I need 2 character ideas. One for me and one for another player.
The problem: I love the game, but after 20 years I've seriously depleted my character ideas.
The solution: The great folks here on these boards (hopefully).
The limits: none
Include as much or as little detail as you like. Backstories and skillsets are great, but don't feel you have to have them. Pull ideas from wherever you like. They'll be in a homebrew campaign that can handle pretty much anything.
Now when I say anything, I really mean it. One of my characters in the past was a sword. Yes, I had a sword as a PC, and he was fun. The other player has played a fuzzy ewok looking creature named "What", an asteroid set on destroying the planet, and a forth dimensional creature with a multiple personality, to name a few. We've played dieties and demons, heroes and tyrants, beggars and kings, humans and griffons. What we need is something origional. It might be physical. It could be mental. It could just be a particularly strange backstory. It might even be all of those things.
Ballance is irrelevant, as is power level. A 3rd level something-or-other is just as good as a demi-god, as long as they're interesting and new (to us).
There's no particular ruleset to follow. If you want to make up a class or race out of nothing, go ahead. I'm sure there are tons of ideas out there that simply haven't occured to me.
So here I am, asking for your help through this dry spell.
Thanks in advance for any and all ideas.
Oh, and if it matters, we're talking 2 solo characters or a pair, not a full group for this, so there's no worry about over- or under-poweredness.
Um, okay.
You are Steve, the free range African swallow sucked through a portal from our world into a magical land. There, you fall in love with an 80 foot tall green hippo named Cecelia and attempt to keep her people from being destroyed by the Board of Equalization, an ogreish race trying to clear out Cecelia's desert in the name of their god, Imminent Domain.
Pikapoo the Dog, is your plucky sidekick through this tale of love and war. S/he is attempting to find their long lost owner, the Jedi Pidis Plurin and give him the Super Duper McGuffin that will help the Jedi finally defeat the Sith for good.
If you actually play this out you will be my hero forever.
Upon reaching the oasis, the odd pair discovered that it was inhabited by a family of gigantic bipedal hippo-people. Being a peaceful race, the hippofolk family welcomed these strangers to their home. Cecilia, the middle child, was skilled in the Arts of Healing, and soon Steve's wing was as good as ever. The pair decided to remain a while at the oasis, and learn about this world from their hosts. As time went on, Steve found himself falling for the sweet-natured Cecelia. Fearing ridicule, he did his best to hide his feelings.
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Ok, so that could work as a backstory for Steve, and a lead-in for Pikapoo. It's not as complete as most (any?) of my backstories, but it's got all the necessary elements. It even has a hook or two (what happened to that coconut anyway...).
I'll have to discuss it with the other player, but I could make this work.
More ideas are always welcome. Even if we don't use them now, we probably will later.
You are a supervillain bound by all of the comic book/movie conventions (monologuing instead of acting, placing the hero in easily escapable situations, etc.). The other player is your heroic arch-nemeses also bound by all of the conventions of comic book/movie heroics (never kills you, has a secret identity that anyone with a brain could easily see through, etc.) For the last 20 years, your battles in Megopolis have been the stuff of legend. Your both highly feared/respected in your respective fields.
But recently that has changed. A new supervillain not bound by the "rules" has completely outmaneuvered both of you, ousting you as head of your criminal empire and framing your counterpart for a crime he didn't commit. Now, on the run and forced to work together, you must defeat this new threat to both you and Megopolis.
Can you work together despite your numerous differences?
Come to terms with 20 years of rivalry?
What do you guys do when the new supervillain turns out to be your settings Lois Lane, the girl at the center of your 20 year struggles?
This Clan of Elan's where immortal psionic gypises , that would rove around using there psionics powers to out wit , steal and offer realling bad trades. Also they would find the smartest and most capible and turn them into elans. Naturally they where hated .
You should of seen how dwarfs reacted to him .
I like your style jetshield. How about this?
You are a supervillain bound by all of the comic book/movie conventions (monologuing instead of acting, placing the hero in easily escapable situations, etc.). The other player is your heroic arch-nemeses also bound by all of the conventions of comic book/movie heroics (never kills you, has a secret identity that anyone with a brain could easily see through, etc.) For the last 20 years, your battles in Megopolis have been the stuff of legend. Your both highly feared/respected in your respective fields.
