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Rogue Shadows
2012-05-21, 10:08 PM
Title says it all, people. I'd hazard a guess that in general, players of roleplaying games come up with, or are inspired to play as, considerably more characters then they actually get to play, and eventually the opportunity to play them sometimes just passes by, or you realize that such a character would never really work the way you want it to and so will never actually run them, no matter how cool it'd be. So this thread is about those characters, the ones that you want to play, some day, but probably never will. Bonus points if you actually stat them out.

For me, it's pretty simple:

I will impersonate a man. His name: Alonso Quijana. A country gentleman, no longer young. Being retired, he has much time for books. He studies them from morn till night, and often through the night till morn again. And all he reads oppresses him, fills him with indignation at man's murderous ways towards man. He ponders the problem: how to make better a world, when evil brings profit and virtue none at all. Where fraud, deceit, and malice are mingled with truth and sincerity. He broods and broods and broods, and broods and broods, and finally his brains dry up. He lays down the melancholy burden of sanity, and conceives the strangest project ever imagined: to become a knight-errant, and sally forth, to roam the world in search of adventures, to right all wrongs, to mount a crusade, to raise up the weak and those in need. He persuades his neighbor, one Sancho Panza, a country laborer and an honest man - if the poorer may be called honest (and he was poor, indeed) - to become his squire. He selects an ancient cart horse called Rocinante to become his steed and the safeguard of his master's will. These preparations made, he seizes his lance. No longer will he be plain Alonso Quijana, but a dauntless knight, known as Don Quixote de La Mancha!

Don Quixote, Knight-Errant: Old Human Aristocrat 5; CR 4; Medium humanoid (human); HD 5d8+5; hp 29; Init -1; Spd 20 ft; AC 19, touch 9, flat-footed 19; Base Attack +3; Grp +5; Atk +6 melee (1d8+2/19-20, masterwork longsword) or +7 melee (1d8+2/x3, masterwork lance) or +4 ranged; Full Atk +5 melee (1d8+2/19-20, masterwork longsword); SA none; SQ human traits; AL LG; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +6; Str 14, Dex 8, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 15.
Skills and Feats: Concentrate +5, Handle Animal +10, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +8, Knowledge (history) +8, Ride +7; Feats: Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack, Weapon Focus (lance).
Possessions: Full plate, masterwork heavy steel shield, masterwork longsword, 4 potions of cure light wounds, potion of bear's endurance, dagger, 3 flasks of holy water, heavy horse, bit and bridle (mount), masterwork scale mail barding (mount), military saddle (mount), saddlebags (mount), silver holy symbol.

Mostly I want to play Quixote as a straight Aristocrat with delusions of Paladinhood. At a dramatic moment - preferably after having recieved the beating of his life from some villain holding a young woman hostage, and told that he's an old man playing a boy's game and trying to live in a world of honor and virtue that never really existed, then left for dead on the side of the road somewhere, I'd want him to gain his first level of Paladin and proceed to go out and save the day, and when someone reiterated that the world he wants to live in never existed, he'd call out "It should have!"

The circumstances are just too damn specific to make running an Aristocrat worth the effort, and beyond that an Aristocrat trying to become a *Paladin.* But it'd make for a wonderful, wonderful moment in a campaign's story...

And yes, this flies in the face of the actual moral of the Don Quixote story, but I'm completely okay with this. I don't think there's a single person who's read Don Quixote and hasn't wanted him to never regain his sanity, to never become Alonso Quijana again.

ChaosLord29
2012-05-21, 10:55 PM
I've always wanted to play a true Black Knight for an evil campaign. A truly lawful evil flip of the paladin, out to conquer and domineer, at the head of a party of evil adventurers who he leads on a quest to depose the good king (maybe even his half-brother?) and then have them establish an evil empire of their own.

I suppose the big problem there is what it would require of the gm in terms of making a sandbox campaign and whatnot. An evil take on Kingmaker might work though . . .

Akal Saris
2012-05-21, 11:05 PM
For a couple of years now I have wanted to play a Malconvoker in D&D 3.5. Essentially a super-good wizard who is devoted to summoning evil demons to battle evil (fight fire with fire). I think the concept is awesome and the class itself has some strong abilities. But it would mean somehow joining a high level 3.5 game with cool people who want to play good characters but don't mind the one guy summoning demons :smalleek:

Rorrik
2012-05-22, 01:06 AM
I've been brewing up a barbarian bard for a while now, but haven't found a 3.5 campaign to play it. The character concept was to be that he was from a family line that bore a prophesy of one of their sons inheriting magic from their dragon blood and essentially becoming a sorcerer. When he showed magic skill, the tribe was overjoyed, but he knew it wasn't the dragon blood rumored in his family, but rather bardic magic.

He leaves home in order to avoid disappointing his family and being found out as a mere bard and not the fulfillment of the prophesy. His perform skill was to be oratory, making grand speeches as he raged in combat, drawing courage from his own words.

I intended him as the voice of the party with intimidate and bluff in spades.

Krazzman
2012-05-22, 01:58 AM
It's a bit complicated. I have many such things. But the one thing I wanted to play 3 years ago was an Aasimar Paladin.

The Campaign that was planned should start on level 4. This would've meant that I had to be level 3 (because of being aasimar). If I can recollect his build correctly he was a Monk1/Paladin2 with 16 cha and 16 Wis and 16 Str or something along that line... He would've gained Wings on level 6....

Grail
2012-05-22, 02:11 AM
I always wanted to play an Exalted Ascetic Knight (Paladin/Monk), but that'll never happen now coz we don't play 3.5 anymore.

lady_arrogance
2012-05-22, 02:17 AM
I've wanted (for a some time now) play gnoll-druid or something similar: hyenaish humanoid with strong connection to nature (and preferably ability to cast spells). When we started our Pathfinder campaign, I tried to get the consept accepted by our DM but he said it wouldn't be good idea as the campaign is what it is...

So I (and my gnoll-druid) are waiting a new opportunity. :D

The Bandicoot
2012-05-22, 07:47 AM
Halfing were-bear bear totem barbearian.

Realized that unless the game started out at level 6+ the animal class would be the deal breaker.

JoshuaZ
2012-05-22, 09:29 AM
Transhumanist necromancer. Genuinely altruistic and wants to give everyone on the planet the option of immortality and more through undeath. I may get a chance to play him one day!

A wizard with severe OCD which effects what spells he prepares daily. He wants that for each level, the total number of vowels in prepared spells are even. (So for example, if for level one he prepared 2 copies of Grease and Alarm the total would be 2*3 +2 which be ok). He'd have other strange issues also, including obsessions with cleanliness that would make him get very uncomfortable in dank dungeons. I don't want to play him because I think in practice he'd probably be too annoying for a real campaign unless it was very short.

togapika
2012-05-22, 01:16 PM
Klaus the warforged warlock who may or may not be a gnome in a power suit


Also a halfling Were-T-Rex

Malimar
2012-05-22, 04:33 PM
Oh, there are so many. I come up with characters constantly, but only ever play in a tiny number of campaigns.

One that I've kind of been toying with in my head for months now: a young psion seer who is a compulsive voyeur. Chased out of his hometown by an angry mob when it was discovered he was spying on the women's bath house. (After all, what else would a person do if they found themselves naturally clairvoyant?) Ultimate goal in life is to become such a powerful psion that he can scry on other planes, so that he can watch angels bathe.

