Character Classes/Races with the Best Flavor

[VGLordR2]

Hey, guys. My friend is starting a new campaign, and I need a character. I am extremely good at making overpowered characters, but that gets very boring. This time, I am looking for a character based not on power, but on sheer awesomeness. What would be a good character from a roleplaying perspective, rather than a combat perspective? I can use anything as long as it's in a sourcebook. Also, you don't have to mention anything from the PHB; I've been there and done that. :roach:

[Particle_Man]

Warlocks are pretty much dripping with flavour (Complete Arcane) and they have two flavours of heritage feats (fey heritage or fiendish heritage), depending on how you roll, in Complete Mage. Or use some invocations from Drow of the Underdark.

The Incarnate and Totemist both are quite flavourful and both are in Magic of Incarnum. The later has magic that is thematically related to various magical beasts (as opposed to an alignment theme), so flavour-wise I would put it ahead. I kind of like the Sapphire Hierarch prestige class too, flavour-wise.

Dragon Shaman in PHB II is a bit of an oddball, but I would give it the nod for flavour too.

Tome of Battle has 3 flavourful classes and many flavourful prestige classes, by virtue of having combat maneuvers with cool names and fancy things they do in combat. I think Eternal Blade is the most flavourful of the bunch, myself. But Shadow Sun Ninja is pretty flavourful too.

I personally think that the Hexblade from Complete Warrior is quite flavourful (if not powerful). I would recommend using the ACF from PHB II to give him a shadowy companion.

In the right campaign I think Spellthief could be very flavourful, but here the flavour would partly come from the wonder of discovering what new magic you just stole, so it requires some "help" from the DM to keep putting new and different folk to steal magic from in your path. So it is quite campaign-dependant.

Race-wise, maybe the Dusklings (extraplanar fey) from Magic of Incarnum, or Tibbets (sp?) (housecat-folk) from Best of Dragon Magazine (I think that is what the book is called). How open are you to LA higher than +0?

And technically, Shadow Dancer from the DMG is quite flavourful (and has a disgustingly good synergy with Shadow Sun Ninja, but you were not going for power, right?) :smallsmile:

Oh, Complete Scoundrel has lots of flavourful options, from skill tricks to interesting prestige classes, to simple advice. I will note two prestige classes: The Greyguard (paladins with attitude, yo!) and the Malconvoker (non-evil spellcasters that summon or call/bind evil outsiders and use the bluff skill to trick them to think they are working for/with the bad guys - this can blow up in one's face too, of course). But the Master of Masks deserves a bit of a shout-out too, flavour-wise.

[gorfnab]

Beguiler (Shining South - race) Beguiler (PHBII - class)

[The-Mage-King]

Silverbrow Human Bardblade.


Here's where it gets fun...

Ask your DM if Melodic Casting could apply to ANY Concentration check, or if you could take a variant that applies to maneuvers. If "Yes", then enjoy this.


Otherwise, ask if you can buy a continuous item of Undersong.

If neither works, then... Sorry, the awesome cannot continue in the planned way. You'll have to bea vanilla DFI bardblade.


Otherwise?

Proceed to use Perform (Weapon Drill) in place of Concentration for Diamond Mind maneuvers, and "dodge" that Charm Person by cutting it in half. :smalltongue:

Use the standard bard tricks for the rest of it.

[Flickerdart]

Human Wizard. Use Prestidigitation to give yourself any flavour you want.

[Marlowe]

Human Wizard. Use Prestidigitation to give yourself any flavour you want.

:smallsigh:

[Answerer]

Binder wins for flavor in my opinion.

And hell, we'll give the Truenamer a nod for something it actually has: the fluff on Truenaming is awesome. The execution, sadly, is almost unusable.

Shadowcasters have decent flavor, since now I feel like I'm leaving them out by mentioning everything else in Tome of Magic...

[Tytalus]

I'm fond of transformational classes. The Green Star Adept, for example, has a pretty cool flavor, but unfortunately it's a mechanical nightmare.

[Sir_Mopalot]

Binder wins for flavor in my opinion.

And hell, we'll give the Truenamer a nod for something it actually has: the fluff on Truenaming is awesome. The execution, sadly, is almost unusable.

Shadowcasters have decent flavor, since now I feel like I'm leaving them out by mentioning everything else in Tome of Magic...

Another vote for Binder. Very interesting fluff, potentially very awesome character concepts, and is a tier 3ish character. Super solid.

[unundindur]

I usually find rogues of all kinds to fill this role. Flavor isn't in the stats, its in the story, and the play :)

As for a concept I have wanted to play: A half shadow-dragon drow paladin of tyranny. Son of a matron and a shapechanged shadowdragon. Now a bastard none really like, setting the scene for all kinds of trickery.

[Bit Fiend]

I like the Acolyte of the Skin - fluff-wise, that is. Mechanically it's near worthless...

As a race the good evil old Drow still deserve a mention, especially if not played as whiny Drizzt-expies.

[Copper]

Binder wins for flavor in my opinion.

And hell, we'll give the Truenamer a nod for something it actually has: the fluff on Truenaming is awesome. The execution, sadly, is almost unusable.

Shadowcasters have decent flavor, since now I feel like I'm leaving them out by mentioning everything else in Tome of Magic...

Yeah if you want to have the most interesting time roleplaying, go with Binder. It's absolute gold as far as cool flavor goes.

As for races Dragonborn is pretty flavorful.

[limejuicepowder]

I absolutely love avenging executioner ("scream. scream like you made me scream"). Gives me the shivers just thinking about it. Very campaign dependent, but could be awesome beyond belief. All of the psionic classes are worth a mention as well.

race-wise, I think pretty much all of the savage humanoids are cool - goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears, etc. I like the idea of stereotyped people acting against what other people think of them. Also, the githyanki and githzerai are very interesting.

[kardar233]

On the rare occasions I've played a Binder, I've purposely made poor pacts just because RPing under the Influence restrictions is so much fun.

[Answerer]

I like the Acolyte of the Skin - fluff-wise, that is. Mechanically it's near worthless...
Oooh, yeah! Acolyte of the Skin is awesome, in concept.

[Particle_Man]

Risen Martyr has a built in "must finish this one last major quest" thing going for it, flavour-wise. Book of Exalted Deeds.

[McToomin]

Voting for Enlightened Fist here. A monk/caster (I prefer spontaneous casting for this) who can punch people with spells. Since you lose casting progression for any Monk levels you have plus 2 levels of Enlightened Fist, you fall behind a full caster and thus are still strong, but not overly powerful, unless your party is low-op. Had a blast playing this build.

[Bard for Kicks]

Play a bearbarian. They're badass. :smallamused:

I have a boss build for a bearbarian with 102str by 20th lvl for all your destructive pleasures...

Just bellow reaaaaaallllllllly loudly, and smash down some doors.

[Morph Bark]

I absolutely love avenging executioner ("scream. scream like you made me scream"). Gives me the shivers just thinking about it. Very campaign dependent, but could be awesome beyond belief.

Let's put a smile on that face.