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View Full Version : Character concept advice--Jesus in Plate Mail?



Tyrael
2007-10-10, 03:08 PM
Now that I got your attention with the (edited) title... :)

So, I was recently reading an article about medieval knights, and I thumbed through the PHBII Knight, and I realized that while I've played a skillmonkey sniper and a THF dragon-killing tank, I've never actually played a Good character (the sniper was Chaotic Selfish, and the tank, with 9INT, was Neutral Stupid in a lovable sort of way).

So, I've decided to create a knightly character who's dedicated to the cause of Good. He knows he's a drop in the bucket, he knows he'll probably die horribly in agony, but he's going out there to make a difference anyway, because if he can bring hope to even one soul in the world, then his mission is complete.

So, I was prepared to make the stereotypical knight-in-shining-armor schtick, but then I thought--"hang on. What if I play a Knight...who nobody thinks is a Knight?" I just got this mental image of a party beaten and battered and bruised, then their kindly middleaged hireling smiles at them and says, "Sometimes hope can come from the most unlikely source imaginable." Then he touches his Ring of Arming and transforms into a bright, shiney Fullplated Knight In Shining Armor(tm), promptly running forward and Saving The Day(tm).



So the basic idea behind this PC is that he's this sweet, polite old man who disguises himself as something humble and unassuming (a farmer or a friar or a cleric) until it's time to Slay The BBEG or something, at which point he reveals himself and rushes out to protect/save everyone. His rationale behind it is that in the world things are often far more than they appear under the surface, and people are too quick to make judgements. He sees Evil in the world, but he's also seen the little piles of ashen remains of Knights who charged out to Slay The Dragon. While he has courage, he's not Lawful Stupid, and so does Good in the world by doing all the little things that nobody sees or hears about, but that still improve the lives and hopes and spirits of everyone around them. He donates to beggars, helps peasants with their laundry, nabs shoplifters, assists the town guard, helps the sheriff round up some bandits, makes a house call to comfort a dying girl...Kinda like a DnD Jesus in Plate Mail (well, not actually doing miracles, but just doing all the little thankless jobs to help people out in the world).


So far I have him as a straight Knight6, but with Bluff and Diplomacy as crossclass, I'm wondering if that's the best class to pick. Despite his social orientation, this guy's still got to be good in combat, because he's not afraid to fight to protect people. So ideally, we want something with a full BAB and good proficiencies.

Since he's a fighter, he'd rely primarily on items to get his stuff done for him. I'm thinking a Healing Belt (MIC, to heal people) and Shiftweave (MIC, to help with disguises). I'm also looking at giving him a Morphing Longsword +1, so he can adapt to whatever situation he needs to (and it also comes in handy when he needs his farmer's rake to turn into a battleaxe or whatever).




So anyway, this whole thing is kinda complex, but I really dig the fluff/concept behind it. What do you guys think? Is this sort of thing really workable? Level range is 6-12, midrange. Our DM doesn't like highlevel stuff, because things get A) broken and B) too epic for his mundane campaigns. Remember to keep in WBL.

The Neoclassic
2007-10-10, 03:17 PM
I like it. Have you ever seen Bill (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=891691)? He too appears to be a rather unlikely, ordinary guy who is in fact quite heroic. It's worth looking at, even though cog_n_taz goes a fairly different direction with that basic premise. Oh, Bill isn't "like" a DnD plate-armored Jesus- he pretty much IS a DnD armored Jesus (OK, I'm not sure if it's plate or not).

Sorry, but I'm not so good with optimization or class choosing, especially with splat books. Good luck with that though.

Telonius
2007-10-10, 03:29 PM
Awesome concept! A medieval Clark Kent to Superman thing. Not sure how it would work in a campaign, but I love the idea.

A couple things to note... Glamered armor only costs 2700gp.

Maybe a level or two of Marshal would be in order? They do get Bluff and Diplomacy as class skills, with free Skill Focus: Diplomacy. Some of the Auras fit in with the "helping others" motif.

Fixer
2007-10-10, 03:31 PM
Sounds like a more martial version of the character in my signature.

Nerd-o-rama
2007-10-10, 04:08 PM
See modern interpretations of Don Quixote de la Mancha, perhaps, representative of mankind's longing for the lost chivalric ideal.

Called armor (MIC) is worth looking into, and is actually cheaper than Glamered.

Also, Bill is awesome.

dyslexicfaser
2007-10-10, 04:18 PM
Reminds me of Rich's Champion class, though the outsider transformation probably isn't what you're looking for.

slexlollar89
2007-10-10, 05:05 PM
Be a favored soul. One level plus the saint template is how I stated Jesus (don't ask why long story) and he was awesome by all accounts.

You might just wear a ring of arming, and then BOOM all you armoris on.

Cogwheel
2007-10-10, 05:17 PM
Great idea, go ahead with it.

As for optimization... I think there was a feat in Dragon (and also on Crystal Keep) that lets you give someone else cover, no? As in, they get an AC boost, you get hit instead...something like that. Might want to give it a go.


Also....did I just semi-hijack the thread without even noticing? Truly, Bill is too mysteriously popular for his own good.

Person_Man
2007-10-10, 05:33 PM
Sorry, but this has to be posted:

http://g.1asphost.com/someguyindc/Jesus%20Saves.JPG

Human Paragon 3
2007-10-10, 10:12 PM
I second the idea to use the Champion class (which can be found in the gaming section (http://www.giantitp.com/articles/mYkD5jL8N9SAcClN3pZ.html) of this website).