I'm pretty sure I'm never going to actually play this character, mostly because even if I can muster the maturity to play him with any seriousness (which is not necessarily probable), I doubt any of the groups I play with could ever handle it.

7RED7
2012-05-22, 06:58 PM
@Rogue Shadows. I would play the hell out of a game with you. :smalltongue:

@Chaoslord29. I may have to check out this kingmaker. I've always wanted to do something similar. Ideally with "optimizing" of leadership and lots of fun with fort building. Maybe a lawful-neutral follower of Bane, who's more interested in warfare tactics and practical matters like making sure the land is defended, order is maintained, and harvests are timely. Kind of an iron hand in a velvet glove type. It would naturally devolve into Settlers of Catan.

@Krazzman. A girl I played with in an old campaign did something similar. Our dm at the time worked out a class progression where she basically functioned as an aasimar paladin, but became more angelic and solar-like over time. I think she was really only in it for the whole lawful/self-righteous/mark-of-justice-on-anyone-non-good thing... and wings of course. My Chaotic-Chaotic Chain-Dervish (yeah, it didn't work but was hella fun "think a less evil betty from kung pao") gave her no end of grief over it. I was always "you're a celestial! you're all divine and whatnot! heal me gorramit!" and she was always like "blah blah, can't do jack. blah blah level adjustment". I don't know where I was going with that, but it was some good times and I wish you the same mon. :smallbiggrin:

@lady_arrogance. Was the problem with the gnoll or the druid?

@hipho. Multi-level templates. The bane of funs everywere.

@togapika. Gnome in a powersuit sounds familiar. If you can get in a 4e game you can definitely be a T-rex... http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/preview_witchalok.pdf
I got one of my players into DMing (he only does 4e though) he wouldn't let me play one in his game though, had to go with a battlemind instead *grumble*

@malimar. That character is pure comedy. Why would you play him with any seriousness? It sounds like a psionic version of Kintaro Oe from Golden Boy, and as such I approve.

Things I still want to RP

1) El Njarvako the Viking Bandito. He wears a Bearponcho and a Hornbrero. He uses two Axepistolas and rides an amphibious wardonkey named "dammit valkyrie, I said charge!" He looks like a bigger and more badass viking version of Clint Eastwood in the Good the Bad and the Ugly, but with the mustache of Gordito Delgado in Dr. McNinja.

2) Logos the Sarcomancer. This character is my personal optimization of the War Hulking Hurler. He was the victim of a wizard experiment gone wrong and has basically been turned into a qudrapedal muntant Hulk. After escaping the wizard's lab as the entire facility was destroyed during the Semi-Annual Wizard's Tea Party and Duel for Ultimate Arcane Supremacy. He has a very thick skin and is long over thoughts of revenge. He spends much of his time exploring the nature of his supernatural strength and it's interaction with the world around him. While much of his world has relied on magic for just about everything, he is disappointed in how little scientific knowledge has grown during the hundreds of years he was held prisoner. He decides that he will dedicate his life to the study of physics and the removal of insane wizards, becoming the the Badass Sir Isaac Newton of his era. He uses his great strength to study the nature of the world (and occasionally smash puny evil wizards). Sometimes he will be walking peacefully along a path with his traveling companions and then stop and stare at a boulder lying next to the road before releasing an earthshaking roar and ricocheting the boulder of the nearest mountain top, while watching the trajectory of the boulder and muttering "hmmm... yes... interesting" to himself as he makes notes on a small legal pad before resuming his place in the group like nothing has happened. Witnesses have spotted him bashing rocks only to sit down and study the cracks for hours at a time. He enjoys the simple pleasure of playing in rivers, but often gets distracted by the fluid dynamics. Instead of being a mindless siege engine, logos is incredibly intelligent and shows a great deal of restraint (unless science is involved). He has a very helpful personality and has crafted armor that has seats allowing the tired to ride on his quadrupedal frame.
His only real equipment consists of a pair of purple pants, a pocket protector, glasses, a briefcase of scientific apparatus, and any item he can find that boosts strength or protects against magic.

3) Pacifist Beholder Cleric w/pet Nothic

4) I'm drawing a blank, I'll have to look up my old notes and edit the rest in.

Malimar
2012-05-22, 08:15 PM
@malimar. That character is pure comedy. Why would you play him with any seriousness? It sounds like a psionic version of Kintaro Oe from Golden Boy, and as such I approve.

Well... I guess "seriousness" may not be quiet entirely what I meant, or at least not what I should have meant. "Without getting into anything that would make anybody uncomfortable", maybe, is closer to what I should have said.

I try to be vigilant about not getting into, much less making light of, anything like sexual harassment. But playing it really serious might make it too dark and realistic, which would probably be even worse. If the character has a strict "look but don't touch" policy, I suppose I might be able to pull off a lovable/chivalrous pervert sort of thing.

The Dark Fiddler
2012-05-22, 10:00 PM
I've got quite a few, actually. Some are build ideas, some are basic concepts for mechanics, and some are personality aspects, but here's a few of the ones that are in the forefront of my mind right now:


A Digimon inspired character for Mutants and Masterminds. After being saved by a superhero, this kid does everything in his power to BECOME a superhero, but nothing works. Nothing, that is, until he finds a program online that lets him summon a strange beast, that quickly becomes his friend. He goes around and helps him fight crime!
A D&D 3.5 character: a character with levels in both Drunken Master and either (or both of) Master Thrower or Bloodstorm Blade. Pick up whatever's lying around, throw it at people for massive damage no matter what!
Probably for Mutants and Masterminds, I really want to play a Power Rangers inspired character for some reason. Or just a Power Ranger. That works too.
D&D 3.5: A Paladin who has a rhino for a mount. Really basic, but also really compelling for some reason.
Personality/backstory: A character (probably a more modern game, M&M most likely) who has a younger sibling who covers for his shenanigans with mom and dad, but is secretly worried he's gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd.
A character who is so tired with the state of the world that, despite doing his best to help improve it, is really searching for a way to make his own world, for him and the few people he cares about.


And that's what I can think of now, on the verge of collapse from tiredness. If I think of more, I'll come back.

Forrestfire
2012-05-23, 05:21 PM
I have a few character concepts I have wanted to try, mainly crunch aspects things as opposed to backstory. I generally work with my DM to design my backstory to fit the world.

Anyway:

A warforged warlock whose abilities are fluffed as advanced technomagical features - basically, Iron Man or Megaman for D&D.
A halfling were-rat-swarm, because the idea of turning into a group of animals at will is awesome, and it's perfectly legal by RAW.
Someone with his unarmed strikes enchanted with the Throwing and Returning enchantments. Because I want to have the Chop-Chop fruit in D&D. Maybe bloodstorm blade could pull it off, but I'm not sure.
A character wish his unarmed strikes enchanted with a toggleable Brilliant Energy. Because being an energy being when I want to sounds awesome.

Strawberries
2012-05-23, 07:08 PM
I really, really want to play a banshee. I've got a backstory all figured out for her, and I think it would make a challanging and interesting character to roleplay.

