critter3of4
2015-03-16, 09:02 PM
Here's my 1st (heh...4th*) stab at Stan the Orphan. I'd like to use him in the Adventurers League.
I kept questions and comments within the spoilers. What you see below is what will be on my sheet.
If you see something that can be optimized better, please advise me. I like min/maxing as long as it does not mess with my concept of the character.
Thanks for your time!
Stan the Orphan. The bastard
Stan is his name. Stan the Orphan or "the bastard" are what the street gangs (or thieves' guild or whatever) dubbed him. Meant as insults, Stan embraces them as badges of honor.
Fighter
I plan on going the Battle Master route. I like the Pushing Attack, it'll give my scrawny fighter a chance bully people for a change.
Human
Fluff: He has traces of elven ancestry. Stan's "dad," for lack of a better word, had mixed elven-human ancestry.
Urchin
The result of an ugly conception, Stan's human mother was always distant. It was a humble existence, in a humble human village, doing whatever humble humans do. This is where Stan learned to read and write. At age 10, Stan's mom sold her son to a swindler. She was convinced that he would take him to a better place with all the happy half elves.
Recognizing Stan's potential as a thief, he planned to sell poor Stan to the Thieves' Guild in the nearest large town. While in the city, Stan escape.
Sleeping on rooftops, stealing in order to live, and protecting himself from gangs. That's Stan's childhood in a nutshell.
Lawful Neutral
Stan has a personal code: 1)Never harm the innocent. 2)People who prey on the weak should pay. 3) Anybody belonging to a Thief Guild should not be trusted.
Medium size
5 feet tall. 100 pounds. I'm making him as small as possible
Hoar
The character matches well with his dogma.
From the FR wiki
Uphold true and fitting justice and maintain the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. Fitting recompense will always accrue for one's actions. Violence will meet violence and evil pay back evil, but good will also come to those who do good. Walk the line of the Doombringer's teachings, seeking retribution, but do not fall into the trap of pursuing evil acts for evil's sake, for that way is seductive and leads only to one's downfall. Vengeance must be sought for all injustices, and all punishments must fit the crime. Revenge is sweetest when it is sharpened with irony. All attacks must be avenged. Those who do not respond to attacks against their person or that which they hold dear only invite further attacks.
12 HP
15 (16) AC
chain mail 13. Dex +2. (Feat +1)
8 str
16 dex
14 con
10 int
14 wis
12 cha
Saving throws
Constitution
Strength
No Dex save option? Eh, whatever.
Languages: Common, elven
Fighting style: Two weapon
Rapier in main. Rapier in the other. The limit to single type of damage is my major weakness.
Feat Two weapon fighting
Before there was a Stan, I wanted a dex based fighter wielding two rapiers.
Acrobatics
Intimidation
Stan definitely has a mean streak. I'm picturing Clint Eastwood at the end of Unforgiven. All five feet of him.
Perception
Sleight of hand
Stealth
Disguise Kit
Thieves Tools
I assume I get proficiency bonus when using these items, right?
Personality traits
#4 I sleep with my back to a wall, everything I own wrapped under my arms
Don't steal my crap, yo! I'm also thrifty (okay, I'm cheap)
Ideals
#2 We have to look out for each other...(lawful)
He's willing to sacrifice for the group. Risk everything for the group?
Bonds
#1 I'll do anything for my home city
I plan on transferring this loyalty to my faction. The Lord's Alliance, btw.
Flaws
I'd rather kill someone in his sleep, than fight fair
Whatever gets the job done.
Equipment
Chain mail
Rapier and rapier
Light crossbow
Dungeoneer's pack
Some useful tools (crowbar, hammer, pitons).
I miss out on the bedroll in the explorer's pack, but I'm use to sleeping on rooftops anyway. No big loss.
