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Indiana Jones?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
dread_lord
May 16, 2008 1:46:18 I very much want to make the good Dr. Jones for my game (Indee ir'Jonz). But no combination of classes really seems to work. Bard almost has all the skills I'm looking at, but I can't picture Indi singing. Rogue has enough skill points, but buying knowledge of history, religion, and geography.

Any ideas?
#2
ChaoticGood
May 16, 2008 2:23:43 I'd start with Expert 3 with the Educated (geography and history) and Master of Knowledge feats, followed by as many levels of Rogue as necessary to qualify for the Lasher PrC (which you may need to convert to 3.5, since the last place I recall seeing it was a 3.0 splatbook).

That's just quick and dirty, without looking up anything or re-watching the movies. Feel free to tweak it as desired.

Also, don't forget his high Charisma... all of his female students at the University had crushes on him. ;)
#3
skrap-san
May 16, 2008 3:37:19 I always pictured him as either a rouge with the weapon proficiency whip and the educated feat. Should be all the flavour one needs, maybe a bit of extreme explorer.

I vaguely remember a feat that grants you a +4 or something to knowledge and apraise checks concerning the dhakaani empire and xen'drik.
#4
naturax
May 16, 2008 13:01:24 There are other systems besides D&D that will work just fine in Eberron. I'm exclusively using Mutants and Masterminds 2nd edition, for example. The core book alone has all the rules you need, you already know how to play because it's just another d20 system, and you can build your characters any way you like.
#5
elondir
May 16, 2008 15:31:36 Indy? I'd say he's some combo of Expert/Extreme Explorer/Lasher.
#6
Edymnion
May 16, 2008 15:38:22
Bard almost has all the skills I'm looking at, but I can't picture Indi singing.

There's your first error with the Bard class. The only requirement for "bardic music" is that it has to make noise.

You can have a Bard that plays an instrument or sings, a traditional bard, but you can do more than that.

Remember, Indy was a college professor/lecturer, and had the girls writing him love notes on their freaking eyelids. He could have Preform (Oration) to give him the ability to inspire confidence with a rousing speech, for example.

You could make (non-Indy) bards with Preform (Trash Talk) to demoralize their foes with Yo Momma jokes. Or that are human beat boxes.

Singing, talking, playing an instrument, even clapping your hands or snapping your fingers is enough to activate Bardic Music.
#7
gentlemanic
May 23, 2008 17:32:50 I've had a character based on him! His name was Chad Couger and he was a professor at Morgrave who adventured on the side.

He was a:

Rogue 6, Swashbucker 3, Fighter 2, Extreme explorer 4, Combat trickster 1, Heir of Sybyris 2... Or something in that direction. He had the educated feat and the whip trick. He had every knowledge skill in the game, and eventually he knew EVERYTHING. It was pretty awesome. Be prepared for undead and constructs though, because you can't sneak attack them. So carry plenty of sidearms next to your whip!
#8
Grdian4
May 23, 2008 22:34:20 Actually the best class that represents Indiana Jones is the Factotum class which was released in the Dungeonscape book. The class gets 6+int and they get all class skills as class skills. The factotum has these things called inspiration which can use for various abilities which refresh every encounter or every minute. The class gets trapfinding like rogues, some spell-like abilities, ability to heal and turn undead. It has a lot of abilities that really lend itself to what is Indiana Jones. What the class gets is the ability to use its Intelligence for everything. Look it up, I believe on the website they go over Factotum. In the book they reference Indiana Jones as the perfect example of a Factotum.
#9
Edymnion
May 23, 2008 23:10:01
Actually the best class that represents Indiana Jones is the Factotum class which was released in the Dungeonscape book. The class gets 6+int and they get all class skills as class skills. The factotum has these things called inspiration which can use for various abilities which refresh every encounter or every minute. The class gets trapfinding like rogues, some spell-like abilities, ability to heal and turn undead. It has a lot of abilities that really lend itself to what is Indiana Jones. What the class gets is the ability to use its Intelligence for everything. Look it up, I believe on the website they go over Factotum. In the book they reference Indiana Jones as the perfect example of a Factotum.