Backstory
She doesn't remember clearly her human life: 500 years as a vengeful spirit will do that to everyone. But she remembers perfectly the way she died, murdered by a human lord who saw fit to use her and discard her when she was no longer needed. He thought to get rid of her this way, but of course he didn't, as she come back as a vengeful spirit, and haunted him to his grave.
With him dead, she turned to his family and his descendents, and so has been for almost 500 years. Then one day she saw one of the members of the family she haunted going down the same path she had in life (being used and discarded at some higborn's convenience) and realized the debt was paid, and she should direct her hate to those that really deserved it now, in the present, not some young girl whose only sin was sharing blood with a long dead murderer. The next day, a young noble was found horribly killed, with an horrified expression frozen on his face, and an ancient family started telling tales of a curse that had been lifted...

Two problems: it's sadly a roleplay limitation of mine, but I really can't do evil well, so I crafted her backstory so as to have her neutral aligned. An undead in a good party...may be difficult to swallow for the other player.
Plus, banshees aren't really designed to be played as player characters... :smallfrown:

But I don't loose hope that sometimes I may get to play her. Hey, if someone wants to run a game and it's interested in having her as a character, drop me a PM :smallsmile:

D+1
2012-05-23, 08:29 PM
An awakened dog based on Gaspode from Discworld.

Grail
2012-05-23, 10:34 PM
But I don't loose hope that sometimes I may get to play her. Hey, if someone wants to run a game and it's interested in having her as a character, drop me a PM :smallsmile:

Make it out to Newcastle, Australia and I'm sure I could fit you in somewhere! :smallbiggrin:

Strawberries
2012-05-24, 12:24 AM
Make it out to Newcastle, Australia and I'm sure I could fit you in somewhere! :smallbiggrin:

It's a tiny bit far from where I am... can I interest you in the pbp format? :smallwink:

weenie
2012-05-24, 06:23 AM
I would like to one day play a character I've made up some time ago. She's a human Champion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9623431#post9623431) with a twist :)

She's good, but her Avatar form is basically a demon with a will of his own. He merged himself into her body when she was a child to save his life when his demonic army was defeated by some holy warriors in a raid on the material plane. They pretty much hate one another, but they are also bound together, which means that if she dies so does the deamon. She can summon him if she wants, but he can also summon himself without her approval.

She is also scared that if people find out about her avatar, they may decide to kill her to prevent him from somehow materializing again and causing death and suffering. While she agrees that this course of action may be for the best she is still afraid of death, so she decided to keep it to herself as long as she feels she can handle him. He also doesn't want people to find out, so he forces himself to tolerate her goodly behaviour.

However in really dire situations when she feels that it's the only way to survive she's willing to call on him. And he can't really say no to some good old killing.

Sampi
2012-05-24, 06:41 AM
Awesome thread, though by reading this I find that I don't do that much fantasizing over character concepts. One reason for that seems to be that I always get more inspired by characters I actually play instead of ones I do not. Another is my GM nature: all good ideas are given life as NPCs. (So thank you people for providing me with 20+ new NPC's!)

Also:



D&D 3.5: A Paladin who has a rhino for a mount. Really basic, but also really compelling for some reason.


This needs to be illustrated. Now.

Warning: spoilered pic for width (729 px).

Quick&dirty sketch, now someone do better.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/Sampi/Avatars/rhinorider.jpg

DigoDragon
2012-05-24, 06:49 AM
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer.

Gadora
2012-05-24, 06:53 AM
I have a few character concepts I have wanted to try, mainly crunch aspects things as opposed to backstory. I generally work with my DM to design my backstory to fit the world.

Anyway:

A halfling were-rat-swarm, because the idea of turning into a group of animals at will is awesome, and it's perfectly legal by RAW.


I shudder to think of what the hybrid form must look like.:smalleek:



I've got a few that spring to mind that I'd like to play.

There's the synad Malconvoker/"binder" (devoting two feats to binding Naberius) who is well aware that he plays with fire and tries to use his pact making and demon summoning to keep people from becoming too interested in him, thus hiding that he isn't human. Sadly, this would pretty much require that the game start at a higher level than my group usually reaches. It would also require a setting in which the synads were not co-opted for other purposes after they were shown to the DM.:smallfrown:

I've been sitting on a dread necromancer concept for quite a while in which, had things gone normally, the guy would have grown up and been taking levels of sorcerer due to his draconic heritage. This is of course knocked askew, not so much by the traditional adventurers' orphaning, but by the fact that his parents stuck around afterwards as ghosts in order to keep raising him. The constant exposure to necromantic energies twisted his burgeoning powers, gaining him levels in dread necromancer and the feat Tomb-Tainted Soul. Other than that, he would focus on draconic feats as best he could, hopefully getting to count Draconic Bloodline as such, and shooting for Draconic Legacy- representing his nature asserting itself over his nurturing and hopefully adding some utility to his spell list. Unfortunately, my group tends to lean towards "necromancy is evil!" so I don't know that I'll ever get to play the dude.

For Mutants and Masterminds, I've got a character in mind who was a street level speedster, making his living through corporate sponsorship, and perhaps a reality show deal. This worked fine, right up until he had another origin story occur (I'm leaning towards the classic "fell in a vat of chemicals":smallredface:) and he picked up the ability to change himself into living metal. He maintains the speedster identity as his secret identity, but he gets involved with higher level things under the name of Quicksilver. Sadly, I doubt that my group is going to do a superhero RP any time soon.

The Dark Fiddler
2012-05-24, 09:40 AM
...all good ideas are given life as NPCs. (So thank you people for providing me with 20+ new NPC's!)

You make a good point! I do believe my players shall soon be fighting a half-dragon halfling were-rat-swarm. :smallamused:



This needs to be illustrated. Now.

Warning: spoilered pic for width (729 px).

Quick&dirty sketch, now someone do better.
{snipped for bandwidth and such}

Thank you! That's pretty much exactly what appeals to me about it (that is, the spear & shield while mounted).

Anyway, I also remembered a second paladin concept I had, though could easily combine with the rhino paladin: a forcibly reanimated paladin of Pelor who has been excommunicated from his church, but continues to fight for his god, despite knowing that he himself is antithetical to his beliefs. Preferably keeping his powers through DM fiat, but I'd be willing to work with him going Blackguard or just being a fallen paladin in order to play him properly.

Dr paradox
2012-05-24, 02:52 PM
I will impersonate a man. His name: Alonso Quijana. A country gentleman, no longer young. Being retired, he has much time for books. He studies them from morn till night, and often through the night till morn again. And all he reads oppresses him, fills him with indignation at man's murderous ways towards man. He ponders the problem: how to make better a world, when evil brings profit and virtue none at all. Where fraud, deceit, and malice are mingled with truth and sincerity. He broods and broods and broods, and broods and broods, and finally his brains dry up. He lays down the melancholy burden of sanity, and conceives the strangest project ever imagined: to become a knight-errant, and sally forth, to roam the world in search of adventures, to right all wrongs, to mount a crusade, to raise up the weak and those in need. He persuades his neighbor, one Sancho Panza, a country laborer and an honest man - if the poorer may be called honest (and he was poor, indeed) - to become his squire. He selects an ancient cart horse called Rocinante to become his steed and the safeguard of his master's will. These preparations made, he seizes his lance. No longer will he be plain Alonso Quijana, but a dauntless knight, known as Don Quixote de La Mancha!



Freak YES. high five! my current character is at least in part based on Don Quixote.

