If someone wanted to, would you let them?

[GiantOctopodes]

So a discussion on another thread got me thinking about absurd, funny, and otherwise off the wall character concepts which "barely make sense individually, and assembled in a 4-6-strong party, completely strain credulity". If a character came up to you as a DM and proposed any of the following characters, would you let them play as that character?

1) A Halfling Rogue who has a pet elephant. On top of that elephant is a miniature forest of shrubbery and tall grasses, etc, carefully arranged. The halfling crawls around up there in a ghillie suit and snipes at people below from his concealment.

2) A Barbarian / Fighter who wields sword chucks. They're a finessable 2 handed weapon, dealing 2d6 damage on each hit to the enemy, and 2d6 damage on each attack to the wielder. With enough rage and training, they can eventually get good enough with them to do nearly as much damage to their foes as they deal to themselves.

3) A Goliath Bard who makes a point of scouting, stealing away one of the enemy, questioning them, and then afterwards binding them and putting spiked armor on them. They then go into battle using the captured enemy as a club for the demoralizing effects it causes.

4) A Druid that never takes human form, but rather acts solely as a mount for another party member, or if appropriate their pet. The creature is supposedly a morphing animal (a Grimalkin from 3.5) but in reality it's the player, who through this gets out of any and all roleplaying, other than combat.

5) A Gnomish Sorcerer / Necromancer who is in fact completely paralyzed. He uses Minor Illusion (refreshed every minute) to talk and cast spells, and is carried around and puppeteered by his invisible servant (refreshed every hour), and eventually the undead he raises. He starts the whole sequence using Subtle Spell, which he also falls back upon should something happen to the spells he is using to keep going.

So those are my crazy characters for now, ideally I'd love if people would say whether or not they would allow the current ones, and then post your own! The most outlandish concepts and ridiculous characters who have no business in a serious or normal campaign, who "barely make sense individually, and assembled in a 4-6-strong party, completely strain credulity". It should be fun! If nothing else they can make for great NPCs :smallsmile:

[Gritmonger]

1. All well and good for animal handling, - until a smart enemy lobs an alchemist's fire or flaming oil onto what is a giant, uncontrollable animal already replete with dry tinder...

2. Have to rework those. Using Sword Chucks requires using their bonus action to do an additional attack, their move action to get out of the way of the swords, or suffer the 2d6 (have to follow through or stop the blades somehow...)

3. Cruel, would not allow him to play a good alignment, as slowly torturing a captive enemy to death by bludgeoning them on former allies is not strictly a "good" act.

4. Oh, there would be roleplaying opportunities. Just not any ones involving long dialogues. Animals communicate in other ways.

5. I don't know how long the charade would hold out, but dressing this up with puppet-appearing undead might be an option ('armoring' the undead in makeup and clothing, keeping them from appearing undead) and parading about as a performing troupe, coupled with the Entertainer background... oh yes...

[ShikomeKidoMi]

Hm... I might allow most of those. The Elephant one depends on me looking up the pet CR rules. If elephants are too strong in and of themselves I would force them to use another animal. The portable cover is fine, because it's also clumsy, awkward, hard to fit in small areas and really obvious.

The paralyzed necromancer similarly requires me to look up the spell-casting rules, I'm not sure you can use Minor Illusion to cast spells, though I find the idea really appealing. He could have an undead minion carry him around.

The club thing... Probably not. Or at least there'd be huge attack roll penalties involved... say non-proficiency and/or disadvantage.


2. Have to rework those. Using Sword Chucks requires using their bonus action to do an additional attack, their move action to get out of the way of the swords, or suffer the 2d6 (have to follow through or stop the blades somehow...)

You're misunderstanding what causes the damage. It's not the swinging blades, it's the fact you're tightly gripping a swordblade as the other attached blade slams into things. Swordchucks are two blades attached by a chain, no handles. If I did rework sword-chucks, I'd be tempted to just have it damage the player every round they wield them in combat, attacking or not, but I suppose they can lighten their grip so the blades don't cut so deeply on rounds they aren't attacking.

[silverkyo]

So a discussion on another thread got me thinking about absurd, funny, and otherwise off the wall character concepts which "barely make sense individually, and assembled in a 4-6-strong party, completely strain credulity". If a character came up to you as a DM and proposed any of the following characters, would you let them play as that character?

1) A Halfling Rogue who has a pet elephant. On top of that elephant is a miniature forest of shrubbery and tall grasses, etc, carefully arranged. The halfling crawls around up there in a ghillie suit and snipes at people below from his concealment.

2) A Barbarian / Fighter who wields sword chucks. They're a finessable 2 handed weapon, dealing 2d6 damage on each hit to the enemy, and 2d6 damage on each attack to the wielder. With enough rage and training, they can eventually get good enough with them to do nearly as much damage to their foes as they deal to themselves.

3) A Goliath Bard who makes a point of scouting, stealing away one of the enemy, questioning them, and then afterwards binding them and putting spiked armor on them. They then go into battle using the captured enemy as a club for the demoralizing effects it causes.

