Making Rand Al'Thor, Wheel of Time

[Campbellk8105]

Hello all. As the thread name says, I'd like to make Rand from the Wheel of Time series.

No worries about the spellcasting part. We have a homebrew addition that will act like a gestalt to whatever other classes I choose. Metamagic feats are able to be taken.

The True Spellweaver acts as a gestalt. I can prepare as many spells per day as a sorcerer can know spells. I can also cast spontaneously like a sorcerer. Here's the kicker, the spells that I can choose to prepare are absolutely any spell I want. Cleric, wizard, bard, assassin, domain. Whatever, you name it, I can prepare it.

This campaign is going to go well into Epic. DM estimates atleast 35th level. We are level 15 currently.

Any 3.5 material is allowed. Dragon magazine stuff might be able to be thrown in there.

If you need more details just ask. Thanks in advance.

[Psyren]

Psionics does WoT waaaaaaay better than magic, especially if you use Hyperconscious. Pushing yourself beyond your limits, sensing other channelers near you, linking, augmenting, the various Talents, casting from hit points (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CastFromHitPoints), the whole deal.

As for Rand, I'd say epic Wilder/Thrallherd.

[Medic!]

I was actually just thinking the other day of how tome of battle refluffed would be perfect for WoT fighting. Cat in the Rushes, etc (been a while, don't remember the exact names of a lot of the "maneuvers" that the trained swordsmen used)

Rand could easily be a Crusader or Warblade (taking Crusader inspiration from Lews, perhaps?) or a combination there-of, between his training with Lan and memories from Lews.

Either way definately ToB for the martial side. Rand fell into Chicken Pecking at Grain (Dancing Mongoose) etc etc

[Ernir]

Definitely ToB for the swordfighting side. You have freakin' maneuver and stance names in the books spelled out for you already.

You'd still be missing the Ta'veren effects, the Lews Therin influence, and all kinds of little things, of course.


Cat in the Rushes, etc (been a while, don't remember the exact names of a lot of the "maneuvers" that the trained swordsmen used)
You're probably mixing up Heron Wading in the Rushes and Cat Crosses the Courtyard. :smalltongue:

[Taelas]

There's actually a d20 game system for Wheel of Time.

If you can't or won't use that (it was released early in 3rd Edition, long before 3.5 was released), then I concur with Psyren; use psionics instead.

[Campbellk8105]

This was the DM's choice for using magic and not psionics. Our group tends to stay away from psionics more or less since one of our earlier players wreaked havoc on the DM's world as a psionic tibbit. Mindblasting cats are not nice.

Anyways, the overall consensus seems to be either psionic or ToB. So, my question now is which would be the better choice? I like the idea of having psionic abilities and any form of magic I like. I also like the ToB for the melee ability and having the magic. So either one would work for me.

If anyone would care to post or send me a message with a build I would much appreciate it.

[Medic!]

Whatever the build ends up being, it should totally include Eternal Blade from ToB, it just fits too well! (Maybe your DM can handwave the elf requirement?)

[Psyren]

This was the DM's choice for using magic and not psionics. Our group tends to stay away from psionics more or less since one of our earlier players wreaked havoc on the DM's world as a psionic tibbit. Mindblasting cats are not nice.

Anyways, the overall consensus seems to be either psionic or ToB. So, my question now is which would be the better choice? I like the idea of having psionic abilities and any form of magic I like. I also like the ToB for the melee ability and having the magic. So either one would work for me.

If anyone would care to post or send me a message with a build I would much appreciate it.

If you really want an authentic Rand you need both. He's literally a gestalt character.

[Alleran]

There's actually a d20 game system for Wheel of Time.
This. Rand as of Book 6 or 7 was statted up there. He's a 19th level character with a boatload of extra feats from his ta'veren status (proficiency with all the different flows, and a couple of lost One Power talents).

By "now-time" he's well into Epic levels and almost certainly has some form of either epic spellcasting or lots and lots of Multispell feats added to all the Automatic Quicken Spell line. I'm not quite sure how else (offhand, at any rate) he could pull off his Trolloc-annihilation in ToM.

[Campbellk8105]

If you really want an authentic Rand you need both. He's literally a gestalt character.

I'm confused when you say I need both. I get the homebrewed spellweaver regardless. I'm just not sure of either psion or ToB.

Or, did you mean both as in psionic and ToB?

[Adrayll]

I agree with what's been said above. WoT magic is about as far from Vancian as possible. Psionics makes far more sense. Epic gestalt between psionics and ToB/thrallherd makes sense to me

[Campbellk8105]

I agree with what's been said above. WoT magic is about as far from Vancian as possible. Psionics makes far more sense. Epic gestalt between psionics and ToB/thrallherd makes sense to me

Again, this was the DM's decision and he chose magic, not psionics. Therefor I cannot have psionic/ToB gestalt. None of us typically use psionics on the base that we only have the books in pdfs, not hard covers. So its just easier for us to use magic.

