Bronan the Barbellian

[Oramac]

So I have this character concept I'm using for a game on Saturday. It's mostly fleshed out, but I want to get a few more eyes on it in case I missed something.

Bronan the Barbellian (a caricature of "Gym Bro" culture)

Human Variant Barbarian

Stats: 15+1, 12, 15+1, 10, 10, 10 (yes, I'm fudging it to a 28 point buy, sue me. :P )

I'm debating between Tough and Great Weapon Master for feats.

Modified Entertainer background (Strongman Routine, took cooks tools and an Herbalism kit instead of the instrument and Disguise Kit)

Weapons:
Maul - this is a barbell with 45 pound plates attached to one end.
Warhammer - a dumbbell with one side cut off
Light Hammer - Thrown, fluffed as 2.5 pound plates I can throw at enemies

Personality:

1. I respect strength, even in my enemies.

2. ??

Ideal:

??

Bond:

?? (maybe something about his trainer?)

Flaw:

Magic doesn't use muscles, so it must be bad. I don't trust magic users.



So, Giants, am I missing anything? Suggestions?

[RulesJD]

Starts his day with strange rituals, aka chugging a brotein shake.

He takes out a syringe and jabs it in his arm when he roidRages.

[Ninja_Prawn]

His bond should be BROS B4 HOES!!

[Wilko]

From entertainer RAW


6 I get bitter if I’m not the center of attention.
7 I’ll settle for nothing less than perfection.

Attention whore obsessed with having the perfect technique / body


4 I idolize a hero of the old tales and measure my deeds
against that person’s.
5 I will do anything to prove myself superior to my hated
rival.
6 I would do anything for the other members of my
old troupe.

Always talking about his sports team

Always trying to one up another team

Bros before Hoes


Tradition. The stories, legends, and songs o f the past
must never be forgotten, for they teach us who we
are.

Remember when we won the X etc etc

[Oramac]

Ahh! I love it! Flavorful and appropriate. I'm going to have to buy some "syringes", but that's easy to fluff as a Healer's Kit, I think.

[Shining Wrath]

If a battle doesn't go well for him, it's because he didn't get to stretch properly prior to battle. Same thing for any failed Athletics or Acrobatics check.

He can be distracted during battle by a mirror, as he'll try to maneuver so that he can watch himself fight.

[BootStrapTommy]

His Intelligence is too high.

[lebefrei]

I'm an avid natural weight lifter myself. Before anyone else insults their intelligence, remember that they just have a different hobby than you. They apply said intelligence differently.

I think you're making a mistake having a gym rat dislike magic, though. Hostile magic aimed at them and the body they put so much into? Sure. But many body building forums have avid discussion of ways to skip the work and get the results, or to power yourself up for quick gains... Magic could be like the creatine, protein shakes and steroids of your world. They'd love belts of giant strength, or more especially anything that can be applied to them directly like buffs, blessings and boons. The more permanent the better.



it's because he didn't get to stretch properly prior

No one stretches before weight lifting.

[N810]

Flaw: Bro do you even lift ? :nale:

[Oramac]

Thanks again all! You've definitely given more than asked, as usual. I love that about this forum.


I'm an avid natural weight lifter myself. Before anyone else insults their intelligence, remember that they just have a different hobby than you. They apply said intelligence differently.

I think you're making a mistake having a gym rat dislike magic, though. Hostile magic aimed at them and the body they put so much into? Sure. But many body building forums have avid discussion of ways to skip the work and get the results, or to power yourself up for quick gains... Magic could be like the creatine, protein shakes and steroids of your world. They'd love belts of giant strength, or more especially anything that can be applied to them directly like buffs, blessings and boons. The more permanent the better.

I'm a weigh lifter myself, which is (partially) where the character idea came from. You make a good point about buff spells (they even make me BUFF!) and the like. I'll amend it to just be offensive magic, or maybe start him hating magic, and growing to like it once his allies buff him a bit.

