give you a flurry of blows of 1 extra attack but with a –2 to all attacks. So your flurry with the quarterstaff should be +0/+0. Full Attack with Unarmed Strike: Flurry of Blows +0/+0 melee (1d6-1/1d6-1) Same basic problem here. BAB +2, Str –1, flurry –2 = –1/–1. Skills: Diplomacy 2 ... Gather Information 2 These should be +4 = +2 racial, +2 Cha. Jump 1 This should be +3. According to your breakdown, you have 2 ranks; you have a –1 Strength mod, and you gain a +2 synergy from having 5 ranks in Tumble. 2+2–1=3. Spellcraft 4 This should be +6; you gain a +2 synergy from 5 ranks in Knowledge (arcana). In addition, you should have Balance listed on your sheet at +4 – you gain a synergy to that from Tumble as well. You also seem to have one skill point unspent at level 3: Level 3: Bluff 2, Decipher Script 1, Disable Device 1, Search 2, Spellcraft 1 2+1+1+2+1=7; you have 8 skill points at every spellthief level. Feats: Combat Expertise, Stunning Fist, Combat Reflexes, Improved Feint I’d prefer seeing your bonus feats marked in some way. You can do superscript on the boards with the SUP code; even just putting (b) after them is OK. But finding some way to mark them is a good idea. +1 Quarterstaff – 1,600gp/ 4lbs. This should be either 2600 gp (if you’re only enchanting one end) or 4600 if you’re enchanting both ends. In either case, your value would’ve been above the limits for an individual item in this contest. 2 Tanglefoot Bags - 100gp/ 4lbs Each tanglefoot bag weighs 4 pounds; the total should be 8. It’s especially important because that extra 4 pounds is enough to push you into a medium load. 3 Cure Moderate Wounds – 900gp/ - 2 Remove Curse – 1,500 gp/ - Potions, presumably? Total Cost: 5,279gp, 4sp, 2cp ... 120gp, 5sp, 198cp - 6lbs. The total cost is correct (not counting the error in your quarterstaff cost). Which would leave you with 120.58 gp left over. You have 122.48 in cash here – too much, obviously. Background Stuff Felix picked up his teachings so quickly that his teachers decided he would be perfect for a new type of magical studies. He was taught to manipulate the magic of others. So... as a seven year old child, he was so good at learning to punch people that he gained two levels in the monk class? I mean, even if it took 10 years to perform his studies, he didn’t really do anything to gain the monk levels. They both agreed that it was the duty of those who followed Boccob to find evil artifacts and magic and destroy them, returning there magical energies back into the world. But Big B is true neutral – why would he care about destroying evil magic? In fact, that seems rather counter to Boccob’s teachings – magic is magic. After they completed their training they would venture out from the monastery in search of those that would use magic to hurt the common people. So where’s Alessio now? Why has Felix stopped adventuring with him? Felix seems to have decent allies, named and unnamed; all his enemies seem to be unnamed people he’s defeated in his past. He has family, which is good; and he has goals, albeit simple ones for now, which is also good. So there’s definitely stuff for a GM to work with in his background. Other Stuff I’d personally prefer fewer sblocks. Math Stuff Spellcraft……………………......+7 (4ranks + 1int + 2synergy) You have five ranks in Spellcraft (at least according to your level breakdown), so you should have a +8 total here. Spells: 5 zero level spells and 2 first level spells known, 2 zero and 1 first per day. A second level bard has 3 zero level spells and 0 first level spells; your 15 Charisma grants you a bonus first level spell. So you should be able to cast 3 zero level and 1 first level spell each day. Bardic Music:>>snipperoo<< You should list your uses per day somewhere in this section. You should have 4 (since your pally levels stack for determining uses per day). Smite Evil: +6 damage on melee attack against evil creature, useable 1/day. Normally for smite evil, the paladin adds her Charisma modifier to attack rolls and her paladin level to damage rolls; your Devoted Performer feat allows you to also add your bard levels. So your smite should be +2 to attack and +4 to damage. Equipment Full Plate Armor….…………………………..........1,500gp Wand of Cure Light Wounds…………...........750gp Masterwork Falchion…….…………………........375gp Potion of Barkskin (+4)………………………......900gp Potion of Haste……………………………….........750gp Potion of Eagle’s Splendor…………………......300gp 4 Flasks of Holy Water………………………......100gp Explorer’s Outfit……………………………...........Free at char. gen. At the risk of sounding like Jason…. You have a general lack of equipment. Heck – you don’t have food to eat or water to drink. You don’t even have a backpack or belt pouch for carrying your potions and holy water. Now, granted, you have a ton of cash left over and the basic equipment you need can easily be purchased. But you should take the time to include at least some basic items (food, waterskin, whetstone (for maintaining your blade), backpack, etc). when he has to cast a spell such as Charm Person in armor, he uses the Still Spell feat. You are aware he can’t cast a Stilled charm person right? Still Spell adds one to the spell level, making a Stilled charm person a second level spell. You don’t have any second level slots. Background Stuff So, a large part of judging is subjective. And here’s a place where that’s going to come into play. Frankly, I found your background a bit dark. It wasn’t bad, just darker than I expected. A few things to point out from your background: Emilio taught Dionisio the Elven language and turned his budding singing talent into magic. First part first. Technically speaking, Dionisio should know Elven from first level. It’s not particularly clear what level he is when he enters prison, but given this general statement he almost needs to be “level 0.” As for magic – I would expect a high security prison in a D&D world to be enshrouded in an anti-magic field of some sort. Magic is to predominant within the world to risk allowing a caster to use his or her talents. You have very good enemies to deal with, including one you failed to mention in your summary. Surely those who run Citadel 101 seek to recapture Dionisio and return him to jail where he belongs, yes? Other Stuff Deity: none I always find this to be an interesting, and odd, choice in a world where there’s generally direct evidence the gods exist. *shrug* I was expecting to see a paladin or two in this contest; I wasn’t anticipating somebody making a bard/paladin however. So Kudos for taking one of the concepts I thought “obvious” for this contest and turning it on its side a bit. Math Stuff WIS 11 (+0), CHA 9 (-1) Just curious – why not make ‘em both 10? Jump –1( 7 Ranks 3 str, -11 penalty) Kudos for remembering the penalty from your reduced speed. Silvered Longsword Masterwork (315 gp). This weapon isn’t mentioned in your attack stats. Also, making a one-handed weapon alchemical silver adds 90 gold to the cost, so this weapon should cost 405g. Oil (pint) (1 sp); Oil (pint) (1 sp) You could’ve just said you had two of them… ;) Climber`s kit, Masterwork (130 gp) This should be included in your skill section. Also, I’m not sure where a “masterwork” climber’s kit comes from. Traveler`s outfit (1 gp) You get this free. You don’t have grapple listed anywhere on your character sheet (though it works out to be the same number as your melee base attack). Background Stuff Even after learning the proper techniques for the sword, Hilda still resorted to her hands when she really needed to fight, however. I like how fist fighting is woven into her background, from getting into fights as a kid to this line here. She, with the help of two like-minded people she met at the bar and a friend from the wizards’ school down the road left to go adventuring. Why would she be looking to leave that group now? Overall, you have decent allies; you could probably use a few rivals. There’s the noble, of course, as well as anybody else whose nose you broke. I’m not quite sure what her goals are in life, either. Is she just looking to roam around, looking for evil noses to break, or does she have some other goal in mind on top of that one? Other Stuff I like Hilda (even if her name sounds more dwarven than human ;) ). I think a GM could have a lot of fun leading her into “trouble” with bar brawls and the like. I’d like to see a bit more structure to your stat block the next time you enter. Using things like bold and underline for headings, for example, really helps. You want to be able to find things as quick as possible. Math Stuff AC: 11 (+1 Armor, +0 Dex) Touch: 10, Flatfooted: 11 Ouch. That’s painfully low... Listen: +5 (+1 ranks, +2 elf, +2 familiar) :confused: According to your math section, you didn’t spend a cross-class rank, you’re not an elf, and you don’t have a familiar... Cut and paste error for a previous character? On your skills in a more general sense... I’m not a fan of spreading skills as thin as you have. I know the idea is to generally be decent at a bunch of things, but in reality I find it really just makes you bad at everything. For example, you have one rank in Concentration. That’s really not going to help you very much; same for your one rank in Sense Motive. I personally find it’s best to pick a handful of skills and opt to be really good, rather than to spread out skill points like you’ve done here. Scroll case x3 (3 gp) Flint steel x2 (2 gp) ... Hammer x2 (1 gp) Just curious – why’d you buy multiples of those? Especially three scroll cases... Shortspear (1 gp) You don’t have stats for this in your “attack” section. Healing (+1 caster level for healing spells) Ugh. In my opinion, this is the single worst domain in the core books. Level 0: ... Cure Minor wounds ... Level 2: Cure moderate Wounds (Domain spell) In my opinion, a good aligned cleric should never, ever, ever prepare a healing spell. There’s really no reason at all to do so – and that’s really what makes the healing domain so sucktacular. You can already spontaneously cast a majority of the spells on the domain list; there’s no reason at all to prepare them. For your level 0 spell: You can already spontaneously cast any spell you prepare at that level as a cure minor wounds, so why wouldn’t you take advantage of the flexibility and prepare something like read magic? For your level 2 domain spell – again, you can spontaneously convert any other spell of that level into this spell; you’re better off prepping your domain spell from the Community domain, just because it provides you more flexibility over all. Background Stuff he was unable to escape the swath of Lemures