SangoProduction
2023-07-20, 03:51 AM
Ran across some more strange character concepts, and wanted to see what I could do with them.
If you have any, let me know, and i'll try and implement them.
1) Time Echo: This character doesn't control time, but they can exist in multiple time points simultaneously. They're like a living echo, bouncing off events from the past and future to affect the present.
Alright. So, first Divination sphere (Divine Time). Also Divine Future, and Object Reading talents. Foreshadow and Prescience are both appropriate, if underwhelming sense talents, as would See Hazard (because in another timeline, you saw it go off).
Then in Dark sphere, I would take Shadow Lurk for actual time echos that have distorted physical manifestations.
And lastly from Conjuration sphere, you can build combat-buddies for more combative versions of yourself.
2) Living Library: This character has the ability to pull knowledge from any book they touch. They're walking, talking fonts of knowledge, making them powerful in their own intellectual way.
That's a rather narrow concept, but: Mind sphere, cognition talents. In particular, Intuit Knowledge, Mental Archive, and Rapid Processing.
3) Memory Thief: This character can steal and borrow memories from others. This doesn't just give them knowledge and skills of others but also allows them to erase, modify, or implant memories.
Mind sphere: Read Mind lets you ask a question as a powerful charm and yank it from their mind. Inception lets you also fabricate entirely new memories, and modify old ones. Amnesia lets you remove memories.
The Brain Consumption feat lets you add a bonus in 2 skills the creature's brain had. Consumptive Intuition also lets you gain a talent that the creature had when you consumed their brain.
4) Reality Graffiti Artist: This character can draw or paint things into existence. Their abilities might be limited to certain materials (like ink or spray paint), and the size and complexity of what they can create might be limited by their skill, imagination, and time.
Well, it's Illusion sphere, no doubt. Possibly also creation....in fact that sounds like Creation magic. Possibly also Conjuration for painting creatures. But the character might be more well defined by their tradition than their talents.
Definitely take Skilled Casting, which requires a skill check to make a successful cast. Extended Casting make the cast time longer. It would also definitely involve Somatic Casting. Magical Signs... because you are literally drawing in the air. Or water as the case may be.
5) Sonic Architect: This character uses sound to manipulate their environment. They could form sound barriers, use reverberations for echolocation, and harness different frequencies for various effects.
Both Creation (Object of Force) and Protection work pretty well for sound barriers. Divination senses include Tremorsense, and Blindfolded Oracle. Sensory Overload makes the target unable to take actions, and leaves them flat footed, and taking damage. Of course, Illusion (sounds) obviously makes sense, as do many Destructive blasts. Telekinesis definitely works.
6) The Stitcher: This character can sew things back together, not only fabric but also broken items, wounds, and maybe even abstract concepts like a fractured relationship or a broken promise.
I'll admit, I have absolutely no idea how I would make someone able to mend a broken promise. But at least with a relationship, you could reasonably use an Eliciter to invoke touch of love or joy (and paying more attention to that fluff than the hard mechanics), and it could work. Don't come to me with relationship advice ok. Just take skill ranks in Profession (Psychiatrist) or Perform (Speaking Earnestly).
But you can take the Creation sphere for Repair, Life sphere for healing, and Death sphere for zombies.
There's actually an archetype for the Scholar that's literally called Stitcher, which does have that hand crafted zombie feel.
7) Molecular Chef: This character can manipulate the molecular structure of any edible substance to create incredible meals that have unusual effects on those who consume them.
Creation sphere's Sustenance talent enable to change any inanimate object into an edible one.... oh, that's not actually what's being asked for.
Well, this is basically just a food mage. Most of the spheres have talents that create physical consumables of your spells. But you don't *honestly* need that if you're good at describing how you shove the Senzu Bean down your ally's throat for your Life magic.
8) Portal Dancer: This character can create portals, but only when performing a dance. The dance's complexity determines the portal's size and destination. The character could also add other dancers to create more complex portals.
