Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 pnewman Jan 26, 2010 13:34:29	My brother and I are about to start up a game, and he's habitually picky about what he plays. The game is going to be a sort of high adventure, exotic pirate campaign. I settled pretty quickly on water genasi Swordmage. I was helping him to come up with a cool thing to play when I mentioned that causticsoul genasi can also waterbreathe. He checked it out and he loved it, and wants to play that reflavored as a naga. Here's the problem, though. He's in another loooong running campaign where he plays a warden who's flavored as a general. For that reason, he doesn't want to play another strong brute, another general, or another tank. To make matters worse, he doesn't like wizard that much. Ideally, he'd be wielding a trident (a reflavored greatspear). So, can you guys help me come up with solutions? - He's afraid that Barbarian and Fighter will be too similar to his Warden's style. - Considering that his warden is the group's commander, he doesn't want to play Warlord for yet another commander. - Swordmage geared towards assault would be an option, but I'm playing a Swordmage and he doesn't like the overlap (hence him picking causticsoul genasi when I picked watersoul) Something that would be perfect for him would be Avenger, as it's melee and a bit swashbuckley, but very different in style from his Warden, and it'd also let him use a trident. The problem is the Avenger dex/wis stats don't mesh well with genasi's str/int. I also looked around this site to see if yuan ti had been restatted, hoping that he could reflavor that to naga, but no luck. So, can anybody come up with any creative solutions that would let him play a naga-like, amphibian race that could rock out with a 2hander, but without relying on strength? Here are the ideas I've come up with, but I'm not sure they'd work: - Hybrid Swordmage + something: Go assault aegis and pick the SM strikey powers, but I think that trident can't be used as a swordmage. - Hybrid Wizard + something + staff mastery: Reflavor staff to trident and pick explosive melee powers like thunderwave, but I'm not sure if you can use a staff (implement) as a staff (weapon), can you? I'm open to anything you've got! Class options, race options, reflavor options... lay it on me!
#2 makrothumeo Jan 26, 2010 13:59:00	You lost me at "reflavored as a naga"...
#3 Fireclave Jan 27, 2010 2:44:59	How about a bard?  They can wade easily between melee-ing up in the front lines and dropping back to blast with ranged spells and party buffs without missing a step.  More so if they go with the con build for additional healing surges.  They don't rely on strength to attack.  They're charismatic, which is good for piratey (double) dealings.  Free ritual castings + free bard rituals per day gives him lots of options (and control over the winds is always nice to have on a seafaring adventure).  An a feat investment for a glaive gives you a spear that can also be enchanted as a songblade, so only one weaponment needed.  And who doesn't love the healer? Not many good ideas as far as race though.  Since you're already comfortable with reflavoring, warforge could work.  They're hella tough and extremely hard to kill, which offsets the bard's fragility a bit.  Don't need to breath, which is good for aquatic campaigns.  And while they don't get a bonus to cha, do get a bonus to con, a bard secondary.  And the bonus str helps to qualify for heavy armor feats (while the warforged-only mithral plating armor property basically turns heavy armor into light as far as ACP and speed is concerned).
#4 gogocharlie Jan 27, 2010 3:34:49	He could roll up a glaivelock.  A Warlock with the Aquadic Adaptation invocation and Eldritch Glaive. Just ask your DM if he can sub the glaive shape with a trident shape instead. He just couldnt throw the trident. Or he could take hideous blow, Still tho, cant throw it. I think Aquatic adaptation might be under the draconic invocations accually, but if your in an aquatic campaign it shouldnt be much trouble to convince a GM to allow it...
#5 razzanor Jan 27, 2010 10:51:56	Why don't you make a compromise and not be a swordmage? If it's a great class for him, and you don't mind playing something else, surely a little bit of personal loss of flair can't hurt.
#6 mrdelirious Jan 27, 2010 23:21:08	Why don't you make a compromise and not be a swordmage? If it's a great class for him, and you don't mind playing something else, surely a little bit of personal loss of flair can't hurt. I don't think that's the question here, actually. Have you looked into an Int/Con (or Cha, I suppose) Hybrid Swordmage|Warlock? They can do some very interesting things, even at level 1. Stand next to me, and I hurt you. Move away, and I hurt you. Attack me, and I hurt you. Attack someone else, and I hurt you. Also, on my turn, I'm going to hurt you again. Genasi could pull this off passably, too. I'm not sure how this fits with the flavor, but I'd give it some consideration.
#7 panthine Jan 28, 2010 3:14:00	Out of left field - suggest Artificer for him - strong INT synergy, uses INT to attack with weapons of any type. Artificer can "heal" in some flavourful ways and can buff or do some control. Either that or reflavour a race SUITABLE to what he wants to play, we reskinned bugbears/githyanki in our campaign to look human, as long as you dont mess with the mechanics - reskinning for flava
#8 baclan Jan 28, 2010 23:13:49	I'm assuming your re flavoring to the Warcraft Naga, as D&D naga aren't really terribly playable, in which case Warlord and Sorcerer are the obvious choices. Warlord being out, I don't really see a Sorcerer using a trident as their implement instead of a dagger as too terrible, you could ask your DM about it, Storm Sorcerer would fit for a Sea Witch Lady Vashj theme. I know the stats also dont match, but he could put his high stats in the ones he doesnt need and his racials in his dump stats to make a more balanced character. Nothing wrong with that.