How many make up a “swath?” I ask because Trey – presumably a first level cleric at the time – was able to slay them all, single-handedly. If a “swath” is more than three, I find it a little hard to believe. You touched upon some rather dark elements, but you glossed past them about as quick as possible (which is my preferred method). You definitely have allies and enemies and plot hooks hanging around in your background – plenty of stuff for a GM to use to motivate your character. So that’s a very good thing. I’ve always worried about the Vow of Nonviolence (and Vow of Peace, a likely next step for Trey). I see them both as being potential conflicts in gaming groups. Still, we didn’t disallow them, so there’s no problem with you using them here. I liked how you took the “godless cleric” rules and added flavor to it. In my opinion you took a rule that is often criticized as being dumb and made it a part of your character, and did so with a lot of flavor. Other Stuff I love the picture! I mentioned I could see Vow of Peace in her future; there’s other things I could see, too – in particular, she seems a good feat thematically for the Vow of Poverty (the angels provide for her); she also might make an interesting member of the Apostle of Peace prestige class. I think your character sheet section could benefit from a little more formatting and better organization. Math Stuff *Vow of Poverty grants a bonus exalted feat at 1st level and every even level thereafter (see Save My Game: Vow of Poverty, Part 1 for official declaration of the level one bonus feat. If you disagree, discount her Vow of Abstinence.) People disagree with that, or need a Rules of the Game article to figure it out? :uh-huh: The numbers look good to me. In fact, this character is the first time I’ve ever handed out a perfect 10 on Rules Use. I couldn’t find even a vague typo to use to dock you a half point in the category. Background Stuff my mother, Delilah ... Heh. One of the most popular strip clubs in this area is Delilah’s Den. They even advertise on the radio... Against undead, constructs, and other enemies with whom she cannot reason, she must rely upon illusions and her very limited combat prowess... Too bad most constructs and several types of undead are immune to illusions (or, at least, the ones that are mind-affecting). She wears her auburn hair... For whatever reason, it seems a great many female characters have red hair... I found your background had enough material to support Sophia having gained four levels in her life; you touched upon the highlights, and left enough things open ended to fill in the blanks. She definitely has allies, and she certainly has foes – both a long term foe, as well as lesser foes, more like rivals really. I generally like first person narratives. Usually, I can hear the “voice” of the person telling the story; this time, though, I couldn’t. *shrug* It was still well-written (a few typos, but those are to be expected), and provided the information it needed to. Other Stuff I fully expected to see the Vow of Poverty in play in this contest, since we opened up the books to include BoED. Frankly, I was surprised it took until the next to last character for that highly popular feat to appear. The most fun I’ve ever had roleplaying a character was a paladin/monk with the VoP. Not owning anything sounds easy – until you try. It was made especially difficult because it was an Eberron game, and Drusai (my character) couldn’t own traveling papers – which made almost every excursion outside of Sharn an interesting display of my Diplomacy skill, as I’d try to talk my way into whatever country we traveled to. I would be a bit worried about how your Vow of Non-Violence would play out in a group. However, we didn’t disallow it, so it’s perfectly OK to use it. Math Stuff Skills: >>snipperoo<< I’m not a big fan of spreading skills thin. Splitting skills between your two Craft skills is one thing; but, in my opinion, you’re only hurting yourself by not maxing out a few skills. Banded Mail +1, 1250 Banded mail costs 250, but you forgot to make it masterwork. This should cost 1400gp. Heavy Steel Shield +1, 1020 Same here. It should cost 1170. Steel Holy Symbol (price as silver), 25 I’d actually allow the price to be lower... Background Stuff Despite the best efforts of the healers Quentyn’s left hand was left partially crippled. He could still grip things, but all dexterity was gone. There’s an interesting solution to that, if you happen to know a 13th level cleric. Chop it off then cast regenerate. :D Gathering all his courage Quentyn charged and attacked. This furious blow felled the enemy commander and proved a turning point in the battle against the reinforcements. So he dropped the BBEG in one shot? While, what, third level? Maybe fourth by then. Those hobgoblins must’ve had weak commanders... Overall, it’s an interesting story. I have a little difficulty buying the “felled the enemy commander” thing – but I can look past that easy enough for the purposes of a story. He has decent allies – including a handful of unnamed ones that could be pulled out by a GM if necessary (soldiers he fought with, or even saved; childhood friends; and so on). His enemy list seems a bit weak, but it’s still something to work with. His life goals are, at the moment, flexible. I’d imagine it wouldn’t be too terribly difficult to get him into a campaign, or pull him into an adventure hook. Other Stuff In my opinion, the fewer sblocks, the better. And now, back to the turmoil that is my day job... maybe I can finally figure out how to steer this handbasket...
Kit_the_Odd 06-11-07, 03:05 PM	Thanks for the comments. Math Stuff I’m not a big fan of spreading skills thin. Splitting skills between your two Craft skills is one thing; but, in my opinion, you’re only hurting yourself by not maxing out a few skills. I tend to agree, but in this case I was trying to balance effectiveness with a character that doesn't know how to 'optimize' himself. In other words, Quentyn didn't spend effort becoming a better paladin because he didn't know he was a paladin. Banded mail costs 250, but you forgot to make it masterwork. This should cost 1400gp. D'oh! As far as the holy symbol price, I basically went with a higher price because I figured it was a safer answer than trying to argue for a lower price as far as the competition went. Of course, if I hadn't gotten my armor too cheaply I may have been hurting enough for gp to make that argument. :( Background Stuff There’s an interesting solution to that, if you happen to know a 13th level cleric. Chop it off then cast regenerate. :D I know, but it was just a flavor thing. Plus there are a limited number of 13th level clerics in the world. :P So he dropped the BBEG in one shot? While, what, third level? Maybe fourth by then. Those hobgoblins must’ve had weak commanders... Overall, it’s an interesting story. I have a little difficulty buying the “felled the enemy commander” thing – but I can look past that easy enough for the purposes of a story. Basically I thought of this as the first time he used his Smite Evil ability along with (most likely) a Power Attack. Plus I didn't think of the enemy commander being THAT much tougher than his troops, just in charge. Figure him with 2 levels of Fighter (ECL 3 and 2d10+4) for around 15 hit points. Quentyn's attack would be 1d8 + 3Str + 3Smite, or an average of 10. If he attacked 2 handed, power attacked, or critted he could do it even if the target was at full health. So it was an extraordinary blow and mostly in his story as an example of him using his paladin abilities prior to realizing he was a paladin, but it is within reason for Quentyn at 3rd level. Other Stuff In my opinion, the fewer sblocks, the better. Ah, the age old debate. :D I'm not sure I agree with you (long pages of unbroken stuff grate on my nerves) but I'll be sure to keep that in mind in the future. Thanks again for your efforts and comments.
wrecan 06-11-07, 03:09 PM	Thanks Zherog for the comments. Just a few friendly responses. HP: I get 25. Doh! That was a result of having dropped his Con and his Con bonus, but not his hp. Phooey. You receive a +2 bonus to your turn checks as a result of a synergy from your ranks in Knowledge (religion). Yeah, I noticed that right after the editing period ended. Also, I’m curious why you list Craft, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Heal, and Profession, but you don’t list Listen and Spot. I only listed the Class Skills. I'm pretty sure Spot and Listen aren't on the list. Also also, you can make untrained Knowledge checks, so your value for history is +1 not NA. However, you are limited to only learning stuff that has a DC of 10 or less. That seemed a bit complicated to explain in full in a short stat block. These contests are always a struggle between completeness and clarity. Do you carry these for decoration? ;) You don’t have them in your attack line in your stat block. Completeness v. Clarity. A silver holy symbol costs 25 gold pieces and weighs 1 pound. Shoot. I forgot to upgrade the price/weight. It was originally wooden. Shouldn’t the bonus from this (+2) be noted in your Heal skill? Why? He can only do it ten times. He'll give himself the boost when he deems it necessary. Also, I bet ya Jason points out you’re running around nekkid. :D He's wearing full plate! If he were wearing clothes on top of that he'd be overdressed. The suit includes gauntlets, heavy leather boots, a visored helmet, and a thick layer of padding that is worn underneath the armor. I find it’s more efficient to purchase (or make) scrolls of things like lesser restoration or remove fear. In my campaigns, I use these spells a lot, so I spend my money on other stuff. 1) You can be certain you’d learn who at least one parent was, if not both. That would be totally awesome. I put them in just for that purpose. 2) The very first thought I had for a plot arc involving your character was a follower of Vecna who used secrets to get Tarum to do things he otherwise wouldn’t That's exactly the sort of thing I imagine Milgram would want to do. One thing I wasn’t too keen on was the corruption you uncovered within your organization. Really? I didn't think it had to be so onerous. Otherwise there'd be very few Church Inquisitors (which I guess is just a difference in style). I always thought this pre-req was weird anyway. Inquisitors are found only in Churches so incompetent they actually breed conspiracies ot be uncovered. I would prefer fewer sblocks. Meh. My first entry, a judge told me it was distracting without sblocks. Again, thanks for the comments!!
