PDA

View Full Version : How would I make a Puppeteer?



chaoschristian
2009-01-18, 07:01 PM
First, I want to thank everyone who helped me out a few weeks ago when I asked how best to get my kids started into rpgs. We picked up copies of Faery's Tale and Ork, are reading those and preparing for some fun.

Now to the business as hand.

There's a new group starting up in town and and I've beening thinking of various different kinds of characters I could play (depending on the setting of course.

Should we decide on DnD as the system (most likely) there is one character I would like to play, but don't know how to build.

I want to make a puppeteer. No, not a Puppet Master. I've seen the thread on that and elsewhere on the net. I'm not interested in a character who manipulates puppets of death remotely. I am thinking more in terms of a bard style person, who instead of using music and instruments to alter the outcome of events uses magical puppets.

For example, one puppet could have a personality that is very suave and smooth talking and would impart a bonus to diplomancy and bluff checks.

Another might be very fiesty and inspire courage or give a bonus to taunt checks.

The point being is that the character uses different puppets for different situations and it's through the puppets that he interacts with the world. Without them he is very bland and ordinary save for his one talent of being able to make magical puppets.

But that's the hook, how do I build a character who can have both the mechanical skill of crafting a puppet and the magical skill of infusing them with personalities that manifest when he uses them as well as the puppets themselves being able to effect outcomes.

I guess in a way it would be like a character who could craft magic wands, but being completely ignorant of the details of this and not having any of the material I'm at a loss. I just have the concept, no way of seeing if it would actually work.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Innis Cabal
2009-01-18, 07:04 PM
Thats just a matter of flavor. Nothing more.

pirateshow
2009-01-18, 07:15 PM
I've not yet seen the 4e Bard, but I'll guess you'd do something like re-fluff your performing ability as puppetry rather than music (I've seen it re-fluffed as eloquent insulting, storytelling, and interpretive dance, so anything goes). Find a magic item that improves your bardic music powers, call it a set of hand puppets, and re-describe the abilities accordingly.

And give one of them a banjo.

shadowfox
2009-01-18, 07:16 PM
Sounds a bit like a prestige class. In fact, there's one similar to this. Master of Masks, from Complete Scoundrel; they wear different magical masks to gain different benefits. If it's not the type of thing you're looking for, then I'd suggest using it as a sort of inspiration, since it does cover some aspects that you're looking for.

Alternatively, you can just change some aspects of the prestige class around to make it puppet-based... Where it fits, at least.

In all honesty, what you want does sound like a prestige class. It's too specialized to be a base class, at least from what I can gather from what you said (then again, I could easily be wrong).

Starbuck_II
2009-01-18, 07:24 PM
For example, one puppet could have a personality that is very suave and smooth talking and would impart a bonus to diplomancy and bluff checks.

Another might be very fiesty and inspire courage or give a bonus to taunt checks.

The point being is that the character uses different puppets for different situations and it's through the puppets that he interacts with the world. Without them he is very bland and ordinary save for his one talent of being able to make magical puppets.

But that's the hook, how do I build a character who can have both the mechanical skill of crafting a puppet and the magical skill of infusing them with personalities that manifest when he uses them as well as the puppets themselves being able to effect outcomes.

I guess in a way it would be like a character who could craft magic wands, but being completely ignorant of the details of this and not having any of the material I'm at a loss. I just have the concept, no way of seeing if it would actually work.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

The closest would be a Binder:
Each vestige gives different abilities.

You'd have to fluff it up that it isn't you doing the suave talking but the puppet though (this requires you bound Naberius who improves that stuff).

There isn't an offical Inspire Courage one though:
a. Invent a Bard Vestige that grants Inspire Courage (the precedent is they have a Monk Vestige at level 1 named Ronove in the book)
b.you could multiclass to a Bard I guess.

chaoschristian
2009-01-18, 09:54 PM
Thats just a matter of flavor. Nothing more.

Really? From reading this forum I'm used to things being far more complicated. But if that's it, then that's it. Good. I'll talk to the DM about it.

Ascension
2009-01-19, 01:36 AM
I was expecting a different sort of Puppeteer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierson%27s_Puppeteer).

Lycanthromancer
2009-01-19, 01:46 AM
Of course, if your DM doesn't mind monstrous characters, there's always the puppeteer (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/puppeteer.htm).

Also, you could talk to your DM about something even weirder, and say you're an intelligent item (say, a ring) that takes over the bodies of those who wield you.

In either case, try taking the Leadership feat or levels in thrallherd (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/thrallherd.htm) to have a decent supply of cohorts to use as your puppets. Keep in mind that in a lot of ways you won't be as powerful (since you're controlling a lower level character), but since they're not your character (which is actually a "creature" of your actual power level), you only have to really worry about how fragile your 'mount' is, as normal.