But recently that has changed. A new supervillain not bound by the "rules" has completely outmaneuvered both of you, ousting you as head of your criminal empire and framing your counterpart for a crime he didn't commit. Now, on the run and forced to work together, you must defeat this new threat to both you and Megopolis.
Can you work together despite your numerous differences?
Come to terms with 20 years of rivalry?
What do you guys do when the new supervillain turns out to be your settings Lois Lane, the girl at the center of your 20 year struggles?
Hmm. Sounds familiar. I think I saw the trailer for this the other day. It was called MegaMind.
So you want original characters and aren't above playing a hand me down, Then I've got one for ya.
Ki' Ban (translates into servant of the snake) is a cleric who functions like a wizard because the god he follows, Set, is banished and bound against affecting the prime material plane. Ki' Ban's mission is to bring his god into the world through whatever means possible. Think snake oil sales man selling the great evil as a harmless religion. Bring in the masses with benevolence and then sell it to those with power by giving them more one damning sacrificial act at a time.
Ki' Boon (Gift of the snake) was my characters brother that was sacrificed. While strapped to the alter we forced a baby snake who had all the attributed of other snakes (spitting-venomous, constrictor) into his mouth with a poisonous coctail. We sliced him open to pull out a full grown snake, sentiant snake which was my familiar. The DM determined that everyday at midnight, and during special rituals my anaconda snake would become Yaunti. Since you want it to be a pc you may have to be more permanently a Yaunti, but a lesser type, or something. It was good to have him as a small snake because he was easy to hide and transport.
taken from
Schloss Ritter
Adapted from Cranium Rat Swarm (Fiend Folio), with some re-wording from The Us ([url]www.planewalker.com/node/]) and some formatting from Monster Class: Couatl ([url]www.planewalker.com/node/]) on Planewalker.
[pre]
Level Char
(HD) F/A BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1 Feat +1 +2 +2 +0 Swarm Attack 1d6, Telepathy 20 ft,
Distraction (DC 10+Con), Mind Blast 1/Day (DC 12)
2 +2 +3 +3 +0 (note)[*1]
3 F +3 +3 +3 +1 Mind Blast 1/Turn
4 Attrib. +4 +4 +4 +1 Telepathy 40
5 +5 +4 +4 +1 Int +2
6 F +6 +5 +5 +2 Swarm 2d6, Mind Blast 1/2 Rounds
7 +7 +5 +5 +2 Cold Resistance 10, Telepathy 80
8 A +8 +6 +6 +2 Sorceror 1
9 F +9 +6 +6 +3 Mind Blast 1/Round
10 +10 +7 +7 +3 Sorceror 2
11 +11 +7 +7 +3 Swarm 3d6, Int +2
12 FA +12 +8 +8 +4 Sorceror 3
13 +13 +8 +8 +4 Cold Resistance 20
14 +14 +9 +9 +4 Sorceror 4
15 F +15 +9 +9 +5 Spell Penetration (Greater)
16 A +16 +10 +10 +5 Swarm 4d6, Sorceror 5
17 +17 +10 +10 +5 Int +2
18 F +18 +11 +11 +6 Sorceror 6
19 +19 +11 +11 +6 Cold Immunity
20 A +20 +12 +12 +6 Sorceror 7
21 F +21 +12 +12 +7 Swarm 5d6, SR 23
22 +22 +13 +13 +7 Sorceror 8
23 +23 +13 +13 +7 Int +2
24 FA +24 +14 +14 +8 Sorceror 9
[/pre]
Racial Traits:
- STR -8, Dex +6, Con +4, Int -4, Wis +4, Cha +2
- Medium (Face 5ft, Reach 0) Magical Beast (Extraplanar - Outlands, Swarm of Diminutive [Tiny [*2]] Creatures)
- Darkvision 60 ft, Low-light vision
- Base land speed 40, climb 20 (Natural Climbers)
- Natural Armor +1
- Swarm Growth
- Hive Mind, Telepathy
- Swarm Traits, Swarm Attack, Distraction
- Automatic Languages: None (Telepathy)
- Favored Class: Sorcerer.
