I personally recommend using Tome of Battle for this so you can give your characters the flare and options that the original series has. The maneuver system pretty much feeds into this. Statting out Astaroth would pretty much be a Flesh Golem (or golem of the appropriate size) with levels in barbarian and warblade. Focus on Stone Dragon discipline and pick feats and powers that give you the better rage and you're pretty much set for him.
Voldo is a little trickier. Depending upon how you like him, you can either give him swordsage levels straight, or give him a couple rogue levels to round out the whole "assassin" feel of him. Take shadow hand discipline, take some diamond mind, give him the feat "prone fighting" (which I think is in the Complete Warrior), and I think you have just about him in a nutshell.
Nightmare, on the other hand, is going to be difficult. The main question you have to ask yourself is, how do you see Nightmare in general? Does somebody just BECOME Nightmare, becoming basically a completely different character, or is the whole Nightmare thing just an enhancement that you get? The answer essentially determines how you want to handle this question: Do you treat becoming Nightmare as a template, or do you just want to stat out a new character with class levels and everything and just slap the name "nightmare" on him. The first option is more appropriate if you want incorporate the whole "Soul Edge corrupts warriors" storyline since you can shift that from character to character and depending who is Nightmare at the moment, you could get a different Nightmare each time. The second one is more appropriate if you just want to play as someone with an uncanny resemblance to Nightmare.
Edited: 12/11/07 Siegfried from Soul Calibur 3 (it makes alot more sense than before and I even added the Guard Impact to make him tougher).
Siegfried
Medium Humanoid (Good)
Fighter 20
HD: 20d10 + 60 (260 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. (in full plate) 40 ft. (without)
AC: 35 (+18 armor, +5 deflection, + 2 Dex) touch 17, flat-footed 33
BAB/ Grapple: +20/+28
Attack: +5 holy, keen, mighty cleaving, large greatsword, Soul Calibur + 35 melee (3d6 + 21 +2d6 unholy damage against evil creatures/17-20/x2)
Full attack: +5 holy, keen, mighty cleaving, large greatsword, Soul Calibur +35/+30/+25/+20 melee (3d6 + 21 +2d6 unholy damage against evil creatures/17-20/x2)
Space/reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special attacks: Base Hold, Chief Hold, Earth Divide, Grounder, Guard Impact, Side Hold, Soul Charge
Special qualities: Armored Combatant, Swordmaster, Skilled Combatant
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +10, Will +7
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 11
Skills: Concentration +26, Intimidate +19, Jump +27, Sense Motive +20, Tumble +21
Feats: Armor Proficiency (Heavy), Cleave, Combat Expertise, Great Fortitude, Greater Weapon Focus (greatsword), Greater Weapon Specialization (greatsword), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Concentration), Weapon Focus (greatsword), Weapon Specialization (greatsword)
Environment: Anywhere
Organization:Solitary (Unique)
CR: 25
Treasure: Soul Calibur
Alignment: Neutral Good
Combat: Siegfried uses his massive sword to defeat his foes.
Armored Combatant: Siegfried gains Armor Proficiency (Heavy) as a bonus feat, even though he doesn’t meet the requirements.
Base Hold(Ex):Siegfried crouches down, as a swift action, while holding his sword in front of him in a defensive position. He gains a +2 bonus to AC while in this stance. If attacked while in this Hold, he must succeed a Concentration check DC 10 +damage dealt. If he fails the check, he looses the Hold. He can switch between any Hold, of his choosing, as another swift. He gains the following abilities while in this Hold:
-Reborn Basher (Ex): Siegfried makes a charge and gains a +6 bonus to attack and damage rolls. He receives no penalties to AC. This charge only has a range of a 10 ft. line. If he hits his target, they must succeed a Tumble check DC 28 or be knocked down for 1 round.
-Spin (Ex):Siegfried spins to the side gaining a +3 dodge bonus to AC against anyone attacking him. Whenever he spins, he automatically shifts to the next possible Hold. Example: Base Hold>Chief Hold>Side Hold>Base Hold>and so on.
Chief Hold(Ex): Siegfried holds his sword, behind his back, with one hand as a swift action. He can switch between any Hold, of his choosing, as another swift If attacked, while in this Hold, he must succeed a Concentration check DC 10 +damage dealt. If he fails the check, he looses the Hold. He gains the following abilities while in this Hold:
-Hell Slayer(Ex):Siegfried swings his massive sword in an upward motion knocking his target 10 ft. in the air. This single attack deals full damage (39 points), at a +30 attack bonus, plus 1d6 points of falling damage. A successful Tumble check DC 28 negates damage from the fall, and the target lands on their feet. DC is Str-based.
