The Inspirational Loon - the Man of La Mancha

[hymer]

Let us say that the table is okay with this concept, and willing to hold you back when the windmills you want to tilt at are actual giants of too high a CR for the party. Then, how do you go about creating this character? What should it be able to do?
The most important quality is being ineffectual in a fight. For fun, and to show the unwavering courage, I'm thinking you can make the character tough as nails, with a huge pool of hit points. Just as long as you aren't much of a threat in offensive terms. This will at least let you be something of a meat shield, and so help a little with pulling your own weight.
But you will also want to be able to inspire your friends every now and again. It may work out of pity for the poor fool, or it can be that inspirational unwillingness to face facts, especially when things are too grim to contemplate. In fact, the harder things are, the more you are in your element. Struggling against impossible odds is what you want to be doing.

So how would you build such a character in 5e? What other thoughts do you have?

[N810]

I would make him a Paladin, with high charisma and construction stats, while dumping your intelligence and wisdom.
Make Shure you learn find steed as well.

[Harleytrypp]

I love this idea... It would be even better if you could convince another player to follow him and loyally keep him from harm, but be not much better effect in combat.

[Unoriginal]

Let us say that the table is okay with this concept, and willing to hold you back when the windmills you want to tilt at are actual giants of too high a CR for the party. Then, how do you go about creating this character? What should it be able to do?
The most important quality is being ineffectual in a fight. For fun, and to show the unwavering courage, I'm thinking you can make the character tough as nails, with a huge pool of hit points. Just as long as you aren't much of a threat in offensive terms. This will at least let you be something of a meat shield, and so help a little with pulling your own weight.
But you will also want to be able to inspire your friends every now and again. It may work out of pity for the poor fool, or it can be that inspirational unwillingness to face facts, especially when things are too grim to contemplate. In fact, the harder things are, the more you are in your element. Struggling against impossible odds is what you want to be doing.

So how would you build such a character in 5e? What other thoughts do you have?

Glamour Bard, dumped DEX and STR, wear an armor, attack with a sword or a lance.

[GlenSmash!]

I'd go the Noble (knight) background with the retainer variant to get a Sancho Panza.

You could even lean into the Hapless Idiot idea. Whenever you do anything successful narrate it as Sancho saving your bacon while you remain completely oblivious and take complete credit. That is a bit more Penny and Inspector Gadget that Sancho and Quixote but I think it would be fun.

[RickAsWritten]

I'll take a crack at the mechanical side of it:

Barbarian 1 --> Rogue 1-3(Mastermind) --> Barbarian 2-5(Wolf Totem)(Feat: Lucky, Mounted Combatant, or +2 CON) --> Rogue 4-5(Feat: Lucky, Mounted Combatant, or +2 CON)

Variant Human(Inspiring Leader)
STR: 13
DEX: 13
CON: 16 -->18
INT: 8
WIS: 8
CHA: 15

Skills:Animal Handling(Expertise), Survival, Deception, Intimidation, Persuasion(Expertise), Religion
Equipment: Shield, Lance, Dagger, Half Plate, Donkey
AC: 18
HP(@LVL 10): 105
3 Rages/Long Rest

[hymer]

@ N810;23453908: I like that. Getting the aura at 6 would be excellent, in that it is invisible, and yet helps your friends a lot. The only downside is that it just seems a tad too competent - casting spells and smiting, I mean. Maybe some refluffing could help, but it does get rather much.

@ Harleytrypp: Indeed, that would be ideal. :smallbiggrin:

@ Unoriginal: Makes a lot of sense. Though, even more so than the paladin, all those spells makes you seem dangerously competent.

@ GlenSmash!: Excellent idea!

@ RickAsWritten: I love it! I'd fluff rage as the visor being lowered, and since it's an old helm and a poor fit, vision is more than usually restricted from it. The character from then on just bumbles through the fight, inconveniencing everyone around him and sending his friends into a frenzy to protect him. He is literally a more competent warrior when he can't really see what he's doing. Then something happens to knock the visor back up, and the 'rage' ends.

[Unoriginal]

@ Unoriginal: Makes a lot of sense. Though, even more so than the paladin, all those spells makes you seem dangerously competent.

Not if you wear an armor. If you wear even a Medium armor as a bard, you can't cast spells.

Bardic Inspiration still works, though.

[nickl_2000]

I may actually go simpler myself.

Variant Human Fighter Caviler
Inspiring Leader
High Charisma
Low Dex
Low Int
Low Wis
Very high Constitution
Moderate/High Strength to wear heavy armor
Class Skills - Animal Handling, History
Protection Fighting Style

Noble Background
Take persuasion as a skill at level 3
Character has a chance of being affected at any point by the madness "The character experiences vivid hallucinations and has disadvantage on ability checks." where it seems like it would be fun.

[hymer]

@ Unoriginal: Okay, but the capacity is still right there. Any time this fellow is out of armour, he suddenly becomes devastatingly effective.

@ nickl_2000: That's the sort of thing that leapt to my mind too. Except Inspiring Leader, I hadn't thought of that. How would you fluff/refluff that?

[nickl_2000]

@ nickl_2000: That's the sort of thing that leapt to my mind too. Except Inspiring Leader, I hadn't thought of that. How would you fluff/refluff that?

I actually wouldn't fluff it all that much. Don Quixote is an charismatic person. In fact he is so charismatic, that he leads Pancho and El Donza into his seeing of the world, despite the fact that both of them know that he is having hallucinations. I see inspiring leader as a pep talk given first thing in the morning. He could easily go the way of inspiring his allies to greater feats through talk of their legacies, talk of doing good in the world, or talk of bringing back the gentlemanly ways of yore.

[Clistenes]

I would make him a Paladin, with high charisma and construction stats, while dumping your intelligence and wisdom.
Make Shure you learn find steed as well.

Actually, Don Quixote was a well-educated man with an excellent memory and wide knowledge about history, literature and the classics, beyond chivalric romance. Plus his main hobby before going mad was reading. He probably had a good Intelligence.

But yes, his Wisdom, while decent to good while sane, would plummet after he went insane...

Also, I'm not sure his Charisma would be so high. People's reactions went from pity to wariness to making fun of him, nothing points to he making a strong positive impression on anybody, even while out of his outdated armour (that is, while looking "normal").

Also, his Dexterity wouldn't be high, I think. He never did anything showing nimbleness or agility.

His Strength would be slightly above average. He spent all day in armor without great discomfort. and he won a few one-on-one fights against younger opponents.

He probably had a decent Constitution. He was beaten a lot, and he bounced back, despite being a XVI century middle aged man.

He never rose to a high level. He was defeated by a college student in borrowed armour at the end of the book...

Sancho Panza, on the other hand, probably had low Intelligence but a decent Wisdom. He was ignorant enough to take his master seriously, but he proved to be a highly sensible man (for example, he was against high ranking people hunting big game with spears because it was a waste of money and time that shoud be invested in managing their states and ruling their people, and because there was too high a chance if fatality, provoking lots of trouble when people fulfilling important duties were lost... and surprisingly for a XVI century man, he was against killing animals for sport, too), and when acting as a judge in Barataria, he proved able to see through lies and easily discern the guilty from the innocent...


I actually wouldn't fluff it all that much. Don Quixote is an charismatic person. In fact he is so charismatic, that he leads Pancho and El Donza into his seeing of the world, despite the fact that both of them know that he is having hallucinations. I see inspiring leader as a pep talk given first thing in the morning. He could easily go the way of inspiring his allies to greater feats through talk of their legacies, talk of doing good in the world, or talk of bringing back the gentlemanly ways of yore.

Aldonza Lorenzo (AKA Dulcinea Del Toboso) wasn't even aware of him. He loved her from afar, and never spoke to her. It is even hinted that he didn't really know anything about her and didn't get a closer look at her.

As for Sancho Panza, due to his low education, he believed the supernatural stuff Don Quixote told him about, and some of his experiences reinforced that belief. Many people played along with Don Quixote's delusions in order to make fun of him or to trick him into returning home, and they tricked Sancho Panza too...

[hymer]

Actually, Don Quixote was [...]
Thanks for that! But let me just clarify that while poor Don Quijote is definitely the inspiration, we need not cleave dilligently to the source material here. :smallsmile:

[N810]

I was thinking of more of the caricatured art of Don Quixote where he is often picture as quite gaunt.

[nickl_2000]

Aldonza Lorenzo (AKA Dulcinea Del Toboso) wasn't even aware of him. He loved her from afar, and never spoke to her. It is even hinted that he didn't really know anything about her and didn't get a closer look at her.


Okay, then maybe I'm confusing the Play/Musical (Man of La Mancha) and the book. It's been awhile since I have seen/read either one.

[AureusFulgens]

Well, you've given me the idea for my next player character. We're in a campaign where I think playing a ludicrously ineffective character could work. I just have to make sure I don't roll good stats for it :)

[hymer]

Well, you've given me the idea for my next player character. We're in a campaign where I think playing a ludicrously ineffective character could work. I just have to make sure I don't roll good stats for it :)
Well, I can't claim I came up with it on my own. :smallbiggrin:
I think as long as you get just one mediocre stat, you can use that for your attack stat. Or at worst, use weapons or a fighting style that doesn't suit you.