Alignment: NE, N, NG (rare)
Hit Die: d10 [d8 [*3]]
Class Skills [*4]: *Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), *Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), *Decipher Script (Int), *Diplomacy (Cha), **Disable Device (Int), *Disguise (Cha), ***Escape Artist (Dex), **Forgery (Int), *Gather Information (Cha), *Hide (Dex), *Intimidate (Cha), *Knowledge (all, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), *Move Silently (Dex), **Open Lock (Dex), *Profession (ie Spy) (Wis), *Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), **Sleight Of Hand (Dex), *Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), **Use Magic Device (Cha)
Recommended Feats (from Fiend Folio descriptions): Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Casting, Greater Spell Focus (Evocation), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Spell Focus (Evocation), Spell Penetration
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: None (see Swarm Attack)
Natural Armor: A Cranium Rat Swarm has a +1 natural armor bonus.
Swarm Growth: Being naturally prolific creatures, a swarm's number of members increases every HD/level. Each dice/level gained adds another 12-13 rats (25 every 2 levels) to the swarm, without changing the overall size of Medium.
Natural Climbers (EX): Cranium Rat Swarms have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened
Hive Mind (Ex): A Cranium Rat Swarm has a hive mind which is susceptible to mind-affecting spells. For purposes of such spells, the swarm is a single creature of the magical beast type.
Telepathy (EX): Cranium Rat "speech" is a jumbled mess of sqeaks and other noises only used to share emotions and other base senses within the swarm. A Cranium Rat Swarm communicates with other intelligent beings by natural Telepathy. The range is limited to 20 ft at 1st level, expands to 40 ft at 4th level, and maxes out at 80 ft at 7th level. [*5]
Swarm Traits (EX): A swarm has no clear front or back and no discernible anatomy, so it is not subject to critical hits or flanking. Cranium Rats are a swarm composed of Diminutive creatures so are immune to all weapon damage [(OR) ... Tiny creatures so take half damage from slashing and piercing weapons [*2]]. Swarms are never staggered or reduced to a dying state by damage, and they cannot be tripped, grappled, or bull rushed. Reducing the swarm to 0 hit points or fewer causes the Cranium Rats to fall unconcious as a standard PC [*6], and damage taken until that point does not reduce it's ability to attack or resist attack.
A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects. A Swarm has a -10 penalty on saving throws against spells or effects that affect an area, such as many evocation spells or grenade-like weapons. If the area effect attack does not allow a saving throw, a swarm takes double damage instead.
The Diminutive [Ignore this paragraph if using Tiny sized rats [*2]] cranium rats are susceptible to high winds such as that created by a gust of wind spell. To determine the effect of wind, treat the swarm as one Diminutive creature. Wind effects deal 1d6 points of subdual damage to the swarm per spell level (or Hit Die of the originating creature, in the case of effects such as an air elemental's whirlwind). A swarm rendered unconsious by this subdual damage becomes disorganized and dispersed, and does not re-form until its current hit points exceed its subdual damage.
Swarm Attack (EX): Creatures with the swarm subtype don't make standard melee attacks.Instead, they deal automatic nonmagical damage to any creature whose space they occupy at the end of their move, with no attack roll needed. Swarm attacks are not subject to a miss chance for concealment or cover. Cranium Rats attack damage begins at d6 and increases by d6 every 5 levels thereafter. Damage reduction sufficient to reduce a swarm attack's damage to 0, being incorporeal, and other special abilities usually make a creature immune or resistant to damage from the swarm. Swarms do not threaten creatures in their square, and do not make attacks of opportunity with their swarm attack. However, they Distract foes whose squares they occupy, as described below.
Distraction (Ex): Any nonmindless creature vulnerable to the swarm's damage that begins its turn with a swarm in its square is nauseated for 1 round; a Fortitude save negates the effect (DC 10 + 1/2 swarm level (rounded down) + swarm Con). Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level). Using skills involving patience and concentration requires a Concentration check (DC 20).
