How to build the musketeers with thease books

[Jgosse]

I am planing on having The musketeers be NPC's in a city my players are currently travailing to. I don't plan on naming the group the Musketeers but the idea is they will feal and act like said group right down to the names Athos, Porthos Aramis and d'Artagnan. I plan on making them all the same build with minor differences.
I was thinking of giving them the same ability score set and same build but making them different races to make the difference between them.
probably use these abilities scores and have them be ECL 10.a
My first thought is 3rd level Swash buckler/2 level fighter/5th level Urban ranger champion of the wild ACF.

Str-14
Dex-18
Con-14
Int-14
Wis-10
Cha-10

so Porthose tends to be stronger then the others and a little brash soI was thinking half orc.
Athos A ladys man something with Cha
Aramis the leader I was thinking Middle age Human
d'Artagnan Skilled but you and brash young human

as for books I would prefer to stay with the same books I let my players use though I am open to suggestions.
Book List

Players hand book 1&2

Any book in the races line

Races of stone

Races of Destiny

Races of The wild

Races of The dragon

Races of stone

Races of eberon

Any book in the complete line

Complete arcane

Complete warrior

Complete divine

Complete adventurer.

if there is another book from this line then feel free to use it.

Books you have limited use of. If you want to use something from this run it by me first.

Unearthed arcana

Dragon magazine compendium/Dragon Magazine

Spell compendium

Tomb of battle (feats only)

Magic Item compendium

[Dr. Azkur]

I think the way you should go about it would be to have them all be Swashbuckler-Rogues (With Daring Outlaw, of course) and add/remove from there depending on the character (d'Artagnan could get the two-level dip on Fighter or maybe some Battle Trickster).

I think Porthos should be a Dwarf rather than a Half-Orc. He's blunt but he's not dumb (that INT penalty is not good on any Swashbuckler).

Maybe some Duelist? Which is basically Swasbuckler on a PrC... although it loses SA progression.

[Gwendol]

The three musketeers?

Athos: heavy fighting machine, brooding and prone to drinking. Oldest of the lot.
Porthos: Extrovert: enjoys singing, eating, drinking, and women. Very fond of fine clothes. Something of a dandy.
Aramis: deeply religious, serial seducer, very ambitious.
d'Artagnan: hot-headed and passionate, young.

I would likely use Tome of Battle for this lot:
Athos: Warblade/Crusader
Porthos: Warblade, lots of Stone Dragon
Aramis: Swordsage
d'Artagnan: Crusader

[Dr. Azkur]

The three musketeers?

Athos: heavy fighting machine, brooding and prone to drinking. Oldest of the lot.
Porthos: Extrovert: enjoys singing, eating, drinking, and women. Very fond of fine clothes. Something of a dandy.
Aramis: deeply religious, serial seducer, very ambitious.
d'Artagnan: hot-headed and passionate, young.

I would likely use Tome of Battle for this lot:
Athos: Warblade/Crusader
Porthos: Warblade, lots of Stone Dragon
Aramis: Swordsage
d'Artagnan: Crusader
Yeah, that's much better. Specially Porthos.

[Jgosse]

I think the way you should go about it would be to have them all be Swashbuckler-Rogues (With Daring Outlaw, of course) and add/remove from there depending on the character (d'Artagnan could get the two-level dip on Fighter or maybe some Battle Trickster).

I think Porthos should be a Dwarf rather than a Half-Orc. He's blunt but he's not dumb (that INT penalty is not good on any Swashbuckler).

Maybe some Duelist? Which is basically Swasbuckler on a PrC... although it loses SA progression.

I don't like rogue for the feels something seems wrong with the musketeers using sneak attack. Though I guess it would depend on how they gained said sneak attack. Again I wish there was a swift hunter for ranger rogue, Distracting shot sneak attack seem like they would go so well together for a Two weapon fighting ranger. Hell I am the Dm I can do that if I want.
so maybe Urban Ranger 4/ Rogue 3/ Swashbuckler 3 I would use the favored enemy bonus on the "cardinals guard"

I had been thinking of Dwarf as well Half-orc but you are right about the Int penalty.

I do like the Duelist for the Int To AC though I wish it was just a straight bonus you could get with a dip not 1 per level.

[Jgosse]

The three musketeers?

Athos: heavy fighting machine, brooding and prone to drinking. Oldest of the lot.
Porthos: Extrovert: enjoys singing, eating, drinking, and women. Very fond of fine clothes. Something of a dandy.
Aramis: deeply religious, serial seducer, very ambitious.
d'Artagnan: hot-headed and passionate, young.