That's... incredibly specific. So, Warp sphere. And for Tradition: Skilled Casting, and Somatic Components. Draining Casting can be representative of it being particularly rigorous dancing... or magic. That works too.
The Circle Casting Feat enables the aiding of other casters. And you can Conjure co-choreographers, or take the leadership feat (not Spheres, but there are sphere equivalents like the Leadership sphere) for the same thing, but... with class levels and stuff. The Athletics sphere has some good mobility talents that could be related back to dancing.
The Spell Proxy feat lets you enhance a target to act as though they had circle casting, even if they can't cast.
9) Glass Whisperer: This character can manipulate glass in all its forms. They could make it bend, shatter, reform, or even change its transparency.
Well... That's Creation sphere, with the Material Focus drawback. And take the Transparency and Forge talents... and that's basically it. Not to be dismissive or anything, that's just a very narrow concept.
10) The Cartographer: This character can step into maps, effectively teleporting to the location on the physical map. The limitations could be that they have to have been to the location before, or the map has to be of a certain quality.
Well, the True Teleport gives you a range of up to 100 miles per level. 1,000 miles by the time you qualify - roughly equivalent to going from New York City to Miami Florida or Los Angeles California to Denver Colorado. Almost 17 straight hours of driving at highway speeds with no traffic. For almost any non-world map you'd find in a D&D world, that's going to be sufficient.
You would just need a custom drawback that says that you must have a map to the location before you are able to use True Teleport, and then you're all set.
11) Flora Avatar: This character can merge with plant life. They could become a giant tree, control a field of grass, or communicate with forests to gather information.
Alteration sphere has Plant Transformation.
Nature sphere (Plant Geomancing) for the rest. Specifically what is asked for: Base Plant Geomancing for controlling grass (Entangle, powered downwards can reasonably invoke swaying in the grass.) And Speak with Elements
And for Merging, we have the Wraith class, with Path of the Anima.
Alright. That's all that I've gathered so far. Anyone got some more?
If you have any, let me know, and i'll try and implement them.
1) Time Echo: This character doesn't control time, but they can exist in multiple time points simultaneously. They're like a living echo, bouncing off events from the past and future to affect the present.
Alright. So, first Divination sphere (Divine Time). Also Divine Future, and Object Reading talents. Foreshadow and Prescience are both appropriate, if underwhelming sense talents, as would See Hazard (because in another timeline, you saw it go off).
Then in Dark sphere, I would take Shadow Lurk for actual time echos that have distorted physical manifestations.
And lastly from Conjuration sphere, you can build combat-buddies for more combative versions of yourself.
2) Living Library: This character has the ability to pull knowledge from any book they touch. They're walking, talking fonts of knowledge, making them powerful in their own intellectual way.
That's a rather narrow concept, but: Mind sphere, cognition talents. In particular, Intuit Knowledge, Mental Archive, and Rapid Processing.
3) Memory Thief: This character can steal and borrow memories from others. This doesn't just give them knowledge and skills of others but also allows them to erase, modify, or implant memories.
Mind sphere: Read Mind lets you ask a question as a powerful charm and yank it from their mind. Inception lets you also fabricate entirely new memories, and modify old ones. Amnesia lets you remove memories.
The Brain Consumption feat lets you add a bonus in 2 skills the creature's brain had. Consumptive Intuition also lets you gain a talent that the creature had when you consumed their brain.
4) Reality Graffiti Artist: This character can draw or paint things into existence. Their abilities might be limited to certain materials (like ink or spray paint), and the size and complexity of what they can create might be limited by their skill, imagination, and time.
Well, it's Illusion sphere, no doubt. Possibly also creation....in fact that sounds like Creation magic. Possibly also Conjuration for painting creatures. But the character might be more well defined by their tradition than their talents.
Definitely take Skilled Casting, which requires a skill check to make a successful cast. Extended Casting make the cast time longer. It would also definitely involve Somatic Casting. Magical Signs... because you are literally drawing in the air. Or water as the case may be.
5) Sonic Architect: This character uses sound to manipulate their environment. They could form sound barriers, use reverberations for echolocation, and harness different frequencies for various effects.
Both Creation (Object of Force) and Protection work pretty well for sound barriers. Divination senses include Tremorsense, and Blindfolded Oracle. Sensory Overload makes the target unable to take actions, and leaves them flat footed, and taking damage. Of course, Illusion (sounds) obviously makes sense, as do many Destructive blasts. Telekinesis definitely works.
6) The Stitcher: This character can sew things back together, not only fabric but also broken items, wounds, and maybe even abstract concepts like a fractured relationship or a broken promise.
I'll admit, I have absolutely no idea how I would make someone able to mend a broken promise. But at least with a relationship, you could reasonably use an Eliciter to invoke touch of love or joy (and paying more attention to that fluff than the hard mechanics), and it could work. Don't come to me with relationship advice ok. Just take skill ranks in Profession (Psychiatrist) or Perform (Speaking Earnestly).
But you can take the Creation sphere for Repair, Life sphere for healing, and Death sphere for zombies.
There's actually an archetype for the Scholar that's literally called Stitcher, which does have that hand crafted zombie feel.
7) Molecular Chef: This character can manipulate the molecular structure of any edible substance to create incredible meals that have unusual effects on those who consume them.
Creation sphere's Sustenance talent enable to change any inanimate object into an edible one.... oh, that's not actually what's being asked for.
Well, this is basically just a food mage. Most of the spheres have talents that create physical consumables of your spells. But you don't *honestly* need that if you're good at describing how you shove the Senzu Bean down your ally's throat for your Life magic.
8) Portal Dancer: This character can create portals, but only when performing a dance. The dance's complexity determines the portal's size and destination. The character could also add other dancers to create more complex portals.
That's... incredibly specific. So, Warp sphere. And for Tradition: Skilled Casting, and Somatic Components. Draining Casting can be representative of it being particularly rigorous dancing... or magic. That works too.
The Circle Casting Feat enables the aiding of other casters. And you can Conjure co-choreographers, or take the leadership feat (not Spheres, but there are sphere equivalents like the Leadership sphere) for the same thing, but... with class levels and stuff. The Athletics sphere has some good mobility talents that could be related back to dancing.
The Spell Proxy feat lets you enhance a target to act as though they had circle casting, even if they can't cast.
9) Glass Whisperer: This character can manipulate glass in all its forms. They could make it bend, shatter, reform, or even change its transparency.
Well... That's Creation sphere, with the Material Focus drawback. And take the Transparency and Forge talents... and that's basically it. Not to be dismissive or anything, that's just a very narrow concept.
10) The Cartographer: This character can step into maps, effectively teleporting to the location on the physical map. The limitations could be that they have to have been to the location before, or the map has to be of a certain quality.
Well, the True Teleport gives you a range of up to 100 miles per level. 1,000 miles by the time you qualify - roughly equivalent to going from New York City to Miami Florida or Los Angeles California to Denver Colorado. Almost 17 straight hours of driving at highway speeds with no traffic. For almost any non-world map you'd find in a D&D world, that's going to be sufficient.
You would just need a custom drawback that says that you must have a map to the location before you are able to use True Teleport, and then you're all set.
11) Flora Avatar: This character can merge with plant life. They could become a giant tree, control a field of grass, or communicate with forests to gather information.
Alteration sphere has Plant Transformation.
Nature sphere (Plant Geomancing) for the rest. Specifically what is asked for: Base Plant Geomancing for controlling grass (Entangle, powered downwards can reasonably invoke swaying in the grass.) And Speak with Elements
And for Merging, we have the Wraith class, with Path of the Anima.
Alright. That's all that I've gathered so far. Anyone got some more?