[Joe the Rat]

Ahh! I love it! Flavorful and appropriate. I'm going to have to buy some "syringes", but that's easy to fluff as a Healer's Kit, I think.

See, here I see him taking the "all natural" route. The Herbalism Kit is like a little GNC.

For the other performance enhancers, he goes to the casters. Cleric gonna hook a Bro up?

[Laserlight]

Maul - this is a barbell with 45 pound plates attached to one end.

That's quite a lot for a weapon. Three x 5lbs plates should be about right for a maul.

And he needs to "meditate" every day--doing a routine for legs one day, upper body the next. Preferably with music. Favored magic item: the Resounding Earrings of Empy Threeplaya.

[Oramac]

And he needs to "meditate" every day--doing a routine for legs one day, upper body the next. Preferably with music. Favored magic item: the Resounding Earrings of Empy Threeplaya.

Haha. I was wondering how I could incorporate workouts into his routine. Good call.


See, here I see him taking the "all natural" route. The Herbalism Kit is like a little GNC.

For the other performance enhancers, he goes to the casters. Cleric gonna hook a Bro up?

Hmm. Good point. I like that idea better.

[Ninja_Prawn]

I'm an avid natural weight lifter myself. Before anyone else insults their intelligence, remember that they just have a different hobby than you. They apply said intelligence differently.

I think we all know that. I don't lift, but I do spend a lot of time in the gym - it's the only way I can keep my rotten tendons functioning. This character is clearly supposed to be a parody of that one guy we've all met who is a total idiot. No one's saying every weightlifter is like him, just like people realise that not every D&D player is a greasy, antisocial teenager. It's just that they tend to be the ones that really leave an impression on you, you know?

[Oramac]

I think we all know that. I don't lift, but I do spend a lot of time in the gym - it's the only way I can keep my rotten tendons functioning. This character is clearly supposed to be a parody of that one guy we've all met who is a total idiot. No one's saying every weightlifter is like him, just like people realise that not every D&D player is a greasy, antisocial teenager. It's just that they tend to be the ones that really leave an impression on you, you know?

That more or less covers it, yes. He's maybe not a total idiot (so no 8 in Int), but neither is he a genius either.

[lebefrei]

It's just that they tend to be the ones that really leave an impression on you, you know?

I do know what you mean, and honestly "those guys" are exactly why I posted that. Those guys in the gyms love being pumped up and at that time are perhaps a bit too enthusiastic and narrowly focused, but I find they're also often the ones that dig the most deeply into the ponderings of the workout when not at the gym. They're gym scholars, as dumb as some come off when pumped and lifting.

[Joe the Rat]

That makes Barbarian the perfect frame. He can be serious and smart about exercise and health and nutrition and Jack LeLanne everyone to death, then he gets in combat and drops a rage and gets all Broviating Meathead.

Given Int is primarily used as knowledge, and 8 isn't idiot, just less extrospective, shift points to Wisdom and give him Medicine (you've got the extra skill) to reflect his greater knowledge and understanding of health and physiology.

[RulesJD]

I do know what you mean, and honestly "those guys" are exactly why I posted that. Those guys in the gyms love being pumped up and at that time are perhaps a bit too enthusiastic and narrowly focused, but I find they're also often the ones that dig the most deeply into the ponderings of the workout when not at the gym. They're gym scholars, as dumb as some come off when pumped and lifting.

He's not looking to be those guys, he's looking to be that guy, which is absolutely accurate.

[hacksnake]

Goliath race lets you +1 size category for the weight you can push, drag, or lift.

That seems pretty huge to have overlooked if you want to "pick things up and put them down".

Edit: source is EE Player's Companion (http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/EE_PlayersCompanion.pdf) if it's valid for your game.

[mgshamster]

Flaw: he can never be wrong. Even if shown wrong, he always has an excuse for why he wasn't actually wrong; and really, it wasn't him, it's you who is mistaken. If pressed, he insults and belittles the other person until they submit. Strength = he was right.