Alternatives:
This may be meta-gaming, but I've been giving a question some thought. Being the default DM for my group has given me some perspective on what it means to have a fun character to play. I understand that others may have come to different conclusions. Fundamentally speaking, I want a character that effectively helps the group best achieve their goals. Anyway, the question:
What if Stan's the only fighter in the group?
Playing with random players in AL, this may be a possibility. For the second build, I will assume others have picked range damagers. I don't feel there's a change to Stan's character here. I'm using "character" in Webster's dictionary sense, not in the DnD sense.
duelist with defensive duelist feat. He still has some extra damage plus he's hard to hit.
Or
Duelist/Defense style with alert.
A good chance to win the initiative and never surprised when your awake. This one seems potent.
In the third build, there is a clear change in Stan's character. I will assume someone has built a melee damager (probably thief).
protection style with alert OR protection with medium armor master. With the thief getting the damage bonus and protected. This could allow for some high damage output by the group.
Also, given Stan's high stealth, there are possibilities to set up ambushes.
I'd also change his chosen deity to Helm. The dogma of Helm:
Never betray your trust. Be vigilant. Stand, wait, and watch carefully. Be fair and diligent in the conduct of your orders. Protect the weak, poor, injured, and young, and do not sacrifice them for others or yourself. Anticipate attacks and be ready. Know your foes. Care for your weapons so they may perform their duties when called upon. Careful planning always defeats rushed actions in the end. Always obey orders, providing those orders follow the dictates of Helm. Demonstrate excellence and purity of loyalty in your role as a guardian and protector.
In my brain, Stan becomes a much more restrained character. Stan's distaste for thieves could add to the interplay, even though he's built to work in tandem with a thief (I think that may be ironic. I don't know. Alanis Morrisette made that word confusing).
With Hoar as a chosen deity, it may become reasonable in Stan's mind to gut the party's thief in his sleep. Just to be clear, I would never do that as a player.
* Edit 1) I initially created a broken character, a half-elf with rapier and handaxe. Instead I created a half elf sword and shield duelist.
Edit 2) Changed to human. Two weapon feat. Made Hoar chosen deity.
Edit 3) Add alternative builds to Stan.
I kept questions and comments within the spoilers. What you see below is what will be on my sheet.
If you see something that can be optimized better, please advise me. I like min/maxing as long as it does not mess with my concept of the character.
Thanks for your time!
Stan the Orphan. The bastard
Stan is his name. Stan the Orphan or "the bastard" are what the street gangs (or thieves' guild or whatever) dubbed him. Meant as insults, Stan embraces them as badges of honor.
Fighter
I plan on going the Battle Master route. I like the Pushing Attack, it'll give my scrawny fighter a chance bully people for a change.
Human
Fluff: He has traces of elven ancestry. Stan's "dad," for lack of a better word, had mixed elven-human ancestry.
Urchin
The result of an ugly conception, Stan's human mother was always distant. It was a humble existence, in a humble human village, doing whatever humble humans do. This is where Stan learned to read and write. At age 10, Stan's mom sold her son to a swindler. She was convinced that he would take him to a better place with all the happy half elves.
Recognizing Stan's potential as a thief, he planned to sell poor Stan to the Thieves' Guild in the nearest large town. While in the city, Stan escape.
Sleeping on rooftops, stealing in order to live, and protecting himself from gangs. That's Stan's childhood in a nutshell.
Lawful Neutral
Stan has a personal code: 1)Never harm the innocent. 2)People who prey on the weak should pay. 3) Anybody belonging to a Thief Guild should not be trusted.
Medium size
5 feet tall. 100 pounds. I'm making him as small as possible
Hoar
The character matches well with his dogma.
From the FR wiki
Uphold true and fitting justice and maintain the spirit of the law, not the letter of the law. Fitting recompense will always accrue for one's actions. Violence will meet violence and evil pay back evil, but good will also come to those who do good. Walk the line of the Doombringer's teachings, seeking retribution, but do not fall into the trap of pursuing evil acts for evil's sake, for that way is seductive and leads only to one's downfall. Vengeance must be sought for all injustices, and all punishments must fit the crime. Revenge is sweetest when it is sharpened with irony. All attacks must be avenged. Those who do not respond to attacks against their person or that which they hold dear only invite further attacks.