TheScapegoat 06-11-07, 03:14 PM	Math Stuff I’m not getting +1/+1. Your BAB is +2, your Strength is –1, and your weapon has a +1 enhancement bonus. Your monk levels give you a flurry of blows of 1 extra attack but with a –2 to all attacks. So your flurry with the quarterstaff should be +0/+0. Same basic problem here. BAB +2, Str –1, flurry –2 = –1/–1. What I did was (incorrectly) was making it a -1 to all attacks because that is what it says for Monk level 2, but it is taking into account the BAB of the monk (I believe) but I took it as a -1 AND added the +1 BAB. These should be +4 = +2 racial, +2 Cha. This should be +3. According to your breakdown, you have 2 ranks; you have a –1 Strength mod, and you gain a +2 synergy from having 5 ranks in Tumble. 2+2–1=3. This should be +6; you gain a +2 synergy from 5 ranks in Knowledge (arcana). In addition, you should have Balance listed on your sheet at +4 – you gain a synergy to that from Tumble as well. You also seem to have one skill point unspent at level 3: 2+1+1+2+1=7; you have 8 skill points at every spellthief level. Doh! I’d prefer seeing your bonus feats marked in some way. You can do superscript on the boards with the SUP code; even just putting (b) after them is OK. But finding some way to mark them is a good idea. I'll be sure to do that next time. This should be either 2600 gp (if you’re only enchanting one end) or 4600 if you’re enchanting both ends. In either case, your value would’ve been above the limits for an individual item in this contest. Didn't realize that you had to enchant both sides as I do not think I have ever used a 2 sided weapon before (which is odd) learn something every day. Each tanglefoot bag weighs 4 pounds; the total should be 8. It’s especially important because that extra 4 pounds is enough to push you into a medium load. Doh! Potions, presumably? Yup, sorry. The total cost is correct (not counting the error in your quarterstaff cost). Which would leave you with 120.58 gp left over. You have 122.48 in cash here – too much, obviously. Doh! (Alot of Dohs, but I was expecting. Background Stuff So... as a seven year old child, he was so good at learning to punch people that he gained two levels in the monk class? I mean, even if it took 10 years to perform his studies, he didn’t really do anything to gain the monk levels. Yeah I've no realized I should have mentioned in someway how long his training was. It wasn't meant that he learned it at seven years old. Just rather quickly. As well as his monk studies never truly stopped. His spell thief training just became part of it. I will defiantly make sure I give more details in the next competition. But Big B is true neutral – why would he care about destroying evil magic? In fact, that seems rather counter to Boccob’s teachings – magic is magic. Yes, but isn't everything open to interpretations? If magic is used for bad people will fear it, these particular characters believed that magic was a good thing and thus wanted to rid the bad uses of it. Characters do not know a god's alignment and can interpret the wills differently. This might cause a cleric to lose his powers possibly but Felix is not a cleric. Though I guess I can see your point as far as raw about Boccob and how it should be portrayed. So where’s Alessio now? Why has Felix stopped adventuring with him? Thought that was explained: Long time friend of Alessio and fellow adventurer. Alessio can generally be found alongside Felix. He takes frequent trips back to the monastery in which he and Felix where trained in order to do research and further his academic study. Felix seems to have decent allies, named and unnamed; all his enemies seem to be unnamed people he’s defeated in his past. He has family, which is good; and he has goals, albeit simple ones for now, which is also good. So there’s definitely stuff for a GM to work with in his background. Other Stuff I’d personally prefer fewer sblocks. I'll keep that in mind next time. Since it was my first I figured I would use a similar format to the other posters and they seemed to be using SBs. Live and learn :D. Thanks for all the feedback, should help me get it right next time.
JasonOrlandoHawk 06-11-07, 03:20 PM	Ok, I guess I can go ahead and post comments. As always, allow me to post my usual disclaimer: When judging, it is my responsibility to point out flaws and mistakes, which means my work is mostly negative. Please do not take offense at any comments presented. All characters were excellent, and you should applaud yourself for taking the time to enter this competition. Now, on to general comments: I break down my comments into the same four categories that the entries are judged on. Here's what I expect from each category, in general. (Please note: specific comments will follow shortly.) Thematic Creativity Those of you who are used to me know I typically judge this category very quickly, and then move on to the other categories. I didn't do that this time. This category was actually the category that I judged the most harshly this time around. Why? "Epitome of Exalted." You are the best of a rare breed of person, and I wanted details as to why. Chapter 1 of BoED spells out what an Exalted character looks like (Helping others, Charity, Healing/Good Spells, Personal Sacrifice, Worshipping Good Aligned Deities, Mercy, Forgiveness, Bringing Hope, Redeeming Evil, Ends do not justify Means, Avoiding Unnecessary Violence, Healthy/Respectful/Mature Relationships, High Standards for Crime & Punishment). If your character didn't hit one of those ideas, you scored really low. Also, I read the BoED pretty literally when it came to those subjects. One common example in this competition. BoED states that (Clerics in specific) worship of a Neutral Deity, even if you yourself are good, means you're not an Exalted character. Background I'm similar to Zherog on this category. Allies. Enemies. Plot Hooks. Justification for your Level. Personality. Etc... The main question is this: would this character be welcome in a game that I was running? See character specific comments. Rules Use/Mechanics I divide these comments into two sections. Mechanics: This is RAW. Is your BAB correct? Did you tally skill points correctly? Are your HP correct? Rules Use: For lack of a better term, this is the "Power-Gaming" category. No, I don't expect you to be able to kill the Tarrasque at level 4 (if it was a level 8 competition, maybe ;) ), but I do expect your character to function effectively in a party. If you don't do anything well, you'll hamper the party you travel with, which is why I expect you to be able to use the rules effectively. Clarity I work in the Public School System. I am a teacher. Deal with it. Cite your Sources: Any material from outside the Core 3 should be cited (i.e.: Vow of Peace p.48 BoED) so that people who are not familiar with the material know where to find it. Additionally, (though it wasn't an issue this time around), I expect you to cite ANY non-standard races, even if they are from the MM. Red Ink: Literally Spelling and Grammar. If I wanted to pull out my Red Ink Pen, you lost points. Beyond those two, I want to be able to read your character easily, and be able to determine where everything comes from quickly. Level-by-level breakdowns do a lot for you in this category. One note, I ultimately do not care about Sblocks. They don't copy into Microsoft Word, so they don't hamper me a bit.
JasonOrlandoHawk 06-11-07, 03:42 PM	So, without further ado and in no particular order (ok, so the last part is a lie... in the order that Word organizes the files), here are everyone's comments... Thematic Creativity •Primary Exalted Characteristic: Charity to your hometown. •Primary Shortcomings: BoED pg. 11 (Crime & Punishment section) “Yes, delivering a person over to be tortured, even if the person is thoroughly evil and the torturers are a legitimate authority, is evil.” Since you have the BoED, I have to count off for this. •Your relationship to Rex, while excellent background material, really challenges your Exalted status. Background •Despite the problems w/ earning Exalted status for your character, this is a character that would definitely be welcome in one of my games. It is very usable. •Your background is a little long (not quite fatal to kittens), but very usable. You have a ready list of allies, enemies, and plot hooks. Another “job opportunity” for Captain Garrett would be to perform mercenary jobs for the cities that are bothering Obsidian City. “I’ll help you with the Hobgoblin problem, in exchange for a reduction of the next quota from my town.” •Despite the problems your relationship with Rex causes under Thematic Creativity, it adds a lot of depth to your background. Rules Use/Mechanics •Rules Use #1: Reasons I hate the Point Buy System: You’re basically being punished for being good at what a Fighter is supposed to be good at doing, namely hitting stuff. The starting 18 in Strength has left you with pitiful saves, and the 10 Con score threatens your status as a melee fighter (or, at least it will at later levels). You didn’t lose much, in terms of your score, but I would strongly recommend that this character invest in several defensive and stat boosting magic items throughout his career (which you’ve started w/ the Cloak of Resistance). I sincerely hate Point Buy. •Mechanics: You did wonderfully under the “Mechanics” heading. I could back into your skills, attacks, and feats w/o any difficulty. Kudos. •Recommendation: This character would greatly benefit from the Mounted Combat Feat tree. It might have even been a good idea to replace Improved Disarm or WF (Greatspear) so that you would have that option already available. Clarity •Cited Sources! •Minor Red Ink: Work on your commas in a few places… •Everything was easy to read and follow. Good job! One request: Since Disarming is such a useful tactic for this character, you may have wanted to list your bonus to the roll. Thematic Creativity •Primary Exalted Attribute: Mercy/Forgiveness towards David. Mercy in general. •This is a very Exalted character, and I greatly enjoyed reading this submission. Everything from your appearance to your personality to your quest to liberate your children (taking precedence over a quest for revenge) says “Exalted.” •Cool Picture! All I can say is WoW! Background •Very, very compelling story. Overall, I do feel as if this character is a magnet for everything cruel and inhuman that can happen to a person. (As a GM, I would have a hard time tormenting this character beyond what you’ve already done to him.) •I would’ve thought you’d have gained your Bard levels (or, at least your first level) prior to imprisonment. Since you made your living that way, I would say it was justified. (There’s still not much a lone bard can do versus a drunken group of soldiers, so your story wouldn’t have been altered much.) •Main issue: Being allied to your character is apparently fatal. Ok, so your children are still alive, but even then… A living ally would be nice (and there’s no reason Emilio didn’t survive). Everything else (enemies, plot hooks, etc…) are all very usable. This character would be welcome in one of my games. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: Smite Evil: Your bonus to damage on Smite Evil is +4, not +6. •Mechanics #2: Still Spell & Charm Person: Your Still Spell + Charm Person combo doesn’t work yet, because you would need to expend a level 2 spell slot in order to use it. (Still, an excellent idea for later levels.) •Mechanics #3: Your add your Charisma bonus on attack rolls w/ Smite Evil. •Rules Use #1: Purpose in a Party: This hasn’t hit you yet, but by Level 7 or 8, you would really want to focus your character on something. Bards stand back and sing. Paladins hit things, and hit evil things even harder. Go back and forth too much, and you’ll lose the ability to do either one well. (Still, you have an excellent, none Sorceror, Charisma build going.) •Future Consideration: You will eventually be acquiring a Special Mount, which depending on your focus, could be very helpful or ultimately unnecessary. However, if you intend to make use of the Special Mount (and if melee is your focus, why wouldn’t you), you’ll need to start on the Mounted Combat feats soon. Clarity •Cited Sources! •Very Minor Red Ink issues. (You misspelled “Divine” Grace up by your saving throws.) •List Class abilities in a more simplified format. Bardic Music 4/day (options: Fascinate, Countersong, Inspire Courage +1). Make a special effort to list times/day on special abilities such as Bardic Music. •You worded Devoted Performer poorly. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, but be careful how you explain things in the future. Thematic Creativity •Primary Exalted Trait: Strong, Healthy Friendships (See “Relationships” BoED p. 10) •While I realize you’re not a Cleric, I still think the following comment applies. BoED p. 18 The Exalted Cleric: “By necessity, an exalted cleric serves a good deity… Though good aligned clerics might worship [other deities]… good clerics of neutral deities are not wholly devoted to good…” Seeing as religion is such a strong portion of your background, I believe this statement still applies to you, despite your lack of levels in Cleric. Background •Acquaintance: Thomas Gustoff: A veteran Paladin to Boccob…? Seeing as Boccob wouldn’t accept a LG cleric, I doubt he would accept a LG Paladin to his service either. I would rewrite this to read, “A veteran Fighter to Boccob…” •I like that you have included two strong allies w/ your character. You’ve even given me several potential plot hooks in the form of a mysterious cult (for enemies) and the Shadow Cauldron. I see an evil Illusionist in your near future. •Overall, your background was average. I would allow this character into one of my games, and it matches your stats very well. I just feel as if it needs a little extra (for lack of a better term) “excitement” to bring it up to it’s full potential. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: A +1 Weapon adds 2,000gp to the price of the masterwork weapon, not 1,000gp, which sends you over the gp limit for this competition. •Mechanics #2: Technically, the +3 bonus to your AC is a Wisdom bonus, not a Monk bonus. Your class bonus will come at higher levels. •Mechanics #3: Your regular attack w/ the Quarterstaff is wrong. You forgot to add the +1 Enhancement bonus to your attack roll. •Rules Use Recommendation: Despite having abysmal melee stats (for a Monk no less), you’ve built an excellent Anti-Mage. I would recommend that this character aim for the Enlightened Fist PrC (Comp. Arc.) and pick up the Ki Focus enchantment for your Quarterstaff at the first opportunity. Clarity •Cite your Sources: Spellthief PrC. •No Red Ink. •You need to list the Save DC for your Stunning Fist attack. Thematic Creativity •Key Exalted Themes: Personal Sacrifice, Helping Others, Charity •Nice example of “Good Alignment, as it relates to Law & Chaos.” •Interesting, if rather unusual, approach to an “Exalted” character. Background •For reasons I can’t quite put my finger on, your background seems like it’s lacking something (which may have something to do w/ you trying to squeeze the essence of a demigod into 4 levels). •Biggest Issue: Developed Antagonists: As many times as Hilda’s broken someone’s nose, I’m amazed she hasn’t earned a proper foe. There are plenty of potential sources of conflict, but it seems as if she punches someone, and that person avoids her from then on out. As a GM, foes are ready made plot hooks that make our job much easier. •Similar Issue: Developed Allies: Yes, I know you have them, but other than the opening scenario, they are vague, passing phenomena in the tale of your character. One or two NPC’s can add quite a lot of character depth. •Overall, this character is very solid. While I may want some more detail, this character would still fit rather well into one of my games. Well done. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: Climber’s Kit: If you read the “Masterwork Tool” description in the PHB, you will notice that the Climber’s Kit is already considered a type of masterwork tool. Thus, you didn’t need to pay the extra 50gp to make the kit masterwork. Additionally, after you went to all that trouble to acquire the best possible climbing gear, you forgot to include your +2 circumstance bonus on climb checks (which brings your total to +7). •Mechanics #2: Your Traveler’s Outfit is free at character creation. (Between this and the Climber’s Kit, you have an extra 51gp.) •Rules Use #1: Damage Output: You really got bit by the lack of Book of Nine Swords, didn’t you? This character lacks the damage output she needs to be a serious contender for melee combat. Still, given access to Superior Unarmed Strike, I believe that this character would be much more practical, and if you picked up an Amulet of Mighty Fists, that also could be corrected. Still, as it stands, your character is more of a ranged combatant than a melee combatant, at least for the moment. Clarity •Cite your Sources: Roundabout Kick. •No Red Ink issues. •A little extra white space would’ve been helpful with this entry. While the story was easy to read, the stat block was too cramped. •You did an excellent job of breaking down your skill modifiers, but you needed to do the same for your Attacks and your AC. While I was able to back into them, it would’ve been easier if the stats were broken down for me. Thematic Creativity •Primary Exalted Characteristic: Personal Sacrifice •I liked the “I’ve been a Paladin how long?” aspect of this character. You wrote in the Paladin abilities nicely. •I was very impressed by this character as a well-designed example of a low-level exalted character. This is one of the best submissions that I’ve seen you put forward. Background •Wreck and Ruin. Nice touch! If I were the DM, I would offer you the opportunity to take them as divinely appointed watch dogs, taking on some of the characteristics of the normal mount. Excellent work! •Your background fit the level of the competition very nicely (no brutal murdering of kittens was necessary), fully explained your class levels, and left plenty of DM usable material. Captain Argop might end up slightly darker were I the DM, but beyond that, you’ve given me a healthy dose of allies, enemies, and plot hooks. •This character would definitely be welcome in one of my games. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: Your Longbow should cost 700gp, not 675gp. •Mechanics #2: You don’t know how diligently I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to say this… so… is your character’s first divinely appointed quest to find some clothing? After loading up on a nice selection of mundane gear, you might notice a slight breeze… •Rules Use Suggestion: Find some Con boosting items, and do it quickly. Paladins hate using Point Buy. Why? Their dump stat is Intelligence, and who wants to play w/ an Int. less than ten? Clarity •No Citation issues. •No Red Ink issues. •Provided a neat Level-By-Level Breakdown. Spelled out modifiers neatly for attacks, AC, skills, etc… Very neat entry. Thematic Creativity •Primary Exalted Characteristic: Waging Peace •Secondary Exalted Characteristic: Voluntary Poverty •I really liked this character, and you took full advantage of BoED. My one issue w/ this character is as follows: You tried to do two things, which meant you did one thing really well (Vow of Peace) and one thing sub-standard (Vow of Poverty). From a mechanics standpoint, I understand exactly why you selected VoP (Level 19: +8 to a stat (Int) = +4 Save DC to spells. Nice!), but from a story standpoint, your Vow of Poverty seems sidelined and unnecessary for this character. •Out of curiosity, what is the alignment of Adoloa? While it is clear that this character serves a Good Deity of some sort, I’d still like to know Adoloa’s exact alignment (though you are obviously within one alignment step, irregardless). •Definitely a strong Exalted character. Just be careful about doing too much at once. Background •As always, I’ve enjoyed reading more about your homebrew campaign world. Eventually, I will gather enough notes that I won’t have to invent my own worlds to run a game… (Go figure, I’m judging an “Exalted” competition, and here I am considering stealing someone else’s work. Way to be the example, Jason.) •Very solid background. You’ve given me plenty of allies, enemies, and plot hooks. This character would be very easy to include in a game, and would be most welcome. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: Skill Point Totals: Unless I’m doing the math wrong, you should have 70 skill points, not 64. (6+3)x4=36+4 (Human)= 40 points @ level 1. ((6+3)+1(human))x3)=30 points levels 2-4. 40+30=70 skill points. •Rules Use #1: Night Haunt: Honestly, I don’t really care for feats that give people free level 0 spells. Most casters in every game I play don’t use the level 0 spells they already have, which means adding a few more to the list seems rather weak. Ultimately, taking a feat so that you can clean yourself up before meetings seems rather unnecessary. I doubt it would be a violation of VoP to ask for a water basin to wash up in, if that’s a major concern for you. •While I feel it was poorly handled in your background, Vow of Poverty is an excellent mechanical choice for this character. The overall bonus to your save DC’s will be very helpful. I also suspect that you are aiming for the Apostle of Peace PrC, which would stack nicely w/ your abilities so far. Very solid character build. Clarity •Cited Sources. •Minor Red Ink: Some impressive run-on sentences… •Everything was neatly arranged. Exalted feats in general, and VoP in specific, include a lot of information, but it was easy to confirm everything. Very clear. Thematic Creativity •Primary Exalted Characteristics: Honesty, Zeal •As I’ve noted for other entries, this character suffers from one major handicap for “Exalted” status: He serves a Lawful Neutral Deity. BoED pg. 18, under “The Exalted Cleric,” “By necessity, an exalted cleric serves a good deity… Though good aligned clerics might worship the lawful neutral St. Cuthbert… good clerics of neutral deities are not wholly devoted to good.” •Were you to rewrite this character as a servant of a Good-Aligned deity (may I suggest Heironeous?), you would have a very solid Exalted character. Background •I really liked how you created multiple Knightly Orders within the church, and used them within your background. Excellent material for a DM to use. •Strong list of allies and enemies. Solid personality. Good plot hooks. •This character would be welcome in one of my games. Well done. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: Hit Points: Your HP total is too high. You get maximum at first level (8) and half at each level there-after (4.5x3). Your HP would be calculated as follows: 8+(4.5x3)+4=25.5. •Rules Use #1: You didn’t need a scroll of Baleful Polymorph. You can’t use the scroll b/c the spell isn’t one that appears on your spell list. It is neither a cleric spell nor a Domain spell, so you would never be able to use it. Clarity •Cite Sources: Church Inquisitor. •No Red Ink •Your stat block was very neat and easy to read, but your Level-by-Level breakdown was a little confusing. Thematic Creativity •Primary Exalted Characteristics: Healing Others, Vow of Nonviolence •This character suffers from a common problem in this competition. BoED pg. 18 “The Exalted Cleric” states, “By necessity, a good cleric serves a good deity… though good clerics might worship [neutral deities]… good clerics of neutral deities are not wholly devoted to good…” Because the angels serve both the light and the dark, your character doesn’t qualify as Exalted. •Btw, cool picture. Background •You have created an excellent benevolent healer, if a somewhat moderate adventurer. You don’t have a list of (expanded) allies or antagonists, and your character seems content to spend most of her time traveling from village to village, providing healing. •This character would make an excellent NPC healer for an adventuring party to encounter, but as an actual adventurer… I don’t see Trey involving herself in those sorts of affairs. •With a little modification, Trey could become an excellent adventurer. Expand on her personality a bit (say, “seeker of rare medical ingredients”) and you’d have a top-notch character for any campaign. Rules Use/Mechanics •Definitely your best category. I could back into almost everything. Only one issue: •Rules Use #1: Luminous Armor: Excellent spell. Why did you bother purchasing armor at all? The bonuses wouldn’t stack, so your padded armor strikes me as ultimately unnecessary. Clarity •Cite your Sources: What translation of the Bible did you use? Also, I don’t remember that being an allowed source for this competition. You did an excellent job of citing your sources, and I thought the opening quote was a nice touch. •Minor Red Ink: I’m noticing more run-on sentences this competition… •Everything was pretty clear-cut. Overall, I’d like to see some more white space in the items section, but other than that, very well organized.
