Love interest for ranger

[Sir_Chivalry]

I have a ranger/warblade soon to be revenant blade and eternal blade (or frenzied berserker, maybe ;))

I am trying to figure out a love interest npc for him so that he has someone to care about in the world, and because the others (robot, asexual, psychotic) of the main core four characters don't have need of one.

He's a disgraced noble quarter elf trying to reconnect with his heritage. Owns a valenar horse and everything. He has a strained relationship with his father and brothers, and often is confrontational with the rest of the party.

More later, but any preliminary ideas?

[Telonius]

A couple of possibilities. First thing that comes to mind is a female Indiana Jones-type. An Archivist, Factotum, or adventuring Cloistered Cleric, who's also trying to find out about Valenar's elvish past. They'll have a common interest, and good working relationship.

Another possibility: ideal Elvish aesthetic, archer-build. Someone he can aspire to be worthy of.

Final possibility: fellow outlaw. Someone who's also somewhat "on the run" and can understand what he's going through.

[Suteinu]

Perhapse I'm demented...

Half-orc Bard, highest possible Cha & Int. Artistically inclined, tallented linguist, dancer. Strong and independant type, outcast by both parent cultures, insecure deep-down but determined to make her own way on the merrits of who she is.

See, they have a similar past, but differnt approaches to facing their lifelong problems. She is, racially, the antithesis of your Ranger's goals and ambitions, but could make him question his own path to acceptance: "Are you trying to reclaim your elvish herritage, or is it just a plea for acceptance? Are you trying to be YOU, or are you trying to be THEM?"

Yeah, I think this would be a good, challenging relationship, especially if your Ranger really falls in Love with this Bard, `cause it's a cinch their Love will be detrimental to finding acceptance amon an already intollerant people. Might make him question his elf-esteem...:smallwink:

[Kuulvheysoon]

I'm putting in my vote for an 'elvish' bard/extreme explorer (hey, it's an NPC, they don't have to be optimized).

It's 'elvish' because she's technically a changeling with the Racial Emulation feat.
:smalltongue:

Otherwise, Telonius has some excellent ideas.

[shortround]

Perhapse I'm demented...

Half-orc Bard, highest possible Cha & Int. Artistically inclined, tallented linguist, dancer. Strong and independant type, outcast by both parent cultures, insecure deep-down but determined to make her own way on the merrits of who she is.

See, they have a similar past, but differnt approaches to facing their lifelong problems. She is, racially, the antithesis of your Ranger's goals and ambitions, but could make him question his own path to acceptance: "Are you trying to reclaim your elvish herritage, or is it just a plea for acceptance? Are you trying to be YOU, or are you trying to be THEM?"

Yeah, I think this would be a good, challenging relationship, especially if your Ranger really falls in Love with this Bard, `cause it's a cinch their Love will be detrimental to finding acceptance amon an already intollerant people. Might make him question his elf-esteem...:smallwink:Please choose this and have her indignantly retort during a spat with, "Oh, sorry, did I hurt your ELF-ESTEEM?"

[Beowulf DW]

I vote for Suteinu's suggestion. Having similar problems gives you common ground, and taking different approaches to those problems means that you'll still disagree from time to time, as every couple does.

[Sir_Chivalry]

I got to say I like the half-orc bard idea. Any suggestions for what sort of build she should have? Interesting classes or feats to include? Should she be a bardic knowledge or bardic knack character (less enthused about this option, as the psychotic party cleric is already a bardic knack character)?

There's no real way to make a quarter orc, but on the good news, in my world the orcs are a more normal race to see wandering around, so it would be cultural and not simply racial for her to be an outsider to the orcs.

A few class options I can think of off the top of my head:

Going straight bard

Horizon Walker

Seeker of the Song

Ardent Dilettante

Master Harper (for the awesome and weird abilities)

[Acanous]

You could go crazygonuts and have her go Sublime chord.
You're a divine caster with prepared slots. She's an Arcane caster with Spontanious slots. You're a quarter elf, she's a half orc!

THEY FIGHT CRIME!

[Sir_Chivalry]

You could go crazygonuts and have her go Sublime chord.
You're a divine caster with prepared slots. She's an Arcane caster with Spontanious slots. You're a quarter elf, she's a half orc!

THEY FIGHT CRIME!

Ranger 1/Warblade 4, sorry. No prepared slots, just lots of maneuvers.

And I tend to shy away from that class here, what with using it for every serious threat bard character thus far

[The Mentalist]

In before "His animal companion"...

... Oh...

Drat.

[Malimar]

Anthopomorphic Pony.

[The Mentalist]

Anthopomorphic Pseudonatural Pony.

Fixed it for you.

[Acanous]

Ranger 1/Warblade 4, sorry. No prepared slots, just lots of maneuvers.

And I tend to shy away from that class here, what with using it for every serious threat bard character thus far

Is she going to be a leadership cohort, or an NPC the DM plays?

If she's an NPC, have her go Bard/Marshal/Legendary Leader/Orc Paragon/Heir of Syberis.
Over the course of her story, she'll become a great leader of her people and an exemplar of the Orc race, tapping the inherant magic latant within orcs.

All while being CHA based.

