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subject42
2009-10-08, 08:44 PM
To begin, sorry for the wall of text.

The Background
The character that I have been playing in my 3.5/PathFinder game has been into single-digit or less hitpoints in pretty much every session since his creation, so I'm starting to think that it might be wise to create a backup character early, rather than scramble to put one together once he ends up dead. I have a concept that I like, but I'm not sure how to create him mechanically in a way that properly meshes with his character. I would appreciate any suggestions that you folks have to offer. Party, character and resource details are below.

The World
The game world in which we play is mostly stock fantasy D&D with some steampunk and magitech elements. Low grade magic is not terribly uncommon, but it must be harnessed in mechanical devices before most of the population can use it. The process of doing so is labor-intensive and jealously guarded by the guilds that produce the magical goods. Several large cities exist and many races have achieved sentience and advanced civilization. A large section of one continent has been scarred by and ancient war that has left numerous portals of various sizes to other planes and worlds.

Dramatis Personae
At present, our adventuring party consists of the following members.

The first is an ex-circus performer who took up a life of adventuring to support her failing show. She is a gnome bard.

The second character is a large, surly hobgloblin monk with a vaguely Aztec theme.

The third character is an impulsive and inquisitive human Technologist (3rd party: combine Psion and Artificer, kinda) who is on the run for accidentally disintegrating one of his professors in a lab accident and being railroaded into a murder conviction.

The fourth character is a Paladin of Pelor using the rebalanced Paladin. Given the steampunk and arcane tech bent of the campaign setting, Pelor doesn't have quite the primacy that he has in the main game world; he's considered the god of backwards rusticants and hillbillies. As such, the character could be best described as Joan of Arc, if Joan of Arc were an Amish Bolshevik. This player shows up for maybe half of the game sessions.

The fifth character is me. At present I'm playing a borderline-feral young homeless sorcerer who makes heavy use of vermin and sewer filth in his spell thematics.


The Concept
I've been developing a character that shoulders the Elven equivalent of the "White Man's Burden" that most colonial powers held in the nineteenth century. Deeply ingrained with a sense of Elven exceptionalism, he considers it his duty to raise up the "brutish, inferior" races until they have reached what he considers parity with his own people. In his own mind he is doing what's best for others, even if they don't realize the fact. In reality, he's engaging in a kind of passive racism at best.

While not openly hostile to others, his patronizing nature and tendency to immediately assume that others conform to some stereotype could infuriate more sensitive people. For example, when asked for his name, he may respond with his real name, or he may state that "with such fleshy lips and large teeth you would likely make a hash of it, so for our mutual convenience you may simply call me <common name of other speaker's race>".

In his efforts to "correct the deficiencies" of the world's other races, he has engaged in extensive study of linguistics, philosophy, religion, and the natural and physical sciences and is considered a master in the field of phrenology. He will often attempt to retain the corpses of slain enemies for study and maintains a reserve of gold should relatives of the deceased "come to claim recompense".

My hope is that as his character progresses in the story my hope is that he will eventually move away from his exceptionalist views and come to realize that everyone has something to offer, and use the drive that he had to "fix people" instead to redress the injustices and inequalities that exist in the world.

Random Notes and Ideas
While he is not a member of a full casting class and likely can't manage anything more than a cantrip or two (arcane or devotion feats), he is convinced that his "natural, unstudied magical ability" is a sign of superiority and works diligently to understand the nature of magic, if not his application. He may secretly wish that he were more capable in those regards, but it is not a feeling that he readily shares. If he meets a talented human mage he may say that he is impressed that the wizard has "achieved so much mastery of the arcane arts so quickly. Given your woefully short lifespan am I correct in assuming that you have focused on the more flamboyant forms of Evocation and Transmutation?". Odds are good that he covets magical items that can simulate casting, as well.

He has a high DEX and INT, exemplifying what he considers to be proper elven grace. Combined with his class skillpoints, he should have a wide variety of knowledges and physical skills at his disposal to display his superior education. He is not physically strong or tough, as that would imply that he has had to stoop to brute physical responses too frequently.

Given his broad knowledge, being involved in fights would usually come down to knowing where to hit, rather than hitting hard. I've been looking at the Swashbuckler and Rogue classes to represent this mechanically, but haven't really felt like they are the best fit.

The Available Sources
My gaming group uses Pathfinder RPG as the base ruleset, with other 3.5 books to cover any gaps. In cases where the same thing is described in Pathfinder or another book, Pathfinder takes precedence. Pretty much any WotC 3.5 supplement is allowed, along with Iron Kingdoms. Anything outside of core requires DM approval, but he is usually lenient unless you're trying to do something broken.


Thanks for reading this far.

woodenbandman
2009-10-08, 09:00 PM
How about a Swashbuckler (Arcane Stunt sub level from Complete Mage)/Arcane Duelist? I think you qualify for that, and Arcane Duelist is a pretty good class on the WotC website (google it).

subject42
2009-10-08, 09:27 PM
I like the arcane stunt feature, but Arcane Duelist feels a bit too magic-y. Thanks for the tips.

Kylarra
2009-10-08, 09:38 PM
How about factotum? That gives him his "good at everything" and uses Int as its primary stat.

subject42
2009-10-08, 09:39 PM
How about factotum? That gives him his "good at everything" and uses Int as its primary stat.

That's not a horrible idea. I'll take a look at it at some point and see if I can't make it work. They're 3/4 BAB, right?

SurlySeraph
2009-10-09, 04:29 AM
I'd second Factotum. And yeah, I think they're 3/4 BAB.

Also, I feel compelled to note that your group makes great characters. "Joan of Arc, if Joan of Arc were an Amish Bolshevik" and hobo sorcerers are so going in my next campaign.