Kit_the_Odd 06-11-07, 03:57 PM	•Mechanics #2: You don’t know how diligently I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to say this… so… is your character’s first divinely appointed quest to find some clothing? After loading up on a nice selection of mundane gear, you might notice a slight breeze… Oh man, I don't believe I missed that. I know it was on there, so I can only assume I accidently deleted that line somewhere. Thanks for the compliments!
TheScapegoat 06-11-07, 03:58 PM	Thematic Creativity •Primary Exalted Trait: Strong, Healthy Friendships (See “Relationships” BoED p. 10) •While I realize you’re not a Cleric, I still think the following comment applies. BoED p. 18 The Exalted Cleric: “By necessity, an exalted cleric serves a good deity… Though good aligned clerics might worship [other deities]… good clerics of neutral deities are not wholly devoted to good…” Seeing as religion is such a strong portion of your background, I believe this statement still applies to you, despite your lack of levels in Cleric. Once I was done I really felt I hadn't gotten accross that he was exalted. He just seemed REALLY good, which you have pointed out. I think It kind of sucks that someone must follow a LG god to be exalted however. Could someone who doesn't worship any god be exalted? If you cut out the BoED from DnD as if it was never made how would you then judge exalted? I am sure it would be based on the merits of the character not based on the god it worshiped. I don't think that argument helps for my character as I personally felt I didn't get across Felix being exalted even outside of the BoED definition. I just think it is something to consider. Background •Acquaintance: Thomas Gustoff: A veteran Paladin to Boccob…? Seeing as Boccob wouldn’t accept a LG cleric, I doubt he would accept a LG Paladin to his service either. I would rewrite this to read, “A veteran Fighter to Boccob…” See above. Although yes a Fighter would have been an easy substitute. •I like that you have included two strong allies w/ your character. You’ve even given me several potential plot hooks in the form of a mysterious cult (for enemies) and the Shadow Cauldron. I see an evil Illusionist in your near future. •Overall, your background was average. I would allow this character into one of my games, and it matches your stats very well. I just feel as if it needs a little extra (for lack of a better term) “excitement” to bring it up to it’s full potential. Next time I will defiantly bring more "excitement" to the character as you put it. I felt the same way after making Felix but my original intent was to make a character that could easily fit into your standard DnD game as well as find out exactly the boundaries of what is expected in this competition. Now I know :D. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: A +1 Weapon adds 2,000gp to the price of the masterwork weapon, not 1,000gp, which sends you over the gp limit for this competition. •Mechanics #2: Technically, the +3 bonus to your AC is a Wisdom bonus, not a Monk bonus. Your class bonus will come at higher levels. •Mechanics #3: Your regular attack w/ the Quarterstaff is wrong. You forgot to add the +1 Enhancement bonus to your attack roll. All very big DOHS that I will be sure to watch out for next time. •Rules Use Recommendation: Despite having abysmal melee stats (for a Monk no less), you’ve built an excellent Anti-Mage. I would recommend that this character aim for the Enlightened Fist PrC (Comp. Arc.) and pick up the Ki Focus enchantment for your Quarterstaff at the first opportunity. If I end up playing this character down the road I will look into those suggestions. Clarity •Cite your Sources: Spellthief PrC. •No Red Ink. •You need to list the Save DC for your Stunning Fist attack. Will do. CANNOT BELIEVE IT! Will do. :) Thanks for the feedback. (And not being so harsh as I was expecting from your reply to one of my comments above.)
Zherog 06-11-07, 04:03 PM	This should be either 2600 gp (if you’re only enchanting one end) or 4600 if you’re enchanting both ends. In either case, your value would’ve been above the limits for an individual item in this contest. Didn't realize that you had to enchant both sides as I do not think I have ever used a 2 sided weapon before (which is odd) learn something every day. You don't have to enchant both ends; that's why I gave you both prices. ;) Something I should've added to your "other comments" section: Welcome to the contest! Hope to see another entry from you in the future! :tiphat:
wrecan 06-11-07, 04:13 PM	Thanks, Jason for your comments!!! As I’ve noted for other entries, this character suffers from one major handicap for “Exalted” status: He serves a Lawful Neutral Deity. BoED pg. 18, under “The Exalted Cleric,” “By necessity, an exalted cleric serves a good deity… I just rechecked the first post, and nowhere does it state that the entry has to meet the Book of Exalted Deeds requirements for Exalted. In fact, despite the thread title, the entry theme is the "Paragon of Virtue", not "Create an Exalted Character". I don't even own the Book of Exalted Deeds! Were you to rewrite this character as a servant of a Good-Aligned deity (may I suggest Heironeous?), you would have a very solid Exalted character. I didn't want an Exalted character. I wanted a virtuous one. I really liked how you created multiple Knightly Orders Um... I didn't create them. This is stuff straight form the Greyhawk campaign materials. (Old AD&D stuff -- I still have my Greyhawk Gazette from the early 1980's.) Well done. Woo hoo! :dancin: You didn’t need a scroll of Baleful Polymorph. Hmmm... why did I think I could use that? I've confuzzled myself!
Zherog 06-11-07, 04:18 PM	Mechanics #1: Skill Point Totals: Unless I’m doing the math wrong, you should have 70 skill points, not 64. (6+3)x4=36+4 (Human)= 40 points @ level 1. ((6+3)+1(human))x3)=30 points levels 2-4. 40+30=70 skill points. You are, indeed, doing something wrong. At 1st through 3rd levels, her Int was 15. ;)
Zherog 06-11-07, 04:23 PM	Once I was done I really felt I hadn't gotten accross that he was exalted. He just seemed REALLY good, which you have pointed out. I think It kind of sucks that someone must follow a LG god to be exalted however. Could someone who doesn't worship any god be exalted? If you cut out the BoED from DnD as if it was never made how would you then judge exalted? I am sure it would be based on the merits of the character not based on the god it worshiped. Jason's not saying you have to follow a lawful good god; he's saying you have to follow a good god - chaotic, neutral, or lawful doesn't matter.
TheScapegoat 06-11-07, 04:44 PM	Jason's not saying you have to follow a lawful good god; he's saying you have to follow a good god - chaotic, neutral, or lawful doesn't matter. I have the same opinion about TN god. I just don't see how the god is relevant period when it comes to the characters deeds. Like with Chiliogods character Sahtra Soulsought, is it the fact that she now worships Phieran have an effect on the character being exalted? Personally I would have to say a huge no on that. Its the fact that this character is trying to do enough good to overcome her past and set right what was wrong. Paragon of Virtue" Paragon of Good, but I think that only strengthens your point.
Zherog 06-11-07, 04:54 PM	Well, I guess I'll toss this out there as a general statement: Part of judging is subjective. Different judges look at the same character and get different opinions about it. For example, Jason went in looking for "exalted" characters. I had a different criteria for thematic creativity. For me, you had to be good. Not just good, mind you; good. I had to read your background and have no doubt that your alignment was somewhere on the good axis; I had to read your background and know you'd work to save the orphanage from the rampaging kobolds without being promised great wealth up front. That sort of thing. Another prime example of subjectivity coming into play is Endarrion's character. I found it to be a bit too dark of a background for my tastes; Jason felt differently. And one final general comment, too, for people to keep in mind. All these characters are very good - they're well thought out, generally well built, and well-described. I'd allow any of them into my games. But part of the judging process - especially when it comes to the numbers side of thing - is to find problems. We double check your math, and double check your pre-reqs and all that sort of thing. So sometimes, because that's what we're looking for, our comments can sound more negative than they should. Again - all the characters in this contest were very well done.
TheScapegoat 06-11-07, 05:01 PM	Well, I guess I'll toss this out there as a general statement: Part of judging is subjective. No doubt and I have no problem with the way it was judged, just felt it was worth a bit of discussion is all. Also have no problem with the negative comments as its required to point out what is bad, not really negative comments really. This was far easier on me then my first MDMC, I had my butt handed to me on a silver plater in that one. Though admittedly my entry was terribly put together and I am not sure what I was thinking.
wrecan 06-11-07, 05:47 PM	I understand that it's subjective. I just wante dto explain why I made some of the character choices I did. Essentially I choce Cuthbert over some of the more traditional LG deities because Cuthbert is a god of truth, but one whose good side is farily well known. IOt's also a group that is likely to have had conspiracies that Tarum could uncover to get his Presitge Class. For a Church of Heironius conspiracy, I'd have to go with demonic possession or something like that. It's just hard to imagine a church of a LG god having a lot of usurpers.