I would likely use Tome of Battle for this lot:
Athos: Warblade/Crusader
Porthos: Warblade, lots of Stone Dragon
Aramis: Swordsage
d'Artagnan: Crusader

I don't use tome of battle classes never have. They just make martial classes Feel more like casters. Every one keeps talking about it on hear maybe I should give it another look but I don't like it.

[Gwendol]

You have listed Tome of Battle as an available source (although I see now that was in reference to feats only).

I agree that the sneak attack d6's and the mechanics that trigger them portray the musketeers very badly, which is why I would stay away from the daring outlaw. You could just use straight swashbucklers, but I think you will do a lot better using the martial adept classes.

While strikes and maneuvers borrow a lot of definitions from spells, they don't work the same. Some give rise to supernatural effects: don't pick them if they bother you or don't fit, there are others to choose from.

[dysprosium]

Been a looooooong time since I read the books.

I do remember reading that Athos was described as a jack of all trades since he seemed to know a little about everything. There's a feat for that (Jack of All Trades) or maybe give Athos a splash of Factotum (if Dungeonscape becomes an allowed source). Skill tricks might fit nicely with him too.

Porthos is definitely the strongest of the four. Fighter splash for him could work well. Let him have Daring Warrior in that case. Goliath as a race might not be a bad idea either for a fantasy style Porthos.

Didn't Aramis actually study to become a priest before settling on a life of adventure instead? He seemed to know about Church institutions and understood the motives behind Cardinal Richilieu. Cloistered Cleric dip might be appropriate for him--making sure he nets Travel Devotion.

D'Artagnan as the youngest might have the least amount of levels among the four but I remember him being just as gifted in the swashbuckling arts as the rest.

All of them should have levels of Swashbuckler. Of course these things all depend on how "optimized" you want these NPCs to be. You know your players best.

[Toshiro]

I don't like rogue for the feels something seems wrong with the musketeers using sneak attack. Though I guess it would depend on how they gained said sneak attack. Again I wish there was a swift hunter for ranger rogue, Distracting shot sneak attack seem like they would go so well together for a Two weapon fighting ranger. Hell I am the Dm I can do that if I want.
so maybe Urban Ranger 4/ Rogue 3/ Swashbuckler 3 I would use the favored enemy bonus on the "cardinals guard"

You could just do Swift Hunter with Ranger/Scout. I'm currently playing a Musketeer-like character using that build. (He's also a Mage Slayer. x]) You can use Skirmish with Telling Blow (http://dndtools.eu/feats/players-handbook-ii--80/telling-blow--2895/) so you apply skirmish damage when you score critical hits which is very Swashbuckler/Musketeer type of character.

[Broken Crown]

Lots of good suggestions so far.

I'm wondering how you're planning to use the musketeers in your game. What role do you plan to have them play? Are they going to introduce a plot hook? If they're "in character," they would almost certainly end up challenging your PCs to a duel for some trivial reason, in which case you would have to balance them carefully against your PCs to make them an interesting encounter. What are the levels and classes of your PCs?

You presumably don't want your PCs to be wiped out, but if you're basing the musketeers off such famous and iconic characters, you probably don't want them to be simply killed by the PCs without a second thought, either. You'd probably want their builds to emphasize survivability if you want them to live long enough to play a narrative role. You've said you don't like Tome of Battle, but a few levels of Crusader can go a long way in this respect. Also, nothing says, "All for one, one for all!" quite like White Raven.

The important point is that, if they're going to fight the PCs, their builds should be whatever would make it an entertaining battle. If they're not going to fight, their builds don't really matter.

Personally, I'd give them all a Charisma higher than 10. These are characters who get by as much on their personalities and reputations as on their combat skills.

[Jgosse]

Lots of good suggestions so far.

I'm wondering how you're planning to use the musketeers in your game. What role do you plan to have them play? Are they going to introduce a plot hook? If they're "in character," they would almost certainly end up challenging your PCs to a duel for some trivial reason, in which case you would have to balance them carefully against your PCs to make them an interesting encounter. What are the levels and classes of your PCs?

You presumably don't want your PCs to be wiped out, but if you're basing the musketeers off such famous and iconic characters, you probably don't want them to be simply killed by the PCs without a second thought, either. You'd probably want their builds to emphasize survivability if you want them to live long enough to play a narrative role. You've said you don't like Tome of Battle, but a few levels of Crusader can go a long way in this respect. Also, nothing says, "All for one, one for all!" quite like White Raven.

The important point is that, if they're going to fight the PCs, their builds should be whatever would make it an entertaining battle. If they're not going to fight, their builds don't really matter.

Personally, I'd give them all a Charisma higher than 10. These are characters who get by as much on their personalities and reputations as on their combat skills.


They are supposed to be allies of the party. part of the campaign is recruiting as many powerful allies as they can to help fight an invasion coming from across the ocean in two years. the city they are going to be in had a spy from the invading army gain the rulers favor disband the town guard and replace them with the spies men. The "musketeers" are kind of like a resistance at this point trying to disrupt the spies plans and prove to there former master he is crooked.

I was planing on boosting The Cha of some characters but I did not want to sacrifice the more useful abilities.

[Trasilor]

Lots of good suggestions so far.

I'm wondering how you're planning to use the musketeers in your game. What role do you plan to have them play? Are they going to introduce a plot hook? If they're "in character," they would almost certainly end up challenging your PCs to a duel for some trivial reason, in which case you would have to balance them carefully against your PCs to make them an interesting encounter. What are the levels and classes of your PCs?

You presumably don't want your PCs to be wiped out, but if you're basing the musketeers off such famous and iconic characters, you probably don't want them to be simply killed by the PCs without a second thought, either. You'd probably want their builds to emphasize survivability if you want them to live long enough to play a narrative role. You've said you don't like Tome of Battle, but a few levels of Crusader can go a long way in this respect. Also, nothing says, "All for one, one for all!" quite like White Raven.

The important point is that, if they're going to fight the PCs, their builds should be whatever would make it an entertaining battle. If they're not going to fight, their builds don't really matter.

Personally, I'd give them all a Charisma higher than 10. These are characters who get by as much on their personalities and reputations as on their combat skills.

This is really important - how will they be used - building the class without ever intending on using them in combat is really just playing to your ego ( I know I have been guilty of this on occasion :smallamused: ).

[Jgosse]

This is really important - how will they be used - building the class without ever intending on using them in combat is really just playing to your ego ( I know I have been guilty of this on occasion :smallamused: ).

well Part is I like to have important recurring npc stated out fully, later they will probably fight along side the party, also I have a party member who is very aggressive and if he picks a fight with a NPC I want to have it ready.

[Tarqiup Inua]

I take it you mean the stereotypical musketeer, not the book musketeer who uses the musket?

[classy one]

I take it you mean the stereotypical musketeer, not the book musketeer who uses the musket?

Ummm but musketeers are defined by their musket.....at least historically (and in Civ V where they kick all kinds of ass).

[Jgosse]

I take it you mean the stereotypical musketeer, not the book musketeer who uses the musket?

I am going by every incarnation I have seen in a movie or a TV show. I have never read the books but each member has always been the same basic character. I won't be calling them musketeers and they will not have any type of fire arms though they will have some type of bows. I just love these characters and feel that they would be perfect for the NPC's for this section of my campaign.

[SoraWolf7]

If I remember correctly, one of my personal favorite incarnations of the Three Musketeers was the Disney Live action film from 1993.

Athos was a bit embittered and was pretty close to what you're proposing with the human straight built. Suggested Build: Factotum7/Swashbuckler13

D'Artagnan was also pretty close to Athos's build, but again, just lower level due to his lack of experience. As most adventurers, he was a farm boy turned fighter turned hero. Suggested Build: Fighter2/SwashbucklerX (X being where you intend the younger fighter to stand), use Daring Warrior at level 3 to get your combination of Fighter and Swashbuckler to work.

Aramis's character made him stand out, and I didn't even know he was Charlie Sheen for a while, but he was a pervert holy man, so no vow of chastity for him. He didn't do much healing, but he had Knowledge (religion) in spades. Suggested Build: Cloistered Cleric2/Swashbuckler8/Warpriest10

Porthos however, was my favorite as he became a pirate after leaving the Musketeers, gaining Katar as a weapon of choice (two-handing them and using a spring-loaded unfolding one as well), and gaining a Dread Pirate's reputation, which caused two mooks to lose it. So he's loaded with Punching Daggers and possible levels in Dread Pirate. Suggested Build: Swashbuckler4/Rogue1/Dread Pirate8/Fighter2/Invisible Blade5

[gorfnab]

You could modify a Duelist build I came up with awhile ago. Might work for one of them.