12 HP
15 (16) AC
chain mail 13. Dex +2. (Feat +1)
8 str
16 dex
14 con
10 int
14 wis
12 cha
Saving throws
Constitution
Strength
No Dex save option? Eh, whatever.
Languages: Common, elven
Fighting style: Two weapon
Rapier in main. Rapier in the other. The limit to single type of damage is my major weakness.
Feat Two weapon fighting
Before there was a Stan, I wanted a dex based fighter wielding two rapiers.
Acrobatics
Intimidation
Stan definitely has a mean streak. I'm picturing Clint Eastwood at the end of Unforgiven. All five feet of him.
Perception
Sleight of hand
Stealth
Disguise Kit
Thieves Tools
I assume I get proficiency bonus when using these items, right?
Personality traits
#4 I sleep with my back to a wall, everything I own wrapped under my arms
Don't steal my crap, yo! I'm also thrifty (okay, I'm cheap)
Ideals
#2 We have to look out for each other...(lawful)
He's willing to sacrifice for the group. Risk everything for the group?
Bonds
#1 I'll do anything for my home city
I plan on transferring this loyalty to my faction. The Lord's Alliance, btw.
Flaws
I'd rather kill someone in his sleep, than fight fair
Whatever gets the job done.
Equipment
Chain mail
Rapier and rapier
Light crossbow
Dungeoneer's pack
Some useful tools (crowbar, hammer, pitons).
I miss out on the bedroll in the explorer's pack, but I'm use to sleeping on rooftops anyway. No big loss.
Alternatives:
This may be meta-gaming, but I've been giving a question some thought. Being the default DM for my group has given me some perspective on what it means to have a fun character to play. I understand that others may have come to different conclusions. Fundamentally speaking, I want a character that effectively helps the group best achieve their goals. Anyway, the question:
What if Stan's the only fighter in the group?
Playing with random players in AL, this may be a possibility. For the second build, I will assume others have picked range damagers. I don't feel there's a change to Stan's character here. I'm using "character" in Webster's dictionary sense, not in the DnD sense.
duelist with defensive duelist feat. He still has some extra damage plus he's hard to hit.
Or
Duelist/Defense style with alert.
A good chance to win the initiative and never surprised when your awake. This one seems potent.
In the third build, there is a clear change in Stan's character. I will assume someone has built a melee damager (probably thief).
protection style with alert OR protection with medium armor master. With the thief getting the damage bonus and protected. This could allow for some high damage output by the group.
Also, given Stan's high stealth, there are possibilities to set up ambushes.
I'd also change his chosen deity to Helm. The dogma of Helm:
Never betray your trust. Be vigilant. Stand, wait, and watch carefully. Be fair and diligent in the conduct of your orders. Protect the weak, poor, injured, and young, and do not sacrifice them for others or yourself. Anticipate attacks and be ready. Know your foes. Care for your weapons so they may perform their duties when called upon. Careful planning always defeats rushed actions in the end. Always obey orders, providing those orders follow the dictates of Helm. Demonstrate excellence and purity of loyalty in your role as a guardian and protector.
In my brain, Stan becomes a much more restrained character. Stan's distaste for thieves could add to the interplay, even though he's built to work in tandem with a thief (I think that may be ironic. I don't know. Alanis Morrisette made that word confusing).
With Hoar as a chosen deity, it may become reasonable in Stan's mind to gut the party's thief in his sleep. Just to be clear, I would never do that as a player.
* Edit 1) I initially created a broken character, a half-elf with rapier and handaxe. Instead I created a half elf sword and shield duelist.
Edit 2) Changed to human. Two weapon feat. Made Hoar chosen deity.
Edit 3) Add alternative builds to Stan.