Endarrion 06-11-07, 06:13 PM	Thanks for the comments Z and Jason! Anywho, as far as my background goes, I guess Jason really got what I intended: I wanted a character who was faced with every reason to "turn to the dark side" (whether thats revenge or suicide, a case could be made for both), but did not. Dionisio was assailed by almost everything bad in the world, and still took the road of good. As far as the Citadel goes, did anyone notice that I drew ... uh... maybe a little heavily from "The Count of Monte Cristo?" So yeah, that explains the very mundane form of the prison. Oops on my part. Good luck to everyone!
Endarrion 06-11-07, 06:30 PM	It's just hard to imagine a church of a LG god having a lot of usurpers. In the "Dragonlance" series the character known as The Kingpriest does just that. He uses his power as head of the church and the most powerful nation on Krynn to change the way things work. He starts saying that non-humans are "evil," arcane magic is "evil," etc. Eventually he challenges the gods and tries to ascend to godhood himself, but the gods hurl a mountain sized meteor to Krynn and sink the entire country :eek:
wrecan 06-11-07, 09:38 PM	That doesn't sound very LG...
jennibert 06-11-07, 10:11 PM	Update: All scores are in....except mine:embarrass . I've got the bulk done--did all the time consuming Rules Use yesterday, so I've just got to assign background scores and such. Takes less time.... I hope to have the results up tonight, but that'll depend on how awake I am. Sorry to take so long!
Zherog 06-11-07, 10:33 PM	w00t! I wasn't last! http://majik.be/smilies/bmdance.gif
jennibert 06-12-07, 12:05 AM	:rimshot: :rimshot: :rimshot: :rimshot: (Okay, so that's not quite a "drumroll" icon, but you get the idea.) *ahem* First of all, let me thank all of our participants! This was a very fun competition to judge, and a very close one as well! Next, I would like to thank my fellow judges, all of whom got their scores in before me! I could keep going on, but I know you're all just skimming this to get to the good part, so here it is! First, the Best in Category Awards! These were compiled by judge nominations (or my ad hoc taking of the highest score awarded in the case of judges who did not submit nominations!) It's a tie! Congrats to Dionisio Durante, aka The Pilgrim and Hilda Warroy! Honorable Mention: Treylanca Merossa. Congrats to Quentyn Brycen! Honorable Mention: Sophia Wilfreda and Dionisio Durante, aka The Pilgrim. Congrats to Sophia Wilfreda! Honorable Mention: Treylanca Merossa and Captain Garrett. Congrats to Captain Garrett! Honorable Mention: Dionisio Durante, aka The Pilgrim, Sophia Wilfreda, and Quentyn Brycen And now for our big winners.... Captain Garrett by Haruspex, with an average score of 26.083333333! Quentyn Brycen by Kit_the_Odd, with an average score of 26.833333333! Sophia Wilfreda by Mercurius, with an average score of 28.4166666667! Congratulations to our winners! We judges look forward to seeing you next time for Hero Craftsmen #10: Topic as yet Undecided! Dionisio Durante, aka The Pilgrim: 25.75 Treylanca Merossa: 24.75 Hilda Warroy: 23.8333333333 Tarum the True: 23.5 Felix Elendrell: 21.25 And now I'm off to look at other judges' comments...and possibly post my own someday...though I'm also tempted to take the time to submit by exalted druid that I'm currently playing....
JasonOrlandoHawk 06-12-07, 12:41 AM	Allow me to explain: "Epitome of Exalted" = "Goodiest of Good" (stolen from jennibert's competition title suggestion) If you say Paragon of Virtue or Paragon of Good, you've said the same thing: "Goodiest of Good." I went by the guidelines in BoED b/c they reflect the most difficult extremes of the Good Alignment. The rarest of a rare breed. Take the issue of Torture, for example. A good character might resort to torture in extreme circumstances (i.e.: Needs critical information to save major city and millions of lives), but an "Exalted" or "Paragon of Good" character would not resort to torture b/c, while torture might save millions of lives, the strength evil would've gained would be even greater (philisophically speaking, or sometimes, even literally). They would fight to find any other way, which often leads them to give their own lives in such situations. The life of a Paragon is not easy to lead. Thus, the religious character (primarily Clerics) suffered in this competition. However, the argument goes, by serving a Neutral Deity, you are, in fact, serving a Deity that resorts to Evil on occasion, and therefore lending weight to evil. Do I necessarily buy it? No. In my games, Exalted characters can serve Neutral gods, but maintain their Exalted status as long as they maintain their Good alignment. (Example: I've had several Exalted Necromancers who serve Wee Jas in my games.) However, that's my opinion. BoED sees it differently, and I am judging this contest according to the rules as presented. If you took a feat from BoED, I judged it based on how the book writes it, not how I house rule it. By the same token, I judged "Exalted" behavior as written in the BoED. I, personally, don't mind, but the HC contests are not based around house rules, they're based around published WotC material, and I must be impartial while judging. Please let me reiterate, every character in this competition was excellent, and I would allow any of them into my games. I simply set one standard as a judge, and applied it equally across the board. Anyways, on to more important matters: Congratulations Mercurius!!! Well done, yet again! Also, to our silver, bronze, and category winners, excellent work! So, any discussion on who will judge HC#10... I am indifferent to the coordinator position. I can do it if necessary, but will gladly rescind the position if someone else would like to step up. Also, which judges are in and out for judging in general? Jason
jennibert 06-12-07, 12:59 AM	Yay winners! You go, guys! Now, for other matters: Count me as an out for judging. We were low-level and I still only barely got the judging done with everyone else :P. I'd love to, but unless we do a second really low-level competition in a row, I'm really not going to have the time. Darn it. And, unlike TheChilliGod (loved that character, btw! Very cool!), I don't think I'll get around to rewriting my Dallas's background for posting...or moving his stat block down to fourth level from fifth...it's a shame that I didn't get to enter him...my dear, sweet exalted womanizer is a character I'm having a grand time playing...or will....when my DM again has internet access and can continue his online game.... (Jason, would this "sentence" qualify for a "red ink" comment?;)). Ask Mercurius about his character for that game. She was not, unfortunately, eligible for this competition, but she's a great character! (And Dallas thinks she's hot!)
Haruspex 06-12-07, 01:02 AM	Yay! Third place and some honorable mentions for moi. :D Congrats to Mercurius for bagging the gold and Kit_the_Odd for silver. Everyone else did great, especially for such a demanding theme.
TheScapegoat 06-12-07, 02:24 AM	:clap: Congrats to the winners!!! :clap: Can't wait for the next competition to get started.
otakutaylor 06-12-07, 03:51 AM	Yay~ I got Thematic~! Er, I tied for Thematic~! Which means I did as good as somebody who was really good at thematic stuff! Hehe, Though I won't say I didn't hope for it, I didn't expect to win this. The other entry's were so much better than mine... Plus I spent from 1 to 4 in the morning writing-out/rolling the whole thing. Maybe I should have waited a day or so... oh well, that's why we have next times. To explain some of the finer points of Hilda's critiques... Wisdom 11, Charisma 9: As I picked those stats 2 things came to mind, In this order. 1. Hilda was never ment to be attractive, She was supposed to be the kind of girl that unless you hear her speak or stare for a moment you brain registers as "male" first. as such I wanted from the start for her to have a -1 on charisma. At the same time, She's supposed to have good judgement, at least more often than bad. and even if an 11 means she's 55% right instead of 50%. that's all she needed. Just because it doesn't provide a mechanics benefit it doesn't mean having an 11 over a 10 doesn't make her a little more wise. And 2. how powergamer does "8 int, 10 wis, 10 cha" for the mental stats sound? Most of the math stuff: Re-checking my work with E-tools was dumb. Simple as that. I hope that didn't get me disqualified now, but if it did, I deserve it. Clmbers gear not factored into climb: I prefer to leave it without, since you don't always have the ability to use the climbers kit every time you climb. just a personal thing, I'll remember next time to factor it in (I hope) Quote: She, with the help of two like-minded people she met at the bar and a friend from the wizards’ school down the road left to go adventuring. Why would she be looking to leave that group now? It was just a joke about leaving with an adventureing party at the start of a game. •Biggest Issue: Developed Antagonists: As many times as Hilda’s broken someone’s nose, I’m amazed she hasn’t earned a proper foe. There are plenty of potential sources of conflict, but it seems as if she punches someone, and that person avoids her from then on out. As a GM, foes are ready made plot hooks that make our job much easier. •Similar Issue: Developed Allies: Yes, I know you have them, but other than the opening scenario, they are vague, passing phenomena in the tale of your character. One or two NPC’s can add quite a lot of character depth. I usually try to not to deeply develop the NPC's in my characters, I guess i'm just a DM's little helper in that I ususally try my best to make my character fit the DM's idea, instead of give him ideas to fit into his game. As such I ususally try and make my characters backstory "mutable" to whatever he needs. re-working "my brother was a druid" into "my brother was a wizard" is a lot easier than "my grand and powerful brother, sir Warroy, the leader of the forces of the forest night and..." so on and so forth. Next time I'll pull full DM character gen and make some good NPC's. Damage without Book of the Nine Swords: True, very True. There are a few items that would help with that, though she's certainly not high enough level to afford them yet. Frankly, for the sake of making a cool character, screw the optimizing. Not to say make a character that for all intents and purposes should be dead already by the sheer number of HP or something though. Anyway, there's my explinations on things. Many Many MANY thanks to the brave souls who dared read that much flavor-text and still have a brain left that can compute skill modifiers.
