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Destro2119
2020-01-19, 10:08 AM
In light of the fact that one of my players is a big fan of the anime, I have decided to stat out a special NPC for him: the anime character Black Jack. (Can't post links yet)

A little context: The PCs are traveling through an area in my world known for anarchy ever since the government in that area fell. Healing is at an extreme premium, making individuals like "Black Jack" highly valuable.

The only stipulations for this build are as follows:
1."Black Jack" is not allowed to be a main arcane or divine caster (though UMD and extracts are allowed).
2. Unchained and vivisectionist is not allowed in my game.

The only builds I thought of were: straight alchemist, investigator, or goin' Egyptian and making him a 20th level Expert. What are your builds?

RatElemental
2020-01-19, 01:37 PM
Chirurgeon alchemist is pretty much designed to represent an alchemist who takes up the art of healing as a main calling. It happens to stack really well with vivisectionist (at least in my opinion) but I guess that's out.

Without magic, extracts are basically the only way to go, relying entirely on heal checks and mundane healing is... not really ideal. Wands would work but the costs would add up and it's just not worth being the primary healbot without actually being able to heal under your own power.

Psyren
2020-01-19, 01:53 PM
It's helpful to summarize what the character can do for those who might not have watched that particular media (anime or other inspiration.) With nothing else to go on I'll just comment that in general, anime characters are best represented by high-power rules like Mythic or Gestalt.

Rynjin
2020-01-20, 03:41 PM
It's helpful to summarize what the character can do for those who might not have watched that particular media (anime or other inspiration.) With nothing else to go on I'll just comment that in general, anime characters are best represented by high-power rules like Mythic or Gestalt.

In this case, no. Black Jack is an anime about an unlicensed but incredibly talented surgeon who takes on bizarre cases that other doctors weren't able to treat. It's kind of like an anime version of House, but way more explicit and often disturbing. Brought to you by the man who made Astro Boy! It's pretty good, I hear, but I was admittedly turned off of it within 3 episodes when I tried to watch it 10+ years ago.

@Direct Topic: Your OP kind of put me in a bit of a pickle though. I really do think he is best represented as a Vivisectionist/Chirurgeon (the archetypes stack) Alchemist. Chirurgeon alone doesn't quite cut it; getting the Regenerate spell as an Extract from Vivisectionist is a pretty big deal, and I think Sneak Attack is a pretty good thematic option for the character, since as I recall he gets in a few fights over the course of the series an pulls the ol' "nick arteries with a scalpel and watch the blood spray" maneuver. Plus getting to use Int for your Heal checks is appropriate as well.

Given you are the GM, does it really matter whether Vivisectionist is "allowed" or not in your game, since you're making the NPC as a special treat for one of your players anyway?