4) A Druid that never takes human form, but rather acts solely as a mount for another party member, or if appropriate their pet. The creature is supposedly a morphing animal (a Grimalkin from 3.5) but in reality it's the player, who through this gets out of any and all roleplaying, other than combat.

5) A Gnomish Sorcerer / Necromancer who is in fact completely paralyzed. He uses Minor Illusion (refreshed every minute) to talk and cast spells, and is carried around and puppeteered by his invisible servant (refreshed every hour), and eventually the undead he raises. He starts the whole sequence using Subtle Spell, which he also falls back upon should something happen to the spells he is using to keep going.

So those are my crazy characters for now, ideally I'd love if people would say whether or not they would allow the current ones, and then post your own! The most outlandish concepts and ridiculous characters who have no business in a serious or normal campaign, who "barely make sense individually, and assembled in a 4-6-strong party, completely strain credulity". It should be fun! If nothing else they can make for great NPCs :smallsmile:

Some of this stuff depends on starting level for the campaign. Most of my stuff starts at level 1 so i'll come at it with that particular frame of reference.
1) ghillie suit is fine, i'd make the elephant a character goal of some kind to obtain.
2) seems fun for a one off, but i think it would just lead to a quick death
3) Very much so yes because it seems absolutely hilarious as long as he pulled off the skill checks
4) not sure how well this would work for a player, but actually seems like a really good idea for an NPC/Adventure Hook
5) as long as he could keep up the spell casting i don't see why not. alternatively, maybe have him become paralyzed later

[WampDiesel]

3) A Goliath Bard who makes a point of scouting, stealing away one of the enemy, questioning them, and then afterwards binding them and putting spiked armor on them. They then go into battle using the captured enemy as a club for the demoralizing effects it causes.

That sounds very similar to a character I am currently playing and just posted about in another thread (near the bottom) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?427358-Let-s-turn-objects-into-weapons!(stats)).

Except my character (nicknamed "Innbreaker") does less sneaking and interrogating and more raging, charging in the middle, grappling, and tossing around. I fully plan on combining rage, powerful build and tavern brawler to use humanoids as improvised weapons. There is usually that super strong guy that knocks the mobs into their friends and sends them flying (The hulk, The Thing from Fan4, Fizzik in Princess Bride). I wanna play as that person.

Though it wasnt in my original plan to strap an enemy in spiked armor so they are a more effective weapon (great idea, might have to steal it). That is definitely new. I will be thoroughly pleased if my character building shenanigans have inspired you to create something so delightfully evil and cruel.

Well done.




3) Very much so yes because it seems absolutely hilarious as long as he pulled off the skill checks


I thought so too. Why I am excited to play this character.

So far in only 2 sessions I have already tackled two flying vultures, dented a giant bridge (couldn't break it), lassoed a manticore and threatened to throw a few people off a cliff but decided it was better to be their friends.

[Kurt Kurageous]

The campaign would be fun and memorable. I have some secondary effects that might happen as a result of this team's presence in the world:

You might want to use an variation on the rules for renown. Start tracking their renown per DMG pg.22. The "benefits" of their fame might start out with the bad reputation variant feature PHB p138 that increases in range from their staring point, or a collective benefit of the rustic hospitality feature from the folk hero background on PHB pg. 131.

Then it might progress to bonuses/advantage on intimidation and persuasion that equal that range.

Soon after that, bards (the medieval media!) start showing up to record the awesome mess of silliness.

Next come a wave of obnoxious and persistent agents and others looking to capitalize on the fame (back this cause, support this government, oppose this thing, fight this threat).

Then come fame seekers. Some fame seekers may be relatives, ex and future boy/girlfriends and assorted groupies, and those with a thousand agendas (back this cause, endorse this smithy, use this bow style, etc.). Others want renown on their own, per the Wild West cliché, who come to kill a member just to enhance their own renown.

Then comes imitators who want to fight the originals, join them, be endorsed by them, or align with them.

The comes the attention of the gods, demons, devils, and other extra-planar beings.

It all ends in legend and fame, hopefully at level 20, followed by echoes (statues, monuments, all the children of the next generation being named after the party, etc.) that remain in the world. Then who will be able to separate the truth from the myth? In short, EPIC!

[Shining Wrath]

It's all allowable because I can scale my encounters to match, so long as every player has an equal character. Which is why #2 is probably out; the guy with the sword chucks is going to be frustrated. Unless ...

He has regeneration from some freak ancestry. Now you've got this walking blood factory in 3rd-shift overtime in the middle of the battle, sword-chucks flying, and his wounds visibly healing as his foes fall before him.

[tieren]

How about a druid wildshaped into a gorilla that can triple wield hand crossbows in one hand and both feet and use the free hand to reload them all? Maybe he could be hanging from a special harness on the back of the storage wagon or spinning around break-dance style.

[Shining Wrath]

How about a druid wildshaped into a gorilla that can triple wield hand crossbows in one hand and both feet and use the free hand to reload them all? Maybe he could be hanging from a special harness on the back of the storage wagon or spinning around break-dance style.

Except he's a gorilla, so his hand crossbows do 1D8 not 1D6.