Ossian
2010-03-05, 08:36 AM
Helm Hammerhand
Legendary ninth King of Rohan. Helm was a man of great strength and valor. He was born in 2691. His father was King Gram and he had a sister named Hild. Helm had two sons - Haleth and Hama - and at least one daughter. Helm became King of Rohan after the death of his father in 2741.
In 2754, Helm refused to give his daughter's hand in marriage to Wulf, son of Freca - a Man of Rohan who was akin to the Men of Dunland. Freca was an untrustworthy man who sought power for himself and ignored the King's rule. He was enraged by Helm's refusal and insulted him. Helm responded by slaying Freca with one blow from his mighty fist. Thereafter he was known as Helm Hammerhand.
Freca's son Wulf invaded Rohan in 2758 and captured Edoras. Helm's son Haleth died defending Meduseld, the King's hall. After suffering a great defeat at the Fords of Isen, Helm and his people took refuge in the stronghold that became know as Helm's Deep. They were besieged there during the Long Winter of November 2758 to March 2759. After Yule their supplies ran low and they were starving. Helm's son Hama went out in search of food and never returned.
The loss of his sons and the need of his people made Helm grow fierce. He began go out alone, dressed in all white, to raid the enemy camps and kill any Dunlendings he encountered. Each time he sounded his great horn, and his foes fled in terror. The Dunlendings believed that Helm could not be touched by any weapon and that he killed with his bare hands, and they began the false rumor that he ate his victims.
One night in 2759, Helm left Helm's Deep and did not return. His men found him at dawn, standing frozen on Helm's Dike. When the Long Winter ended, Helm's nephew Frealaf drove out the invaders and became King of Rohan. Helm was buried in the last mound of the first line of Kings outside Edoras. The simbelmyne grew thickest on Helm's burial mound, covering it like a blanket of snow.
http://www.tuckborough.net/images/helmhammerhand.jpg
I was re-reading the passages regarding Helm, and I was once again fascinated by that figure. While the paragraph above (source tucborough (http://www.tuckborough.net/rohirrim.html)) hints that Helm's invulnerability in battle so long as he did not wield a weapon himself might have been a rumor, I was wondering how to render the figure of a mighty warrior who, in his senior years (past 65) could still do solo raids into enemy lines, and kill a warriors like Freca with one punch. We all know that freak accidents happen, especially if a big man punches another man on the temple or if the the victims falls and hits his head against a hard surface, but this is a fantasy world...
So, what would Helm, age 68, be, in D20? Let's imagine that we are taking a high fantasy approach, so Helm is in fact a high level character, and Freca isn't just a Level 2 Warrior or worse, a Commoner....
Any suggestion on how to build him without just using a "Level X fighter"? I had in mind "Improved Unarmed Strike", "Weapon focus (unarmed)" and "Weapon Specialization (Unarmed)" with "Power Attack" and Improved Critical" (unarmed). But that builds upon just 1d3+STR+2 damage. Sure, with PA and a
crit, he could kill a normal man (say 1d3+2+3, x2, max damage = 14 HP) but to go into battle with just that seems foolhardy at best. Perhaps 1 level dip in Ranger with Favorite Enemy: Humanoid (man). He also had this "fear" affect, so a skill focus in Intimidate would be quite all right to me. :smallbiggrin:
Cheers,
Ossian
PS
I have only given a cursory look at Tome of Battle, sadly :smallfrown:
Legendary ninth King of Rohan. Helm was a man of great strength and valor. He was born in 2691. His father was King Gram and he had a sister named Hild. Helm had two sons - Haleth and Hama - and at least one daughter. Helm became King of Rohan after the death of his father in 2741.
In 2754, Helm refused to give his daughter's hand in marriage to Wulf, son of Freca - a Man of Rohan who was akin to the Men of Dunland. Freca was an untrustworthy man who sought power for himself and ignored the King's rule. He was enraged by Helm's refusal and insulted him. Helm responded by slaying Freca with one blow from his mighty fist. Thereafter he was known as Helm Hammerhand.
Freca's son Wulf invaded Rohan in 2758 and captured Edoras. Helm's son Haleth died defending Meduseld, the King's hall. After suffering a great defeat at the Fords of Isen, Helm and his people took refuge in the stronghold that became know as Helm's Deep. They were besieged there during the Long Winter of November 2758 to March 2759. After Yule their supplies ran low and they were starving. Helm's son Hama went out in search of food and never returned.
The loss of his sons and the need of his people made Helm grow fierce. He began go out alone, dressed in all white, to raid the enemy camps and kill any Dunlendings he encountered. Each time he sounded his great horn, and his foes fled in terror. The Dunlendings believed that Helm could not be touched by any weapon and that he killed with his bare hands, and they began the false rumor that he ate his victims.
One night in 2759, Helm left Helm's Deep and did not return. His men found him at dawn, standing frozen on Helm's Dike. When the Long Winter ended, Helm's nephew Frealaf drove out the invaders and became King of Rohan. Helm was buried in the last mound of the first line of Kings outside Edoras. The simbelmyne grew thickest on Helm's burial mound, covering it like a blanket of snow.
http://www.tuckborough.net/images/helmhammerhand.jpg
I was re-reading the passages regarding Helm, and I was once again fascinated by that figure. While the paragraph above (source tucborough (http://www.tuckborough.net/rohirrim.html)) hints that Helm's invulnerability in battle so long as he did not wield a weapon himself might have been a rumor, I was wondering how to render the figure of a mighty warrior who, in his senior years (past 65) could still do solo raids into enemy lines, and kill a warriors like Freca with one punch. We all know that freak accidents happen, especially if a big man punches another man on the temple or if the the victims falls and hits his head against a hard surface, but this is a fantasy world...
So, what would Helm, age 68, be, in D20? Let's imagine that we are taking a high fantasy approach, so Helm is in fact a high level character, and Freca isn't just a Level 2 Warrior or worse, a Commoner....
Any suggestion on how to build him without just using a "Level X fighter"? I had in mind "Improved Unarmed Strike", "Weapon focus (unarmed)" and "Weapon Specialization (Unarmed)" with "Power Attack" and Improved Critical" (unarmed). But that builds upon just 1d3+STR+2 damage. Sure, with PA and a
crit, he could kill a normal man (say 1d3+2+3, x2, max damage = 14 HP) but to go into battle with just that seems foolhardy at best. Perhaps 1 level dip in Ranger with Favorite Enemy: Humanoid (man). He also had this "fear" affect, so a skill focus in Intimidate would be quite all right to me. :smallbiggrin:
Cheers,
Ossian
PS
I have only given a cursory look at Tome of Battle, sadly :smallfrown: