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UserClone
2007-08-03, 06:41 PM
Ok, so the general gist is, I was reading through (the very nearly useless) Savage Species, and fell in love with the idea of Anthropomorphic Animals. I had recently read a book in which a toad was gifted with speech by a magic jewel inserted by a witch into his forehead. Upon looking at the toad, I noticed he would have a favored class of Cleric, and that he had a +6 Wisdom. So thus far I have...


One day, a toad was hopping about the swamp, minding its own warty, squelchy business. He heard a cricket nearby, and soon after he began searching for it, he discovered a juicy, delicious looking cricket the size of a man's thumb(though as a toad, he thought of it as roughly one fourth his size, either way, quite a substatial meal)!
However, as he neared it, the cricket turned and spotted him, and knowing it could not get away, the cricket did something most unexpected. It bowed its head (all the while playing a heart-breakingly sweet song with his back legs), begging "Please, sir toad, won't you spare my life? I'll do anything you like. Please..."
Only it spoke in perfect toad! The toad decided that if this cricket could speak, let alone in toad (not to mention play so sweetly), perhaps ALL the crickets he'd ever eaten had been self aware beings.
Thinking on this, the toad did the only decent thing, and promptly vomited, splashing the poor cricket a bit (Not that the cricket really minded. He lived in a mucky swamp after all).
Once he had composed himself, the toad looked at the cricket, who was now looking him squarely in the eyes. He then began to cry. "Oh, dear cricket," he blubbered, "Of course I won't eat you. I never would have, if I had only known..."
"You," announced the cricket in a suddenly deep, booming voice, though not a rough tone, "are the kindest creature in all my swamp."
"What? Your swamp?" asked the suddenly confused, and somewhat frightened, toad.
"Surely, you did not think I was an ordinary cricket!" The now huge creature laughed in a rumbling sort of way. "I am the Swamp King, Lord of All That Oozes, ruler and father of every creature who creeps and crawls, swims and slithers in my swamp," Boomed the god, for god he certainly was, in a rich, deep basso. "You must be rewarded. What would you like?"
"Could you make me into a Man?" asked the humble toad.
"Well, That requires another, much more difficult test."
"Yes! Anything!" exclaimed the toad.
"Very well."
The toad was then transformed, over the course of a mere few seconds, into a creature a bit more like a Man, and a bit less like an ordinary toad.
His front legs lengthened into arms, and his feet grew less than the rest of him. The webbing on all four of his feet (No, wait, those two are 'hands', he suddenly thought) grew much shorter, proportionately at least.
"You will be my emissary, and you will go forth, and show the people of the world the joys of the swamp: the verdant marsh-weeds, the warm, wet muck, the splendor of the night full of fireflies. I have decided that when I deem you worthy, you will be made into a Man. That is, if you still wish it by then."
Confused by that last, the toad whined, "But I'm still only a toad. How can I convice the world?"
"Silly creature. I have given you a small part of my power. You have a limited control over the slime and the murk now, as well. And as the strength of your spirit grows, so too will the strength of that power..."


So there we have it, roughly. The idea for the character is an anthropomorphic toad cleric, with the water and slime domains. Probably the Vow of Nonviolence feat, as well. What I'm looking for here is:

Did you enjoy it? Why?
Did you hate it? Why?
What would you change/omit/add? Why?
What crunch might you recommend to go along with it (for flavor reasons, please, predominantly)?

Quietus
2007-08-03, 06:49 PM
An odd idea, but I like it, definitely unique!

UserClone
2007-08-04, 02:52 PM
You know, I think I rather like this. Even if I don't end up playing the character, I think I may well expand this and turn it into a novella.:smallsmile:

UserClone
2007-08-05, 12:16 PM
ouch. looking at the anthropomorphic toad a bit more closely, i notice he has a base land speed of 5! NOT fantastic for a PC!

ThorFluff
2007-08-05, 12:37 PM
but he's also small enough to be carried in a backback... Pintsized cleric in up your sleeve? Instant win says I!

Fhaolan
2007-08-05, 01:17 PM
but he's also small enough to be carried in a backback... Pintsized cleric in up your sleeve? Instant win says I!

Is that a cleric in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?

*ribbit*

Errr... Nevermind....

ThorFluff
2007-08-05, 01:41 PM
Oh man! you can cast heal as in instant action!!?!

That? no that just my worty TrouserCleric.

BCOVertigo
2007-08-05, 04:28 PM
This character is amusing, I definitely enjoyed the read as well as the subsequent innuendo-spam. However the idea of 'trousercleric' evangelizing the slime domain to passers by might make talking with NPC's a bit awkward.

ThorFluff
2007-08-05, 06:00 PM
- My trousercleric whispers to me, It demands mucus, Do you have anything warm and slimy where i could shove him so he'll shut up?
*SLAP*
-whaaaaat?