I apologize if my previous statement seemed rude as it was not intended to be but, I was clarifying that I can not have ToB and psionic. Its either ToB or psionic.

[Psyren]

I'm aware that you don't have both ToB and psionics; I'm just saying that you'd need them both to be authentic.

If homebrew is on the table then by all means use that. And check out the Vitalizing system on the SRD as well.

[Tvtyrant]

Well, if you are already level 15 and are using the Spirit Shaman system but with all casting you are already nigh-unstoppable. All you need now is a magic sword!

I would just buy a Rod of Lordly Might, and then cast some buffs on yourself to win at combat.

[Urpriest]

If the casting is fixed and taking up one side of the gestalt, then yeah, go for TOB. Crusader or warblade to taste, eternal blade if you can get it reflufed.

[Tvtyrant]

If the casting is fixed and taking up one side of the gestalt, then yeah, go for TOB. Crusader or warblade to taste, eternal blade if you can get it reflufed.

Wouldn't even take much refluffing, what with him having the spirit of another man who was an expert swordsman in him.

[Stormageddon]

I agree Warblade has Rand's name all over it. But barring that is this 3.5 or Pathfinder. If pathfinder I would suggest Magus with Dervish dance. If 3.5 i would suggest a class that does not need heavy armor. Possible Swashbuckle, possible bard would be a good fit, or Duskblade would as well.

[Campbellk8105]

It may not fit him well, but I decided to try and go with factotum. It'll be an interesting go but I'm thinking it'll work well enough.

I can use buffs such as divine power and get full BAB. I get a wonderful skillset to use, since all skills are my skills. I get int to many different things. My DM gave me a feat chain for a longsword since I am Lews Therin reborn. Boosts to some skills, and some other stuff.

Overall I'm happy with it and am hoping for the best.

[Rubik]

None of us typically use psionics on the base that we only have the books in pdfs, not hard covers. So its just easier for us to use magic.If part of the problem is access, fear not; it's in the SRD. (www.d20srd.org)

And while I know you're not using it, I concur that psion/warblade is THE best shot you've got at playing him exactly like the books say.

[Campbellk8105]

Its not that we don't have resources for the books. We all have the psionic books on our laptops and computers. We just, as a group, tend to not use psionics.

I concur with Warblade being a good choice but, as I said I decided to go with an oddball class choice and go factotum.

10 Factotum/5 Exemplar

Yes, its a kinda random choice but, it fills the skill monkey slot we need in the party, and adds a particular flavor that I like. Also, we have a warblade in the party and I didn't want to feel redundant.

Laugh at my decision if you will but I think I will have fun with it.

[Urpriest]

If Rand is a factotum...what the hell is Mat?

[Rubik]

If Rand is a factotum...what the hell is Mat?Mat's a hulking hurler.

Duh.

[Medic!]

Luckstealer?

Crusader with Aura of Chaos and a custom 1d2 weapon and Better Lucky Than Good

[Campbellk8105]

I'm not using the factotum as the whole, knowledge person, dabbling into everything, crazy smart guy. You know the part in factotum where it says that they kinda just play life as it comes to them. That kind. Don't patronize my decision.

Also, for another point. I'm playing him right now as he was in the beginning of the first book. As a late teen.

The sheet I have for him written up, and all the abilities and bonuses I got from the DM. This character is going to pretty much be one of the stronger characters in the group. Most of the other players are not optimizers so I figured I'd have fun with it.

[Stormageddon]

I'm not using the factotum as the whole, knowledge person, dabbling into everything, crazy smart guy. You know the part in factotum where it says that they kinda just play life as it comes to them. That kind. Don't patronize my decision.

Also, for another point. I'm playing him right now as he was in the beginning of the first book. As a late teen.

The sheet I have for him written up, and all the abilities and bonuses I got from the DM. This character is going to pretty much be one of the stronger characters in the group. Most of the other players are not optimizers so I figured I'd have fun with it.

Factotum works. Matt is a rogue with lots and lots of luck feats, and heavily invested skill points in social skills and profession gambler.

[Campbellk8105]

Factotum works. Matt is a rogue with lots and lots of luck feats, and heavily invested skill points in social skills and profession gambler.

Thank you.

I liked that for factotum he gets int to many things. Rand may be naive at times but he was not dumb. Being able to use many skills points to maximize the skills he would be good at is a plus too.

Being able to use a spell to change his BAB to full makes him a good fighter. Having other spells to buff are good as well.

I was kind of surprised at the replies I got from going with factotum. It did seem kind of odd at first but if you think about the abilities factotum gets and then look at Rand, I don't think it's that far fetched of a class choice.