Also, please, it's Brobarian.

[Talamare]

I'm an avid natural weight lifter myself. Before anyone else insults their intelligence, remember that they just have a different hobby than you. They apply said intelligence differently.

I think you're making a mistake having a gym rat dislike magic, though. Hostile magic aimed at them and the body they put so much into? Sure. But many body building forums have avid discussion of ways to skip the work and get the results, or to power yourself up for quick gains... Magic could be like the creatine, protein shakes and steroids of your world. They'd love belts of giant strength, or more especially anything that can be applied to them directly like buffs, blessings and boons. The more permanent the better.




No one stretches before weight lifting.
You would be okay if the scrawnyest wizard of all time, who can't even lift a large book puts on a magical belt and now not only is he stronger than you but strong acts you used to do for the team is now being asked to be done by the wizards.

We need that boulder moved, hey gym bro could...Oh wait actually book bro you're stronger now, right?

[Coyote81]

I think he needs to be think human physiology major of the group. Give him a solid 13 int, and multi-class him as a Artificer so that he can brew "protein shakes of growth"

Nothing says you can't be rather intelligent and a gym rat, it just that the number of gym rats that are highly intelligent are few in number, just like true adventurer's in D&D.

[Socratov]

I'm gonna drop this here: Your Broest of bro's. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSCmfIl-sHg)

[Soular]

So I have this character concept I'm using for a game on Saturday. It's mostly fleshed out, but I want to get a few more eyes on it in case I missed something.

Bronan the Barbellian (a caricature of "Gym Bro" culture)

Human Variant Barbarian

Stats: 15+1, 12, 15+1, 10, 10, 10 (yes, I'm fudging it to a 28 point buy, sue me. :P )

I'm debating between Tough and Great Weapon Master for feats.

Modified Entertainer background (Strongman Routine, took cooks tools and an Herbalism kit instead of the instrument and Disguise Kit)

Weapons:
Maul - this is a barbell with 45 pound plates attached to one end.
Warhammer - a dumbbell with one side cut off
Light Hammer - Thrown, fluffed as 2.5 pound plates I can throw at enemies

Personality:

1. I respect strength, even in my enemies.

2. ??

Ideal:

??

Bond:

?? (maybe something about his trainer?)

Flaw:

Magic doesn't use muscles, so it must be bad. I don't trust magic users.



So, Giants, am I missing anything? Suggestions?

Hahaha! I love it!

I have a dwarf barbarian/sailor that I ran during the testing of D&D Next. He was muscled to the max and covered in nautical tattoos, done in all black, like prison tats. He had "The Situation" tattooed across his abs in old english characters, and named his pecs "Port" and "Starboard."

He went into battle like those Borneo indians that wear nothing but those long, thin penis sheaths. Only his was a silver codpiece in the shape of a seahorse.

He had a maul and before battle he would yell out, "Stop, it's hammertime!"

My character and yours could be roommates at an inn on the Jersey Shore.

[McNinja]

Just be this guy

https://www.youtube.com/user/BroScienceLife

[Oramac]

Hahaha! I love it!

I have a dwarf barbarian/sailor that I ran during the testing of D&D Next. He was muscled to the max and covered in nautical tattoos, done in all black, like prison tats. He had "The Situation" tattooed across his abs in old english characters, and named his pecs "Port" and "Starboard."

He went into battle like those Borneo indians that wear nothing but those long, thin penis sheaths. Only his was a silver codpiece in the shape of a seahorse.

He had a maul and before battle he would yell out, "Stop, it's hammertime!"

My character and yours could be roommates at an inn on the Jersey Shore.

Holy crap!! That is hilarious!! I might even reference knowing your character "back at the house" (or something like that) if you don't mind.


Just be this guy

https://www.youtube.com/user/BroScienceLife

That guy was actually part of the inspiration for the character! Among several other things.