Building A Samurai(Samurai Champloo!)

[Perducci]

I got bored and decided to try to make the two main character's from Samurai Champloo. Well, Jin...Mugen was too hard to picture in my mind. I'm trying not to dip into ToB with this.

OA Samurai 4/Fighter2/Iaijutsu Master 10?(5 for sure)/ Something else?

STR-14 DEX-16 CON-12 INT-14 WIS-10 CHA-16

Feats-
Improved Bullrush, Power Attack, Improved Initiative, Quick Draw, Weap. Focus (Katana), Leap Attack, Shock Trooper and Power Attack-Iaijutsu...This covers him up til level six. Then I don't know.

Magic items would be focused on things that improve initiative and charisma...throw in a belt of battle and something for movement for good measure.

The idea is to create a supreme duelist(Shocktrooping+Iaijustu) that can function but not really shine in normal combat.

Any suggestions? Oh, if anyone can figure out how to stat Mugen...that would be nice?

[BobVosh]

When did Jin ever use bullrush?

[Perducci]

To qualify for Shock Trooper, of course!

[herrhauptmann]

Perhaps those combat focus feats?
They might be weak, but they seem to fit with a calm, composed warrior. (That's the one you're statting right, the calm one?)

[Gametime]

I can't see Jin having a very high charisma. He was too withdrawn to have more than a 12 or 13.

Of course, since charisma is required for Iaijitsu Focus, which he WAS good at, I suppose you're in a bit of a pickle.

[AslanCross]

Charisma doesn't necessarily mean "Haha I'm bishie, everyone loves me! *sparkle*" He can be a quiet person, be rather intimidating without saying anything, and be able to make people do what he wants (if he bothers to try).

[Mulletmanalive]

Given what little i know about the character [series was gushed about and i couldn't get into the first episode...] I'm actually going to suggest going around the internet and trying to find a copy of Swashbuckling Adventures by fair means or foul.

It has a bunch of Sunder related feats, a couple of really good great-weapon fighting school prestige classes and some nice stuff for quickdrawing. The main point is that it has a set of simple to use Unarmoured Defence feats and given how no-one in the setting wears armour, it seems to fit...

[herrhauptmann]

Given what little i know about the character [series was gushed about and i couldn't get into the first episode...] I'm actually going to suggest going around the internet and trying to find a copy of Swashbuckling Adventures by fair means or foul.


I can sell you mine.

[Piedmon_Sama]

I wrote up Mugen's stats a long time ago. I saw him as a Barbarian 1/Rogue 3/Fighter 10, in a campaign with Class Defense Bonus, Combat Facing and Wounds as alternate rules all in use. For his stats, I'd guess: STR 20, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 13, Wis 08 (maybe even 07), Cha 10. Mugen's strength is so absurd for his skinny build that it's played for comedy; he's quick, but not superhumanly so; we see repeatedly that he's a Determinator in combat; we also see that he's incredibly good at aping new fighting techniques, and he learns literacy in a relatively short time; he gets his "idiot" reputation mostly from running his mouth and awful impulse control. Charisma-wise, he's certainly not one to ever be meek, but he never exactly impresses anyone with his personality. The Whirling Barbarian variant might fit Mugen better to represent his capeira-ish fighting style, but raging is so like him I wouldn't want to let him go; I'd sooner assume it's a whirlwind attack + acrobatic strike + roundabout kick or something. Leap Attack is another feat he clearly uses.

Jin is probably lower in actual levels than Mugen, but straight Fighter of 12th/13th level. Better BaB than Mugen, but less bouncy, and almost no tumbling. He obviously
needs the karmic strike feat
but for the most part is a straight-up charge-and-kill-it fighter who can fight defensively when he needs to. For his stats I'd guess.... STR 16 (he's not superhumanly strong like Mugen, but a katana is still a hand-and-a-half sword when you get down to it), CON 15 (he never shows superhuman stamina that I can recall), INT 13, WIS 12 (he's generally the most level-headed of the bunch if not the most creative), CHA 10 or maybe even 09 (Jin lets himself get talked over repeatedly, is usually withdrawn and doesn't warm up to anyone until he's known them a while).

EDIT: Someone else noted that Jin would need a high charisma to be the Iaijutsu master that he is. I wasn't really thinking about the skill, but it does present a quandary: Jin is presented as a skillfull, talented, genius-level martial artist but somewhat socially inept and awkward; I would say if anything the Samurai Champloo campaign might "houserule" Iaijutsu Focus as based on INT rather than CHA.

[Ossian]

Jin feels a lot like a high level Samurai from 3.0 and a fighter (say 4th lvl, so as to get the weapon specialization) with weapon finesse (katana) and improved unarmed strike (quite often we see him aptly kicking and karate chopping). Improved initiative seems a must and dodge/combat expertise also quite reasonable, and of course levels in "iaijitsu master" and "duelist" to account for the fact that he still has reasonable AC despite the absence of armour. His character can be reflected by traits such as "polite" and "focused" (+1 concentration and diplomacy, -2 intimidate,- 1 listen and spot).