Zherog 06-12-07, 08:02 AM	Wisdom 11, Charisma 9: As I picked those stats 2 things came to mind, In this order. 1. Hilda was never ment to be attractive, She was supposed to be the kind of girl that unless you hear her speak or stare for a moment you brain registers as "male" first. as such I wanted from the start for her to have a -1 on charisma. At the same time, She's supposed to have good judgement, at least more often than bad. and even if an 11 means she's 55% right instead of 50%. that's all she needed. Just because it doesn't provide a mechanics benefit it doesn't mean having an 11 over a 10 doesn't make her a little more wise. And 2. how powergamer does "8 int, 10 wis, 10 cha" for the mental stats sound? OK, fair enough. But, then, why not a 12 Wisdom and 8 Charisma? ;) Clmbers gear not factored into climb: I prefer to leave it without, since you don't always have the ability to use the climbers kit every time you climb. just a personal thing, I'll remember next time to factor it in (I hope) Your reason is, er, reasonable. For future, just make a reference to your skill kit on the same line as the skill. You don't have to factor it in, but you could say something like: Climb +10 (+12 when using climbing kit) I usually try to not to deeply develop the NPC's in my characters, I guess i'm just a DM's little helper in that I ususally try my best to make my character fit the DM's idea, instead of give him ideas to fit into his game. As such I ususally try and make my characters backstory "mutable" to whatever he needs. re-working "my brother was a druid" into "my brother was a wizard" is a lot easier than "my grand and powerful brother, sir Warroy, the leader of the forces of the forest night and..." so on and so forth. Next time I'll pull full DM character gen and make some good NPC's. Interesting. As a DM, I prefer "'"my grand and powerful brother, sir Warroy, the leader of the forces of the forest night and...' so on and so forth." I prefer it for two reasons: 1) It immerses you in the game; you now have a vested interest in the background stuff of the world, because you helped create it. 2) It makes my job easier. A good solid plot hook with which to work is gold for a GM. blech... late for work now...
Endarrion 06-12-07, 08:35 AM	That doesn't sound very LG... Of course not, but it's an example of what can happen when a LG person goes to extremes. All of a sudden they are very evil. It's all about prejudice and hate: good ppl hate evil ppl and people fear what they don't understand and hate what they fear. Sure, goblins are evil, but to the average commoner who has never seen an elf, they could be evil too. That's why manipulation, even with good intentions (ridding the world of all "evil"), is bad.
Endarrion 06-12-07, 08:37 AM	That's weird. In the one competition that I got a medal in (bronze for HC5) I didn't get even one honorable mention in any of the categories, but this time, I get tie for Thematic and an honorable mention in Clarity and Background, but don't place. lol C'est la vie. Congrats to the winners and let's get HC10 going!
wrecan 06-12-07, 08:47 AM	Congrats to everyone! Man, this is possibly the toughest competition in the boards. The judges are top-notch and the entrants are all very competitive. I can't wait for the next one!
Zherog 06-12-07, 10:19 AM	Congrats to everyone! Man, this is possibly the toughest competition in the boards. The judges are top-notch and the entrants are all very competitive. I can't wait for the next one! Well, most of the judges are top-notch. That Zherog fella I'm not so sure about... I am out as judge for a while. I have a few projects due by GenCon, and can't dedicate the time necessary to give the characters the attention they need.
Mercurius 06-12-07, 01:48 PM	Well, I'm glad to see that I've still got it. I have to admit I prefer being on this side of the competition, if for no other reason than I like character building a lot more than dissecting a dozen characters to see if they pass muster. Also, I've been enjoying the thought experiments these allow for - Sophia and my other entries will likely become actual NPCs in my homebrew, to exist as actual entities. It allows me to work on world creation without necessarily expecting to work on it. It's sort of like, "oh, hey, my campaign doesn't have a super exalted diplomat... let's make one." Congratulations to everyone else that entered. I think I had a decent run for my money. I think I'll go ahead and respond to some of the comments out there for me. My responses are in blue. Math Stuff People disagree with that, or need a Rules of the Game article to figure it out? :uh-huh: Honestly, it was a major point of contention back when the book came out from what I saw, because the chart doesn't list the bonus feat at 1st level, and the text fails to mention that only a human can qualify for the 2nd level bonus feat as well, thereby leading many to believe you didn't actually get both. That was how I would have ruled it before seeing that article. The numbers look good to me. In fact, this character is the first time I’ve ever handed out a perfect 10 on Rules Use. I couldn’t find even a vague typo to use to dock you a half point in the category. Wow. :dancin: Background Stuff Heh. One of the most popular strip clubs in this area is Delilah’s Den. They even advertise on the radio... Too bad most constructs and several types of undead are immune to illusions (or, at least, the ones that are mind-affecting). But not against Silent Image or similar spells. Still, she is hosed against opponents like that, which was a risk I decided to take. After the discussion in the prior contest, I decided that rather than build a character who could handle most instances, I'd build one that very much would need an adventuring party. She acknowledges this, and certainly does rely as much on her allies as on her own abilities. I'm glad it worked out well enough. For whatever reason, it seems a great many female characters have red hair... I found your background had enough material to support Sophia having gained four levels in her life; you touched upon the highlights, and left enough things open ended to fill in the blanks. She definitely has allies, and she certainly has foes – both a long term foe, as well as lesser foes, more like rivals really. I generally like first person narratives. Usually, I can hear the “voice” of the person telling the story; this time, though, I couldn’t. *shrug* It was still well-written (a few typos, but those are to be expected), and provided the information it needed to. Thanks. Pandemonium was a sort of last minute choice. Once it occurred to me that Sophia really was a humanoid "peace elemental," I had to bring in the actual Strife Elemental from my first 3.0 campaign in my homebrew. She was a fun enemy, even if the party hardly ever encountered her. Other Stuff I fully expected to see the Vow of Poverty in play in this contest, since we opened up the books to include BoED. Frankly, I was surprised it took until the next to last character for that highly popular feat to appear. The most fun I’ve ever had roleplaying a character was a paladin/monk with the VoP. Not owning anything sounds easy – until you try. It was made especially difficult because it was an Eberron game, and Drusai (my character) couldn’t own traveling papers – which made almost every excursion outside of Sharn an interesting display of my Diplomacy skill, as I’d try to talk my way into whatever country we traveled to. That is awesome. I would be a bit worried about how your Vow of Non-Violence would play out in a group. However, we didn’t disallow it, so it’s perfectly OK to use it. Thematic Creativity •Primary Exalted Characteristic: Waging Peace •Secondary Exalted Characteristic: Voluntary Poverty •I really liked this character, and you took full advantage of BoED. My one issue w/ this character is as follows: You tried to do two things, which meant you did one thing really well (Vow of Peace) and one thing sub-standard (Vow of Poverty). From a mechanics standpoint, I understand exactly why you selected VoP (Level 19: +8 to a stat (Int) = +4 Save DC to spells. Nice!), but from a story standpoint, your Vow of Poverty seems sidelined and unnecessary for this character. Duly noted. In some ways, the Vow of Poverty is a mechanical choice, but there is something to be said for having absolutely no desire for gold. It makes her attempts at diplomacy that much more altruistic - she doesn't want to be paid for her services. •Out of curiosity, what is the alignment of Adoloa? While it is clear that this character serves a Good Deity of some sort, I’d still like to know Adoloa’s exact alignment (though you are obviously within one alignment step, irregardless). Adoloa, like his evil twin brother Baumol, is Neutral on the Law/Chaos axis. So she shares her deity's alignment. •Definitely a strong Exalted character. Just be careful about doing too much at once. Background •As always, I’ve enjoyed reading more about your homebrew campaign world. Eventually, I will gather enough notes that I won’t have to invent my own worlds to run a game… (Go figure, I’m judging an “Exalted” competition, and here I am considering stealing someone else’s work. Way to be the example, Jason.) I'm glad you like it. I've spent a great deal of time and energy creating the setting, so I do appreciate that you like getting information from my entries. I think I'll generally be entering characters from that setting whenever I do enter, if only because I seem to score higher when I do. I guess it comes from knowing the source material better. •Very solid background. You’ve given me plenty of allies, enemies, and plot hooks. This character would be very easy to include in a game, and would be most welcome. Rules Use/Mechanics •Mechanics #1: Skill Point Totals: Unless I’m doing the math wrong, you should have 70 skill points, not 64. (6+3)x4=36+4 (Human)= 40 points @ level 1. ((6+3)+1(human))x3)=30 points levels 2-4. 40+30=70 skill points. As Zherog already pointed out, she didn't have a 16 Intelligence until 4th level, so she doesn't get those 6 extra skill points. I suppose for clarity's sake in future competitions I should note that in the skills entry, rather than just in the character breakdown. Not that I like missing out on skill points normally. •Rules Use #1: Night Haunt: Honestly, I don’t really care for feats that give people free level 0 spells. Most casters in every game I play don’t use the level 0 spells they already have, which means adding a few more to the list seems rather weak. Ultimately, taking a feat so that you can clean yourself up before meetings seems rather unnecessary. I doubt it would be a violation of VoP to ask for a water basin to wash up in, if that’s a major concern for you. But cleaning oneself is such a handy thing to be able to do. Also, it would allow her to flavor donated bread to taste like almost anything she wants. Gruel? Tastes like Lobster Bisque to me! It's such a handy spell I can't believe it wasn't on the Beguiler's spell list already. Also, she may not be able to own a torch, so having Dancing Lights as a spell like once per day was handy, too. I originally had Eschew Materials, but I liked some of the abilities of Night Haunt more, so I went with it instead. •While I feel it was poorly handled in your background, Vow of Poverty is an excellent mechanical choice for this character. The overall bonus to your save DC’s will be very helpful. I also suspect that you are aiming for the Apostle of Peace PrC, which would stack nicely w/ your abilities so far. Very solid character build. Considered Apostle of Peace, but it has its own spell-list, so I think Sophia would continue on in Beguiler instead. Unless she had some homebrew AoP verison that just progressed her class's spellcasting. Clarity •Cited Sources. •Minor Red Ink: Some impressive run-on sentences… •Everything was neatly arranged. Exalted feats in general, and VoP in specific, include a lot of information, but it was easy to confirm everything. Very clear. Yeah, this was a fun competition all around. My favorite Exalted character couldn't be entered, because she relies upon far too many non-core, house-ruled options, but I would have loved to have entered Raven of Our Immaculate Angel Azerath, the Lawful Good exalted Succubus Monk... who thinks she's human (at the moment). She's a great big ball of inner turmoil and a lot of fun to play, but since she relies upon house ruling Savage Species racial levels on top of a better stat array and some other goodies, I certainly couldn't have used her. I almost entered a human paladin who wielded a quarterstaff. Casshandra is actually an existing NPC in my campaign, but in general, I decided I wanted to build someone new, especially since I already had some ideas for Casshandra that didn't work as well for the lower 28-point stat buy (I prefer 32, myself). Thanks again for the competition, guys. Not sure if I could judge the next one or not... I've been working around 60 hours a week lately, so I don't have much time to myself...
