Castiel
2011-12-16, 02:56 AM
The Witcher is a polish book series as well as a recent video game that has become pretty popular. The main character of the series, Geralt, is one of my favorite characters in any fantasy setting, and I would love to build him for 4e. Now if this simply means retooling another class, or writing up a new one, I don't know, but thats why I'm asking you guys. If you know who the witchers are then go ahead and give me all you've got, but if you don't then I'll give a brief synopsis of their history/abilities/ etc.
From the game:
Witchers came into being when the first settlers were colonizing the untamed lands of present-day Temeria. The elite caste of warrior-monks was to defend humans from the monsters which inhabited the wild. Thanks to mutagenic mushrooms, herbs, and plant stimulants, the bodies of young apprentices developed superhuman speed and endurance. As a result of the painful and dangerous Trial of the Grasses, young witchers gained cat-like eyes, which allowed them to see in the dark. With the help of sorcerers they learned to utilize simple combat spells called Signs as well as magic potions that augmented their fighting skills.
Their combat abilities relied on their swordsmanship, and their use of small magic abilities.
They carried two swords (a silver one for monsters, and a steel one for humans) which they used in a series of forms. There is a fast form (for agile creatures), a slow form (which focused on heavy hits), and a group form (AoE like attacks). In combat they were unable to hold back(IE no nonlethal damage), and they fought very ruthlessly (lots of stun, and bleeding effects). There was one story where a witcher tried to commit suicide by attacking some guards without any weapons, but he still walked away alive. Their combat style relies on being mobile, and countering.
They also used signs, which are the equivalent of small magic spells. There was igni (fire), aard (a telekenetic thrust), yrden (creates a magical trap that causes pain), quen (forms a protective field), and axii (charm effect). Each sign drained them a lot, so they weren't used often, but they did give them an edge.
So in 4e terms, they are definitely strikers, they don't really care for stealth, they use bastard swords (flavor wise), and they are a race/class combination, which raises some interesting problems. I could see it being a weird rogue hybrid that allows the use of heavy blades, I could see a ranger combat style that allows heavy blades, and I could see a retooling of the avenger, but none of that really gets the feel of its combat right. My idea for creating a new class would be a martial/arcane based striker/defender. One build would focus on magic and the other would focus on swordplay, although it would still be able to do both. Signs would be encounter spells (maybe usable twice), and everything else is self explanatory. Utility spells would be some signs, or abilities that help isolate enemies, or counter attacks.
So thats what I've got so far. I'm about to be the DM of a game, so it wouldn't be hard for me to playtest anything we come up with. I'm inclined to create a new class, even though that is a lot of work in 4e. If you guys have any ideas, I would love to hear them.
From the game:
Witchers came into being when the first settlers were colonizing the untamed lands of present-day Temeria. The elite caste of warrior-monks was to defend humans from the monsters which inhabited the wild. Thanks to mutagenic mushrooms, herbs, and plant stimulants, the bodies of young apprentices developed superhuman speed and endurance. As a result of the painful and dangerous Trial of the Grasses, young witchers gained cat-like eyes, which allowed them to see in the dark. With the help of sorcerers they learned to utilize simple combat spells called Signs as well as magic potions that augmented their fighting skills.
Their combat abilities relied on their swordsmanship, and their use of small magic abilities.
They carried two swords (a silver one for monsters, and a steel one for humans) which they used in a series of forms. There is a fast form (for agile creatures), a slow form (which focused on heavy hits), and a group form (AoE like attacks). In combat they were unable to hold back(IE no nonlethal damage), and they fought very ruthlessly (lots of stun, and bleeding effects). There was one story where a witcher tried to commit suicide by attacking some guards without any weapons, but he still walked away alive. Their combat style relies on being mobile, and countering.
They also used signs, which are the equivalent of small magic spells. There was igni (fire), aard (a telekenetic thrust), yrden (creates a magical trap that causes pain), quen (forms a protective field), and axii (charm effect). Each sign drained them a lot, so they weren't used often, but they did give them an edge.
So in 4e terms, they are definitely strikers, they don't really care for stealth, they use bastard swords (flavor wise), and they are a race/class combination, which raises some interesting problems. I could see it being a weird rogue hybrid that allows the use of heavy blades, I could see a ranger combat style that allows heavy blades, and I could see a retooling of the avenger, but none of that really gets the feel of its combat right. My idea for creating a new class would be a martial/arcane based striker/defender. One build would focus on magic and the other would focus on swordplay, although it would still be able to do both. Signs would be encounter spells (maybe usable twice), and everything else is self explanatory. Utility spells would be some signs, or abilities that help isolate enemies, or counter attacks.
So thats what I've got so far. I'm about to be the DM of a game, so it wouldn't be hard for me to playtest anything we come up with. I'm inclined to create a new class, even though that is a lot of work in 4e. If you guys have any ideas, I would love to hear them.