Statting Jack Harkness at LVL 4

[atemu1234]

No immortality, of course (we get enough of that already)

I decided on gunslinger (using the archetype to key his grit to charisma) and battle dancer 1 (because he gets his charisma to AC, which I in turn describe as, "he is too pretty for anything to want to kill him") what do you think?

[sideswipe]

is this 3.5? i don't know gunslinger

[atemu1234]

is this 3.5? i don't know gunslinger

I use it converted from Pathfinder.

[Forrestfire]

Honestly, I'd just go with a Factotum 4, with a decent amount of Charisma and skill points put into social skills. He's very intelligent, exceptionally crafty, and a real know-it-all, on top of his charisma.

[BWR]

Yeah, something skill-based. He doesn't use guns that much and is pretty clever and knowledgeable. I'd go with rogue (and he is a lovable rogue, isn't he?) but that's because I hate the Factotum.

[KillianHawkeye]

He doesn't use guns that much and is pretty clever and knowledgeable.

Doesn't use guns that much? Have you never watched Torchwood??

Anyway, I would probably say something like Rogue 1/Swashbuckler 3 and just play him with Captain Jack's glowing personality. But I'm one of those people who's not a fan of including firearms into D&D.

[Phelix-Mu]

Doesn't use guns that much? Have you never watched Torchwood??

Hehe.

Don't watch the cannibalism episode alone at night. Probably the best episode in the series, though it has little to do with aliens.]

Yeah, the show definitely sets a different tenor than Doctor Who.

Swashbuckler indeed sounds good, but the battledancer dip also sounds appropriate. In reality, his face does more fighting than he usually does, so you may want to diplomance him up and fluff it as him smiling and kissing people at inappropriate times = wins the fight!

[BWR]

Doesn't use guns that much? Have you never watched Torchwood??

It's been a while, I'll admit, but I can't recall that being his primary method of dealing with situations. Sure, he carries and uses a gun, but I never got the feel he had the sort of expertise with it that would translate as anything more than proficiency with one - certainly not to the extent of being worthy of the Gunslinger class.

[atemu1234]

It's been a while, I'll admit, but I can't recall that being his primary method of dealing with situations. Sure, he carries and uses a gun, but I never got the feel he had the sort of expertise with it that would translate as anything more than proficiency with one - certainly not to the extent of being worthy of the Gunslinger class.

Since he's not -actually- immortal, I'd think it's safe to assume he is pre-doctor jack.

[Bad Wolf]

Pump everything into Charisma. Remember, he flirts with anything.

Yes, even that.

[BWR]

Since he's not -actually- immortal, I'd think it's safe to assume he is pre-doctor jack.

You mean a con man? Sounds like skills and not guns to me.

[KillianHawkeye]

Since he's not -actually- immortal, I'd think it's safe to assume he is pre-doctor jack.

Don't forget, Jack had some kind of sonic space gun back in his first appearance. The Ninth Doctor didn't really have a problem with guns, but the Tenth Doctor actively stopped Jack from using one at least once the first time they met again (in the Series 3 episode Utopia).

Thinking back over the history of the character, the use of weaponry was always his go-to method for dealing with a hostile enemy unless there were unusual circumstances such as guns not being effective, being prevented, or the threat was someone he had a history with like the character that was played by James Marsters. Captain Jack was also shown to be a superb marksman by the time of his Torchwood days (at least compared to anyone else on the Torchwood team, but I guess they're not the best comparisons). Anyway, the point is that he used guns more than anybody in the series or its spinoffs with the exception of River Song, and we never got to directly compare their skills with firearms.

So unless the OP is trying to limit himself to Captain Jack's earliest versions rather than playing the fully evolved character (sans immortality), we have to admit that he is pretty much a soldier who operates outside of the local structure or hierarchy. Original Jack was mostly just a con man, yes, but he had shifted into the role of the soldier even before the Doctor left him behind.

[Bad Wolf]

Thinking back over the history of the character, the use of weaponry was always his go-to method for dealing with a hostile enemy unless there were unusual circumstances such as guns not being effective, being prevented, or the threat was someone he had a history with like the character that was played by James Marsters.

Nah, first he sleeps with them. Remember how he ended up in bed with both his executioners?

[KillianHawkeye]

Nah, first he sleeps with them. Remember how he ended up in bed with both his executioners?

Well, of course I must defer to the person with the name Bad Wolf. :smallamused:

[Bad Wolf]

Well, of course I must defer to the person with the name Bad Wolf. :smallamused:

Yes, yes you should.

[Eldest]

Don't forget, Jack had some kind of sonic space gun back in his first appearance. The Ninth Doctor didn't really have a problem with guns, but the Tenth Doctor actively stopped Jack from using one at least once the first time they met again (in the Series 3 episode Utopia).

Thinking back over the history of the character, the use of weaponry was always his go-to method for dealing with a hostile enemy unless there were unusual circumstances such as guns not being effective, being prevented, or the threat was someone he had a history with like the character that was played by James Marsters. Captain Jack was also shown to be a superb marksman by the time of his Torchwood days (at least compared to anyone else on the Torchwood team, but I guess they're not the best comparisons). Anyway, the point is that he used guns more than anybody in the series or its spinoffs with the exception of River Song, and we never got to directly compare their skills with firearms.

So unless the OP is trying to limit himself to Captain Jack's earliest versions rather than playing the fully evolved character (sans immortality), we have to admit that he is pretty much a soldier who operates outside of the local structure or hierarchy. Original Jack was mostly just a con man, yes, but he had shifted into the role of the soldier even before the Doctor left him behind.

Just because he uses a gun in combat, doesn't mean he specializes in using a gun. He's a very flirty con man, first and foremost.

[KillianHawkeye]

Just because he uses a gun in combat, doesn't mean he specializes in using a gun. He's a very flirty con man, first and foremost.

Flirty? Definitely. Con man? It was really just the one time that he tried to sell space junk as a weapon of mass destruction. After that initial meeting with him, he's really just an incredibly charismatic gun-toting mercenary who eventually find a cause worth fighting for. (NOTE: I'm not arguing that he's an incredibly skilled warrior, just that he is willing and able and well above the average for most nuWho-era companion characters who tend to be ordinary civilians.)

Regardless, I think we're going in circles at this point. The important things for statting up Captain Jack as a D&D character really boil down to the following: high Intelligence and extremely high Charisma, other ability scores are at least average (definitely nothing below 10), great social skills and good skills in general, proficient with whatever weapons are the local standard and not afraid to use them. Personality-wise, he's bold and direct and completely exudes both confidence and competence.

Skills in particular that I think he should have: Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device and/or Open Lock, Gather Information, Use Magic Device, and a smattering of Knowledge skills. Probably Disguise and Forgery if you can afford them after covering the basics.

[atemu1234]

Flirty? Definitely. Con man? It was really just the one time that he tried to sell space junk as a weapon of mass destruction. After that initial meeting with him, he's really just an incredibly charismatic gun-toting mercenary who eventually find a cause worth fighting for. (NOTE: I'm not arguing that he's an incredibly skilled warrior, just that he is willing and able and well above the average for most nuWho-era companion characters who tend to be ordinary civilians.)

Regardless, I think we're going in circles at this point. The important things for statting up Captain Jack as a D&D character really boil down to the following: high Intelligence and extremely high Charisma, other ability scores are at least average (definitely nothing below 10), great social skills and good skills in general, proficient with whatever weapons are the local standard and not afraid to use them. Personality-wise, he's bold and direct and completely exudes both confidence and competence.

Skills in particular that I think he should have: Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device and/or Open Lock, Gather Information, Use Magic Device, and a smattering of Knowledge skills. Probably Disguise and Forgery if you can afford them after covering the basics.

