Help for the new guy - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Help for the new guy

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
raptorskye
Apr 20, 2010 17:49:35 Hey all, as you guessed from the title im new to DnD. I have played in other RPG's so I am fairly versed in the kinds of characters I enjoy playing. For my first ever DnD game I've decided on a human monk with LE alignment based mainly off of the idea of a fallen Shaolin monk. I am playing 3.5 ruleset, but i have NO books for DnD at all. (plenty of Star Wars SAGA though so any comparisons will be welcomed)

So what advise would the great and powerful community give me? I need the most help with assigning the ability scores and skill points, but any advice will be a great help

for the record, we haven't rolled up stats yet but i do have a rough idea of the other PCs

Gnome Wizard
Half elf Ranger
full elf Bard
Druid (no race)

Thx
#2
harsgault
Apr 20, 2010 18:21:38 First game ever and you want to run out of the gate as evil.

Your mates are going to need someone who can get stuck in and beat'em'up nicely, so when you do get stats, focus on survivability and damage potential.
#3
raptorskye
Apr 20, 2010 18:45:59 The decision to go evil was because of my playstyle. personally I would have perfered chaotic nutral, but as a monk has to be lawful, and I really want to be a monk I thought that going LE would work out better than LN. I enjoy playing the "dont frak with him cause he will kill you in horrible ways" type of character

The way I plan on playing it is I do have a "code" that my char follows but when my code calls for me to respond with violence it is always the leathal type, and I will go out of my way to CDG anything that I drop.

Thx for the advice on the abilities.
#4
Man_in_the_Funny_Hat
Apr 20, 2010 20:09:11
The decision to go evil was because of my playstyle. personally I would have perfered chaotic nutral, but as a monk has to be lawful, and I really want to be a monk I thought that going LE would work out better than LN. I enjoy playing the "dont frak with him cause he will kill you in horrible ways" type of character

The way I plan on playing it is I do have a "code" that my char follows but when my code calls for me to respond with violence it is always the leathal type, and I will go out of my way to CDG anything that I drop.

Thx for the advice on the abilities.

No reason your description of how you intend to play the character can't fit LN. Don't underestimate the problems that playing evil characters (especially in a group of NON-evil characters) can create.

Oh, and IMO, if you really want a character that will lay the smack down then Monk is not the class most likely to let you do that. Not saying it can't be done, but don't be too disappointed when you find you are NOT the Big Dog in the pack.

#5
warrl
Apr 20, 2010 22:52:17 To play an evil character, have a goal that your character is pursuing. One that makes him desire for the party to be successful. Preferably one that will eventually encourage him to leave the party on GOOD terms.

I'm playing an evil warlord. He wants to be king, details (such as king of ____) to be determined. Assassinate the incumbent king, kill a few inconvenient advisors, start a war? Sure, if it'll help... and there is a very high chance that he'll have to arrange the death of at least one king or heir.

But there was some bad luck, and now he needs to rebuild his fortune and his reputation.

Which means he needs to be successful, and to be seen as successful. Also to be seen as trustworthy and reliable.

Shafting the other members of the adventuring party he's lucked into, would not help at all.
#6
raptorskye
Apr 21, 2010 6:34:29 Man in the Funny Hat, I based my LE off of what I read in the players guide my DM has, so I may have missed a point or to in the alignment system. I'll go back and look it up when I get a chance. Like I said in my OP I'm used to a quite diffrent system, the SW SAGA which has dark side score to represent how "evil" your char is, most of my characters have started with 1 Dark side point any usually accumulate a few (read a lot) more along the way.

As for the decision to go monk instead of barbarian or fighter, I based this mostly off of the high mobility of the Monk, plus I like the weapon list. I read over fighter and barbarian, and they just didn't ring with me for some reason.

Warrl, Thank you for the advice. This is another area where I need help because I have no idea how to tie my character into the game.
#7
tequila_sunrise
Apr 21, 2010 8:32:10
The decision to go evil was because of my playstyle. personally I would have perfered chaotic nutral, but as a monk has to be lawful.....

*Sigh* And this is how alignment restrictions actually interfere with role playing, and why they're so moronic. (Not your fault.) Try asking your DM to drop alignment restrictions. All of them. Because they don't balance classes, contrary to popular belief, and all they do is get in the way of role playing.

If your DM is a RAWtard (one who doesn't realize how retarded the Rules As Written can be), well, I hope you know how to play Evil smart rather than mustache-twirling Evil. The former might be able to work with a typical adventuring company; the latter will not.

Oh, and I'll second what Man in the Funny Hat says. Don't be surprised if your monk whiffs a lot, or can't take punishment, or just doesn't live up to your expectations in general. There are several monk fixes floating around the forums, the simplest of which involves boosting its BAB to Good and boosting its hit die to d10.

If your DM is a RAWtard, you might want to look into the swordsage in the Tome of Battle. A lot of people say that class is what the monk should have been.

Good luck!
#8
raptorskye
Apr 21, 2010 9:19:00 Tequila Sunrise (very cool name BTW), Unfortunatly the only book I have had access to is the players handbook, so...

As for wiffing attacks, be that as it may. I know that Monks are not the "Prime" build for a tank.