Mind Blast (Su): A Cranium Rat Swarm can project a 60-foot cone of mental anguish similar to an illithid mind blast. Anyone caught in this cone must succeed on a Will save or be stunned for 3d4 rounds (DC 11 + 1/2 swarm level (rounded up)). This ability can be used at will (standard action) once per day at 1st level [*7], increasing in frequency every third level, maxing out at 1/round at 9th level.
Shared Intellect (Ex): Every so often, the combined intellectual capacity of a Cranium Rat Swarm is increased by the number of member brains. Starting at 5th level, and every 6 levels thereafter, a Cranium Rat Swarm gains +2 to Intelligence to reflect this.
Cold Resistance (Ex): As Cranium Rat Swarms become more powerful, they develop a resistance to cold both magical and mundane. They gain Cold Resistance 10 at 7th level, Cold Resistance 20 at 13th level, and Cold Immunity at 19th level.
Spells (Sp): At the levels listed above (beginning at 8th), a Cranium Rat Swarm can cast arcane spells as a sorcerer of the level shown. [*8]
Spell Penetration (Greater) (Ex): A Cranium Rat Swarm eventually becomes naturally adept at breaking through Spell Resistance. At 15th level, they gain Spell Penetration as a bonus feat. If they already have Spell Penetration, then they gain Greater Spell Penetration instead.
Spell Resistance (Ex): Extremely powerful Cranium Rat Swarms gain the ability to shrug off outside magical influence completely. Beginning at 21st level, they gain SR 23 (their level + 2). This increases by +1 for every subsequent level.
Psionic Variant
If you're using Psionics in the campaign, Cranium Rat Swarms manifest powers as a Psion (usually Shaper) rather than cast spells as a Sorceror. They would choose psionic feats instead of magic-related ones, such as the Combat Manifestation feat instead of Combat Casting, Power Penetration instead of Spell Penetration, and Pisonic Focus (Metacreativity) instead of Spell Focus (Evocation). The bonus Spell Penetration (or Greater) becomes Power Penetration (or Greater). Favored class becomes Psion.
Notes:
*1 - No abilities for second level. I thought about delaying something from 1st, but that would mess up my progression. Maybe their Natural Armor +1 could wait until here, or their Distraction isn't effective until here... read everything else before making a decision on this. Also, this chart ignores the artificial 20 level cap put on standard classes, since Cranium Rat Swarms have a progression to 24 HD. Also, compressing this to 20 levels would be more of a mess.
*2 - Every source I have points at standard rats being Tiny, so why are Cranium Rats smaller? Making them Tiny (see Swarm Traits) would make them somewhat vulnerable to weapons and help balance out class over-powering.
*3 - Almost every other Swarm I have seen has the standard monster d8 HD, but the C.R.S. has d10. Another option to tone this class down would be to use the d8.
*4 - All class skills marked with asterisks (*) may not necessarily be class skills, but I thought them fitting (Cranium Rats are manipulative gatherers of knowledge). Some should probably be removed for balance. Unmarked skills are listed in the monster descriptions. ** = assuming opposible thumbs as sometimes depicted. *** = chewing through nets, plants, etc; malleable swarm trait.
*5 - The monster entry doesn't get Telepathy until 12HD, but who wants to play a silent PC that long to have it suddenly thrust on them. 80 ft is probably a bit powerful for 1st level, so I put in a somewhat "realistic" progression.
*6 - Changed slightly from standard swarm rules to balance better as a PC.
*7 - Or once per hour depending on the pace of the campaign.
*8 - Spell progression tweaked a bit down from monster listing, to balance out ability progression per class level. Unless I can work out a balanced way to get them to Sorceror 10 as in the monster listing...
He has no past that he can recall, although he is certain that if anyone were to realise who he was, it would be The End. For him? For everyone? And so he tries to bluff his way through life, mirroring the behaviours of those around him. He pulls traits and tries to emulate skills from his group, and even from those he meets. And he hates being alone with one person, for its so much harder to fake being a whole person without looking like you are copying that person. Of course, much worse is being alone - when the scary emptiness is all he has to concentrate on.