Rapidghoul
2012-05-24, 03:12 PM
I have a build somewhere in my notes for a Spellwarp Sniper that I was a few hours away from playing before the DM bailed. I think he was a Whisper Gnome Spellthief 1 / Warmage 4 / Unseen Seer 2 / Spellwarp Sniper 5, picking up Master Spellthief, Ranged Recall, and Split Ray to snipe things with spells, steal their spells, and snipe them with their own spells :D

A particularly ridiculous character I wanted to play was a Water Halfling Saint Rogue 1 / Monk X with Sacred Vow, Vow of Poverty, Sacred Strike, Intuitive Attack, Touch of Golden Ice, and the table version of Ascetic Monk do have full rogue SA (dealing d8's and applying Touch of Golden Ice) an absurd number of times per round while having somewhere near an AC of 35 by level 8.

I also have a Warforged Duskblade / Barbarian / Rage Mage idea. Not all that strong, but fun.

Archpaladin Zousha
2012-05-24, 05:56 PM
Title says it all, people. I'd hazard a guess that in general, players of roleplaying games come up with, or are inspired to play as, considerably more characters then they actually get to play, and eventually the opportunity to play them sometimes just passes by, or you realize that such a character would never really work the way you want it to and so will never actually run them, no matter how cool it'd be. So this thread is about those characters, the ones that you want to play, some day, but probably never will. Bonus points if you actually stat them out.

For me, it's pretty simple:

I will impersonate a man. His name: Alonso Quijana. A country gentleman, no longer young. Being retired, he has much time for books. He studies them from morn till night, and often through the night till morn again. And all he reads oppresses him, fills him with indignation at man's murderous ways towards man. He ponders the problem: how to make better a world, when evil brings profit and virtue none at all. Where fraud, deceit, and malice are mingled with truth and sincerity. He broods and broods and broods, and broods and broods, and finally his brains dry up. He lays down the melancholy burden of sanity, and conceives the strangest project ever imagined: to become a knight-errant, and sally forth, to roam the world in search of adventures, to right all wrongs, to mount a crusade, to raise up the weak and those in need. He persuades his neighbor, one Sancho Panza, a country laborer and an honest man - if the poorer may be called honest (and he was poor, indeed) - to become his squire. He selects an ancient cart horse called Rocinante to become his steed and the safeguard of his master's will. These preparations made, he seizes his lance. No longer will he be plain Alonso Quijana, but a dauntless knight, known as Don Quixote de La Mancha!

Don Quixote, Knight-Errant: Old Human Aristocrat 5; CR 4; Medium humanoid (human); HD 5d8+5; hp 29; Init -1; Spd 20 ft; AC 19, touch 9, flat-footed 19; Base Attack +3; Grp +5; Atk +6 melee (1d8+2/19-20, masterwork longsword) or +7 melee (1d8+2/x3, masterwork lance) or +4 ranged; Full Atk +5 melee (1d8+2/19-20, masterwork longsword); SA none; SQ human traits; AL LG; SV Fort +2, Ref +0, Will +6; Str 14, Dex 8, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 15.
Skills and Feats: Concentrate +5, Handle Animal +10, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +8, Knowledge (history) +8, Ride +7; Feats: Mounted Combat, Ride-by Attack, Weapon Focus (lance).
Possessions: Full plate, masterwork heavy steel shield, masterwork longsword, 4 potions of cure light wounds, potion of bear's endurance, dagger, 3 flasks of holy water, heavy horse, bit and bridle (mount), masterwork scale mail barding (mount), military saddle (mount), saddlebags (mount), silver holy symbol.

Mostly I want to play Quixote as a straight Aristocrat with delusions of Paladinhood. At a dramatic moment - preferably after having recieved the beating of his life from some villain holding a young woman hostage, and told that he's an old man playing a boy's game and trying to live in a world of honor and virtue that never really existed, then left for dead on the side of the road somewhere, I'd want him to gain his first level of Paladin and proceed to go out and save the day, and when someone reiterated that the world he wants to live in never existed, he'd call out "It should have!"

The circumstances are just too damn specific to make running an Aristocrat worth the effort, and beyond that an Aristocrat trying to become a *Paladin.* But it'd make for a wonderful, wonderful moment in a campaign's story...

And yes, this flies in the face of the actual moral of the Don Quixote story, but I'm completely okay with this. I don't think there's a single person who's read Don Quixote and hasn't wanted him to never regain his sanity, to never become Alonso Quijana again.
You mean like how Man of La Mancha plays the story out? Surprisingly, this is kind of an archetype that I've ACTUALLY played. One of my current characters is Landuin Leoncoeur, a self-proclaimed knight-errant who frequently consults his book, Taeles of Chivalrie, for heroic deeds to emulate and live up to. While a lot younger than the actual Don Quixote, he's basically the same thing, a naive and bumbling, but honorable and honestly loveable gentleman who tries to find wrongs to right. Statwise, he's a multiclass bard and cavalier with the intention of becoming a Battle Herald, though I may tweak this in the future with the game's upcoming reboot. And despite being the one with delusions of grandeur, he's found himself acting as the voice of reason for his party when they decide to do really, really, REALLY stupid and dishonorable things, like coup-de-gracing the giant who was holding us "prisoner" because he was bored and wanted us to entertain him for a few hundred years. Sadly, Landuin was ignored, and our seemingly indestructible barbarian killed the giant...only for the giant's wife to promptly hand his arse to him, resurrect her husband with his magical wishing stone, and then chew him out for provoking more adventurers, at which point we learned this hadn't been the first time our overly-friendly host had decided to keep his guests...or the first time that had gotten him killed. It was kinda weird...

As for something I've always wanted to play, but probably never will? An equally delusional character who thinks he's an evil overlord. He'd dress the part: Spiky black armor, glowing eyes, echoey voice and maniacal laughter, but in reality he would be an incredible softy and good guy who constantly misconstrues acts of heroism as deeds of unrepentant EEEEVIL!!! Like, for instance, if one of his party members was kidnapped, he'd save the person because doing otherwise would make him look weak to his enemies. He'd reject monetary rewards because he's above puny mortal commerce. He'd help little old ladies cross the street to show how the people are too weak to live without his harsh guidance.

When subjected to alignment checks, he'd invariably detect as good, but if someone told him he'd deny it intensely, to the point where people now just roll their eyes when he starts talking about world domination, knowing he's a good guy, a downright hero in fact, who just happens to be an utter loon.

reddir
2012-05-24, 07:06 PM
As for something I've always wanted to play, but probably never will? An equally delusional character who thinks he's an evil overlord. He'd dress the part: Spiky black armor, glowing eyes, echoey voice and maniacal laughter, but in reality he would be an incredible softy and good guy who constantly misconstrues acts of heroism as deeds of unrepentant EEEEVIL!!! Like, for instance, if one of his party members was kidnapped, he'd save the person because doing otherwise would make him look weak to his enemies. He'd reject monetary rewards because he's above puny mortal commerce. He'd help little old ladies cross the street to show how the people are too weak to live without his harsh guidance.

When subjected to alignment checks, he'd invariably detect as good, but if someone told him he'd deny it intensely, to the point where people now just roll their eyes when he starts talking about world domination, knowing he's a good guy, a downright hero in fact, who just happens to be an utter loon.

I LOVE this!

