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thorgrim29
2010-02-22, 11:35 PM
Hi all. I'll be starting a new campaign soon, and since I just finished reading the play I thought I'd make a character inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac, from the eponymous play by Edmond Rostand. Cyrano is a poet, a philosopher and a fearsome fighter, who likes to insult his foes as he fights them, and whose words are as sharp as his sword. He is also a leader and a great believer in doing things with style.

So, right now I have multiclass bard/warblade as a possible way to do this, but I'm open to every suggestion. Note that my group doesn't optimize, like at all, so while I won't gimp myself by purpose I'm not looking for an uber build, just something fun to play.

Thanks

Bosh
2010-02-22, 11:44 PM
Which edition? 3.5ed isn't too well-suited to this kind of character...

thorgrim29
2010-02-22, 11:46 PM
Yeah, sorry, 3.5 it is.

AstralFire
2010-02-22, 11:46 PM
Bard/Warblade would work best, IMO.

Also, in before someone decides Factotum is the clear answer.

KitTheOdd
2010-02-23, 12:42 AM
Bard/Warblade works great!

Picking up TWF, or even Oversized TWF for 2 rapiers, might be very flavorful.

A few levels of factotum might be a nice addition too. :)

If homebrew is allowed you might want to look at something like:
The Dashing Swordsman
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29882

Sir Giacomo
2010-02-23, 02:56 AM
Hi thorgrim29,

Great idea! I have been playing a Cyrano-like character for some years now and it's one of the best characters I ever played.
Also, bard with ToB class- in this case swordsage multiclass. I took a level dip in swordsage to get assassin's stance to do sneak attack on quickdrawing/surprising/going first. (can be boosted with critical strike).

The improvisation bard spell is an excellent buff (also pushes up initiative) as is the arcane strike feat.

Note also that you can do all bardic music buffs consecutively and continue them all at the same time.

Have fun!

- Giacomo

bosssmiley
2010-02-23, 07:04 AM
Rogue with a decent Cha and good role-playing.

Not Bard; the tragedy of Cyrano is that he is a loner, not a team player.

Also: *squeeeeeeee!*


Cyrano: My life's work has been to prompt others and be forgotten. Remember that night when Christian came to your balcony? That moment sums up my life. While I was below in the shadows, others climbed up to kiss the sweet rose.

Cyrano: And tonight when I, at last, God behold, my salute will sweep his blue threshhold with something spotless. A diamond in the ash which I take in spite of you; and that is my panache.

Comte De Guiche: Sir, have you read Don Quixote?
Cyrano: I've practically lived it!

Runestar
2010-02-23, 07:18 AM
Which edition? 3.5ed isn't too well-suited to this kind of character...

Nonsense. You can build anything in 3e with enough splatbooks. :smallwink:

The zhentarim fighter variant in the heroes of valour web enhancement lets you eventually intimidate as a free action (and costs nothing!), so it might be worth looking into.

thorgrim29
2010-02-23, 09:20 AM
Not a team player? The guy rallied a routing unit of spoiled noblemen by sheer force of will and testicular fortitude.

AstralFire
2010-02-23, 09:26 AM
To back up the preceding post: just because someone is emotionally a loner they are not incapable of leadership. The whole of the cadets rather admired Cyrano and I believe he was their captain.

thorgrim29
2010-02-23, 03:06 PM
He wasn't the captain, but Cabon de Port-Jaloux (the actual captain) looked to him to rally them. Anywho, anyone got a build idea for me? I'd like him to be spadassiny in style (light armor, rapier and maybe a buckler or a light shield). Other then that (and song of the white raven, obviously) I've got nothing

Sir Giacomo
2010-02-23, 06:20 PM
OK, here are some more concrete ideas for a Cyrano build:

Human swordsage with some bard levels as multiclass (say, bard 1st level, them mostly levels swordsage to end up at 12h level swordsage/8th level bard, or less magic and 16 BAB: 12th level swordsage/4th level bard/4th level warblade).

STR and WIS high, INT 14, CHR as dump stat (yes, you read correctly: 8 or so; to be raised only later with items or stat gains to get some bard spells). Your bardic music abilities work even with a CHR penalty - and Cyrano DID have a huge nose and was described fairly seclusive/introvert/shy :smallwink:
At high enough level, leadership works even with modest CHR.

Swordsage gets WIS to AC with light armour - and WIS should be high since Cyrano's main skill is NOT exactly the perform-poetry skill, but rather the profession-poetry skill (he was foremost a writer, although he improvised a lot during fights).

Fighting with the rapier, feats (with human feat) could be along the lines of:
Level 1: Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus- Rapier (ah wait, you get that as swordsage,anyhow - so free choice here. Maybe a bardic music boost feat?)
Level 3: Quickdraw
Level 6: Power Attack (works with the Rapier; in case of more bard levels put in improvisation spell and arcane strike and improved critical later to still get quite good damage, in particular with the many swordsage maneuvers out there)
Level 9: Arcane Strike (for more bard levels) or expertise (more combat-heavy)
Level 12: Improved Critical - Rapier
Level 15: Leadership
Level 18: ??? or improved disarm

Note also that with his large sum of skill points, Cyrano could be developed to be quite a good scholar and even inventor (some stories around this character imagine that he designed a baroque spacecraft to journey to the moon where poems take the place of money for means of payment etc.). So, from this perspective, you could also try adding the exemplar or loremaster prestige classes, depending on the campaign style and frequency/intensity of magic.

When putting more focus on the scholar aspect of Cyrano before fencing, INT before STR could mean the swashbuckler base class can offer some good level dips, as could the duelist prestige class (although the latter takes quite a few subpar feats to qualify).

- Giacomo

thorgrim29
2010-02-23, 08:20 PM
Looks good, however, for this concept I prefer warblade to swordsage, for two reasons:

-The White Raven school synergises nicely with a bard

-Cyrano is incredibly bad ass (routed 100 men, killing 8, just because he was angry, and he ran across enemy lines twice a day for who knows how much time), so more hp and more BAB are always nice.

Besides, the build is MAD enough without adding WIS to the mix.

Schylerwalker
2010-02-23, 08:53 PM
*Cough* I don't suppose anybody's considered the Jester class, from one of the Dragon Magazines? It's in the Dragon Compendium. It's pretty much a bard, except instead of buffing the party, they sling insults at their opponents and debuff them. So try a Jester/Warblade instead!