The mirror tries not to deeply or for long either. He never recalls the terrifying dreams that his companiosn say caused him to yell in the night.
And of course, everything will change when the character meets another mirror. One whose dreams they cannot recall either, but apparently make them feel they are destined for greatness. They fear revealing their true selves too, because of some danger that this other mirror is not quite ready for.
In order of appearance:
Superhero/villain combo sounds like fun. Usually we shy away from the classic stereotyped hero/villain, but these two as a pair have the makings of a lot of laughter.
Psionic gypsies are an interesting idea, and may make it into the campaign I DM.
The movie MegaMind looks like something I'll watch. I don't see any real resemblance to the superhero/villain idea as posted, other than it has a hero and villain in it.
The Magepriest that seeks to unleash the Great Evil was done recently, but I have to admit I've never played a yaunti.
A telepathic rat swarm? Really? What made you come up with this wierd idea? I like it! I'm not sure how I'll come up with a backstory for it yet, but it's definately going on the list of characters I want to play soon.
Mirror mirror on the wall.....I see where you're going with this, I think. Definately has the potential for some entertainment, but what happens if the trait the two mirrors reflect of one another is the emptiness or fear? Do they both go mad?
Again I offer thanks. More ideas are always welcome.
I see some more fun ideas in here. Thanx for posting folks.
A telepathic rat swarm? Really? What made you come up with this wierd idea? I like it! I'm not sure how I'll come up with a backstory for it yet, but it's definately going on the list of characters I want to play soon.
I guess you didn't play Planescape: Torment. The PC posted looks to be based on Many-as-One, the cranium rat swarm that appeared in that CRPG.
I guess you didn't play Planescape: Torment. The PC posted looks to be based on Many-as-One, the cranium rat swarm that appeared in that CRPG.
You would be correct. I never played it.
And the cranium rats in 2nd ed. It was one monster that never stoped being panic indusing ; 1 rat= a level one monster but say he runs back to the nest /swarm, suddenly it's a 10 - 20 level monster! Plus the added thrill where you don't know, how many reinforcements he has . A party member shouts craium rat and suddenly it's fire ball at close range and you consider your self luck to get only the splash damage
The character is a hybrid class changling, who sometime in his past travelled with a small group of adventurers who were killed because of his cowardice. The event fractured his already delicate mental stability so he took on the personalities of his fallen comrades. I would make the two hybrid classes very divergent in themes so that when he pretended to be either of the characters his powers would change dramatically. Something like an half-orc barbarian and an elvin bard. He would be fully committed to the idea of being one or the other and never himself. He would constantly have to make excuses to disappear and come back as one of his other personalities, and he may be so committed to the idea that he actually pulls off the deception with his companions, for a time. Eventually the facades would fracture and he'd have trouble keeping his competing personalities in order (showing up as an orcish bard for instance) and there'd be plenty of character developement as he tries to decide what his real persona is.
I personally think it'd make a better NPC than character but maybe a more experienced gamer could make it work. I don't have anything for your friend but it might be interesting to have one of the characters he's doppleganging (new word!) be actually alive. Or maybe you're both changlings who share a whole retinue of personalities that you borrow from time to time, confusing the hell out of your friends.
He relies primarily on his spell casting, but is not above actually fighting. He will, however, complain very loudly about actually having to get up out of his chair! He really is a ton of fun to play!
However, for an outlandish idea, I'm going to turn to one of my favorite comic book writers, Grant Morrison, and his X-Man, No-girl. She's a completely conceptional being. She's almost entirely impericeivable, and has no ability to affect the world. I have no idea what you would do for stats, but it's a stretch of my imagination.
Now that one will really turn some PC assumptions on its head. You're going into the dungeons not to kill the monsters, but to free them. I want to get back into a 3.5 game myself to play this. Kalashtar totemist/beastheart adept.
It's not really characters I guess, but it looks like a good starting point for a fun campaign that ends up with a decision of which vision to follow.
drink from the right eye, you see the good in the sucker's
death. If you drink from the left eye, the sinister one, you see
the evil.