-Spin(Ex): Siegfried spins to the side gaining a +3 dodge bonus to AC against anyone attacking him. Whenever he spins, he automatically shifts to the next possible Hold. Example: Base Hold>Chief Hold>Side Hold>Base Hold>and so on..
Side Hold(Ex): Siegfried holds his sword by his side with one hand, as a swift action. If attacked while in this Hold, he must succeed a Concentration check DC 10 +damage dealt. If he fails the check, he looses the Hold. He can switch between any Hold, of his choosing, as another swift action. He gains the following abilities while in this Hold:
-Reaver (Ex): Siegfried swings his sword in a downward motion, slamming his target into the ground. This single attack deals full damage (39 points), at a +30 attack bonus. Target must succeed a Fortitude save DC 28 or lose a turn. DC is Str-based.
-Spin(Ex): Siegfried spins to the side gaining a +3 dodge bonus to AC against anyone attacking him. Whenever he spins, he automatically shifts to the next possible Hold. Example: Base Hold>Chief Hold>Side Hold>Base Hold>and so on.
Earth Divide(Ex): Siegfried gathers all his strength and makes a devastating slash. This deals double the damage at a +25 attack bonus. The target must then succeed a Fortitude save DC 28 or be knocked prone for one round. DC is Str-based.
Grounder (Ex): After making a Full Attack, Siegfried can make a Trip attempt with a +4 bonus.
Guard Impact (Ex): Once per round, whenever Siegfried is attacked, he can attempt a Guard Impact. He must succeed a Sense Motive check DC (10 + ½ the attacker’s HD + their Dex bonus). If unsuccessful, he takes damage from the attack. However, if he is successful he guides the targets movement, effectively canceling their attack, and exposing them to an attack of opportunity from him. He cannot perform a Guard Impact against a full attack.
Skilled Combatant (Ex): Siegfried is very skill and gains 2 times the skill points for a fighter. (96 skill points)
Soul Charge (Su): Siegfried can charge up and deal extra damage. Soul Charge has 3 levels. Each level allows Siegfried to deal an extra 1d6 points of damage (3d6 max). It takes Siegfried a while to charge through the different levels. Use the following to determine the types of actions it takes to charge:
Level 1: free action
Level 2: standard action
Level 3: full-round action
While Soul Charging, Siegfried provokes attacks of opportunity. If hit, Siegfried must succeed a Concentration check DC (10+ damage dealt + attacker’s Str bonus) to maintain his charge. If unsuccessful, Siegfried gains no bonus to damage. The Soul charge bonus lasts for 1 round.
Swordmaster: Siegfried is well trained in wielding massive swords, such as the zweihander. He gains the Greater Weapon Focus, Greater Weapon Specialization as bonus feats, even though he does not meet the requirements. He also does not receive penalties for wielding oversized-weapons.
Soul Calibur: This is a +5 holy, keen, mighty cleaving, large greatsword. It heals its wielder with each swing. Whenever Siegfried attacks with this sword, successful or not, his hit points are recovered by 3 points. This cannot exceed his maximum hit points. Soul Calibur also provides the wielder with a +5 deflection bonus.
The reason why I asked though is that from a story stand point, I always wondered why Nightmare chose to manifest itself to be so similar to Sigfried. Was Sigfried the only one to ever become nightmare? In SC2, Astaroth's ending has him becoming the scourge of death on the battlefield after he gets the Soul Edge. I wonder if that's kind of HIS version of nightmare. The fact that such version of Astaroth was presented meant that the Nightmare manifestation was more or less based on the creature rather than based on Nightmare itself. At least, that's Pre-SC3 interpretation.
In SC3 and onward, I think you basically would have to build Nightmare from the ground up.
I'm not sure what his base race would be, but I would say just make him a warblade / devoted defender (of Soul Edge) and he would be a beast. I kind of saw Sigfried to the exact opposite of this, also being a warblade/devoted spirit but with slightly different focuses.
I last gave SC2 Nightmare's stats as Warblade 10/Blackguard 2/Tainted Warrior 8, and SC4 Siegfried as a Crusader/Vassal of Bahamut (he shoots a cone of cold out of his sword!)/Fist of Raziel. Post-SC2, Nightmare is seeming like a pseudonatural helmed horror with vile feats or something.
