Your RP ideas for a Barb/Paladin/Monk

[Primus Beno]

I'm interested to see both your build and role play ideas for a Barbarian/Paladin/Monk character. What would they look like and how would they play? How would you justify these three seemingly opposite ends character classes together into a coherent character?

[divljak]

insane split personality person, that has episodes in each of character personalities, and doesn't remember what he said when other kicks in

[TheDeadlyShoe]

Raging barbarian who became disillusioned with war and blood when his family was killed in another pointless retaliation raid. He wandered and found a band of mystics who taught him contemplation and how to calm his rage. Settling at their monastery, he would have been happy for the rest of his days.. but a band of <marauders> attacked and burned the monastery. Now he has sworn an Oath of Vengeance to track them down and deliver justice for his fallen brothers and sisters. Someday he hopes to refound the monastery.

[Daishain]

Paladin/monk isn't too tough. Man of faith who chooses to develop his body into a weapon. Trusting in his deity more than objects made by mortal hands.

Barb makes it more difficult. It still kind of fits in with the body as weapon thing, but the rages are entirely out of place.

Perhaps the character suffered a head injury recently that never healed quite right. Ever since, he's been prone to bursting out in nearly uncontrollable fits of anger.

Of course, I'm of the opinion that 90% of the monk and paladin abilities would be completely unusable while in a rage. But I'm not sure if enforcing that would be more being a ****, or just being realistic and consistent

[Primus Beno]

Our spiritual hero belongs to a band of nomadic tribesmen deep in the forest. In tune with the shamanistic world, he revers the bear as his totem animal. He finds is raw power, its stability and its protective nature speak to him. As he channels spirit bear into the defense of his home, he is drawn further into the secret rites and rituals of the clan elders.

There, he is isolated from the others with a small group of initiates and brought into the secrets of the tribe. The bear is a manifestation of the earth. Solid, dependable and deadly when roused. He begins to train in harnessing the mystical nature of the mother Earth bear, fueling his vicious fighting style when needed and protecting himself and his tribe when they are in trouble. He begins to learn the fighting styles of the bear, over powering and grappling, fierce and fast.

As he ascends to become a high priest of the Bear Clan, he takes the solemn protector oaths of his office. Protecting his cubs and his family, sacrificing everything for the tribe if need be. His word is his bond and he assumes the mantle of protector for his tribe. His fury channeled into holy power, honed by his years learning to focus his rage.

Barbarian 5/Monk 5/Paladin 5

Would be hard to work as a PC with an adventuring lifestyle, but would make a neat NPC to interact with.

[Durazno]

She has attained incredible control over her emotions through years of martial arts training and meditation, which she can use not only to calm herself in times of need but also to descend into an all consuming rage that drives away any thought of fear or pain. One day, deep in meditation, she receives a vision of the divine and sets out on a quest to understand it. The secrets that she uncovers on this quest inspire her to become a holy champion. The other members of her order are a little leery of how foreign and unpredictable she seems, but they respect her skill, strength and determination.

[odigity]

Mechanically speaking...

WHY!!?!?!?!?!?

[Yorrin]

The character was an unruly youth who was known for fits of rage and his rebellious attitude. Just to spite his parents and the local religious authorities he joined a local "pagan" cult of spirit worshipers and gained a special connection with a Bear spirit, which further fueled his rage. As he grew older, however, he realized that his youth was indeed miss-spent, and came to realize that many forms of authority, including religious, were indeed legitimate. As a form of penance he devoted his life to a monastery, living a life of simplicity and asceticism. After living many years under the teaching of the elder monks his faith was put to the test in a dramatic way- <insert evil group here> descended upon the monastery one night and devastated it, burning it to the ground and slaughtering many. It was only through our hero's efforts that they were finally driven off. From that day forward he swore vengeance against them, his rage rekindled.

Standard Human
Bear Totem Barbarian 3/Open Hand Monk 14/Paladin of Vengeance 3

Stats:
Str 15+1=16, Con 13+1=14, Dex 15+1=16, Wis 9+1=10, Int 9+1=10, Cha 9+1=10
Stat bumps go to Str and Dex

The Barbarian levels net him unarmored defense equivalent to Studded Leather, resistance to all damage except psychic while raging, advantage on his attack rolls, advantage on Dex saves, and a solid start to HP. From there he moves over to Monk, at first favoring the spear in both hands until his unarmed damage catches up to that, at which point he fights unarmed unless he finds a better magic weapon. He chooses to use Str instead of Dex to keep taking advantage of his Barbarian training, but otherwise plays like a hard to kill Monk with a focus on Flurry of Blows. Evasion combined with his Danger Sense makes him nearly immune to Dex saves, especially once Diamond Soul kicks in. His Paladin levels and the Dueling Style push him back toward the use of a weapon, though at this point any Monk weapon will do, so he favors the dagger for its non-combat utility unless he's got a better magic weapon. He lays down his Vow of Enmity whenever he's not raging to maintain his advantage on attack rolls.

In the final look at things he's got AC 16 (meh), resistance to all damage except Psychic (yay!), proficiency on all saving throws (also yay!), plus Danger Sense + Evasion (immune to Dex saves!), two attacks dealing 1d8+9 (before magic weapons), plus 1-2 attacks on a bonus action (keeping up with the Fighters), and advantage on all those attacks (ftw!)

So he's a well rounded melee combatant that's non-gear dependent and both dish out a good amount of damage and take a good beating and has a good chance of resisting most spells (Wis saves are obviously a weakness still with low stats).

[Person_Man]

Fluff: Grew up in the wild as part of a nomadic tribe. Eventually came into contact with civilization and found religion. Late in your life you tire of violence and seek out a monastic lifestyle, but are still pressed into service from time to time when adventure calls.

Crunch: Complete garbage in any combination.

[Tenmujiin]

Started out as part of a monastery that trained to perfect their body's and embrace the divine. As part of this training they are taught to embrace a single minded focus in battle. (Taking 5 levels in one of the three classes to make sure extra attack is accessed asap and simply RPing the aspects of the other two until lv7). While most people think of barbarians as being frothing at the mouth crazy people there is no reason a totem barbarian can't have their rage manifest differently. Berserker is admittedly a frothing-at-the-mouth barbarian.

[Shining Wrath]

Easy-peasy.

Our hero begins life as a Barbarian, who views himself as the defender of his tribe. Until one day he returns from a strike against the orcs who have been raiding the flocks, and finds that the gnolls came from the other direction and destroyed his tribe.

Standing among the corpses of everyone he had ever loved, he swore a terrible oath of vengeance. And became a Paladin.

He tracked the gnolls responsible. One by one, and then five by five, and then fifty by fifty, he engaged them in combat, and destroyed them. When at last the gnoll shaman and chief fell before him, he knew his oath was satisfied. Not one gnoll of the tribe that had slain his tribe was alive.

He pondered for a moment continuing as a Paladin and destroying other gnoll tribes. But that seemed ... unworthy.

Berefit of purpose, he drifted for a while, and eventually discovered a monastery in need of protection from evildoers. He stayed with them as their champion, but came to respect their calm, their discipline, and their ki. And became a Monk.

[Frenth Alunril]

(face palm)

Her tribe is destroyed as child. She its taken in by militaristic monks who defend a sacred artifact. They train her to be a monk, her duty in life but she cannot fight her nature, when the temple is attacked, she learns that her instinctual rage has benefits. The temple is sacked, and she returns to the wilderness. Now a barbarian monk, she learns about the oath of vengeance through priests of the monks faith, and adopts the mantle of paladin.

Congratulations, you are now more story than function, Krillin, Conan, and John Constantine.

[MustacheFart]

Depends on how you define "Rage". If you're a shortsighted moron and only see Rage in a very narrow, linear way inside of a vacuum then it's difficult.

If define rage differently than simply an uncontrollable tantrum it is very easy. Here are but two examples:

1) You've trained heavily for most of your life and have learned to enter almost a trance-like state when in combat. One might describe this state (rage) as a form of "Battle Zen".

2) Your people believe that the body is the strongest weapon but are wise enough to realize some of its weaknesses. As such, they've developed a drug that is administered just before combat to put the user in a state in which they can be more deadly as well as less responsive to damage inflicted on themselves. This example has real life historical reference with Hasheesh (sp?) and Assassins.


I am currently playing a full barbarian (not entirely of my choice) and I chose option number 2. It was funny as hell seeing the reactions of my party when they discovered that my character snuffs a little something to get high before he rages.

[Kerilstrasz]

When i saw the tittle i just thought.. Paladain!
A god from dragonlance pantheon, who in order to maintain the balance of universe (since his evil counterpart killed) he left the pantheon and now travels around the world inspiring people.

So..
Ill just offer your hero backround story (inspired by paladain) & how all these classes came to be..

So.. your paladin was in the service of a King who at some point made him do something evil without his knowledge. He lost paladinhood & ashamed of himself, left the kingdom to "find himself".
He joined various monasteries, to find his true self & ask the universe (or the gods) for forgiveness. After few years of meditating and practicing the ways of the monks, he starts traveling across the land, inspiring and helping people. With time passing, several "companions" joined him at his journey. Along the way he picked up his "street smarts" along with his love for XX(insert instrument)XX , that kept his mind clear of that horrible act of his 8 years ago.

Now with the help of his companions, he continue his travels seeking of atonement.

At his last journey, he stumbled upon a old man who run a hamlet's village. The old man offered him shelter for the night & after talked with our hero, he offered him the power that was lost gone. the power of Light (ye.. he is paladin again)

Hope i help, or at least gave you a nice story :smallwink:

[Tenmujiin]

This example has real life historical reference with Hasheesh (sp?) and Assassins.

From what I've seen it is spelt hashish and for those who don't know what it is, it is basically an extremely strong form of cannabis made from the flower I think.

[MustacheFart]

From what I've seen it is spelt hashish and for those who don't know what it is, it is basically an extremely strong form of cannabis made from the flower I think.

Thanks, I wasn't entirely sure of the spelling and was too lazy to look it up so I just typed it as it sounded.

[Easy_Lee]

Mechanically speaking...

WHY!!?!?!?!?!?

Fluff it however you want, but I'm with odigity. I'd sooner ask for a homebrew archetype that fits the character I want to play.