Wow, sounds like it breaks the first rule of class balance. "No class should be able to do everything. If it doesn't need a party to survive, then it isn't balanced." Arcane casters shouldn't be able to heal, meleers shouldn't be able to rain down fire, sneakers shouldn't be able to go toe to toe with dragons. If you can do all of those things, odds are you're not balanced.

And yes, that does apply to the Artificer as a general rule of thumb.
#10
mystrich
May 23, 2008 23:53:42
I've had a character based on him! His name was Chad Couger and he was a professor at Morgrave who adventured on the side.

He was a:

Rogue 6, Swashbucker 3, Fighter 2, Extreme explorer 4, Combat trickster 1, Heir of Sybyris 2... Or something in that direction. He had the educated feat and the whip trick. He had every knowledge skill in the game, and eventually he knew EVERYTHING. It was pretty awesome. Be prepared for undead and constructs though, because you can't sneak attack them. So carry plenty of sidearms next to your whip!

This is close, but I'd say perhaps a bit strong, especially for an Eberron game. I'd probably make it Rogue 5/Swashbuckler 3/Extreme Explorer 3 or Rogue 2/Bard 4/Extreme Explorer 4. Something along those lines.
#11
missekat
May 24, 2008 0:33:27
Wow, sounds like it breaks the first rule of class balance. "No class should be able to do everything. If it doesn't need a party to survive, then it isn't balanced." Arcane casters shouldn't be able to heal, meleers shouldn't be able to rain down fire, sneakers shouldn't be able to go toe to toe with dragons. If you can do all of those things, odds are you're not balanced.

And yes, that does apply to the Artificer as a general rule of thumb.

That's true.. but that's not the point. He was looking for an Indiana Jonesque class.. and let's face it. Indiana Jones doesn't need a party.. he IS a one man adventuring party. Just like a factotum character would be.

if it would work if he was working with other pc's.. werrrlll.. that wasn't a part of the question. Now was it? ;) Indy has sidekicks. Not fellow adventurers.
#12
Edymnion
May 24, 2008 19:42:51 But Indy never heals himself, he doesn't get into melee combat unless he has to (and often gets his ass kicked when he does). Indy is a one man party because he plays it smart, hides when he needs to hide, picks people off one at a time, and doesn't soak up trap damage.

I'd peg him as a Rogue/Bard/Extreme Explorer, personally.
#13
dread_lord
May 24, 2008 20:13:15 I'd like it if he didn't have any magic of his own. But Use Magic Device would be fine. I guess it's Rogue/Extreme Explorer (though I've always found the name of that class a bit silly)
#14
Edymnion
May 24, 2008 20:17:46
I'd like it if he didn't have any magic of his own. But Use Magic Device would be fine. I guess it's Rogue/Extreme Explorer (though I've always found the name of that class a bit silly)

