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View Full Version : Gats from Bersek=>Half-iron golem in D&D?



Oslecamo
2009-10-16, 05:04 PM
So, I've recently started reading Bersek, and all the semi-medieval seting couldn't stop me making from try to fit all the stuff that apeared by D&D terms.

So, clearly he's first a big dumb melee dude, or at least not very charismatic. No fancy tricks or inspiration speeches, just a shock trooper uber charger with great cleave. Fighter, barbarian, warblade, perhaps a mix of those, maybe exotic weapon master or frenzied berseker throw in the midle for good measure. Around level 8-10, easily able to cut his way trough normal mooks, but still having some trouble against huge bad dumb monsters.

The big badass sword is easily done as a fullblade, perhaps with defending enchantment

But the tricky part is the mechanical left arm, with in-built canon.

After some thinking, I came up with an almost perfect fit to explain the arm.

Half-Iron golem!

It's perfect really! It gives him fat damage reduction and nat armor that explains how he can take such beatings from demons and keep going. It also provides a sick strenght bonus to be the melee monster he is.

Not even that, it allows him to do a 10 feet cone poison attack dealing 1d4 con damage as first attack and death as seconday damage! As a free action so he can use it even when grappled. Ok, it isn't exactly a cannon, but it can be easily reflavored into that. It has a short range and all!


Also the stat changes kinda fit his change on the manga also. It's after geting his arm replacement that Gats changes from mighty raiding mercenary who knows when to keep his head down to an avatar of death who cleaves his way trough anyone and everyone who dares to stand at his path. Swing first and don't even bother asking questions.

So, what do you think?

Disclaimer:Keep the discussion D&D and Bersek focused. Also I'm perfectly aware that it's probably impossible to perfectly replicate Gats in D&D terms, but I would like to see how close we can get.

SurlySeraph
2009-10-16, 05:09 PM
That is a remarkably good solution. I would have just said "Barbarian X, ridiculously high STR and CON, Fullblade, done." I endorse this product and/or theory.

Fax Celestis
2009-10-16, 05:10 PM
I would rather take levels in Renegade Mastermaker (MoE) than use the bizarre half-golem template, myself. Maybe Barbarian/Artificer/Renegade Mastermaker/Warforged Juggernaut?

EDIT: Actually, I can't remember the Renegade Mastermaker reqs off-hand. If you can qualify with regular old arcane spellcaster levels, something like [Fighter/Barbarian/Knight]/[Dragonfire Adept/Warlock]/Renegade Mastermaker/Warforged Juggernaut might do fine.

Cieyrin
2009-10-16, 05:14 PM
I figured the Dragonslayer was a Large Heavy bastard sword and he has a level of Exotic Weapon Master for Uncanny Blow.

I don't really think he's a Half-Iron Golem, though. I think he could possibly have a Warforged Graft of some sort to cover the arm cannon. Guts is defined by his steadfast humanity in the face of the demons adn making him half machine is kinda weird.

For his level spread, I don't think he fits Warblade, as he just destroys things, no real technique. Probably Fighter/Barbarian, I'd say.

EDIT:
I would rather take levels in Renegade Mastermaker (MoE) than use the bizarre half-golem template, myself. Maybe Barbarian/Artificer/Renegade Mastermaker/Warforged Juggernaut?

EDIT: Actually, I can't remember the Renegade Mastermaker reqs off-hand. If you can qualify with regular old arcane spellcaster levels, something like [Fighter/Barbarian/Knight]/[Dragonfire Adept/Warlock]/Renegade Mastermaker/Warforged Juggernaut might do fine.

It doesn't have a casting requirement per-se but it does require Craft Magic Arms and Armor and Craft Wondrous Item. I'd agree it might work but Guts isn't really a crafter type (he went out to commission his weapons, after all), so I don't think Renegade Mastermaker really fits him just to get an arm cannon.

Indon
2009-10-16, 05:32 PM
I'd go with Fighter/Barbarian, with a Roy-like stat distribution.

He's basically depicted as a model D&D fighter, right down to his HP's allowing him to survive enough punishment to kill a normal person ten times over.

From there, I'd just give him some appropriate magical items.

Oslecamo
2009-10-16, 05:46 PM
I don't really think he's a Half-Iron Golem, though. I think he could possibly have a Warforged Graft of some sort to cover the arm cannon. Guts is defined by his steadfast humanity in the face of the demons adn making him half machine is kinda weird.


But half-golem is only half-machine if you fail the will save. If your will is strong enough, you keep being an human, now just with a big badass iron limb.

Wich really fits Gats, as he constantly struggles with not falling completely into darkness and become a mindless killing machine.

Fax Celestis:But Renegade Mastermake is a dude who's improving himself and also a master crafter, wich really doesn't fit Gats at all. He isn't the kind of guy who builds things himself. He's the kind of guy who goes to yer old Smith to get some pimped up equipment as quest reward. Plus as Cieyrin pointed out he's trying desesperately to keep his humanity, while a RM is abandoning it.