The Dark Fiddler
2012-05-26, 09:01 AM
I just came back to report that, although it didn't have much story behind it, the halfling were-rat-swarm (plus half-green-dragon for extra fun) ended up being a quite satisfying battle for my group. So many fortitude saves... so many saves.

newBlazingAngel
2012-05-26, 09:17 AM
I would eventually love to play a paladin like Miko who eventually becomes a black guard. Not quite as extreme but like her. I'd have to arrange it with the DM. We're ordered to take the big bad alive, he takes something precious of mine (my celestial horse, my inherited sword ect.) and I murder him. Stripped of paladinship and feeling that I did nothing wrong I turn to lawful evil and become a blackguard.

Rogue Shadows
2012-05-26, 09:37 AM
Giant

That reminds me of a "quest" in Baldur's Gate...basically you're wandering the wilderness and come across a little girl crying at the top of a waterfall. Turns out her cat had slipped and fallen hundreds of feet in the water, and she asks you to go and bring him back. Going to the bottom of the waterfall, you can find...a dead, waterlogged cat. Poor thing. Even worse is you have to go and tell the girl and bring her the cat...

...at which point she says something to the effect of "it's okay, he's done this before. I'll just get daddy to raise him again."

Journal entry:
"From the sound of it, this isn't the first time Drienne's cat has died...Nine Lives, my arse. Give me my own personal necromancer and I'll do the same!"


As for something I've always wanted to play, but probably never will? An equally delusional character who thinks he's an evil overlord. He'd dress the part: Spiky black armor, glowing eyes, echoey voice and maniacal laughter, but in reality he would be an incredible softy and good guy who constantly misconstrues acts of heroism as deeds of unrepentant EEEEVIL!!! Like, for instance, if one of his party members was kidnapped, he'd save the person because doing otherwise would make him look weak to his enemies. He'd reject monetary rewards because he's above puny mortal commerce. He'd help little old ladies cross the street to show how the people are too weak to live without his harsh guidance.

...so basically, the polar opposite of a typical adventurer, who is a wandering sociopath.

Rorrik
2012-05-26, 11:30 AM
I'd like to play the Scarlet Pimpernel. Make him a bard with a lot of ranks in disguise and bluff. I think it would be really fun to play a character who is flamboyant most of the time, but can turn deadly serious at others. Leadership would be a must.

runeghost
2012-05-26, 12:00 PM
Ever since I first read about him, I have wanted to play Pun-Pun the Super Kobold, preferably at some poor GM who's never heard of him. I'm not actually going to do it, because he's silly and abusive and doesn't really have a point. But oh, just imagine the looks around the table as my kobold turns himself into a deity.

gooddragon1
2012-05-26, 03:41 PM
2 flaws human
2 levels fighter
2 levels rogue variant (fighter bonus feats)
2 levels monk
1 level wizard variant (fighter bonus feat)
1 level cleric (2 domains with feats)
1 level ranger

20 feats in 20 levels with stuff out of the SRD (Darkness and Rune Domains (or war)).

DM allows 0xp penalty multiclassing.

Solaris
2012-05-28, 08:52 AM
Also a halfling Were-T-Rex

I had a human were-rex NPC in a d20 Modern game before. He was a cantankerous old man best described as Old Man Henderson (http://spiritsoffire.com/forum/index.php?topic=3954.0) with an unhealthy fondness for explosions and fine cigars in addition to the supernatural ability to assume the form of an extinct super-predator. The players loved the surly bastard, even managed to drag him into the final showdown against the Legions of Hell.


D&D 3.5: A Paladin who has a rhino for a mount. Really basic, but also really compelling for some reason.

That idea works best with a dwarf, at least in my mind - I've been toying with a similar character concept for some time. Boars is fer pansies, and ponies is fer little girls, y'see.
I've also wanted to play a human barbarian (not the class) paladin of freedom with a unicorn mount. He does not take kindly to insinuations that only virgin maidens were supposed to be able to tame unicorns.

Eleven
2012-05-28, 11:44 AM
I had a human were-rex NPC in a d20 Modern game before. He was a cantankerous old man best described as Old Man Henderson with an unhealthy fondness for explosions and fine cigars in addition to the supernatural ability to assume the form of an extinct super-predator. The players loved the surly bastard, even managed to drag him into the final showdown against the Legions of Hell.

That .... that was beautiful. I sat down, let the images play through my head, and a single tear rustled its way down my cheek.

Dr. Yes
2012-05-29, 01:33 AM
Ever since I realized it was possible, I have wanted to play a heavy horse who gained sentience via a Headband of Mental Prowess and discovered latent arcane power (Empyreal sorcerer bloodline). He would be a master of disguise, using a combination of spells and mundane illusions to pass for human and build up a reputation. For a mid-level campaign, the perception rolls required to see through the disguise would be tough enough that I could potentially go several sessions before anyone in the party realized they were adventuring with something other than a regular human mage.

The Dark Fiddler
2012-05-29, 05:12 AM
Ever since I realized it was possible, I have wanted to play a heavy horse who gained sentience via a Headband of Mental Prowess and discovered latent arcane power (Empyreal sorcerer bloodline). He would be a master of disguise, using a combination of spells and mundane illusions to pass for human and build up a reputation. For a mid-level campaign, the perception rolls required to see through the disguise would be tough enough that I could potentially go several sessions before anyone in the party realized they were adventuring with something other than a regular human mage.

Reminds me of the story of Sir Bearington (http://dicemonkey.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/E665n.jpg). Which is not a bad thing, Sir Bearington is awesome.

Sampi
2012-05-29, 05:31 AM
Ever since I realized it was possible, I have wanted to play a heavy horse who gained sentience via a Headband of Mental Prowess and discovered latent arcane power (Empyreal sorcerer bloodline). He would be a master of disguise, using a combination of spells and mundane illusions to pass for human and build up a reputation. For a mid-level campaign, the perception rolls required to see through the disguise would be tough enough that I could potentially go several sessions before anyone in the party realized they were adventuring with something other than a regular human mage.

Nice, though Awaken (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/awaken.htm) would be easier than a headband.

Also, Sir Bearington FTW!

Dr. Yes
2012-05-29, 08:44 AM
Reminds me of the story of Sir Bearington (http://dicemonkey.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/E665n.jpg). Which is not a bad thing, Sir Bearington is awesome.

Yeah, that was the inspiration. :) It would be easier to do as a rogue, but then I'd miss out on the horserer pun.


Nice, though Awaken would be easier than a headband.

Also, Sir Bearington FTW!

The only thing about Awaken is that it actually makes the animal smart, and that's way less fun to me than a renowned arcanist with a -2 INT penalty.

UrsielHauke
2012-05-29, 01:32 PM
The sinister, Machiavellian duelist, high-collared trenchcoat, giant hat, and all, out to take over the world by defeating one delusion-created archenemy at a time. Probably never will get to play him, as the thread suggests, so I'm bringing him in as an NPC in a game of mine. He will be under the delusion that one of the PCs is an archnemesis of his.

Sampi
2012-05-29, 04:03 PM
The only thing about Awaken is that it actually makes the animal smart, and that's way less fun to me than a renowned arcanist with a -2 INT penalty.

But doesn't that depend on how well you roll your 3d6? With the Headband, I'd be constantly worried about it being lost or about wandering into an anti-magic zone.

