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Tyrael
2007-11-02, 01:42 PM
Hey, folks. This is a follow-up to my "Jesus in Plate Mail" thread. I'm upping him to fit with our 13th-level campaign, and I'm a bit stuck on items. For the uninitiated, the concept of the character is sort of an undercover Knight who works with the poor, helps the needy, heals the wounded and generally works to improve the lives of those around him, regardless of who they might be.

As I've thought about him more, I'm thinking of trying to make him a bit like Vash the Stampede (an anime gunslinger who refuses to shoot fatally and always insists on making friends with everybody). However, in a DnD setting, this might work out as a bit problematic. In my head, this character is a Neutral Good Knight (hopefully getting my DM to handwave the Lawful restriction to make this concept work) who does everything in his power to protect people.

He walks around the world with all of his armor and weapons stored in his Ring of Arming(MIC), garbed in Shiftweave that lets him appear as a farmer, an artisan, a noble, a traveler, or a scholar, relying on his unassuming and harmless appearance to throw people off. When he's fully garbed, he's the penultimate tank (178HP, 31AC), but unarmored, he's a bit more squishy.

Since the Knight class doesn't allow for it, I want to have items that let him heal and help people other than himself. Ideally, I want something that can view enemy health or something, so he can do a nonlethal blow at the last minute and knock his foes out, stabilizing them if necessary with bandages.

This is the sort of scenario that I envision him in: Bandits attack the party on the road. "Get behind me!" the Knight orders some of the squishier party members. The Knight uses Ring of Arming to "transform" into Plate Mail Superman and whack the bandits around a bit. Instead of killing the bandit he's fighting, he knocks him out, then kneels down and heals his wounds with a touch. He then brandishes his sword at the rest of the bandits and says, "Let there be no more bloodshed today. Please, stand down. If you leave in peace, we will do the same, and your comrade can join you at supper tonight. If you do not, and attack, we will do the same with no mercy. What say you?"


So, crunch-wise, I need something that lets a Knight do some healing, or give bonuses to his teammates, or maybe bonuses to Diplomacy. However, I want to stay away from things that are too obviously magical. No teleportation or Beads of Force.



Thoughts?

Mr.Moron
2007-11-02, 01:51 PM
Ideally, I want something that can view enemy health or something, so he can do a nonlethal blow at the last minute and knock his foes out, stabilizing them if necessary with bandages.


Would a weapon with the merciful property work? That way it'd always deal nonlethal damage, instead of having to guess at it.

Keld Denar
2007-11-02, 01:57 PM
What is your class breakdown? Are you 13 levels of Knight(PHB2)? Or some combination of classes that behaves as a Knight? Or some combination thereof?

The easiest way would be a couple levels of paladin. You could heal your paladin level x cha modifier. You only need 1 hp of healing to stabilize a downed friend or foe.

If you are 13 straight levels of Knight, work with your DM to allow you to do something with Knights challeneges and healing. Maybe spend one challenge to heal another person hp = cha modifier or something. I don't think that would be too overpowered.

As far as telling hp remaining on friends and foes, that's all encompassed in the heal skill. You don't get an exact number, but if you ask your DM, you could make checks to determine where the one-hit-left region is. The DC would probably be somewhere around 20.

Hope this helps! Good Gaming!

Mephibosheth
2007-11-02, 01:59 PM
A Healing Belt (MIC) allows any character who wears one to do some limited healing (2d8 thrice per day, or more healing all at once). Any character can use it, and you can heal anyone with a touch.

Tyrael
2007-11-02, 02:02 PM
Yep, pure 13-level Knight. Paladin might work, but this character is less devoted to the gods as he is devoted to the overall idea of spreading hope and goodness throughout the world.

lord_khaine
2007-11-02, 02:05 PM
as usual ToB solves your melee troubles, grab a couple of levels in crusader and you can heal and buff your friends while beating down the opponents.

Telonius
2007-11-02, 02:27 PM
Possibly a level in Favored Soul?

Tyrael
2007-11-02, 02:37 PM
Favored Soul is a bit too religious, I think. Like I said, it's less about piousness and more about plain old kindness.

