PDA

View Full Version : A Trans-Race Character



unosarta
2011-01-15, 06:50 PM
OK, so here is the basic rundown;

In the current RL campaign I am playing in, the setting is basically medieval Europe, but with magic and such. The campaign itself is set in the northern part of Italy, and the players are essentially mercenaries for the duke of that area. My character is a surprisingly muscular and manly elf. He defies most convention, and is routinely mistreated by elves and others. His backstory is quite a bit more complicated.

When he was young, he lived like many other elves, with his parents on their farms in southern France. He was different from other elves. He was stupid, and never knew how to speak gracefully. He was abnormally large, and strong, and often didn't know the limits of his strength. He was also bullied and picked on by his class mates all of his life for being "un-elvish". When he was 43, he asked the daughter of the local mayor to a festival dance. She turned him down, and laughed at him, calling him a stupid pig. He broke down, and beat her, as well as half of the class that attempted to stop him, into a bloody pulp. He was exiled from his family, his home, and his culture forever.

Now, he is an elf who defies all that it is to be an elf. He cannot fit in with elves, and others judge him by his elven looks. He wants to escape his body, and find one that fits who he "really is". To this end, he has contacted the duke (who happens to specialize in magical items and artifacts) in order to find some way to become an Orc, a people much more accustomed to his personality and character. The duke can't give him any permanent solutions, but he can give him a potion he must drink every week in order to change his shape into that of an orc.

Of course, me and my DM only came up with this idea today, so my character definitely won't be changing forms all willy-nilly, and my DM still is trying to figure out the gold cost of making said potion, but this will have major implications for my character and the setting.

As of yet, orcs are pretty much not mentioned at all. They live in the mountains, away from most civilization and rarely, if ever, come into contact with elves. My character barely knows of them, and is going into this slowly, so as of yet, he still isn't looking for any way to become an orc, but he will. My DM was kind of stumped, since she hasn't even written up any culture for the orcs, and she is letting me do it.

So, my question being, how do you think this would affect the character? What are some good orcish cultures in other settings that seem like they would fit? Any feedback at all about the situation would be awesome. :smallbiggrin:

nedz
2011-01-15, 09:36 PM
Aiming for the PrCs Outcast Champion or Scar Enforcer (both from Races of Destiny) might fit your cocept; but you'd have to be a Half Elf, or Half Orc for the first?
Ed: In other words "Its a wise child that knows its father"

unosarta
2011-01-15, 09:58 PM
Aiming for the PrCs Outcast Champion or Scar Enforcer (both from Races of Destiny) might fit your cocept; but you'd have to be a Half Elf, or Half Orc for the first?
Ed: In other words "Its a wise child that knows its father"

The system is a really weird mash up of second edition and 3.5, so PrCs are kind of out of the picture.

I love the idea of the two prestige classes, though. If I bring them up with my DM, she might be able to get some stuff in, maybe.

Ravens_cry
2011-01-15, 10:08 PM
Well, there is polymorph any object (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/polymorphanyobject.htm) if you want to change your race. It's a pretty high level spell though, finding someone to cast it could be a quest in and of itself. Elf to Orc would be Permanent, in my opinion, unless you got some Warhammer 40K in there.:smallwink:

unosarta
2011-01-15, 10:17 PM
Well, there is polymorph any object (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/polymorphanyobject.htm) if you want to change your race. It's a pretty high level spell though, finding someone to cast it could be a quest in and of itself. Elf to Orc would be Permanent, in my opinion, unless you got some Warhammer 40K in there.:smallwink:

Yeah, that is probably not an option until we get higher level, and have a lot more money.

Actually, something hilarious; my DM has a very small understanding of how spellcasting works (we don't blame her, it is a kind of stupid system, and no one has explained how it works, bleh) and gives the spell casters spells on a one spell level per one caster level basis (the level 7 cleric has seventh level cleric spells). Even with that, the melee still manage to outshine (even with 3 clerics), and the fighters get no feats, no skills, and no class features. Although, that is more from our casters being complete idiots, and our group makes up for it with some awesome roleplaying moments. Still, the campaign is like a D&D anomaly. :smalleek:

Godskook
2011-01-15, 10:36 PM
A disguise check + disguise self could get you far enough to evade a commoner's, especially if your DM gave you a bonus for not trying to conceal 'you' Minimum DC to 'fool' all level 1 NPC is 31(4 ranks, +5 wis mod, -2 modifier for different race). With Disguise Self, you've got a +10 to start, combined with ranks in disguise and a decent charisma check(Ask the DM to see an alterist who's got max ranks in Disguise and a decent Charisma mod). That should get you to the point where only someone who's looking at you critically has a chance(casual observation is a mandatory 'take 10' for NPCs), and even then, only plot-point NPCs would be able to make the chance with any kind of reasonability.

Cost for potions would be ludicrous, at 50gp per 10 minutes. Using wand prices, and fluffing it as a potion(the Alterist knows 'special' techniques) drops it to 15gp per 10 minutes.

If your Alterist has 6 levels of Artificer, then metamagic spell trigger would get you 24 hours for 105gp.

Probably the 'cheapest' method is to go off an installment plan for a continuous slotless item using the custom magic item rules(If you're DM would allow it). Using Alter Self, that's 36kgp(347gp per week), or for Disguise Self 6kgp(58gp per week). Set up a payment plan that's a few years long and start taking your 'treatments'.

'Course, that's assuming your DM wanted a prior justification for the price he charges, rather than just adjudicating some pricing for you.