Menteith
2012-05-31, 12:42 AM
Dragonborn of Bahamut (Wings) Warforged Paladin with Racial Substitution Levels/Crusader --> Ruby Knight Vindicator. Who looks like http://spawnkill.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/WKC3.jpg

My favorite race, template, PrC, and one of my favorite classes. Unfortunately, it's a bit too exotic for most of the games I've played in.

Averis Vol
2012-05-31, 06:09 AM
i'v always wanted to play a justice assassin who did his business at the long range end of a dwarven thrower. that and a tibbet necromancer who hissed out his spells and threw out evil kitty laughter whilst riding atop the party barbarian. *mew...mew mew...mew mew mew mew...MEW MEW MEW MEW MEEEEEEEEW!!!!*

zlefin
2012-06-01, 09:05 PM
reading this thread inspired an idea which I doubt i'll get to play:
an awakened housecat; chaotic evil, who's primary goal is to kill as many commoners as possible, in melee (no boring spells).
Not sure how to optimize for it; probably rogue for sneak attack; or go lawful evil monk for improved strike damage; since equipping weapons isn't really feasible; and using spells would defeat the fun.

saxavarius
2012-06-01, 11:48 PM
A Malconvoker named Phibrizzo who looks like a child and succumbs to evil and becomes a God

StreamOfTheSky
2012-06-02, 01:48 AM
- A Solipsism Syndrome Cleric that worships himself as god, not out of vanity, but out of mental illness. Except, this is D&D, where gods existing is a proven fact, so I would require special houserules to make his divinity both actual, yet balanced. Basically, such a character cannot die, as by his faith, the world around him only exists as a construct of his subconsious. Instead, when he would be "killed" he is left in a catatonic, vegetative state similar to the Mircocosm psionic power (w/o the need of nourishment/caretaking to survive)*. And probably lots of other houserules. Not sure how I'd play him. Could be evil and have him consider all other life to be meaningless since it "isn't real." Perhaps he's exalted good with vow of peace and cannot bring himself to harm any of his "creations." Maybe he's neutral with maxed out ranks in Profession (Philosopher) and spends all his time explaining to others why they don't actually exist.
*And thus needing wish/miracle level magics to restore him. Kind of the trade-off for never actually dying.

- A martial artist type warrior with anime/wire-fu epic level capabilities who is the most powerful being (or one of them) on the planet. To the point where s/he showboats and intentionally holds back (like fighting with only one arm) just to make things more interesting. Who uses no magic at all, just pure martial skill and Charles Atlas super powers. In a 3E / d20 type game. That, folks, is what is called a "pipe dream."

Doorhandle
2012-06-02, 11:18 PM
I had a human were-rex NPC in a d20 Modern game before. He was a cantankerous old man best described as Old Man Henderson (http://spiritsoffire.com/forum/index.php?topic=3954.0) with an unhealthy fondness for explosions and fine cigars in addition to the supernatural ability to assume the form of an extinct super-predator. The players loved the surly bastard, even managed to drag him into the final showdown against the Legions of Hell.



That idea works best with a dwarf, at least in my mind - I've been toying with a similar character concept for some time. Boars is fer pansies, and ponies is fer little girls, y'see.
I've also wanted to play a human barbarian (not the class) paladin of freedom with a unicorn mount. He does not take kindly to insinuations that only virgin maidens were supposed to be able to tame unicorns.

Allways I have wanted to play a wereshark. Do not know why. Also, I insist the the rhino-rider paladin has a girth which puts the Big Knights to shame.


The sinister, Machiavellian duelist, high-collared trenchcoat, giant hat, and all, out to take over the world by defeating one delusion-created archenemy at a time. Probably never will get to play him, as the thread suggests, so I'm bringing him in as an NPC in a game of mine. He will be under the delusion that one of the PCs is an archnemesis of his.

Twirly mostache included?


...something I've always wanted to play, but probably never will? An equally delusional character who thinks he's an evil overlord. He'd dress the part: Spiky black armor, glowing eyes, echoey voice and maniacal laughter, but in reality he would be an incredible softy and good guy who constantly misconstrues acts of heroism as deeds of unrepentant EEEEVIL!!! Like, for instance, if one of his party members was kidnapped, he'd save the person because doing otherwise would make him look weak to his enemies. He'd reject monetary rewards because he's above puny mortal commerce. He'd help little old ladies cross the street to show how the people are too weak to live without his harsh guidance.

When subjected to alignment checks, he'd invariably detect as good, but if someone told him he'd deny it intensely, to the point where people now just roll their eyes when he starts talking about world domination, knowing he's a good guy, a downright hero in fact, who just happens to be an utter loon.

Reminds me of an idea I had for an infernal exlated of the ebon dragon, who would spend his life betraying his boss as much as possible, all why dressed as a knight in shining armour.


El Njarvako the Viking Bandito. He wears a Bearponcho and a Hornbrero. He uses two Axepistolas and rides an amphibious wardonkey named "dammit valkyrie, I said charge!" He looks like a bigger and more badass viking version of Clint Eastwood in the Good the Bad and the Ugly, but with the mustache of Gordito Delgado in Dr. McNinja.



That is the best/worst idea ever. I salute you.
The thing is, what class would he be? Gunslinger? Cavaleir? urban-barbarin so he can rage and shoot at the same time?

As for my own ideas, I would love to use leadership and just have a small-squad of N.P.Cs at my beck and call in order to drag me around and operate seige weaponary. Seige weapons in general, acutally: I want to cart one about in a bag of holding or something.

Also to play as a master golem-crafter, and wear a suit of adamantine golem armour, with the end result being they are virtually indestructible both physically and magically. Or to make a bio-constuct golem so I could spend it’s feats on making it a kung-fu goelm, or into making a hyper-competent slave that could build all my magic items for me.

Also, A throwing swordsman. :smallbiggrin:

hoverfrog
2012-06-03, 05:00 AM
I like to play against type so there are as few characters who I'd like to run.

A cleric to a death god who battles undead as fervently as any paladin. The dead belong in the realm of the dead, not the realm of the living. He can create undead to use against other undead as a divine gift from his deity. Anyone who uses this ability who is not a cleric to the death god insults the death god and must hasten to meet him in the afterlife.

A dwarven sorcerer, tea-total and highly refined with a garrulous sense of humour and a love for the sea.

I'd also like to play in an undead campaign as undead. Perhaps as a Karrnathi zombie or skeleton. I'd take cleric levels and mix them with fighter or ranger levels.

Grail
2012-06-03, 05:17 AM
A cleric to a death god who battles undead as fervently as any paladin. The dead belong in the realm of the dead, not the realm of the living. He can create undead to use against other undead as a divine gift from his deity. Anyone who uses this ability who is not a cleric to the death god insults the death god and must hasten to meet him in the afterlife.


Generally Gods of Death hate undead, as they are robbing them of their rightful collection of souls.

See Kelemvor (http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Kelemvor)of the Forgotten Realms setting or Pharasma (http://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Pharasma) of Golarion.

Doorhandle
2012-06-03, 06:20 AM
Generally Gods of Death hate undead, as they are robbing them of their rightful collection of souls.

See Kelemvor (http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Kelemvor)of the Forgotten Realms setting or Pharasma (http://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Pharasma) of Golarion.

