Coming up with a character to match my build

[Myou]

I'm starting a 3.5 game soon. Gestalt, starting at level 1, with some homebrewed classes and PrCs.

The character I want to play is going to be a wizard, but thanks to being gestalt, he's going to have exceptional hit points, saves and AC, and lots of immunities, etc - basically he's going to be very tough to kill.

Once he reaches his PrC he's going to be developing his mastery over magic, learning to bend and manipulate magical energy to allow things like slightly cheaper metamagic (not incantatrix levels of abuse though), the ability to steal control of enemy spells, apply metamagic to a spell someone else is casting, etc.

So the difficulty I have is that I have the build planned but I'm not sure on the character.

He's going to be in a party with a wizard//artificier, so he wont be taking any crafting feats, so I did consider perhaps making him very bad at craftwork - maybe he originally wanted to be a sculptor. :smallbiggrin:

I plan on him being something of a sidekick to whoever the party leader may be - he's going to be very young and probably a bit out of his depth. But beyond that I'm running a little short on ideas.

Oh, we're probably also going to have a (homebrew) favoured soul//crusader and some sort of samurai type.

So, any ideas/tips for how to make this a person and not just another batman wizard? :smallsmile:

Edit: Oh, and I expect to have a slight strength and charisma penalty, great int and good con and dex.

Oh, and probably a human.

[Urpriest]

What are you using for all those immunities etc? A big template stack? Crusader? Monk? Whatever is on the other side could be useful for inspiring the concept and flavoring things.

[Myou]

What are you using for all those immunities etc? A big template stack? Crusader? Monk? Whatever is on the other side could be useful for inspiring the concept and flavoring things.

Nothing so flavourful, it's a homebrew class that basically just makes you harder to kill (at the cost of not giving any special offensive abilities, seems fair, since you could instead be taking classes like factotum to get multiple standards per round, etc).

It's rather like a neater way to simulate dips and templates actually. :smalltongue:

[Urpriest]

Nothing so flavourful, it's a homebrew class that basically just makes you harder to kill (at the cost of not giving any special offensive abilities, seems fair, since you could instead be taking classes like factotum to get multiple standards per round, etc).

It's rather like a neater way to simulate dips and templates actually. :smalltongue:

Does it have any fluff attached at all? Learned vs. innate for example?

One thing to think about: you're a studious character who's very tough to harm. Perhaps something evocative of masochism would be in order? A character who pushes themself too hard in pursuit of their goals perhaps.

[Prime32]

Perhaps someone who's terrified of death, and has layered countless defensive spells on himself? Or he's a mastermind who counters all his enemies' possible forms of attack. Or maybe he's some kind of magic elemental, though that would fit sorcerer better.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

The whole metamagic shtick without Incantatrix is going to be hard to pull off, unless you already have something in mind. Halruaan Elder in Shining South could fit mechanically, but it doesn't look like it would suit the character at all. Were there any particular prestige classes you were considering?

You could go with a Summoner and be a master of minions, rather than being a master of metamagic with a Batman build. Get Rapid Summoning and Enhanced Summoning (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#conjurerVariants), go Wizard 3/ Master Specialist 2/ Malconvoker 10, and maybe use Arcane Disciple: Summoner to finish off with Thaumaturgist. Be sure to take a Wizard level next to Malconvoker 1 so you won't lose a level of spellcasting. I'd even consider a Cloistered Cleric dip on the non-Wizard side for the Summoner and Craft domains, which gets you Skill Focus: Craft: Sculpting.

Maybe make him a Gnome or even Whisper Gnome (Str and Cha penalty, Dex and Con bonus!) and go Illusionist into Shadowcraft Mage. If you're not familiar with how that works, just google some guides on it, there's really too much to explain. You'll want all three UA ACFs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#illusionistVariants), go Illusionist 3/ Master Specialist 4/ Shadowcraft Mage 5/ (Shadow Adept 1)/ Shadowcrafter 8 (7). You'll want to dip a level of (Cloistered) Cleric on the other side for the Gnome and Illusion domains, but it's not absolutely necessary.

[Myou]

Does it have any fluff attached at all? Learned vs. innate for example?

One thing to think about: you're a studious character who's very tough to harm. Perhaps something evocative of masochism would be in order? A character who pushes themself too hard in pursuit of their goals perhaps.

The fluff is someone who is naturally tough and smart, who pushes themselves with training and study to evade, block or endure whatever is thrown at them. (So part learned, part innate.) So actually, that suggestion you make would fit quite well. :smallsmile:

Maybe he's driven by some sort of past failing, and pushes himself harder as a result, preferring to take whatever harm is coming himself than let it befall his allies.


Perhaps someone who's terrified of death, and has layered countless defensive spells on himself? Or he's a mastermind who counters all his enemies' possible forms of attack. Or maybe he's some kind of magic elemental, though that would fit sorcerer better.

Ah, that's good too, perhaps I could combine the fear of death aspect, to explain how he failed in the past, and make it something that he had to overcome.


The whole metamagic shtick without Incantatrix is going to be hard to pull off, unless you already have something in mind. Halruaan Elder in Shining South could fit mechanically, but it doesn't look like it would suit the character at all. Were there any particular prestige classes you were considering?

You could go with a Summoner and be a master of minions, rather than being a master of metamagic with a Batman build. Get Rapid Summoning and Enhanced Summoning (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#conjurerVariants), go Wizard 3/ Master Specialist 2/ Malconvoker 10, and maybe use Arcane Disciple: Summoner to finish off with Thaumaturgist. Be sure to take a Wizard level next to Malconvoker 1 so you won't lose a level of spellcasting. I'd even consider a Cloistered Cleric dip on the non-Wizard side for the Summoner and Craft domains, which gets you Skill Focus: Craft: Sculpting.

Maybe make him a Gnome or even Whisper Gnome (Str and Cha penalty, Dex and Con bonus!) and go Illusionist into Shadowcraft Mage. If you're not familiar with how that works, just google some guides on it, there's really too much to explain. You'll want all three UA ACFs (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#illusionistVariants), go Illusionist 3/ Master Specialist 4/ Shadowcraft Mage 5/ (Shadow Adept 1)/ Shadowcrafter 8 (7). You'll want to dip a level of (Cloistered) Cleric on the other side for the Gnome and Illusion domains, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Ah, I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't very clear, the prestige abilities I listed are in the form of a homebrew prc and homebrew feats, so I will be getting them, it's just a matter of creating a character to match the mechanics. Thanks for all the advice though! :smallsmile:



So, perhaps this character lost a parent or other important person when he was a child, and could actually have saved said person if he had been braver and taken some risk - but was too afraid of being hurt or killed.

So he then spent his adolescence studying and training himself harshly - almost too harshly - motivated by guilt in part, but also by a genuine, deep interest in magic. He tends to be hard on himself in battle, and is determined to master magic so that he never has to watch someone he cares about get hurt or killed again.

That would also make him easy to motivate when it comes to quests - since he wouldn't be too happy seeing anyone getting hurt or killed, since having experienced loss he would have a stronger sense of empathy.

Not sure if I can/should use the failed sculptor idea now. xD

Maybe his parent was a sculptor and originally wanted him to follow in their role, but he wasn't very good at it, and gave it up after they died. :smallconfused: