Give me a character concept

[Mystify]

Give me a character concept. I just need one, so people can suggest them and come to an agreement on which one sounds coolest. Don't frame it in terms of D&D. For instance "Master archer" is fine, but "An archery focused ranger" is not. I'm not going to tell you what this is for until the concept is chosen, to avoid influencing the results.

Edit: Ok, I think there are enough concepts on the board. No new concepts please, and start forming a consensus on which one you want to go with.

[Maquise]

Let me see if I can write this correctly.

A stealth-based urban character, motivated to fight a corrupt and oppressive rule. He utilizes a combination of stealth, swordsmanship and illusion/shadow magic. And, a snappy dresser.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

An orphan whose wealthy parents were murdered before his very eyes in a crime-infested city. While exploring the grounds of his newly acquired estate he discovers a cave, and with it a calling to use this place as his secret lair from which he stages attacks on the crime-lords of his fair city under the guise of the cave's inhabitants: a bat.

[Kuulvheysoon]

An orphan whose wealthy parents were murdered before his very eyes in a crime-infested city. While exploring the grounds of his newly acquired estate he discovers a cave, and with it a calling to use this place as his secret lair from which he stages attacks on the crime-lords of his fair city under the guise of the cave's inhabitants: a bat.

Named Wayne of Clan Bruce, no doubt.

How's about.... a soldier from a distant war finds faith in the aftermath of the battle, and works to redeem the actions of his former unit, a special black-ops type unit.

[Godskook]

Son of a poor widow, this street rat knew little of his father. One day, a group of men, all clad as woodsmen and dungeon delvers, showed up at mother's door. With them they brought a body, said it was his father. While his mother cried over the body, the men handed the boy package. Inside was a matched set of daggers and two books: a journal and a spellbook. The next morning, he asked the men if he could go with them, to study, and maybe one day avenge his father. They smiled, and so began a journey.

[dsmiles]

One of my favorites:

Merchant Prince.

[Namfuak]

An orphan whose wealthy parents were murdered before his very eyes in a crime-infested city. While exploring the grounds of his newly acquired estate he discovers a cave, and with it a calling to use this place as his secret lair from which he stages attacks on the crime-lords of his fair city under the guise of the cave's inhabitants: a bat.

The instant I read "An orphan," I knew this was going batman.

An ugly, hugely muscular woman who leaves her hometown to join the army disguised as a man. To give you an idea of how she looks, in order to do this, she doesn't even have to disguise herself that much, she can literally walk up to a guy in a shirt and breeches and anyone would assume she was a man unless she told them otherwise. After joining the army, she becomes extremely proficient with large weapons.

[Telonius]

Former lackey of a bad guy sets out on his own, trying to leave his past behind him and create a new identity and motivation for himself.

[NinjaStylerobot]

A bystander. Whatever event happens the character finds himself whirled into another chaotic and dangerous life after a life of comfort and simplicity.

[Serpentine]

Medusa mobster.

[Draconi Redfir]

a very neutral neutral who has no strong opinions one way or the other.

[Manga Maniac]

A half-dwarf, half-elf dirty copper.

[Fineous Orlon]

Master Two Weapon wielder, who can use anything close to hand. Kind of a Jackie Chan of lightly armed combat.

[Silma]

A paladin (or holy-warrior in general) who gradually loses faith and sort of becomes an evil monster.

[CTrees]

A lay preacher at a church of a good deity. Pious and well-meaning, but with a secret craving for human flesh. This hunger has led him to stalking the streets at night, stealthily ambushing the dregs of society, in constant fear of detection. During the day, his religious efforts are redoubled, as constant penance, to attempt atonement for his sins.

[Kol Korran]

a superstitious goblin witch woman, believing in dark gods and darker spirits, following the party due to some curse/ bargain/ prophecy that deems her tribe doomed unless she follows this groups.

constantly sees the worst in everything, but strangely trying to make things better despite... well, the world. partially a protector/ benefactor, partially scolding mother/ prophet of doom and finder of wrong doing.

each days casts bones to "consult the fates" giving ominous yet vague warnings that the DM may use, and that she'll obviously interpret in the worst ways.

highly, highly superstitious. lots of her decisions might be affected by what seem like omens (to her at least).

damn i want to play her. :smallamused:

Another:
halfling gypsy scoundrel which is cursed by someone he wronged so that his attempts at communication with others either don't work at all or have some great difficulty (depending what the player and Dm come to agreement upon). this includes writing, sign language and the like. the halfling however, despite knowing of the curse refuses to let it control his life and... adjusts.

i think he would be hilarious and a challenge to play. :smallbiggrin:

[Mystify]

While these are cool ideas, backstory alone doesn't work for what I need. There has to be something to latch onto mechanically. Some of these do that, others don't.

[DrDeth]

Here’s what I sometimes do. Find a cool figure. Write the character from there, rather than the other way around.

But here’s a idea- take the Mad Hatter. Turn him into a PF Alchemist.

The “Knight of Swords”- A Knight who uses swords and only swords. Worships a deity of swords. Character is blunt, direct, incisive, cutting, logical, unfeeling.

[Particle_Man]

One of God's younger brothers, curious about the world his brother has made, is allowed to incarnate inside the world, subject to a few restrictions:

a) YB cannot go to or see the "after realms" where the mortals souls go.
b) YB can only access the power of the recently dead body that YB incarnates in. (YB might pick a powerful magic-using type, but . . .)
c) YB cannot directly affect the balance of the world. If YB kills an evil dragon, another equally powerful evil dragon will appear elsewhere in the world. Only mortals can affect the world and the things in it permanently. YB could try to bring mortals together to be in the right place at the right time to make a change, though YB can't make them make the change.

YB's previous knowledge of the world is contained in the songs of the bards YB has heard (YB was literally one of the stars in the sky that the music made its way towards - that star is not missing from the sky), with all the omissions and exaggerations thereof. YB has never actually seen the world before.

Btw, the world itself is a therapy centre for a third brother, who went insane and is kept in one of the after realms called "Hell".

A mechanical way to get a tier 1 caster without it overshadowing the party, perhaps?

[Particle_Man]

The “Knight of Swords”- A Knight who uses swords and only swords. Worships a deity of swords. Character is blunt, direct, incisive, cutting, logical, unfeeling.

I thought he would be sharper than that. :smallsmile:

[Namfuak]

I thought he would be sharper than that. :smallsmile:

I guess his wit just didn't make the cut.

[Wings of Peace]

An average joe wizard who is brilliant at spell theory but actually hates magic as whole. The only reason he started magic at all was familial pressure and now he continues to practice it to pay off student fees.

[dsmiles]

An average joe wizard who is brilliant at spell theory but actually hates magic as whole. The only reason he started magic at all was familial pressure and now he continues to practice it to pay off student fees.Sounds like an engineering major, to me. :smalltongue:

[Draconi Redfir]

what i like to do is roll abilities first and design the charicter around those, high Str low Dex? He's a very clumsy powerhouse.

[Suddo]

Gain all the spells. (Sorry I'm not at home otherwise I'd have the image)

Mechanically this would be something like:
Archivist 1 / Eruite (StP) 3 / Divine Mind 10 / Wizard 1 / Arcane&Psionic PrC 5
You have to cheese quite a bit to get this but its kind of fun.

One of the main things I like to do is only make it if you can get things in written form (Erudite and Archivist vs Psionic and Cleric).

You can't specialize in anything, as it would disallow you from getting some spells. Depending on how many types of magic you use your power may vary (divine arcane isn't that bad, but psionic divine arcane can be pushing it, add incarnum and/or invocations and you are probably not going to be that great). A note is that something like Spell Thief (and the Master Spellthief feat) can be desirable for the build as it allows you to steal spells from others and make scrolls of them (using one of those remember for 24hrs spells). And things that help cut down on crafting time (I forget which artisan it is) can help with making scrolls of all the spells you get.

For personality would make you compulsively gain spells. You may try and talk your DM/GM into letting you get a scribe companion who can help you write things in your spellbook, this may cause certain things to happen (like a Decipher Script when preparing spells he wrote) but will help you actually keep up with your drive to learn. If he's a construct (can't sleep) or something that doesn't require all that much sleep it can help a lot.

Edit: This doesn't have to be all that powerful or cheesy either.
Erudite 3 / Archivist 3 / Wizard 3 / Spell Thief 1/ Swap between multi + spell classes such as Divine Mind or Mystic Theurge.
This causes you to end up with something like: 10th level Erudite/Archivist/Wizard which is a lot worse that just 20 levels of either. You will be able to steal 9th level spells (depending on how you interpret Master Spell Thief).

[Lonely Tylenol]

A sadist who specializes in whips.

(No, not of the sexual sort.)

He uses as many whips and whip-like weapons as humanly possible at all times. He gets a sort of grisly pleasure out of hearing the sound of his enemies crying out as the lash bears down on their back; literally, pain is its own sick pleasure for this sort.

(NO, NOT OF THE SEXUAL SORT.)

Multiple whips in multiple hands a bonus.

[prufock]

The black sheep of a noble family. He's somewhere between a depressing/belligerent and comical/captivating alcoholic. He would rather spend his inheritence on food, drink, and women than take any sort of responsibility.

But he is capable of great things. He is charismatic and intelligent, and a natural leader. He gets by on his quick wits and quicker tongue - though both sometimes get him into trouble - and more than a dash of luck. He might even be capable of a little magic here and there.

[Wings of Peace]

Sounds like an engineering major, to me. :smalltongue:

Player gets bonus points if they name the character Ronson after reaching a certain level of power. *Roll Knowledge: Webcomics, DC: Hiatus*

[Jodah]

An average joe wizard who is brilliant at spell theory but actually hates magic as whole. The only reason he started magic at all was familial pressure and now he continues to practice it to pay off student fees.

OP wants a consensus, let it begin here. I second this one.

[WanderingScribe]

Rage Mage. Gets angry -> blows stuff up with Sonic Damage Roar! (Skyrim spoof not intended...) Screaming at things because you're mad! :smallfurious:

[Rubik]

I've got this one.

The stillborn spawn of Cthulu. "He" was born dead, and wandered the ether between the stars for eons, drifting through the ruins of ancient cities, full of awesome and horrible knowledge, before his corpse was pulled through a black hole that acted as a nexus between that place and elsewhere.

His corporeal form was compacted to a shiny black stone, and ended up dumped into the Land of Faerie where it was found by a fey princeling, and he found himself sucked into the fey's body, and it was mutated into a horrible abomination of tentacled horror.

He was found and pursued by the Wild Hunt for weeks before he bolted into a rabbit hole and again found himself slipping between the cracks of reality, and landed in a high-class inn which traveled between the dimensions, where even gods must wait for an invitation. The proprietor, Richard Nixon, was unfazed by the demonic appearance of this innocent bystander, and threatened him with obliteration if he refused to pay for his transgressions with indentured servitude.

So now he's on a mission from The Great(er) Old One, and he must retrieve whatever McGuffin he was sent after this time. If he sees a body he wants he leaves his body-slave (who is dependent on him for his continued existence) and possesses it, whereupon it bursts into another horror of tentacled horror.

In D&D the build would be a gestalt anthropomorphic bat ghost//psion/thrallherd with the Illithid Heritage and Illithid Grapple feats (hence the tentacle explosion every time he inhabits a new body).

[Metahuman1]

Something/one who's very big, smashes stuff with his/her bare hands really well, and is good at things like wrestling and throwing and shoving his foes about like they are nothing to him.



Alternatively, an itty bitty little man/woman who can absolutely destroy you with her bare hands and no apparent effort what so ever. Leverage, presser points, nerve strikes, Ki/Chi Shenanigans, what have you.

[Fluffy_1.0]

I prefer to play dark broken characters that if not for their circumstances might have turned out differently. So many more of these people in the world than heroes after all.

An evil Asimer child/young teen serial killer/sadist/masochist who was sold as a slave to an abusive master/father figure who told her that he loved her every time he hit her. Until her mind broke and she came to believe pain is love. She should specialize in torture and causing pain because she wants to bring love to the world. Love to those who hate her, love to the unloved (especially orphans), love in general. She is really and truly obsessed with this "love" because it's the only love she's ever known. But perhaps... in the dark depths of her twisted heart she knows... that what she wants, what she needs is to actually be loved and to love. Perhaps... if she learned of true love she might be saved... or perhaps... there can be no salvation after what she's done.

As far as crunch goes... I strongly recommend a beguiler chassis for the ability to manipulate others into a false sense of security, pick locks, disarm traps, and everything else a serial killer needs. Focusing on conditions that disable should be your number one priority so you can teach them about love.
As for weapons... I suggest a dagger over a whip because it can be wielded with much more... subtlety than a whip.

Uh... if this is played in a "good" party... I suggest keeping her "love" quiet. Perhaps quietly interrogating a prisoner away from the others to get the information needed. Getting the information while the others don't ask too many questions. Or scouting ahead and paralyzing the enemy and then coupe de grasing them in a particularly painful way. Last time I played this character I played it in a "good" party so it is doable, just difficult.

[Mystify]

Ok, I think there are enough concepts on the board. No new concepts please, and start forming a consensus on which one you want to go with.

[Seharvepernfan]

I second merchant prince.

[Kol Korran]

well first of all i'd still vote for my ideas:

- superstitious goblin witch woman with a pessimistic and foreboding outlook.

- the one cursed not to be understood, but rises to the challenge.

but as i assume my vote can't go into those i'll choose...

1) Medusa Mobster. sounds just awesome. i think one is mentioned in one of the Eberron books. (gang called Daask?) it has so many angles.

2) the innocent bystander to whcih things just happen. i love Rincewind and this sounds like such a character.

[Mystify]

the innocent bystander to whcih things just happen. i love Rincewind and this sounds like such a character.
I'm reading the second discworld book right now. As in, I had just put it down to check on the internet.

[Mystify]

So far, the following concepts have been seconded:

Average joe wizard who hates magic

Medusa mobster

innocent bystander

merchant prince

I need someone to settle on one.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Medusa Mobster sounds awesome.

To cut down on LA, though, maybe consider a half-medusae or something? There's a pseudo-official one from Sean K Reynolds (http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/monsters/halfmedusa.html), and I also homebrewed a less LA-heavy one (with input from the Wizards Boards) a while back. I can look it up, if you want...

[Mystify]

Medusa mobster it is.

Now that it has been impartially selected, I sub it an arbitrary character concept.
The reason I want one is so I can try to make a character fulfilling the concept in 3.5 and in legend, and compare them.
And, I will not attempt to do just that. Commentary on the best way to do either build is welcome, but official content only.

[Mystify]

Ok, mechanically speaking, what would you expect a mobster to be able to do?

[mikau013]

Ok, mechanically speaking, what would you expect a mobster to be able to do?

Drive trains and camp for spawns?

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0619.html