Playground, here is your mission if you choose to accept it.

[killem2]

Ok, so here's the deal. My DM has a 15 year old step son. This kid is extremely absent minded about D&D and pretty much forgets everything his character can do unless he can just see it right there on his sheet in a number or one word thing.

Currently he is a level 6 Half Giant Psychic Warrior, who uses a musket and never fights in melee despite building him self up to be. He loves guns. He also never uses his powers. Unless we nudge nudge him.

So the DM has appointed me with the task of semi-rebuilding this character but it has restrictions.


Here is what CAN be redone from scratch:

- Class
- Skills
- Feats
- Flaws


Here is what CANNOT be redone from scratch:

- Race
- Template
- State
- Gear
- Money

basically if it isn't on the CAN list, assume it's out the door.



Here is the next hurdle when choosing class, it's got to have almost nothing that he ha to actually look into and understand. So basically Fighter and bonus feats.

And here is further challenge.

The feats, need to be static. Far Shot, Rapid Reload, Precise shot, toughness, iron will that kind of thing. Something that is just always on and can be figured in by default and all he needs to do is, point click, roll, shoot. and so on.

Pathfinder is... sort of, off limits. If you know of a static feat from there or a class from there (gunslinger would be a waste), I can suggest to the DM that is fine.

Currently, I'm thinking of Fighter, with as many ranged feats as I can.

D&D Sources are Dragon Magazine, Dungeon Magazine (if asked about first), All 3.5 WOTC stuff, Pathfinder (must run by him first).


-His base stats are (not counting the level 4 increase)

20 STR
20 CON
18 WIS
15 DEX
15 DEX
15 INT
13 CHA

And 16,500 gp. and has a custom item, that is a pair of gloves that acts just like the bracers of Archery but for fire arms, and he has no access to any other firearms other than his pistol (1d10) and musket (1d12)

[rockdeworld]

I would have immediately suggested Mysterious Stranger 1/Paladin 5, if you hadn't said Gunslinger is off-limits. Is the DM set on that point?

On that note, how "static" do these bonuses need to be? If he had the Paladin's Smite Evil, do you think he would use it?

At any rate, it sounds like your DM's son is not that interested in optimization, since he took a half-giant with a gun. You could just make him a Ranger 6 with PBS/Precise Shot and Favored Enemy: whatever you face the most.

Otherwise, what are his stats, since those can't be changed? That determines the build he can take on more than any other factor.

I see you've posted them. Since he has high Wisdom, run this Pathfinder build (http://www.optibuilds.com/pathfinder-optimized-zen-archer-build/)* past your DM to see if he'll approve it. Although it's level 13, you can take the first 6 levels and build up to it. That should give you what you're looking for.

*However, this is really only the case if you can refluff firearms as bows. It normally doesn't work for guns.

[killem2]

Gunslinger isn't off limits, it just seems like it has things he'll forget to use. Am I missing something there? If so, we can take another look!

[rockdeworld]

Gunslinger isn't off limits, it just seems like it has things he'll forget to use. Am I missing something there? If so, we can take another look!
Given that his Dex and Cha are so low, Gunslinger won't help here, so ignore that suggestion. Consider the Zen Monk build I posted instead.

[Namfuak]

He could play a rogue and use the gun to sneak attack. All of his skill ranks and attack bonuses would be pretty static, the only thing he'd need to do is remember to note that he gains a sneak attack on the particular attack rotation. The easiest way to go about this would be to use a pistol and take rapid reload+alchemical cartridges so that you can full attack with it while reloading as a free action, but still nothing here requires "activation." If he is more interested in a musket, taking three levels of musket master for the reload time reduction to keep reloading at a free action and just sticking with the passive bonuses should hopefully be fine.

[killem2]

Keep in mind that the rest of the party has pretty much resigned to the fact he won't offer much to the table.

[rockdeworld]

Keep in mind that the rest of the party has pretty much resigned to the fact he won't offer much to the table.
Well, if he's sticking to Half Giant with a gun and low Dex and Cha, then he's barred himself from most of the ways to deal any kind of reasonable damage.

But not all. (Pathfinder's) Paladin 6 with a large-sized (he is using a large weapon, right? If not, fix that) double-barrelled shotgun can call Smite Evil on a foe and unload both barrels for 8d6+6 damage. With the Rapid Reload feat and alchemical cartridges he can reload it as a move action, so he can be shooting like that every round.