Yeah, Rogue gets UMD just like the Artificer does. The Rogue can go toe to toe with the Artificer in that department.
#15
mystrich
May 24, 2008 20:19:54 O, wait, I think I might have found a better class. The Dungeon Delver prestige class from Complete Adventurer. Made so that, while it doesn't cover every role, it gives enough balance/abilities good for dungeon delving, so you can go through a dungeon without a party (in fact, one of the requirements is to do such).
#16
Ardegrath
May 29, 2008 14:59:06 I would go for Indy being a Bard, with good Str rating high int. Has perform(oratory), and goes into extreme explorer as soon as possible. Then probably rogue. Give him the adaptive learner from races of destiny and you are pretty much set. Focus allot more on fighting, and knowledges than music. As for magic go for all the item identifying spells, and location spells. He goes more into litany about what an item is and the likes than anything else. High charisma obviously.
#17
Edymnion
May 31, 2008 13:19:54 And if Indy's famous little absent minded speeches about the history of a place or object aren't Bardic Knowledge in action, I don't know what is.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 dread_lord May 16, 2008 1:46:18	I very much want to make the good Dr. Jones for my game (Indee ir'Jonz). But no combination of classes really seems to work. Bard almost has all the skills I'm looking at, but I can't picture Indi singing. Rogue has enough skill points, but buying knowledge of history, religion, and geography. Any ideas?
#2 ChaoticGood May 16, 2008 2:23:43	I'd start with Expert 3 with the Educated (geography and history) and Master of Knowledge feats, followed by as many levels of Rogue as necessary to qualify for the Lasher PrC (which you may need to convert to 3.5, since the last place I recall seeing it was a 3.0 splatbook). That's just quick and dirty, without looking up anything or re-watching the movies. Feel free to tweak it as desired. Also, don't forget his high Charisma... all of his female students at the University had crushes on him. ;)
#3 skrap-san May 16, 2008 3:37:19	I always pictured him as either a rouge with the weapon proficiency whip and the educated feat. Should be all the flavour one needs, maybe a bit of extreme explorer. I vaguely remember a feat that grants you a +4 or something to knowledge and apraise checks concerning the dhakaani empire and xen'drik.
#4 naturax May 16, 2008 13:01:24	There are other systems besides D&D that will work just fine in Eberron. I'm exclusively using Mutants and Masterminds 2nd edition, for example. The core book alone has all the rules you need, you already know how to play because it's just another d20 system, and you can build your characters any way you like.
#5 elondir May 16, 2008 15:31:36	Indy? I'd say he's some combo of Expert/Extreme Explorer/Lasher.
#6 Edymnion May 16, 2008 15:38:22	Bard almost has all the skills I'm looking at, but I can't picture Indi singing. There's your first error with the Bard class. The only requirement for "bardic music" is that it has to make noise. You can have a Bard that plays an instrument or sings, a traditional bard, but you can do more than that. Remember, Indy was a college professor/lecturer, and had the girls writing him love notes on their freaking eyelids. He could have Preform (Oration) to give him the ability to inspire confidence with a rousing speech, for example. You could make (non-Indy) bards with Preform (Trash Talk) to demoralize their foes with Yo Momma jokes. Or that are human beat boxes. Singing, talking, playing an instrument, even clapping your hands or snapping your fingers is enough to activate Bardic Music.
#7 gentlemanic May 23, 2008 17:32:50	I've had a character based on him! His name was Chad Couger and he was a professor at Morgrave who adventured on the side. He was a: Rogue 6, Swashbucker 3, Fighter 2, Extreme explorer 4, Combat trickster 1, Heir of Sybyris 2... Or something in that direction. He had the educated feat and the whip trick. He had every knowledge skill in the game, and eventually he knew EVERYTHING. It was pretty awesome. Be prepared for undead and constructs though, because you can't sneak attack them. So carry plenty of sidearms next to your whip!
#8 Grdian4 May 23, 2008 22:34:20	Actually the best class that represents Indiana Jones is the Factotum class which was released in the Dungeonscape book. The class gets 6+int and they get all class skills as class skills. The factotum has these things called inspiration which can use for various abilities which refresh every encounter or every minute. The class gets trapfinding like rogues, some spell-like abilities, ability to heal and turn undead. It has a lot of abilities that really lend itself to what is Indiana Jones. What the class gets is the ability to use its Intelligence for everything. Look it up, I believe on the website they go over Factotum. In the book they reference Indiana Jones as the perfect example of a Factotum.