What if you play a character that was an omnipotent god, or thought he was as good as a god and the celestial beings are banded together to knock you down a peg, down to the mortal peg to be exact. You feel from grace and now you are no different from any other mortal in the world except that you have pissed off some very powerful beings over the years and they are looking for the pay back. Since you're so indistinguishable it's hard for them to track you down which should give you some breathing room. You may or may not be completely aware of what has happened, but you at least have a foggy sense of danger about. As you become more powerful in whatever chosen field of profession you may regain some of your old powers instead but this increases the instances of being found! There maybe a chance that you could find redemption and be readmitted into the heavenly brotherhood before something tries to stomp you with their Olympic size 24's.
As for your partner, some faction up above, or down below feels that you are getting off too easy. They would destroy you out right but you do have some protection against direct interference of a god (could be the rule you broke/ what did you interfere in?) so they have knocked one of their lesser members from 'grace' to hunt you down mortal vs mortal (though if he's bad they'll likely find another way to cheat the sys
. If it's a bad guy it will be focused solely on anhilateing you. If it's a moral creature it may wihs you to find redemption before killing you so that your karmic slate is clean before you die and they don't inherit your bad mojo. You made up for what you did, but what you did still deserves punishment. Would be a good moral twister!Another switch up, as you both fall from grace, literally, as shooting stars you and your assasin collide! You switch parts of your life memories and form a false closeness because you feel like you know the other. As you go on the truth is revealed and the one that is the assassin acts accordingly and the other has been lulled by this false friendship.
I could add in so much more, but it would be best to tell the dm directly as it would ruin the mystery and I'm sure that's what you're after.
I like this idea becaseu certainly you've created many a god like characters but I'm sure the game stopped after that. It's kinda like, what happened next...
1.) *Insert Race here* who suffered from a near fatal accident but what was made into a half machine. It's basically a mix between a race and a warforged. Usually you select certain limbs that were damaged and replaced with warforged parts allowing the same upgrades to be applied to that region without being fully warforged. (I think this is actually in a book somewhere but I don't remember) I was going to do an adventure where the characters meet a pioneer tinkerer who found a dragon's corpse and re-animated it using mechanical parts. The dragon was reborn with it's sentience and destroyed the town and ran away. The tinkerer wanted the adventurers to kill the beast and salvage as many parts as possible. Once the PCs kill the dragon he mortally wounds one of the members in an act of desperation. The salvaged parts then go towards reviving the member with the tinkerer's help.
2.) Mind flayers seem like they would be fun for RPing. Very generic idea though.
3.) Travelling salesman who are caught in a bad situation and have to learn to fight to escape.
4.) Some of the Raven Queen's servants who are basically grim reapers?
5.) Walk around your house with your eyes closed and the first inanimate object you touch is your character but make it sentient (as well as maybe some extra limbs) and give it reason to exist in D&D.
6.) You're a farm animal. Escape from the farmer who wants to slaughter and eat you.
Extra: My friend yesterday jokingly mentioned a lich who made his phalactory his toe nail. I found that funny.
On your wedding night just before the night time portion of the celebration began, a portal opened up and your beloved was sucked into it. It closed and you were left alone. You immedately ran to your mentor's library and started researching portals and other realms.
It took days but you soon found a ritual that would allow you to discover your love's whereabouts.
Upon casting the ritual, another portal opened up and a voice boomed out of it.
"So you would save the one you love?!"
"Yes!" you say with determination.
"You have spine...I like it. To save your beloved, you must become more powerful than you can possilbly imagine, more powerful than these dusty old tomes. I offer that power, in exchange you will do tasks for me for time to time. Do you accept?"
"Anything to save her!" you shout.
"Very well!" the voice responds and a bolt of power crashes from the portal. You see images then you feel your head fill with knowledge, knowledge of terrible beautiful horrible truths. The onslaught continues for what seems like hours. Your mind almost shatters under the pressure of pure knowledge, knowledge not meant for mortals....but you have it now.
You then hear a voice, and feel someone shaking you. You open your eyes a see the face of your mentor. Then you see in seconds his entire life pass before your eyes to his death at the hands of an orc cheiftien. Then a horrible compulsion comes over you to speak this horrible fate, and your mentor turns ashen as you describe in vivid horrible detail his death.