The build then would be:
Half-Giant Paladin* 6

Flaws: Vulnerable (-1 AC), Noncombatant (-2 to melee attacks)
Feats:
1: Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Firearms, Rapid Reload*, Point Blank Shot
3: Precise Shot
6: Deadly Aim*

Skills: Listen/Spot 4.5 ranks, Sense Motive 9 ranks, Craft: Weapons (for alchemical cartridges) 9 ranks

Item: Double-barreled shotgun

*from Pathfinder

Then in a given round, if he uses Smite Evil on an evil enemy, Deadly Aim, and PBS, his attack will be:
+4/+4 gun (4d6+11/4d6+11)

[SowZ]

Any way we can get him Str to damage at least?

[Namfuak]

Any way we can get him Str to damage at least?

Maybe if he threw the gun at the enemy.

[Studoku]

But not all. (Pathfinder's) Paladin 6 with a large-sized (he is using a large weapon, right? If not, fix that) double-barrelled shotgun can call Smite Evil on a foe and unload both barrels for 8d6+6 damage. With the Rapid Reload feat and alchemical cartridges he can reload it as a move action, so he can be shooting like that every round.
Best. Smite. Ever.

[Epsilon Rose]

If you don't mind a tiny bit of homebrew, I'd actually recommend some flavor of Tome of Battle.

The nice thing about ToB is that you could just right his attacks on note cards and he can alternate between them. It's about as simple and useful as you can get. If he plays a crusader, then he could probably stick to maneuvers exclusively.

The only reason I mention homebrew is because vanilla 3.5 ToB doesn't have any ranged disciplines, so you'd probably want to pick up a few homebrewed ones for use with a gun.

[Ranting Fool]

Can't really help on the build but a few people on these boards and at least one mate of mine loves the use of "Ability cards / spell cards / tokens"

So making him a few cards with a spell/ability/useful attack method written on might help him out a lot :smallbiggrin:

Someone mentioned on another thread that they use poker chips for remembering how many spells per day they have left (Different values for different levels)

Note: Yes he could just make these himself but since you've been delegated the job or reforming his character a few visual aids might make all your lives easier :smallbiggrin:

[johnbragg]

Ok, so here's the deal. My DM has a 15 year old step son. This kid is extremely absent minded about D&D and pretty much forgets everything his character can do unless he can just see it right there on his sheet in a number or one word thing.

Currently he is a level 6 Half Giant Psychic Warrior, who uses a musket and never fights in melee despite building him self up to be. He loves guns. He also never uses his powers. Unless we nudge nudge him.



This is one of the best arguments I've ever seen for replacing a player's character.

He's not committed to roleplaying, so you can't really guilt him into working with a build he's not interested in. (i.e. "Come on, you always play spellcasters. Try a Barbarian!"/"You always play big brawler types. Try a rogue this time")

So you have a character with great melee abilities, psychic abilities, and a gun. Seriously, looking at it as a kid who's not played a ton of RPGs and isn't familiar with the damage mechanics, those three things don't obviously synergize.

Look at the Schwarzenneger and Rambo movies. Stat those characters as 20 Str/20 Con. How often did they punch anybody when they had a gun (or exploding arrows)?

The kid wants to play a gunslinger. So get him a character with a racial boost to Dex instead of Str, or just a straight human, put his feats into archery feats (or their firearms counterparts if necessary.)

Although the Paladin 6 build by Rockdeworld looks helpful. I don't know enough Pathfinder to know if it's a solid party member or not, or if the kid should just start over and roll up a Gunslinger 6 with good Dex that the party meets in the next tavern.

[IronFist]

Well, a half-giant in Pathfinder can wield a cannon as a two-handed firearm...

[Ortesk]

Why not go fighter pure and simple? take Quickdraw(level 1) weapon focus(f1) two weapon fighting (f2) Improved init (level 3) Weapon Spec (f4) Point Blank shot (level 6) rapid shot (F6) Improved Crit (F8) Mainly static, always on character sheet thing. WF aids him with his low dex, weapon spec adds a lil damage, rapid shot lets him be jesse james. dual wield pistols, beg dm to swap stats so he can have a solid dex. barring that, just keep it simple and easy, and hope Dad toss's low ac mooks for him to blow away

[Mr.Sandman]

To play to his high Str, refluff Composite to be 'bigger guns' specially built so he doesn't snap them in half accidentally. Guns did have many wooden parts for that to happen to in the old days I believe.