Heros_Backpack 06-12-07, 02:35 PM	Existing judge wins again - congrats Mercurius! Darn it, I was hoping we'd widen the judging pool this time!!! I'll post my comments up tomorrow - providing I can kick Murphy and his Law far enough away.
TheChilliGod 06-12-07, 04:04 PM	And, unlike TheChilliGod (loved that character, btw! Very cool!) Glad you liked it. I intended that entry to just be a little deviation from the rules, so that players with a little bit more rulebooks can get some more inspiration. Do you think you could add it to the List of Entries (and subsequently disqualify it for being late, being submitted by a judge, and not using allowed material), so that others notice its existence? Oh yeah, congrats to all the winners. Strangely enough, I knew that Mercurius was going to win, but hoped against all knowledge that he wouldn't for sake of widening the judging panel. We tried so hard, too... Ah well! And yeah, you saw how much I could be bothered to judge. I had to skip on the comments to make it. Do you think that I have that much energy in me for another shot? Please say no.
wrecan 06-12-07, 04:13 PM	For those interested, I edited my entry to accomodate the judge's comments to date (though Tarum remains a priest of St. Cuthbert).
Kit_the_Odd 06-12-07, 05:12 PM	Congrats Mercurius, I had a feeling reading through the comments that you were going to take it. :clap: I have to admit that getting my second silver medal in a row if both gratifying and annoying. Yeah, I did really good! :D Now if only I had done a little better. :weep: I went at looked at the previous competitions to see how I had been doing, and I have to say that I think the level of competition has definitley gone up. Not only in the number of entries, but also in the general quality. So congratulations to everybody, competitors for getting better and judges for your comments that help us. I know for a fact that I have gotten better (even though I actually got my best score in HC#3 along with my first silver medal). But I also noticed I haven't gotten much better about getting done early as I am consistently one of the last entries submitted. :blush: :banghead:
Mercurius 06-12-07, 09:17 PM	As a general question to the judges, can I choose to cede my medal? I mean, I appreciate being judged so well, and that was my intent, but I also don't want to gum up the works of new judges coming into the contest. I say there's no harm done if we just call me an honorary first or something... I dunno. I could always go and edit my entry, y'know, to disqualify myself.
JasonOrlandoHawk 06-12-07, 10:00 PM	Mercurius, I've moved the discussion of judge over to the HC Feedback thread (which I can never find when I go looking for it, but which Z manages to pull up w/o any difficulty...). Basically, I've proposed two ideas (one of which someone else originally came up with): 1) Gold Medal=Eligible Judge & Any 3 Silver or Bronze Medals=Eligible Judge. 2) An Eligible Judge who earns a Gold Medal can not compete in future HC contests until such time as a new judge is selected. Either of those, I think, would fix the problem we seem to have. After taking 1st place again in HC#7, I decided I didn't want to compete again until someone else took a judge's spot. That way, I refrain from preventing other talented individuals from taking home the Gold. (Side Note: Some day, I would love to have a "Judges Duke it Out" Hero Craftsman, in which several competitors run a competition for the regular judges. I've never competed against jennibert, Zherog, or Chilli (as far as I know), and I'm curious how we would all fair. I consider my battle w/ you in HC#2 to be one of the most intense moments in this series of competitions, and I honestly thought you should have won. Who knows if such a contest could happen, but I think it would be neat to see.) Anyways, judge solutions are being discussed in the Feedback thread, so hopefully, we can come up w/ a way for champions to defend their gold medals w/o unnecessarily blocking other talented people from entering the ranks as well.
jennibert 06-12-07, 11:16 PM	Glad you liked it. I intended that entry to just be a little deviation from the rules, so that players with a little bit more rulebooks can get some more inspiration. Do you think you could add it to the List of Entries (and subsequently disqualify it for being late, being submitted by a judge, and not using allowed material), so that others notice its existence? Yeah, so I meant to do that yesterday, actually.....and forgot....cause I'm forgetful....Sorry! Done now! And yeah, you saw how much I could be bothered to judge. I had to skip on the comments to make it. Do you think that I have that much energy in me for another shot? Please say no. Yeah, I said something similar before this competition....and I ended up as coordinating judge...I wish you better luck in your endeavor! ;)
TheChilliGod 06-13-07, 12:12 AM	As a general question to the judges, can I choose to cede my medal?Wholeheartedly agreed with. Honestly, if my last HC entry (Clafon) took the win, I would not accept it either.I've never competed against jennibert, Zherog, or Chilli (as far as I know)Good luck getting a serious round with me. I've already resolved for all my future entries to be submitted late and to all have disallowed resources. I'm actually trying to break Zherog's record for number of rules broken, here Yeah, so I meant to do that yesterday, actually.....and forgot....cause I'm forgetful....Sorry! Done now!Yay! Thankie!
Zherog 06-13-07, 08:37 AM	Mercurius, I've moved the discussion of judge over to the HC Feedback thread (which I can never find when I go looking for it, but which Z manages to pull up w/o any difficulty...). Basically, I've proposed two ideas (one of which someone else originally came up with): Because I've subscribed to it, so it's always on my list of subscribed threads. ;)
JasonOrlandoHawk 06-13-07, 12:02 PM	Where is this "subscribe" feature you speak of?
Zherog 06-13-07, 12:52 PM	Two places. 1) When you post to a thread, there's an option to subscribe. It's down in the "Additional Options" section, below the Submit Reply button. 2) If you don't want to post to the thread, you can use the Thread Tools link to do so. That link is found at the top of the page, right below where it says "Page 1 of X." One of the options in that list is to subscribe. I prefer to subscribe without receiving e-mails - but you can opt to get e-mails whenever the thread is updated. Once you've subscribed, you can access your subscriptions by clicking on the My Account link.
Heros_Backpack 06-17-07, 11:34 AM	Sorry about the delay - Murphy dodged. In general, I was looking for a character that was better than just good. Anyone can be good, but it takes someone special to take good to a higher level. I look at background first and then see if your stats back it up, and I like to be able to find everything easily. I also look to see if each character has the gear they need to survive. It doesn't matter what race they are, they need food, water, sleep, warmth from a fire and so on. If they don't have those, they should at least have a good reason why not... (I'm also trying not to duplicate what's already been said - so these comments may be quite short) I found this a solid, workable character but without that extra something that would make him stand out from the crowd. His background does make him seem more capable than his stats suggest and although he is clearly good, I am not sure that he goes the extra distance into exalted. As has already been said, your hp do not match up with your HD. Also, besides the lack of clothes (and I notice that the edited in Cleric's vestments are not on the list of free-at-creation clothes) Tarum is going to be cold, hungry and thirsty before he has gone very far - no food, water or fire lighting equipment. I do appreciate the section on where Tarum would fit into a party, though. Odd notes - you list paper in your equipment but nothing that can be used to write on it. Also, this is another character that is going to be both hungry and thirsty before he has travelled very far. You might also want to carry feed for your horse. Overall, I found that Felix blended into the background of the contest with nothing bad enough to make him stand out that way, but without the spark that would make him memorable. I don't actually mind the darkness of this character. It certainly fixed him in my mind. However, equipment is a problem. You have that money - spend it on some basics! He needs something to carry his loose gear in, even if it is only a sack. There is no food, no water, nothing to light a fire with, not even a bedroll. The introduction to Hilda made me laugh out loud and the background was just as readable. This is exactly the type of character I was looking for as the epitome of good. Not perhaps as heroic as kicking evil butt, but doing whatever good needs to be done, wherever and whenever it needs to be done, certainly takes good to the next level - and beyond. Well done. A simple, fairly solid character, although looking at her AC, I feel that she had better practice the old advice - of all methods of avoiding danger, running away is the most effective. The healing salve gave me some definite problems on the money front. I have to presume that it is a typo - there is no reasonable way I can see to get the price down from 2250gp to 10gp. A minor point, but it would help your clarity if you put the her name at the start of the post rather than introducing it halfway down. It was rather a huh? who is this? moment for a while. Otherwise, very clear and well made. I admit, from that first line of background, you had me hooked. I like the way you brought his abilities out slowly and filled in a reasonable background for such a low level character. You did slip a few times with prices, but otherwise you have a character that would slip reasonably well into most campaigns.