So it would be more subversive if it was worship AGAINST the god/ess of death.

hoverfrog
2012-06-03, 06:58 AM
Generally Gods of Death hate undead, as they are robbing them of their rightful collection of souls.That's what I'd like to play. In every game I've been in it has been exactly the opposite. The dead have been tools for the death gods, not something that they protect.

Malachei
2012-06-04, 06:05 AM
Doctor Faustus. Human male, Expert 3, Fiendlord 8. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239959)

Griffith!
2012-06-05, 11:30 AM
I've always wanted to be a halfling master of grappling; just this two foot tall luchador who charges and tries to wrestle everything. Bear? Grapple. Dragon? Grapple. Gelatinous Cube? Grapple.

I've never played him, because I've got this feeling his life expectancy would be about a single session.

Loxagn
2012-06-05, 02:32 PM
Tragically, I'd never get to play him outside of a (very) high-powered Evil campaign, but I always wanted to play Johnny Reno, the Man with the Golden Fiddle.

Johnny was the boy from the old song, but to tell th' truth, his story ain't as happy as Charlie Daniels told. He'd started as a virtuoso, a genius of the music world, a real good fiddler who by age five could pick up a violin and play anythin' by ear, no practice or nothin'.
Johnny got famous, and he got famous quick. Beat lotsa people outta the spotlight to get there.

But you don't get to the top that fast without steppin' on some folks.

Late one night, Johnny ran into an old buddy of his, a real mean fella who'd missed his chance in the limelight, got shoved out by Johnny's show. The rival was angry, and vengeful. He took Johnny's violin and broke it, but that wasn't enough. He cut off Johnny's hands, so that Johnny could never play again. In his pain and despair Johnny called out for help. He'd do anythin', give everythin' to have his old talent back...

So when The Devil went down to Georgia, he wasn't lookin' to steal a soul. He'd already been promised one. He took Johnny's heart, and He gave him a fiddle made of Bloodwrought Gold, and a bow strung with his own heartstrings in return...

Johnny went back to his fame, went back to his fortune. But when the Devil finally came to claim him, there was something ol' Beelzebub didn't count on.

See, Johnny learned a thing or two about gettin' what he wanted. Learned how to turn peoples' minds about, like puppets on a string. Wasn't anythin' magical, no sir.

Johnny learned a lot about the power of a smile, of honey-coated words said to the right people at the right time... He learned that everybody wants somethin', no matter the price.

So when The Mornin' Star took Johnny down to Hell, He had no idea...
That was just what Johnny wanted.

Nobody knows what's happened since. But it's been a hundred years, and suddenly there's a real well-dressed fella carryin' a gold fiddle 'round with him.

Fella who always smiles and always says the right thing...

A fella with eyes that burn like the fires o' Hell.

Johnny would've been the ultimate manipulator. He'd get anybody to do anything for him, and he'd never need magic to do it. After all, if he could cheat The Devil Himself out of his throne, there wouldn't be anybody he couldn't con with just a smile and a wink.

He wouldn't need to be a good fighter. He'd have fanatically loyal party members and cohorts to do it for him.

It'd also require a lot of DM cooperation, and restructuring the campaign world. I suppose I could use him as a BBEG.

Caiphon
2012-06-05, 03:55 PM
A character I've ever wanted to play? Hummm.... Oh right! A decent monk :smalltongue:

Or a gunman in a Bear Cavalry :smallbiggrin:

The Bandicoot
2012-06-05, 09:24 PM
A halfling with his trained pet rust monster that he rides into battle.

Can't do it because the DMs I usually play with would call foul.

DDogwood
2012-06-05, 10:10 PM
I always thought it would be fun to play a bumbling, naive Ranger who is fleeing from an evil queen. See, the queen hired him to take her stepdaughter out into the woods and murder the girl. He decided to let her go, but somehow the queen figured it out and is now sending people to kill him.

Unfortunately with all the Snow White movies and tv shows coming out the concept feels a lot more hackneyed than when the inspiration first hit me.

TheThan
2012-06-05, 11:10 PM
Dirk Solitaire- task mage


My name is Dirk Solitaire and I solve problems. Not problems like “what is beauty?” because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy. No, I solve practical problems, like “how am I going to stop that big mean mother hubard from tearing me a structurally superfluous new behind?”. The answer? Use a spell, and if that doesn’t work, use a bigger spell.

Now I can solve your problems, but it’ll cost you, I’m not cheap, but I guarantee that you’ll get your money’s worth out of me. I take my job seriously, after all professionals have standards: be polite, be efficient, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

Being a Task Mage? Greatest job in the world, it’s challenging work, out of doors and I’ll guarantee you’ll never go hungry. Because at the end of the day, as long as there are two people left in the world, someone is going to want somebody dead.


one of the numerous characters i've come up with but never gotten to use.

Manly Man
2012-06-05, 11:38 PM
A human bard with a one-man-band that he keeps in his greatcoat that has been enchanted to work like a bag of holding.

Dr.Orpheus
2012-06-05, 11:39 PM
I got a list of character stuff to long for me to want to type out. But let me say that if you make a character campaign or world specific you don't make them for a campaign world you made. For years I have been getting too attached to the NPCs in my world they have always had great backgrounds, and were only in a small part of the campaign storyline.

Griffith!
2012-06-07, 07:14 PM
I got a list of character stuff to long for me to want to type out. But let me say that if you make a character campaign or world specific you don't make them for a campaign world you made. For years I have been getting too attached to the NPCs in my world they have always had great backgrounds, and were only in a small part of the campaign storyline.

I have the same problem with my npcs. Except for that I blame my players - the only npcs they associate with are the ones they find visually compelling. Which is why I have to keep making the key npcs look "cool", which unfortunately revolves around a tendency for long coats and spiky armor. Basically, if they would fit into a nineties comic book, they would fit into my friends' perception of cool.

It's an unfortunate tendency, really. Annoying at the very least. But I digress - that was a little off topic.

To salvage this post I'll go ahead and add another character - I'm kinda playing with the idea of a ranged paladin right now. The idea was a womanizing, good-for-nothing, always out on the hunt prince who is forced by his family to enter the church. While he's there he finds faith and becomes a Paladin, but his family is killed in a vampire coupe and he becomes a marked man.

A visit from a Solar while he prays gives him the ability to smite his foes at range, and he becomes an adventurer to gain the support and power he needs to clear his family lands of vampires.

But this is where it falls apart, because my group tells me revenge is a chaotic motivation, so my alignment would shift if I pursued it.

Manly Man
2012-06-07, 09:01 PM
There is a difference between justice and revenge, and all you need to do is twist your wording around a bit. Yes, he's planning to eliminate the vampires in his family's lands, not because they killed his folks, but because of the fact that they're vile creatures of the night that do not deserve to exist. That they killed his family should be nothing but gravy to him, being nothing but one more crime against life itself that merits punishment in the name of all that is good.

Dead_Jester
2012-06-08, 09:30 AM
I have the same problem with my npcs. Except for that I blame my players - the only npcs they associate with are the ones they find visually compelling. Which is why I have to keep making the key npcs look "cool", which unfortunately revolves around a tendency for long coats and spiky armor. Basically, if they would fit into a nineties comic book, they would fit into my friends' perception of cool.

My players tend to do the same, except it's with people who follow their "righteous moral standards" (which, as a bunch of murderhobos who's main solution to most problems are A. Explosions and B. More explosions, is saying something).

This makes it quite hard to introduce serious and complex characters into the game, and further a more or less coherent storyline based on their actions. The fact that they always find the most convoluted plans to eliminate and/or silence any NPC's with a semblance of common sense in their entourage probably does not help.

prufock
2012-06-08, 09:33 AM
I have a giant list of characters, both concepts and builds, that I would like to play. I'd say 50 different characters, minimum. Some standouts follow.

1) Prodigal Son. Noble born, but prefers wine and women to responsibility. The black sheep of his family. A bit of a depressing drunk at times. He is intelligent and charismatic, and has great potential for leadership, if only he would use it. Haven't settled on a build.

2) Solipsist. Shadowcraft mage who became stuck in the plane of shadow for a spell, and developed solipsism syndrome. Not sure what is real and what isn't, thinks reality is mutable and basically all in his own perception.

3) Alchemist. A gnome obsessed with alchemy, probably using an adaptation of the pathfinder Alchemist class or just refluff a 3.5 spellcaster.

4) The Invincible. A warforged with a mix of disdain and pity for the weakling "fleshies." Binder/wizard/anima mage/pale master. Ultimate goal of being immune to pretty much all effects, while using ability damage, penalties, and drain, energy drain, and similar status effects on enemies.

5) Super-debuffer. Hexblade/paladin of tyranny/binder build. He hates you, and will make you hate yourself. Very much a misanthrope.

6) Legendary Leader. Built around leadership and maximizing cohorts and followers. Might eventually collapse under the weight of his own responsibility. Grizzled veteran type.

7) The Coward of the County. A rogue-based build with extensive class dipping for many d6 sneak attack, REALLY playing up the Craven fluff. He can deal a good amount of damage, but will only ever strike from a position of advantage. Afraid of combat. Has many aliases and memberships in many (sometimes opposing) guilds.

8) The best offense is a good defense. Abjurer/Master Specialist/Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil/Abjurant Champion. Extremely cautious character, even to the point of paranoia. Maybe a bit obsessive-compulsive too.

9) The killer gnome (okay, I like gnomes). The well-known "I may be small, but you're dead" build, with some tweaking. I want to play him as a guy with a real "small man" complex, always overcompensating for his lack of size, talking a big game, even sometimes pushing others around. But he can back it up.

10) Mr. Lucky. I'm still trying to figure out how to make this character viable, but the gist is that he has a bunch of luck feats, luck-based spells, Fortune's Friend and Luckstealer PrCs, the Luck and Destiny cleric domains, etc.

11) Truenamer. Yes, I know. I know that too. It's a terrible class, but I want to play it, using all the exploits, resources, and hoop-jumping needed to make it playable.

12) Bear Bear Bear the Bear Bear. I know it's a joke, but I actually do want to play a druid that summons bears and dire bears, has bear animal companion and wild cohort, turns into a bear, awakens bears for cohorts and followers with the Leadership feat, and shoots bears out of his eyes. I'll come up with a better name. Maybe Oberon.

Dead_Jester
2012-06-08, 05:09 PM
12) Bear Bear Bear the Bear Bear. I know it's a joke, but I actually do want to play a druid that summons bears and dire bears, has bear animal companion and wild cohort, turns into a bear, awakens bears for cohorts and followers with the Leadership feat, and shoots bears out of his eyes. I'll come up with a better name. Maybe Oberon.

When I first saw this, I was immediately reminded of this fine creature here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9111595&postcount=107). Sadly, none of my recent campaigns have been d&d or been bearly enough for this, so I'll probably never get to unleash it on my unsuspecting players.

MReav
2012-06-08, 10:30 PM
I have this idea for an insane urban druid who takes down her enemies with cat-swarms.

Yes, I want to play a crazy cat lady.

Titomancer
2012-06-09, 12:54 AM
Most of mine are from games that died/never got off the ground.

Professor Kaboom: Alchemist, professor at Morgrave (I think thats it) university in Eberron. Game never took off. Quote, "What?..Oh...SCIENCE!" IN a Doc Brown voice.

Random Evil Mastermind-y Guy: Half-Drow Warlock/Mindbender/Insidious Corruptor. I just like the idea.

Subsititute Shadowcaster: Cloistered Cleric/Marshall/Master of Shrouds. I like the idea of standing there and just sicking an army of shadows on people.

Binder. I Just want to.
Dragonfire Adept. Same here. It just looks fun.

Griffith!
2012-06-09, 05:42 PM
I'd forgotten this one, but it's a hold-over from my second edition days - I've always wanted to play a Drow Paladin. I like the striking contrast between the paladin's code and the morals of the dark elf people. Npc reactions would be interesting, too - people are generally happy to see a noble paladin, and extremely unhappy to see a Drow whose name isn't shorthand for an entire stereotype. (pssst, I'm talking about you, mister lavender eyes)

The concept revolved around an exiled Drow and his son fleeing to the surface. They were caught in a village and the father was executed as a murderer (which he was), but the child was rescued from the villager's wrath by a Paladin. The boy was raised by the Paladin, and became his squire when he was old enough. Later, he became a Paladin in his own right, and his ultimate goal would have been to redeem his people and free them from the yoke of the Spider Queen.

But I just can't shrug off the ECL making me less effective than I would otherwise have been, which, admittedly, isn't very.

Rorrik
2012-06-09, 11:59 PM
I have this idea for an insane urban druid who takes down her enemies with cat-swarms.

Yes, I want to play a crazy cat lady.

I'm going to have to suggest that one to my wife.

I'm getting a tickling urge in my next campaign to try and play the bard from Dragon Heart and continually make a point of chronicling the actions of the rest of the party. I'm thinking cloistered cleric/bard with a fat pony and very low charisma.

Pyromancer999
2012-06-11, 10:26 PM
This one is going to be played, but not by me, so it qualifies, I guess:

My friend might be allowed to join a Pathfinder PbP somewhere, so he's made a character for it: A Broodmaster Summoner. He's not too different from other girl-crazy Broodmaster Summoners, except:

His entire brood is essentially a Battle Harem (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BattleHarem), and he's managed to convince the GM to make it that all summons with the Summon Monster SLA will appear as pretty-girl-versions of the monsters they represent, as just a fluff change.

So, given the nature of the guy.......Imagine Brock as a Summoner. Yeah. :smallbiggrin:

Manly Man
2012-06-11, 10:54 PM
I've always wanted to go and have modern rock and metal bands get put into a D&D campaign, everything from Heart, Led Zeppelin and Queen to DragonForce, Metallica and Dark Moor. The magic it would take to make their instruments would make it all the more awesome, considering they would have absolutely no need for electrical cords, and therefore would have very little to worry about with weather.

Doorhandle
2012-06-12, 04:35 AM
I've always wanted to go and have modern rock and metal bands get put into a D&D campaign, everything from Heart, Led Zeppelin and Queen to DragonForce, Metallica and Dark Moor. The magic it would take to make their instruments would make it all the more awesome, considering they would have absolutely no need for electrical cords, and therefore would have very little to worry about with weather.

You'd love Brutal Legend then.

Mikal
2012-06-12, 06:50 AM
Use this (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20021018a) template in a high level serious game converted to 3.5 or pathfinder.

Manly Man
2012-06-12, 02:07 PM
You'd love Brutal Legend then.

Played it, and I did love it. Tainted Coil was probably my favorite of the bunch, gotta love Tim Curry.