He turns from you, and you catch a glimpse of your reflection in a broken mirror and see your eyes, silver and smooth.
You were born when the world was cooling, and as the magma flowed you were pressed against your one true love, a single vein of gold. Yes being a large hunk of sentient limestone (might wana refresh my geology, not sure what gold is commonly found in anymore.) seems boring, but you loved and lived for every day you spent near your golden one. Then one day intruders cracked open your tight nit colony and stole away your true love leaving you in agony and woe. For years you cried your stony tears, wailing over the loss of your love till one day you decided to get up and roll your way after your missing metalic love. Now you tumble through the realms of men, dwarves and elves seeking to reuntie with your mineral muse. You here she has been melted down and split apart yet, you patiently try to regain the love you once had.
You have two brothers who work with you: Darrel, and Darrel.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6ravRfW_00
Feldengras rented a suite over the taproom there in his childhood hometown on the morning he was scheduled to die, determined to find some promising young soul headed for a life of adventure to whom he could impart the power he'd gained in his life. He laid out his Last Will and the robes in which he wanted to be buried, and set out to find such a person. As the day wore on he began to fear he would find no one worthy of inheriting his power, and as the sun set on his last day of life his fear grew into cold certainty. He could have studied teleportation spells to prevent this from happening, but this was his hometown, gods smite it, and he had so dearly wanted to pass his gift on to someone from home that he hadn't even considered going anywhere else. Indeed, he'd rather not give it to anyone than pass it on to some outsider.
So it was that he trudged up the stairs to have his fatal heart attack, his wizardly magic doomed to die with him. As he lay in the rented bed, waiting for his heart to fail, he thought about his life, and considered his decision to allow his magic to die with him. As he contemplated, the night's entertainment began, and the bard in the taproom below sang a stirring song about a young wizard who used his spells to tip the balance of a hopeless battle against overwhelming odds. It was an old favorite in the town, and was the reason Feldengras had gotten into the wizarding business to begin with.
Feldengras' failing heart was filled with the song, and he repented his selfishness. An old fool and a snob, that's what he was to think his power should be squandered! It was a gift that had to be shared! But as he tried to leap up from his deathbed to find someone to receive his power his heart seized. It was too late to find someone to inherit his magic! So, with his last breaths, he bellowed the Legacy Incantation as loudly as he could, hoping that perhaps the spell itself would find the ears of someone, anyone, and take root in them.
His rich, deep voice, though strong from over a century of speaking words of power was no match for the volume of the music in the taproom. His final words, the spell that should have passed his magic on to a new wielder, was heard by no one.
But magic energy that potent cannot just dissipate to no effect. The song that drowned his final spell absorbed it. It swelled with power, and the two sounds together grew into something rich and potent and alive. The song became aware, and was itself overcome with a need to inspire people to heroism. It echoed from the walls of the inn and drifted out the windows, bent to the old wizard's final task: to find someone worthy of its hearing and to give them power.
I still haven't figured out how to math out things like hit points or defenses or how the song can be damaged or killed, but the song would function like a Lazy Warlord. Instead of a person granting the attacks and modifiers, the heroes would hear the song and be bolstered by it. The song's player would still choose targets and so forth, but should probably only interact with other characters by singing to them. It's a member of the party because one or all of them were the first heroes the song came upon, and it decided that they were its worthy recipients. The spell was intended to be cast on a target, but the song was sung for all to hear, so rather than becoming part of one character the song remains independant and sentient, and inspires whichever member of the party it sees in need of inspiration, granting them hope, or when the situation allows, revealing an enemy's weakness by playing a relevant verse from the original song to the hearer.
Magic items would be ruled thus: instead of the party getting a magic item, the DM would pick an item appropriate for a warlord and add its effect to the song's stats on the character sheet, and deduct one magic item of the appropriate level from the parcel. That would keep the party's treasure properly managed and the character's numbers in line with the rest of the party.