#9 Edymnion May 23, 2008 23:10:01	Actually the best class that represents Indiana Jones is the Factotum class which was released in the Dungeonscape book. The class gets 6+int and they get all class skills as class skills. The factotum has these things called inspiration which can use for various abilities which refresh every encounter or every minute. The class gets trapfinding like rogues, some spell-like abilities, ability to heal and turn undead. It has a lot of abilities that really lend itself to what is Indiana Jones. What the class gets is the ability to use its Intelligence for everything. Look it up, I believe on the website they go over Factotum. In the book they reference Indiana Jones as the perfect example of a Factotum. Wow, sounds like it breaks the first rule of class balance. "No class should be able to do everything. If it doesn't need a party to survive, then it isn't balanced." Arcane casters shouldn't be able to heal, meleers shouldn't be able to rain down fire, sneakers shouldn't be able to go toe to toe with dragons. If you can do all of those things, odds are you're not balanced. And yes, that does apply to the Artificer as a general rule of thumb.
#10 mystrich May 23, 2008 23:53:42	I've had a character based on him! His name was Chad Couger and he was a professor at Morgrave who adventured on the side. He was a: Rogue 6, Swashbucker 3, Fighter 2, Extreme explorer 4, Combat trickster 1, Heir of Sybyris 2... Or something in that direction. He had the educated feat and the whip trick. He had every knowledge skill in the game, and eventually he knew EVERYTHING. It was pretty awesome. Be prepared for undead and constructs though, because you can't sneak attack them. So carry plenty of sidearms next to your whip! This is close, but I'd say perhaps a bit strong, especially for an Eberron game. I'd probably make it Rogue 5/Swashbuckler 3/Extreme Explorer 3 or Rogue 2/Bard 4/Extreme Explorer 4. Something along those lines.
#11 missekat May 24, 2008 0:33:27	Wow, sounds like it breaks the first rule of class balance. "No class should be able to do everything. If it doesn't need a party to survive, then it isn't balanced." Arcane casters shouldn't be able to heal, meleers shouldn't be able to rain down fire, sneakers shouldn't be able to go toe to toe with dragons. If you can do all of those things, odds are you're not balanced. And yes, that does apply to the Artificer as a general rule of thumb. That's true.. but that's not the point. He was looking for an Indiana Jonesque class.. and let's face it. Indiana Jones doesn't need a party.. he IS a one man adventuring party. Just like a factotum character would be. if it would work if he was working with other pc's.. werrrlll.. that wasn't a part of the question. Now was it? ;) Indy has sidekicks. Not fellow adventurers.
#12 Edymnion May 24, 2008 19:42:51	But Indy never heals himself, he doesn't get into melee combat unless he has to (and often gets his ass kicked when he does). Indy is a one man party because he plays it smart, hides when he needs to hide, picks people off one at a time, and doesn't soak up trap damage. I'd peg him as a Rogue/Bard/Extreme Explorer, personally.
#13 dread_lord May 24, 2008 20:13:15	I'd like it if he didn't have any magic of his own. But Use Magic Device would be fine. I guess it's Rogue/Extreme Explorer (though I've always found the name of that class a bit silly)
#14 Edymnion May 24, 2008 20:17:46	I'd like it if he didn't have any magic of his own. But Use Magic Device would be fine. I guess it's Rogue/Extreme Explorer (though I've always found the name of that class a bit silly) Yeah, Rogue gets UMD just like the Artificer does. The Rogue can go toe to toe with the Artificer in that department.
#15 mystrich May 24, 2008 20:19:54	O, wait, I think I might have found a better class. The Dungeon Delver prestige class from Complete Adventurer. Made so that, while it doesn't cover every role, it gives enough balance/abilities good for dungeon delving, so you can go through a dungeon without a party (in fact, one of the requirements is to do such).
#16 Ardegrath May 29, 2008 14:59:06	I would go for Indy being a Bard, with good Str rating high int. Has perform(oratory), and goes into extreme explorer as soon as possible. Then probably rogue. Give him the adaptive learner from races of destiny and you are pretty much set. Focus allot more on fighting, and knowledges than music. As for magic go for all the item identifying spells, and location spells. He goes more into litany about what an item is and the likes than anything else. High charisma obviously.
#17 Edymnion May 31, 2008 13:19:54	And if Indy's famous little absent minded speeches about the history of a place or object aren't Bardic Knowledge in action, I don't know what is.