Given that he was pretty much the second best blade in Japan, right after the "hand of God", and the heir to the dojo where he relentlessly practised, I would guess that the ability scores (after level modifications) are in the ballpark of:

STR 12 (very fit, but not bulky)
DEX 19 (quick as lightning)
CON 10 (average, lean)

INT 16 (high skill points, well educated in tradition and literature)
WIS 10 (not too relevant for his stats)
CHA 13-14 (high, as in he is charming, but he is definitely not a leader)

Level sits somewhere around 15-17, I dare guess.


Mugen is a LOT more complicated. His unpredictable style can probably be replicated by an accurate choice of skills and feats, like Acrobatic Strike. He could be a high level rogue (he started out as a robber and an outlaw after all) and picked his skills along the way, without much formal training. Say Rogue (with fighter feats variant from unearthed arcana) level 8/Monk 2/duelist 5. The feat "ascrtic rogue" would make rog and monk levels stack.

Abilities? Hmmm.... Let´s see. The "baseball" episode seemed more like it was just made for fun (or if it were serious he´s need a strength of 100). Traits would be "Aggressive", and "Brawler" Feats would include "diehard" and "improved toughness".

Let´s say

STR 13-14
CON 16 (skinny, but hell he just DOES NOT DIE!)
DEX 20

INT 12 (easily. He is not stupid, all the opposite, and is a quick and cunning learner (he learns to read japanese and tag buildings in one day)
WIS 8 (also, easily)
CHA 17 (as typcal of japanese heroes who wear red, care not for the future and have insatiable appetite)

[Piedmon_Sama]

Was thinking about it during class today, threw together some (tentative) feat lists for Jin & Mugen:

Mugen: Imp. Initiative, Quickdraw, Dodge, Power Attack, Run, Endurance, Imp. Unarmed Strike, Exotic Weapon Prof. [Heavy Scimitar], Diehard, Mobility, Prone Attack, Combat Expertise, Fleet of Foot, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack, Imp. Critical [Heavy Scimitar], Acrobatic Strike, Einhander [tactical], Roundabout Kick, Leap Attack, Flying Kick, Flick of the Wrist

Jin: Dodge, Weapon Focus [Katana], Combat Expertise, Power Attack, Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Feint, Improved Trip, Combat Reflexes, Karmic Strike, Weapon Specialization [Katana], Deft Opportunist, Eyes in the Back of Your Head, Defensive Throw, Improved Critical [Katana], Greater Weapon Focus [Katana], Sidestep, Greater Weapon Spec. [Katana], Melee Weapon Mastery [katana]

EDIT: Maybe to clarify my thought process here, I should restate that I think Samurai Champloo works a lot better using D20 Modern or Star Wars' Wound Points system--a critical hit bypasses your HP entirely and goes to your Wound Points, equal to your Con stat. This is why most duels in the show tend to be over in one hit--nobody has magic weapons letting them do 100 damage on a charge, but it's a campaign where critical hits are deadly and anybody over 8th level has Imp. Crit and Power Crit. as a matter of course.

[Ossian]

I like very much the feat selection proposed above by Piedmon Sama! Moreover, I thoroughly enjoyed the WP/VP system of star wars, with class based defense (though I never got, and never used, the -2 to defense caused by multiclassing). Perhaps a mix of defense provided by class levels + armor with AC bonus reduced by 50% and with DR would be ok (see variant rules in SRD).

I have to say that fighter all in all can represent well most of the martial artists you can think of. It´s just that the bonus feats for armors, at level 1, seem such a waste in settings like the Anime - Sengoku Japan. Altough, if you regard HP as a measure of your "battle survival chances" and consider a loss of HP a "near miss" you can still work well with the standard rules, at least until you have swordmasters at high levels engaging in duels as the one in the last 2 episodes of Samurai Champloo (hand of God was SCARY!). Even at full HP, a band of mooks with katanas are still level 1 or 2 warriors, with 8 to 16 HP and pathetic AC. Whirlwind attacks and cleave with high BAB can dispose of them pretty easily.

By the way, is there a class variant (or a homebrew on these forums) that allows you to swap one or more of the armor proficiencies with other feats or abilities? In fact, I might open a new thread just for that :smallamused:

[AbyssKnight]

Hit and Run Fighter from Drow of the Underdark would be a good start. Lose Heavy armor prof for a +2 init and Dex to damage against flat footed opponents.

[Piedmon_Sama]

Perhaps a mix of defense provided by class levels + armor with AC bonus reduced by 50% and with DR would be ok (see variant rules in SRD).

This is actually what I've done in my campaign for the last two years, and my friends (who I got into D&D) have never played a game with AC done "normally." Armor remains helpful, but not absolutely necessary--so you can take the party to much more exciting and cinematic locations like waterfalls, vertical caverns, cliffs, etc. and let them swim, climb and balance as needed without being completely vulnerable. What I prefer to change from Unearthed Arcana is dropping the Cleric's class bonus to match the Rogue or Druid's, since they have enough advantages besides, and raising the Monk's to the Fighter's (stacking with her WIS to AC).


I have to say that fighter all in all can represent well most of the martial artists you can think of. It´s just that the bonus feats for armors, at level 1, seem such a waste in settings like the Anime - Sengoku Japan.

Definitely agree to this. I'd wager that in the "setting" of Samurai Champloo, proficiency with battlefield armor is no longer an automatic feat. Now that the country is unified, the Shogunate doesn't want Samurai running around with military equipment in peacetime and all.