Crusader? Hmm. I skimmed over it and some of its maneuvers, and while they're nifty, it doesn't quite fit the fluff. Crusader seems to be all about self-righteous fury and justice and retribution, which doesn't quite jive that well with kindness and mercy to everyone.

Renegade Paladin
2007-11-02, 03:05 PM
And you think the knight class's fluff does fit the flavor? The knight is all about challenging and defeating enemies in solo combat.

Azerian Kelimon
2007-11-02, 03:25 PM
I'd say cruesy, and take a level of justiciar for Bring 'em back alive, which lets you do nonlethal damage. If your DM deserves the title, he'll tell you how the enemy is, whether wounded or healthy.

Tyrael
2007-11-02, 03:28 PM
Well, yes, true. But defeating doesn't always necessarily mean killing. It's a tricky line to walk. I want to defy the haughty Sir Tightwad Knight stereotype, but at the same time I want to keep the mundaneness of the Knight class. He's just a nice guy in armor who protects people. Cleric, Paladin and Favored Soul are too holy for the fluff, Crusader is too merciless, Fighter is too bland, Barbarian is too...well...barbaric.......Duskblade/Hexblade are too magical, etc, etc. I'm having trouble thinking of classes other than Knight that really fit the bill. The only one I could come up with might be a level or two of Factotum, since he relies on his foes underestimating him.

Edit: Justicar? Now there's a thought...I'll go look that up.


Edit 2: OMG, are you kidding me!? There's an actual PrC named Knight Protector! How weird is THAT!? Edit3: Aaaargh, it requires LG/LN.

Azerian Kelimon
2007-11-02, 03:30 PM
Aye, Crusader combined with Justiciar wold be swell. It'd be very similar to a superhero, since supers never hurt someone more than what's necessary to render them unconscious.

Telonius
2007-11-02, 03:52 PM
Well, without some levels of Paladin or other Divine casting class, being a member of House Jorasco in Eberron, or the use of magic items, there's only one route I've been able to find for this one. Nimbus of Light -> Stigmata. Both are Exalted feats from BoED.

Tor the Fallen
2007-11-02, 04:13 PM
Have you thought about exalted feats, such as vow of nonviolence? If you're not going to be violent, you may as well get some mechanical advantage from it.

serow
2007-11-02, 09:43 PM
Dragon Shaman? (PHB2)

DR aura helps protect your friends in battle. Healing aura to stabilise them (and enemies, if your DM allows). Talking aura to boost Diplomacy etc. Senses aura to help them get the jump on enemies (and move behind you). Do get "Double Dragonic Aura" feat at level 12.
A once-in-a-while breath weapon (which does not need to come from your mouth, just give it a different animation) and "Lay On Hands Plus" to help deal with status effects.

You can sink a level into fighter for the heavy armour and martial weapon profs if it fits your character style.

Knight_Of_Twilight
2007-11-03, 08:18 AM
What stops this character from being LG? Instead of being an advocate of a single set of laws, he could believe that people are responsible for one an another, and have a strong sense of community.

You could also just serve a "Cause" as a Paladin (As opposed to a religion) and then go into the Hospitaler class, or Defender of Sealtiel. Just a thought. :)

Townopolis
2007-11-03, 12:46 PM
If you have access to BoED you can just grab a truncheon as your primary weapon.

If not I can give you the stats right now.

It's a sap: except it's a martial 1 handed weapon with the next highest damage die.

ocato
2007-11-03, 01:46 PM
Crusaders are too merciless is a bit of a generalization. In fact, Tome of Battle notes that crusaders are often champions of peace. Heck! White Raven and Devoted Spirit's skills are Diplomacy (Let's not fight, come on) and Intimidate (you do not want to fight me). Also, Crusader stances and maneuvers have a whole lot of healing yourself and friends, and many of them allow you to funnel attacks and attention from them and on to yourself. If you hit my friends, I'll guard them, if you hurt them, my blows heal them. You will probably only take Stone Dragon stuff in the vein of the 'immovable guardian' stuff and less of the greater mountain crushinator strikes. Take a feat that allows for subdual damage without penalty (Subduing strike from book of Exalted Deeds) and flavor him as a protector.