On another note, now that I have had a chance to read over the alignment stuff again (instead of just skimming it), I am going LN not LE.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 raptorskye Apr 20, 2010 17:49:35	Hey all, as you guessed from the title im new to DnD. I have played in other RPG's so I am fairly versed in the kinds of characters I enjoy playing. For my first ever DnD game I've decided on a human monk with LE alignment based mainly off of the idea of a fallen Shaolin monk. I am playing 3.5 ruleset, but i have NO books for DnD at all. (plenty of Star Wars SAGA though so any comparisons will be welcomed) So what advise would the great and powerful community give me? I need the most help with assigning the ability scores and skill points, but any advice will be a great help for the record, we haven't rolled up stats yet but i do have a rough idea of the other PCs Gnome Wizard Half elf Ranger full elf Bard Druid (no race) Thx
#2 harsgault Apr 20, 2010 18:21:38	First game ever and you want to run out of the gate as evil. Your mates are going to need someone who can get stuck in and beat'em'up nicely, so when you do get stats, focus on survivability and damage potential.
#3 raptorskye Apr 20, 2010 18:45:59	The decision to go evil was because of my playstyle. personally I would have perfered chaotic nutral, but as a monk has to be lawful, and I really want to be a monk I thought that going LE would work out better than LN. I enjoy playing the "dont frak with him cause he will kill you in horrible ways" type of character The way I plan on playing it is I do have a "code" that my char follows but when my code calls for me to respond with violence it is always the leathal type, and I will go out of my way to CDG anything that I drop. Thx for the advice on the abilities.
#4 Man_in_the_Funny_Hat Apr 20, 2010 20:09:11	The decision to go evil was because of my playstyle. personally I would have perfered chaotic nutral, but as a monk has to be lawful, and I really want to be a monk I thought that going LE would work out better than LN. I enjoy playing the "dont frak with him cause he will kill you in horrible ways" type of character The way I plan on playing it is I do have a "code" that my char follows but when my code calls for me to respond with violence it is always the leathal type, and I will go out of my way to CDG anything that I drop. Thx for the advice on the abilities. No reason your description of how you intend to play the character can't fit LN. Don't underestimate the problems that playing evil characters (especially in a group of NON-evil characters) can create. Oh, and IMO, if you really want a character that will lay the smack down then Monk is not the class most likely to let you do that. Not saying it can't be done, but don't be too disappointed when you find you are NOT the Big Dog in the pack.
#5 warrl Apr 20, 2010 22:52:17	To play an evil character, have a goal that your character is pursuing. One that makes him desire for the party to be successful. Preferably one that will eventually encourage him to leave the party on GOOD terms. I'm playing an evil warlord. He wants to be king, details (such as king of ____) to be determined. Assassinate the incumbent king, kill a few inconvenient advisors, start a war? Sure, if it'll help... and there is a very high chance that he'll have to arrange the death of at least one king or heir. But there was some bad luck, and now he needs to rebuild his fortune and his reputation. Which means he needs to be successful, and to be seen as successful. Also to be seen as trustworthy and reliable. Shafting the other members of the adventuring party he's lucked into, would not help at all.
#6 raptorskye Apr 21, 2010 6:34:29	Man in the Funny Hat, I based my LE off of what I read in the players guide my DM has, so I may have missed a point or to in the alignment system. I'll go back and look it up when I get a chance. Like I said in my OP I'm used to a quite diffrent system, the SW SAGA which has dark side score to represent how "evil" your char is, most of my characters have started with 1 Dark side point any usually accumulate a few (read a lot) more along the way. As for the decision to go monk instead of barbarian or fighter, I based this mostly off of the high mobility of the Monk, plus I like the weapon list. I read over fighter and barbarian, and they just didn't ring with me for some reason. Warrl, Thank you for the advice. This is another area where I need help because I have no idea how to tie my character into the game.
#7 tequila_sunrise Apr 21, 2010 8:32:10	The decision to go evil was because of my playstyle. personally I would have perfered chaotic nutral, but as a monk has to be lawful..... Sigh And this is how alignment restrictions actually interfere with role playing, and why they're so moronic. (Not your fault.) Try asking your DM to drop alignment restrictions. All of them. Because they don't balance classes, contrary to popular belief, and all they do is get in the way of role playing. If your DM is a RAWtard (one who doesn't realize how retarded the Rules As Written can be), well, I hope you know how to play Evil smart rather than mustache-twirling Evil. The former might be able to work with a typical adventuring company; the latter will not. Oh, and I'll second what Man in the Funny Hat says. Don't be surprised if your monk whiffs a lot, or can't take punishment, or just doesn't live up to your expectations in general. There are several monk fixes floating around the forums, the simplest of which involves boosting its BAB to Good and boosting its hit die to d10. If your DM is a RAWtard, you might want to look into the swordsage in the Tome of Battle. A lot of people say that class is what the monk should have been. Good luck!
#8 raptorskye Apr 21, 2010 9:19:00	Tequila Sunrise (very cool name BTW), Unfortunatly the only book I have had access to is the players handbook, so... As for wiffing attacks, be that as it may. I know that Monks are not the "Prime" build for a tank. On another note, now that I have had a chance to read over the alignment stuff again (instead of just skimming it), I am going LN not LE.