RagnaroksChosen
2009-10-09, 07:06 AM
I could see alot of different class's working for you..

I think swashbuckler with arcane stunt is the best.
May also want to look at the spellthief... or a combination of the two with daring outlaw.


Also I sugest looking at the educated feat from ebberon..(gives all knowledge skills as class skills.)

Boci
2009-10-09, 07:11 AM
I so want to make a gestalt factotum//swashbuckler/arcane duelist NPC now. At higher level dex, int and cha to damage.
First PC: He dodges your attack.
Second PC: He forsaw and countered your attack.
Third PC: And that one bounced off his ego.

To make this post relevant, I third the factotum. Maybe swap their spell casting ability for a couple of bonus feats?

subject42
2009-10-09, 08:00 AM
Also, I feel compelled to note that your group makes great characters. "Joan of Arc, if Joan of Arc were an Amish Bolshevik" and hobo sorcerers are so going in my next campaign.

Thanks for the compliment. I actually did the fluff for both of those characters.


On a more mechanical note, how would a Swashbuckler 3 (arcane stunt: feather fall)/Factotum 8 work out?

Temet Nosce
2009-10-09, 08:33 AM
Gonna say the same thing as others, Factotum. This concept is a dead ringer for it, particularly with the diverse knowledge and dabbling bit. You get the ability to imitate casting, massive Int synergy, and a large number of skill points. Really, nothing else even comes close for this.

I really do like the idea as well, well up until you switched to "redeeming" him anyways (personal pet peeve, I dislike insistence on modern morals in D&D).

Thespianus
2009-10-09, 08:41 AM
Not sure about what level you aim for, but for level 8 this can be ok: Swashbuckler 3 w. Arcane Stunt/Rogue 3/Focused Conjurer 2 w. Immediate Magic Abrupt Jaunt ?

It would give you:
- Ability to use Wands and other magic items
- A few cool Arcane Stunt/Abrupt Jaunt-tricks to pull out of your hat,
- With the feat Daring Outlaw, your Rogue and Swashbuckler levels will stack, and give you 3D6 sneak attack damage (aka "know where to hit")
- With Practiced Spellcaster, your Lesser Orb of Sound will hurt, and your Grease spells will last a while.

Fill 'er upp with Swashbuckler if you want to go Melee, get Unseen Seer if you want to combine sneak attack with magic usage. It's fun :)

Or, if you want to make the casting more spontaneous and mysterious, swap in Beguiler instead of Wizard. It gives you armored casting and some fun spells to use to enhance his haughty Elfish ways :) Add a mix of Swashbucker and Unseen Seer levels after 8th and you can get amazing results with the 2nd level spell "Hunter's Eye". Flank your enemy, swift cast Hunter's Eye and stab him a few times with your rapier for dozens of D6es of sneak attack. "Never ..EVER turn your back on an Elf" :)

It might be too much magic for you, though? It will give you decent Int synergy and plenty of skill points to play with.

subject42
2009-10-09, 08:56 AM
I really do like the idea as well, well up until you switched to "redeeming" him anyways (personal pet peeve, I dislike insistence on modern morals in D&D).

If I don't redeem him, his personality doesn't change unless he goes the other way and ends up something extremely unpleasant from a roleplaying and party-dynamic perspective. Since I don't want to play a caricature, there's really only one practical way I can see him going. Do you have any other suggestions on how to make him grow?

Temet Nosce
2009-10-09, 09:14 AM
If I don't redeem him, his personality doesn't change unless he goes the other way and ends up something extremely unpleasant from a roleplaying and party-dynamic perspective. Since I don't want to play a caricature, there's really only one practical way I can see him going. Do you have any other suggestions on how to make him grow?

Assuming you want character growth, I'd say there are several options. Ranging from the caricature idea (although I don't really see it this way - he could quite easily run missions to help lesser races, or start a school, etc... or go a slightly more evil path and experiment on them) to simply developing him in other areas such as his own races view (is there an Elven equivalent of knighthood? Gentleman clubs? Is he a well respected member of the establishment?)

Your concept has a lot of areas to move in in fact, even aside from what I've already mentioned there's slavery (after all they're lesser), explorer of areas unknown to civilization, envoy (kind of, more ala Marco Polo)... Really, this is an archetype which is rarely used in D&D so you can pick basically anywhere to go with it and be fairly sure it'll be something new for your group.

Telonius
2009-10-09, 09:16 AM
Some aspects of the character idea seem almost Archivist-ish to me (maybe a one-level dip for flavor?), but Factotum would work pretty well.

subject42
2009-10-09, 03:02 PM
I've been mucking around with the concept a bit and I've gotten the following so far. We use Pathfinder feat attainment, so they happen at odd levels.

Swashbuckler 3/Factotum 8

Alternate Class Feature: Arcane Stunt (Featherfall)

Feats:
1st Lvl: Weapon Focus (Bow)
3rd Lvl: Point Blank Shot
5th Lvl: Font of Inspiration
7th Lvl: Font of Inspiration
9th Lvl: Rapid Reload
11th Lvl: Sharpshooter (from Iron Kingdoms)

Primary Weapons: Longbow, Elven Curveblade (from pathfinder).

If I've read the class features and feats correctly, I should have the following:


Up to +2 to hit with a bow (Weapon Focus and Point Blank Shot)
+1 to damage with a bow (Point Blank Shot)
+DEX mod to bow damage (sharpshooter)
-STR mod to bow damage due to low character strength (STR of 9).
DEX mod instead of STR mod to hit with the curveblade, and INT instead of STR for damage.
Arcane casting.
Three additional inspiration points.
INT instead of STR for skill and ability checks.


How does this look so far?