Her character is going to be socially stronger than yours. Be prepared for roleplaying possibilities with strong, independant women who make a mark on the world.

You're going to have to RP your butt off to keep up.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Is she going to be a leadership cohort, or an NPC the DM plays?

If she's an NPC, have her go Bard/Marshal/Legendary Leader/Orc Paragon/Heir of Syberis.
Over the course of her story, she'll become a great leader of her people and an exemplar of the Orc race, tapping the inherant magic latant within orcs.

All while being CHA based.

Her character is going to be socially stronger than yours. Be prepared for roleplaying possibilities with strong, independant women who make a mark on the world.

You're going to have to RP your butt off to keep up.

I'm the DM. So yes, yes I will be roleplaying my butt off.

so this option sounds great, anyone else got one?

[Acanous]

Be veeery careful. This character, while she won't have a lot of direct/combat power, will be able to drive the plot if she really wants to. Make sure you don't sue her up, or you'll get cries of DMPC to deal with.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Be veeery careful. This character, while she won't have a lot of direct/combat power, will be able to drive the plot if she really wants to. Make sure you don't sue her up, or you'll get cries of DMPC to deal with.

The idea is to have her in the background. The ranger plans to make an organization soon, a mercenary company, she might be useful for finding employees in that regard. Once it's up and running, having her handle day to day stuff would prove useful, and then passing that off to another npc when she begins coming into her own power should transition nicely.

That being said, any other build advice that has less potential for suedom then?

[Slipperychicken]

The idea is to have her in the background. The ranger plans to make an organization soon, a mercenary company, she might be useful for finding employees in that regard. Once it's up and running, having her handle day to day stuff would prove useful, and then passing that off to another npc when she begins coming into her own power should transition nicely.

That being said, any other build advice that has less potential for suedom then?

She can also complain that she stays at home and does all the "boring stuff" while her lover FIGHTS CRIME. If there's a female antagonist, the lover can joke about the Ranger "getting into all kinds of trouble with strange women".


And if the organization survives the campaign, it could be an employer for the next group of adventurers, bringing back many fond memories.

[Acanous]

The Suedom doesn't come from the build, but rather what you do with it.
This build has some obvious weak points- no real spell power, not good in melee, not good at tanking. It's a walking area of buffs, though. If she ever sees combat, it'll be like a fulcrum shift for the party.
Her saves will be ridiculous. You're getting CHA to saves, and 5 classes. There's a bard spell, "Ruin Delver's Fortune" that adds CHA to saves *Again*, and gives immunities. Iron Will is a Prereq for Legendary Leader, and also for Divine Denial, which suits the character. She'd be nigh-impossible to take down with magic, but Veeeery flimsy in melee.
Without all the god-powers normal casters get to make them immune to melee.

So really, if you use her a lot, make sure to show that she's got weaknesses as well as strengths, and that her biggest strength is her personality and leadership skills, not her ability to have her mindless zealots sack a small kingdom.
(I know they are the same thing, it's more how you phrase and portray it :3)

[KillianHawkeye]

I vote....... OWLBEAR!





Owlbears need love, too! :smallamused:

[Acanous]

oh I bet you know aaaall about that :p

[Suteinu]

Over the course of her story, she'll become a great leader of her people and an exemplar of the Orc race, tapping the inherant magic latant within orcs.

All while being CHA based.

Unless she's truely independant of considering race, inwhich case it doesn't matter to her whether she leads orcs, humans, or flumphs (oh, maybe not flumphs...). The big difference in her approach from his, I think, should be his struggle for a herritage through racial identity as opposed to her struggle for acceptance for herself with a to-Hell-with-race outlook.

What the heck, why NOT flumphs?

[Sir_Chivalry]

Unless she's truely independant of considering race, inwhich case it doesn't matter to her whether she leads orcs, humans, or flumphs (oh, maybe not flumphs...). The big difference in her approach from his, I think, should be his struggle for a herritage through racial identity as opposed to her struggle for acceptance for herself with a to-Hell-with-race outlook.

What the heck, why NOT flumphs?

That's a fair point too. Perhaps she shouldn't be a great leader of orcs. Still being a great leader might work.

I found a straight-forward build online for a bard/marshal mix that uses seeker of the song. Is this a horrible idea for an npc?

[Suteinu]

That's a fair point too.

You mean about the flumphs :smallbiggrin:?

[Sir_Chivalry]

You mean about the flumphs :smallbiggrin:?

no:smallamused:

[Suteinu]

Been a while, Sir Chiv. I'm curious, if you don't mind, how this fine romance has been going. Sparks? Reasons to bury the hatchet (in each others' heads)? Quarter-blooded offspring? True Love? Miracles? LOCUSTS??!!??

[Sir_Chivalry]

Been a while, Sir Chiv. I'm curious, if you don't mind, how this fine romance has been going. Sparks? Reasons to bury the hatchet (in each others' heads)? Quarter-blooded offspring? True Love? Miracles? LOCUSTS??!!??

In the words of one of my players:

"She wanted to get to know him my guess. I guess she assumed he was the leader of the party because he has this air of leadership about him but he kinda . . . shoved her off"

It's getting there :smallbiggrin: