Help with a concept.

[BlackDog918]

Need some help with statting up a concept. I'm going to be running a game in Eberron soon, and I wanted to run an adventure based on the movie First Blood.
My real question is, how would I best stat out John Rambo as a Warforged?
Party level is yet to be determined, but should be somewhere in the 3-5 range.
Thanks in advance, you guys never let me down.

[Immabozo]

why as a warforged? Race name, I get it, but as a construct?

[ArcturusV]

Well... I'd say that John Rambo is clearly either a Ranger or a Rogue. He clearly is a skill based. And while in later movies he's the Avatar of Death, for the most part he functions off sneak attack, stealth, misdirection and run and gun, rather than straight up fights. Since you named First Blood, I figure that's the way you'd want to go.

Ranger with... Craft (Trapmaking), Hide, Move Silently, Spot, Listen, Survival. Sounds about right. Archery Style I'd figure, as he doesn't really "two weapon" all that much. Favored Enemies of Human and probably Elves.

[BlackDog918]

why as a warforged? Race name, I get it, but as a construct?

I think it fits. Not necessarily from a mechanics standpoint, but from a fluff one.

[Immabozo]

I think it fits. Not necessarily from a mechanics standpoint, but from a fluff one.

Fair enough

[Waker]

Well... I'd say that John Rambo is clearly either a Ranger or a Rogue. He clearly is a skill based. And while in later movies he's the Avatar of Death, for the most part he functions off sneak attack, stealth, misdirection and run and gun, rather than straight up fights. Since you named First Blood, I figure that's the way you'd want to go.

Ranger with... Craft (Trapmaking), Hide, Move Silently, Spot, Listen, Survival. Sounds about right. Archery Style I'd figure, as he doesn't really "two weapon" all that much. Favored Enemies of Human and probably Elves.

ArcturusV makes some good points. You might also consider Scout and potentially the Swift Hunter feat to mix Scout/Ranger together.

[Captnq]

Ray Deflection


For the duration of the spell, you are protected against ranged touch attacks, including ray spells and ray attacks made by creatures. Any ray attack directed at you is automatically reflected harmlessly away.


So, By The DMG magic item construction rules, I could put this in a ring, on all the time for… SL: 4 x CL: 7 x 2,000 = 56,000 gp.

Now, Ring of Evasion costs 25,000 gp. Gives you the class feature, evasion.

Spell Reflection


Replaces: You do not gain evasion.
Benefit: You gain the supernatural ability to reflect magical attacks back on their caster. If an enemy misses with a spell or spell-like ability aimed at you, you can use an immediate action to redirect the effect back at its originator.


So, since it replaces evasion as a class feature, I can put it in a ring for 25,000 gp. They “cost” the same, after all.

So, for 81,000 gp, I have them both in a ring. The ray deflection makes all ranged touch attacks and ray spells miss me and the spell reflection class feature gives me an immediate action to bounce it back at my attacker.

I call it, ring of Rambo. After the fact that Rambo was immune to ranged attacks, and could only be hurt in hand to hand combat. Also for the fact he had a way of killing people with their own equipment.

[ArcturusV]

Well, it's the first movie. He gets shot in it as I recall, during the waterfall scene with the Helo. So not exactly immune. Most of his actions are a bit more mundane. About the only exceptional thing is he probably has Evasion as he managed to avoid the rocket/mineshaft collapse.

Ranger fits really well. And the Swift Hunter makes better sense for high level. Particularly if you avoid the Ranger Spellcasting with more levels of Scout.

[(Un)Inspired]

My vote goes for a swift hunter ranger/scout also.

I think that a big part of giving the campaign a first blood feel should include the party barely encountering your Rambo guy at first

Have them go up again a bunch of traps he set first. Pitfalls and spike walls and dead drops (I actually don't know what a dead drop is but it sounds like a trap he'd use.)

Wait till they've been in his forest for a while before they actually meet him; in combat or otherwise

[Waker]

Have them go up again a bunch of traps he set first. Pitfalls and spike walls and dead drops (I actually don't know what a dead drop is but it sounds like a trap he'd use.)
A dead drop has to do with leaving a package behind. The word you are looking for is a deadfall trap, which has a trigger (wire, peg or something else) that releases some weighted object (rock, log etc.) when tripped.

[Invader]

I agree with Ranger and most of the other suggestions as well but I could see a level of monk in there too for the bonus to AC unarmored and proficiency fighting hand to hand which he does a lot.

[Azoth]

I can see a barbarian dip in there to simulate his PTSD psycho trips when he rages out.

[BlackDog918]

Thanks guys, this is really good stuff. Any ideas on feat choices?

[Waker]

Feats? Well, since I haven't watched any Rambo movie in years, I'm struggling to remember some of the specific stuff that he does.
Swift Hunter was my suggestion earlier. Even if it isn't amazingly powerful, I rather like Quick Reconnoiter for the free Spot/Listen checks every round. Crossbow Sniper and make this guy a big hit and run specialist against the party? Have him lead them on a merry chase through a minefield of traps while he pegs them with bolts.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Ray Deflection


So, By The DMG magic item construction rules, I could put this in a ring, on all the time for… SL: 4 x CL: 7 x 2,000 = 56,000 gp.

Now, Ring of Evasion costs 25,000 gp. Gives you the class feature, evasion.

Spell Reflection


So, since it replaces evasion as a class feature, I can put it in a ring for 25,000 gp. They “cost” the same, after all.

So, for 81,000 gp, I have them both in a ring. The ray deflection makes all ranged touch attacks and ray spells miss me and the spell reflection class feature gives me an immediate action to bounce it back at my attacker.

I call it, ring of Rambo. After the fact that Rambo was immune to ranged attacks, and could only be hurt in hand to hand combat. Also for the fact he had a way of killing people with their own equipment.

While my interpretation of those two things doesn't agree with the way you seem to think they does, that's not the topic here.

Do note that if your DM okay this stratagem, you can still only deflect 1 ray per round (and so would only be immune to the first ray from a scorching ray, for instance).

[ArcturusV]

Combat Maneuvers:

Improved Unarmed Strike (Makes sense, he's a hand to hand combat expert)
Improved Grapple (Also makes sense, he's quite good at effectively pinning people down)
Improved Disarm (Ditto, a lot of people he just goes "yoink, my weapon!" to)

Short of ranger bonus feats he likely should have, like Track, Archery Feats, etc:

Diehard: He does have a habit of limping away from stuff that "Should have killed him" long enough to patch up his wounds.
.... I'm blanking on that name but the poison immunity feat from Vile Darkness. To quote Colonel Troutman "live off the land, eat things that would make a billy goat's stomach turn..."
Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Depends on if your campaign has any standard "Exotic Weapons" particularly if they are being used by either Rambo's Homeland, or those of his enemy's. He's supposed to be a master of any old weapon he could have picked up on the battlefield.

[nedz]

Barbarian 20 — they get all the relevant skills.

[BlackDog918]

Combat Maneuvers:

Improved Unarmed Strike (Makes sense, he's a hand to hand combat expert)
Improved Grapple (Also makes sense, he's quite good at effectively pinning people down)
Improved Disarm (Ditto, a lot of people he just goes "yoink, my weapon!" to)

Short of ranger bonus feats he likely should have, like Track, Archery Feats, etc:

Diehard: He does have a habit of limping away from stuff that "Should have killed him" long enough to patch up his wounds.
.... I'm blanking on that name but the poison immunity feat from Vile Darkness. To quote Colonel Troutman "live off the land, eat things that would make a billy goat's stomach turn..."
Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Depends on if your campaign has any standard "Exotic Weapons" particularly if they are being used by either Rambo's Homeland, or those of his enemy's. He's supposed to be a master of any old weapon he could have picked up on the battlefield.

I don't think he'll be needing IUS, being a Warforged. The other ones are good, though.

Nedz: I'm going to be throwing him at an ECL 5-6 party. Barbarian 20 is a little much.

[nedz]

Nedz: I'm going to be throwing him at an ECL 5-6 party. Barbarian 20 is a little much.

I meant the build :smallamused:

Barbarian X if you prefer. Where X is the ECL you require.

[ArcturusV]

Works better for later movies where he's fueled by rage, shrugs off blows, and can just run and whirling frenzy his way through entire bases, etc. "Avatar of Death" Rambo that is.