Plus, RM cannot put components on his battlefist, wich kinda defeats the idea of an arm-cannon.

Eldan
2009-10-16, 05:48 PM
The Template is kinda fitting, yes. I'd also say that the armor gives him Frenzied Berserker levels... it has everything, down to "cannot die while raging."

AslanCross
2009-10-16, 05:53 PM
Fighter/Barbarian. Outfit him with the Mighty Arms (Faiths of Eberron) graft, which costs only 1000 GP. It gives him a warforged arm that can be used to make slam attacks and can also be used as a platform for warforged components.

Oslecamo
2009-10-16, 06:03 PM
Fighter/Barbarian. Outfit him with the Mighty Arms (Faiths of Eberron) graft, which costs only 1000 GP. It gives him a warforged arm that can be used to make slam attacks and can also be used as a platform for warforged components.

Wow, I hadn't noticed that nifty item!

Still, what component would be best to resemble the canon? All I can remember is a wand sheet with some nuke spell inside, but that gets quite expensive and not as effecient as the iron golem arm, wich can be shot as a free action, allowing for the infamous scenes of cuting an oponent in half while blowing up another.

Fax Celestis
2009-10-16, 06:14 PM
There's a 'forged component that lets you store a wand inside your arm and use it as an action. I forget where its' from.

Indon
2009-10-16, 06:30 PM
A wand of Fire Crossbow, the most fundamental low-level Wizard ability.

Sergejsvk
2010-05-19, 01:54 AM
Ah ok this discusion is is old :smalltongue:, found it when searching for dnd stats for Gats.

I found a nice page to help with this. (http://dagda-mor.blogspot.com/2008/06/d-35-statistics-for-guts-from-berserk.html) the arm canon there could give 1 shield AC like an "inbuilt" Buckler (in adition to the things mentioned there).
Gats himelf is a lot human "The real deal." acording to Miuras design a struggler against all odds. The link has a nice way to implement his equipment.

true_shinken
2010-05-19, 07:56 AM
Mighty Arm eberron graft is a mechanical arm for only 1000gp. Add a grafted cannon (+100GP to the weapon cost should work, since that's what a wandchamber costs and it's way more powerful) and you are good to go.
Guts is so badass because he is mundane. Also, 10th level? Guts does not live in a D&D world with high-level characters around every corner. I'd say by the start of the flashback arc he is around level 3, probably around 5-6 when dealing with his first demons and level 8 when he gets the berserk armor.

Lysander
2010-05-19, 08:18 AM
Also, there's this epic artifact that might reflect a later-career Gats:


Golem Armor

This enormous suit of black iron +10 full plate armor increases the wearer’s size by one category (to a maximum of Colossal). The wearer gains a +10 enhancement bonus to Strength and is rendered immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, disease, and similar effects. He or she is not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage. Golem Armor is immune to rust attacks. The wearer of Golem Armor gains damage reduction 15/adamantine. He or she also cannot regain hit points by any means (mundane or magical) while the armor is worn. It requires 1 hour to don or extract oneself from Golem Armor.

Ingus
2010-05-19, 09:37 AM
(low spoiler alert)

About his level, I do not concur. Guts is "the man who killed 100 soldiers". Even if they where 100 1st level warriors, this task is not possible if not above 10th. Also consider the fight with Zodd, the way he kills Bascon, the fight with the giant aposthole just before the first eclypse... And all that before reaching real breaking power

I guess that the actual Guts is above 15th level, being maybe the highest level non aposthole. But that's my 2 cents.

Kaiyanwang
2010-05-19, 09:47 AM
Just a question Oslecamo: how much of the manga did you read? Because I don't agree completely with this:


So, clearly he's first a big dumb melee dude, or at least not very charismatic.


I could agree on charisma but he shows to be really clever and tactical, more than a simple "charger", we could say.

But I don't want to bring in too many spoilers, maybe unneeded.

Anyway, I did it for one of my players, in an epic campaing. He was Barbarian 20/ FB 10/Berserk 8 /Fighter 2. Of course, fullblade. Charge feats, great cleave, overwhelming criticals and so on (but not only them). Just lower the level as needed.

One-hand Thayan Bombard for the cannon.

Gats fury is well represented by all those "enraged dude" levels. I allowed him to take Righteous Fury after a quest and some RPG because

like the Charachter in the Manga, he learned to interact with others even after the eclypse. Exspecially th party with Farnese and the others, not the old mercenary team


BTW, Gats is IMO a great example of how HP works for any warrior in D&D: he dodges and parries as much as he can, but some blow, he's simply too badass , tough and enraged to go down.

Roland St. Jude
2010-05-19, 02:53 PM
Ah ok this discusion is is old :smalltongue:, found it when searching for dnd stats for Gats..

Sheriff: Thread Necromancy.