Soul Charge can be represented with the Psionic Weapon and Greater Psionic Weapon feats.
Oh, and Ragnarok?
-Reborn Basher (Ex): Siegfried makes a charge and gains a +6 bonus to attack and damage rolls. He receives no penalties to AC. This charge only has a range of a 10 ft. line. If he hits his target, they must succeed a Tumble check DC 28 or be knocked down for 1 round.
Better not to say it's a charge, since, well, the changes make it nothing like a charge.
-Spin (Ex):Siegfried spins to the side gaining a +3 dodge bonus to AC against anyone attacking him. Whenever he spins, he automatically shifts to the next possible Hold. Example: Base Hold>Chief Hold>Side Hold>Base Hold>and so on.
You said it's a swift action to switch holds - did you mean that it's a swift action to use Spin or that Spin is an additional way of changing holds? How long does the AC bonus last?
-Reaver (Ex): Siegfried swings his sword in a downward motion, slamming his target into the ground. This single attack deals full damage (39 points), at a +30 attack bonus. Target must succeed a Fortitude save DC 28 or lose a turn. DC is Str-based.
By "at a +30 attack bonus", did you mean a true strike-like effect, or that he takes a -5 penalty to the (+35) attack roll? If it's the former, that's just crazy, and if the latter, this attack becomes less accurate as Siegfried gains levels (and attack bonuses). There are two conditions which fall under "lose a turn" - dazed and stunned. Using your own names when names already exist is poor practice.
Grounder (Ex): After making a Full Attack, Siegfried can make a Trip attempt with a +4 bonus.
Does he gain the ability to trip as a free action right after the full attack, or does this apply to trip attempts made in the next round?
Soul Charge (Su): Siegfried can charge up and deal extra damage. Soul Charge has 3 levels. Each level allows Siegfried to deal an extra 1d6 points of damage (3d6 max). It takes Siegfried a while to charge through the different levels. Use the following to determine the types of actions it takes to charge:
Level 1: free action
Level 2: standard action
Level 3: full-round action
While Soul Charging, Siegfried provokes attacks of opportunity. If hit, Siegfried must succeed a Concentration check DC (10+ damage dealt + attacker’s Str bonus) to maintain his charge. If unsuccessful, Siegfried gains no bonus to damage. The Soul charge bonus lasts for 1 round.
Could level 1 be a move action? It's rare to see a free action that provokes attacks of opportunity, and even a level 1 soul charge takes some time.
Soul Calibur: This is a +5 holy, keen, mighty cleaving, large greatsword. It heals its wielder with each swing. Whenever Siegfried attacks with this sword, successful or not, his hit points are recovered by 3 points. This cannot exceed his maximum hit points. Soul Calibur also provides the wielder with a +5 deflection bonus.
I assume you meant +5 deflection bonus to AC? I know, I know, but theoretically, you could get a deflection bonus to attack rolls, right?
I seems like I nitpick your work a lot, but I haven't got anything against you - it's just my lawful alignment acting up. ;)
Here it is, Inkbot's Raphael build:
Raphael Sorel
Human Warblade 13
Abilities (elite array): Str 13, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 10
Notable Equipment: +5 leather armor, +4 rapier
Armor Class: 20 (+7 armor, +3 Dex), Flatfooted 20, Touch 13
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +5
Base Attack +13/+8/+3, Grapple +14
Melee Attack: +20 rapier 1d6+5 or +16 unarmed strike 1d10+1
Skills: Concentration +18, Jump +21, Knowledge (History) +8, Martial Lore +8, Perform (Dance) +8, Tumble +23
These are just Raphael's most important skills. Customize the rest as you see fit.