Take the lazy warlord one step farther. Your character is an inspirational song that was being sung in the taproom of an inn the night the dying wizard Feldengras cast his Legacy Incantation.
Feldengras rented a suite over the taproom there in his childhood hometown on the morning he was scheduled to die, determined to find some promising young soul headed for a life of adventure to whom he could impart the power he'd gained in his life. He laid out his Last Will and the robes in which he wanted to be buried, and set out to find such a person. As the day wore on he began to fear he would find no one worthy of inheriting his power, and as the sun set on his last day of life his fear grew into cold certainty. He could have studied teleportation spells to prevent this from happening, but this was his hometown, gods smite it, and he had so dearly wanted to pass his gift on to someone from home that he hadn't even considered going anywhere else. Indeed, he'd rather not give it to anyone than pass it on to some outsider.
So it was that he trudged up the stairs to have his fatal heart attack, his wizardly magic doomed to die with him. As he lay in the rented bed, waiting for his heart to fail, he thought about his life, and considered his decision to allow his magic to die with him. As he contemplated, the night's entertainment began, and the bard in the taproom below sang a stirring song about a young wizard who used his spells to tip the balance of a hopeless battle against overwhelming odds. It was an old favorite in the town, and was the reason Feldengras had gotten into the wizarding business to begin with.
Feldengras' failing heart was filled with the song, and he repented his selfishness. An old fool and a snob, that's what he was to think his power should be squandered! It was a gift that had to be shared! But as he tried to leap up from his deathbed to find someone to receive his power his heart seized. It was too late to find someone to inherit his magic! So, with his last breaths, he bellowed the Legacy Incantation as loudly as he could, hoping that perhaps the spell itself would find the ears of someone, anyone, and take root in them.
His rich, deep voice, though strong from over a century of speaking words of power was no match for the volume of the music in the taproom. His final words, the spell that should have passed his magic on to a new wielder, was heard by no one.
But magic energy that potent cannot just dissipate to no effect. The song that drowned his final spell absorbed it. It swelled with power, and the two sounds together grew into something rich and potent and alive. The song became aware, and was itself overcome with a need to inspire people to heroism. It echoed from the walls of the inn and drifted out the windows, bent to the old wizard's final task: to find someone worthy of its hearing and to give them power.
I still haven't figured out how to math out things like hit points or defenses or how the song can be damaged or killed, but the song would function like a Lazy Warlord. Instead of a person granting the attacks and modifiers, the heroes would hear the song and be bolstered by it. The song's player would still choose targets and so forth, but should probably only interact with other characters by singing to them. It's a member of the party because one or all of them were the first heroes the song came upon, and it decided that they were its worthy recipients. The spell was intended to be cast on a target, but the song was sung for all to hear, so rather than becoming part of one character the song remains independant and sentient, and inspires whichever member of the party it sees in need of inspiration, granting them hope, or when the situation allows, revealing an enemy's weakness by playing a relevant verse from the original song to the hearer.
Magic items would be ruled thus: instead of the party getting a magic item, the DM would pick an item appropriate for a warlord and add its effect to the song's stats on the character sheet, and deduct one magic item of the appropriate level from the parcel. That would keep the party's treasure properly managed and the character's numbers in line with the rest of the party.
This sounds more like an artifact than a character, but its still cool.
My dad played a Gully Dwarf named Augi a while back that wore a pot for a helmet, had a pan for a shield, and a Cleaver for a weapon.
For those that don't know what a Gully Dwarf is, it is a type of Dwarf I first heard of in the Dragonlance Books. They are very unintelligent and none have ever counted past two, though they understand the concept of more than two. They are extremely gullible and from what I understand, very fun to roleplay.
Two Words... Gully Dwarves.
My dad played a Gully Dwarf named Augi a while back that wore a pot for a helmet, had a pan for a shield, and a Cleaver for a weapon.
For those that don't know what a Gully Dwarf is, it is a type of Dwarf I first heard of in the Dragonlance Books. They are very unintelligent and none have ever counted past two, though they understand the concept of more than two. They are extremely gullible and from what I understand, very fun to roleplay.
Anti-Kender. That is the best way to describe gully dwarves.