Human or Strongheart Halfling
1. Cobra Strike (UA) Decisive Strike (PHBII) Monk - Carmendine Monk (CoV), Combat Expertise, B: Dodge
2. Cobra Strike (UA) Monk - B: Mobility
3. Swashbuckler - Deadly Defense (CS), B: Weapon Finesse
4. Swashbuckler
5. Swashbuckler
6. Thief Acrobat - Combat Reflexes
7. Thief Acrobat
8. Thief Acrobat
9. Thief Acrobat - Einhander (PHBII)
10. Thief Acrobat
11. Warblade
12. Warblade or Duelist - Ironheart Aura (ToB)
13. Duelist
14. Duelist
15. Duelist - Robilar's Gambit (PHBII)
16. Duelist
17. Duelist
18. Duelist - Stormgaurd Warrior (ToB)
19. Duelist
20. Duelist

Levels 10 through 12 can be rearranged depending on your needs. The current setup gives you Improved Evasion and Uncanny Dodge at these levels. However if you don't need Improved Evasion take one less level of Thief Acrobat and move the first level of Warblade to level 10. If you don't need Uncanny Dodge don't take the 2nd level of Warblade and instead go into Duelist a level early. If you don't need either abilities take Warblade at level 10 and enter Duelist at level 11.

If flaws are available pick up EWP: Broadblade Shortsword (CAdv, pre-errata version if possible) or Versatile Unarmed Strike (PHBII) and Snap Kick (ToB) (may need to rearrange later feats). If traits are available pick up Cautious (UA).

The Monk and Swashbuckler levels (levels 1 through 5) can be switched around to taste. I personally like Swash 1/ Monk 2/ Swash 2

Items:
Vest of Defense (MIC)
Bracers of Blocking (Dragon 322)
Broadblade Shortsword (CAdv) (if flaws are allowed and pre-errata version if possible) or Rapier with the Defensive Surge (MIC) enhancement.

[Gwendol]

If I remember correctly, one of my personal favorite incarnations of the Three Musketeers was the Disney Live action film from 1993.

Athos was a bit embittered and was pretty close to what you're proposing with the human straight built. Suggested Build: Factotum7/Swashbuckler13

D'Artagnan was also pretty close to Athos's build, but again, just lower level due to his lack of experience. As most adventurers, he was a farm boy turned fighter turned hero. Suggested Build: Fighter2/SwashbucklerX (X being where you intend the younger fighter to stand), use Daring Warrior at level 3 to get your combination of Fighter and Swashbuckler to work.

Aramis's character made him stand out, and I didn't even know he was Charlie Sheen for a while, but he was a pervert holy man, so no vow of chastity for him. He didn't do much healing, but he had Knowledge (religion) in spades. Suggested Build: Cloistered Cleric2/Swashbuckler8/Warpriest10

Porthos however, was my favorite as he became a pirate after leaving the Musketeers, gaining Katar as a weapon of choice (two-handing them and using a spring-loaded unfolding one as well), and gaining a Dread Pirate's reputation, which caused two mooks to lose it. So he's loaded with Punching Daggers and possible levels in Dread Pirate. Suggested Build: Swashbuckler4/Rogue1/Dread Pirate8/Fighter2/Invisible Blade5

I'd like to point out that all musketeers are (by definition) nobles, and rather high-born at that. I have no idea where this Porthos turned pirate comes from? He is definitely not equipped with punching daggers!

You can download Alexandre Dumas' book(s) for free on iBooks. I recommend reading at least the first one, or watching the classic Richard Lester movie from 1973.

[SoraWolf7]

I'd like to point out that all musketeers are (by definition) nobles, and rather high-born at that. I have no idea where this Porthos turned pirate comes from? He is definitely not equipped with punching daggers!

You can download Alexandre Dumas' book(s) for free on iBooks. I recommend reading at least the first one, or watching the classic Richard Lester movie from 1973.

I did point out that the origin of my suggestions was the 1993 Disney movie, via live action. It was just a suggested build, and one that anyone is free to ignore.

[Gwendol]

All movies are adaptations, some more faithful to the source material than others. The OP hasn't been very specific about it, hence my approach is staying cloae to their original portrayal.

[Jgosse]

I'd like to point out that all musketeers are (by definition) nobles, and rather high-born at that. I have no idea where this Porthos turned pirate comes from? He is definitely not equipped with punching daggers!

You can download Alexandre Dumas' book(s) for free on iBooks. I recommend reading at least the first one, or watching the classic Richard Lester movie from 1973.

Why would I read about the characters if I want to base them off the movie representations. often the movie and books are not the same I am quite fond of reading but in this case I think I will stick with the Musketeers I am familiar With.

[Gwendol]

I don't know: you haven't been very specific about your sources. What movies are we talking about?

[Jgosse]

ok the previously mentioned Disney film. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Musketeers_%281993_film%29

2001's The Musketeer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Musketeer

2011s The Three Musketeers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Musketeers_%282011_film%29

And the one that gave me the idea The Musketeers a brand new BBC series en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Musketeers_(2014_TV_series)