Feats: Wild Talent, Weapon Finesse, Psionic Weapon, Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Trip, Blade Meditation (Diamond Mind)*, Acrobatic*, Iron Will*, Combat Reflexes, *Combat Reflexes
* Warblade bonus feat
Class Features:
Battle Clarity: Int to reflex saves
Weapon Aptitude: Easy retraining for weapon feats
Uncanny Dodge: As barbarian
Battle Ardor: Int to critical confirmation rolls
Improved Uncanny Dodge: Can't be flanked
Battle Cunning: Int to damage on flatfooted/flanked foes
Initiator Level: 13 (7th level maneuvers)
Maneuvers Readied: 4
Maneuvers:
1st; sapphire nightmare blade, steely strike, douse the flames
2nd; claw at the moon, wall of blades
3rd; insightful strike
4th; white raven tactics
5th; disrupting blow
6th; greater insightful strike
7th; avalanche of blades
Stances: stance of clarity, punishing stance, dancing blade form
Style: Raphael has unusually long reach with his vertical attacks. He can constantly needle the other player from afar, while staying just out of reach of all but maybe Kilik and Seung Mina. This is the Dancing Blade Form stance, which gives you +5 foot reach but only on your turn (so you can't take AoO's on people 10 feet away).
When Raphael closes in, he can do some very decent damage, but he leaves himself open a lot, even when blocking. This is the Punishing Stance, which lets your attacks deal +1d6 damage but lowers your AC by -2.
When he needs to, Raphael can shift into a very light-footed and hard to hit style. This is Stance Of Clarity, which gives you a +2 bonus to AC against one person. When switching from Punishing Stance to Stance Of Clarity, the difference is a dramatic 4 points of AC.
These stances form the basis of Raphael's style. He will always be in one of these stances, since stances last forever and it only takes a swift action to change your stance.
Techniques: Soul Calibur II has a very subtle and nuanced system of moves, which contrasts heavily with D&D's highly abstracted combat system. Tome Of Battle lowers the abstraction somewhat, but even then more than half of Raphael's attacks simply boil down to "5-ft step and full attack."
Soul Charge: Raphael's face is contorted with concentration, as he focuses all of his will, all of his heart, and all of his soul into his sword. This technique is nothing more than gaining psionic focus, and then losing it on your next turn to fuel the Psionic Weapon feat, or to take 15 on a Concentration check as part of a Diamond Mind strike. Psionic Weapon add +2d6 damage to a single attack.
Unending Stings: Raphael steps forward, with one hand he forces an opening, with the other he delivers a lightning-fast barrage of stabs from his rapier. To perform this technique you must first initiate an avalanche of blades strike to deliver the "stings," then initiate the White Raven Tactics boost to take another turn. On this turn, take a full attack to attack with your rapier and trip your opponent.
Avalanche of blades lets you keep making attacks at cumulative -4 penalties until you miss.
Spiral Envelopment/Circular Envelopment: Raphael spins his sword and taunts his enemy, but when they attack he steps out of the way and counter attacks with blinding speed. This move is actually eight moves. A sidestep followed by a kick, a stab, a wide slash, or a series of small slashes, which can be in response to either a vertical or horizontal attack (depending on whether you use Spiral or Circular). But that's in the videogame. In D&D, abstraction keeps it a little simpler.
This is the Wall Of Blades counter, followed up with a strike or full attack on your turn.
Quick Parade + Staccato Rampage: "Go for it!" Raphael taunts, before parrying his enemy's attack, delivering a deadly barrage of strikes, and shifting into a quick light-footed stance. Use the Wall Of Blades counter to parry your opponent's attack as an immediate action. Then on your turn you use Avalanche Of Blades to deliver the multitude of stabs. To lead into Preparation II (see below), simply switch your stance at the start of your next turn.
Preparation: Raphael becomes light on his feat, dancing, twirling, and sidestepping, across the battlefield. There are four preparation stances, and there isn't much difference between any of them. This is simply the Stance Of Alacrity stance, which increases AC.
I wondered if it's possible to build the characters in a way so that you can show their progression throughout the games. i.e. Siegfried in Soul Edge might have just been a Crusader 5 or something, and by SC1, he's a Crusader/Vassal of Bahamut and eventually, by the time he's in SC4, he's the fully decked out build you've written down. To me, that would work better. This is the approach I took for building all the shotokan characters from streetfighter. Essentially, the earlier games assumes they are at a lower level, and as the games advance, the characters advance in level, culminating in them gaining their super arts and defining characteristics.
I would, however, like to see how you interpret people like Edgemaster.
to me, I think as long as Sigfried gets his levels of crusader in, anything else is just interpretation and gravy difference.
His choice of manouvers is closer to a warblade, though.
I would, however, like to see how you interpret people like Edgemaster.
Warblade 1/Swordsage 10/Master of Nine 3/Chameleon6. Emphasise Weapon Versatility.
Of course, this can get a little tricky when you have to deal with spells with visual components.... hmm....