He makes reference to having done this kind of thing before, like in Pompeii.

[Taveena]

To be fair, you can actually GET that immortality without difficulty. Wedded to History feat + Troll Blooded.

[Forrestfire]

Ooh, you could even fluff Bad Wolf as having Psychic Reformationed him into having the feats (and permanent immunity to Acid and Fire through Reality Revision or something. :smallamused:

[Scots Dragon]

Honestly, I'd just go with a Factotum 4, with a decent amount of Charisma and skill points put into social skills. He's very intelligent, exceptionally crafty, and a real know-it-all, on top of his charisma.

I'm beginning to wonder if the Giant in the Playground forums are playing host to some kind of memetic factotum virus. Because, seriously now, it seems like nearly any character from fiction these days is responded to with 'factotum!' Jack Harkness is a rogue. He was born a rogue, and he'll die a rogue (albeit many times over in the latter case).

[Drelua]

I'm beginning to wonder if the Giant in the Playground forums are playing host to some kind of memetic factotum virus. Because, seriously now, it seems like nearly any character from fiction these days is responded to with 'factotum!' Jack Harkness is a rogue. He was born a rogue, and he'll die a rogue (albeit many times over in the latter case).

I wouldn't build him as a rogue unless I'm forgetting about some time when he sneak attacked someone, which I don't think ever happened. He built a gun out of scrap parts right before he died and got made immortal, if I'm remembering correctly, which sounds more like a factotum, or an artificer, if that fit the rest of what he does. He's a decent fighter, a good leader, and certainly very skilled. I think factotum is a good fit, or maybe Swashbuckler or Bard.

A few levels of charisma based Gunslinger could work, but I would agree that simple proficiency with firearms is plenty for his level of proficiency. Then again, D&D is generally more combat based than Torchwood, and especially Doctor Who, so something of a paradigm shift may be appropriate there. He might be a better fighter in an environment in which fighting is a more important skill.

[Forrestfire]

I'm beginning to wonder if the Giant in the Playground forums are playing host to some kind of memetic factotum virus. Because, seriously now, it seems like nearly any character from fiction these days is responded to with 'factotum!' Jack Harkness is a rogue. He was born a rogue, and he'll die a rogue (albeit many times over in the latter case).

Factotum is the class you take for someone who has the ability to turn pure guile into dirty tricks, well-placed shots, and skillful (or lucky, but they'll never say that) dodges. It's got a utility belt of easily refluffable tricks, and is great both in and out of combat. It's pretty much the quintessential guile hero (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GuileHero) (hate to link tvtropes, but the description works, I guess). A Rogue's only got sneak attack and skills, whereas Factotum has Story Powers (through careful spending of Inspiration points to make the narrative work).

[Phelix-Mu]

I'm beginning to wonder if the Giant in the Playground forums are playing host to some kind of memetic factotum virus. Because, seriously now, it seems like nearly any character from fiction these days is responded to with 'factotum!' Jack Harkness is a rogue. He was born a rogue, and he'll die a rogue (albeit many times over in the latter case).

Factotum:

noun- an employee who does all kinds of work.

The basic definition lends itself to many roles, and, as poorly written as the class is (great concept, someone needed a better copy-editor/rules lawyer to polish the execution), it can handle almost anything quite well.

In particular, in many stories, humans are mostly human. But one of the ways that humans can be quite exceptional but not really look much different is by using their brains to augment their effectiveness in other areas. I always think of Robert Downy Jr's Sherlock Holmes boxing scene in the first movie; don't punch harder, punch smarter. A great many things can be done better with a bit of intelligence, and factotum's class abilities make this possible (infinitely moreso than smart rogue, which is only so-so).

That being said, it's definitely a meme here on the forum to make whatever into a factotum, so you have a point. I, personally, don't much care for the class, but I love stealing it's well-conceived abilities for monk houserules, where I let monks add Wisdom modifier to Dex and Str-based checks and skill checks. Tee hee.