How would you stat out Jack and Aku?

[elonin]

Even though Jack is a samurai I'd tend to think that he doesn't have these levels. From the series Jack would have maxed out climb and jump and tend to have levels in near full BAB classes. He might have class levels in ranger and a monk (he has at least trained with monks)

[Drakevarg]

Looking at Jack's training montage, he's either a straight fighter, or has at least one level in every martial class. Which is of course unlikely, what with Monk and Barbarian being mutually exclusive by RAW.

As for Aku, he's probably a diety of some sort.

[DementedFellow]

Ranger, favored enemy (robots), taken multiple times.

[tyckspoon]

Warblade. Diamond Mind, Iron Heart, and the movement-enhancing Tiger Claw maneuvers. Part of Tome of Battle's design goal was to make characters like Jack function in the D&D rules.

[Xenogears]

Give him some levels in the Blade Dancer PrC from OA. A one level dip would uncap your max jump height, give a +10 bonus on Jump, Tumble, and Balance, and double his speed. Some more levels increase all of that and let him enchant his blade once per day. I think only 1-5 levels. Prolly only 1. Actually 1-2 levels in the OA Samurai would be pretty good. Gives him a bonus feat and a katana and wakizashi that can be enchanted directly (instead of selling your loot at half price and then using the gold), good fort and will saves, and 4 skill points. So a little better than fighter in some circumstances. Also one level of the Singh Rager (or any other class that gives Rage while allowing Lawful alignment).

Thats a start.

[SurlySeraph]

@^: So, Kensai levels?

[Xenogears]

@^: So, Kensai levels?

That would work good with it as well....

Actually the Singh Rager PrC might work pretty good now that I think of it. You need Ki Shout but it lets you use it more often, pumps the DC, and gives you Greater Ki Shout for free (and Jack does love his shouting...), plus pounce after a few levels, rage, and some other abilities.... all while staying Lawful.

[Drakevarg]

In terms of fluff, Kensai would be almost perfect. Oath? Kill Aku. Signature weapon? God-slaying katana of DOOM.

On a tangent, why does DnD keep insisting that katanas are bastard swords? I've held many of them in my life and they're pretty clearly longswords.

Or perhaps being six feet tall just makes me think that they're perfectly serviceable one-handed weapons...

[Xenogears]

In terms of fluff, Kensai would be almost perfect. Oath? Kill Aku. Signature weapon? God-slaying katana of DOOM.

On a tangent, why does DnD keep insisting that katanas are bastard swords? I've held many of them in my life and they're pretty clearly longswords.

Or perhaps being six feet tall just makes me think that they're perfectly serviceable one-handed weapons...

Well Bastard Swords are also known as Hand and a Half swords due to the style of switching from one handed to two handed (Or so I've heard). So it can be used either way. Also Katana's were most commonly (though variation was common) used two handed.

Back to Jack now. Let me think. If we're going with Kensai there is no need for Samurai so switch that to plain Fighter. Then get spellcasting (either a feat or a 1 lvl dip in something like assassin) for Blade Dancer, go 4 lvl of Singh Rager for pounce and rage and yelling, then finish off with Kensai? Might work. Too many of those PrC's need to be taken later though...

[SurlySeraph]

Two reasons.

1. Like bastard swords, you can wield them in one hand (like Miyamoto Mushashi) or in two hands (like a normal person) effectively.
2. That way they do slightly more damage, thus placating the katana fanboys.

[Doomboy911]

I'd throw Jack under samurai because of the ancestrial weapon.

[Thurbane]

Could Aku be an advanced Shadow Demon with levels of Wizard or similar?

...also, lets not devolve into a katana vs. bastard sword argument. There's a reason this exact topic was once banned for over a year on the WotC forums - both sides of the debate seem a little too passionate about excatly how effective a katana is compared to Western style swords.

[JoshuaZ]

Jack probably is something like Swordsage 8/Master of Nine 5 or something like that. Tome of Battle does a good simulation for a lot of what he can do and Master of Nine gives him mastery of all the major martial arts which fits in well with the fluff. Maybe with a few monk levels thrown in. It might actually make sense to gestalt him with fighter on the other side for some bonus feats. Probably though no Desert Wind maneuvers since he never seems to do much like stuff in that school. Gestalt of Swordsage 8/Master of Nine 5 on one side with Fighter 6/Monk 6/Warblade 3 would probably do decently.

Aku is probably a low level demigod. So probably 1 divine rank. According to the SRD deities are supposed to have 20 ranks in a single class and add on from there but that doesn't simulate him well. So I'm going go suggest divine rank 1 with wiz 3/cleric 3/mystic theurge 10. Cleric domains probably darkness and death.

Jack's sword should probably be an artifact which is something like a +5 Keen, Ghost Touch sword which has the special ability of being able to threaten critical hits against Aku despite Aku's divine template.

How does that sound?

[Drakevarg]

Given his apparent Immunity: Everything that isn't Jack's sword, I'd say he's almost certaintly a diety of some sort.

[Xenogears]

Jack's sword should probably be an artifact which is something like a +5 Keen, Ghost Touch sword which has the special ability of being able to threaten critical hits against Aku despite Aku's divine template.

How does that sound?

Given that the sword was literally forged by gods It most certainly qualifies as an artifact. I'd say take the angelwing Razor from BoVD (Ironic....) as the base. Can cut through anything even a wall of force. Then have Aku be protected by a permanent non-dispellable Wall of Force. Now only Jack can hurt him.

[elonin]

Aku is clearly a god (at least lesser diety) from the episode "birth of evil". I like the theme of kensai and ranger for Jack. For the standard game Jack seems to have a good number of ranks in the sense skills, though he's also intelligent. He also clearly has power attack and improved critical. He isn't a brute fighter only though.

[arguskos]

Jack: Good enough to defeat anything.
Aku: Can't be beat by anything.

They're practically the IDEAL Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object scenario. More interesting to me is... what's the Scotsman?

[Eldariel]

I'd say Jack has all lucky sevens base 18s across the board, even in...nay, especially in Cha. He's brilliant, wise, quick, strong, durable and especially gawd damn charismatic. And he kicks a god's ass on regular basis.

[Drakevarg]

Jack: Good enough to defeat anything.
Aku: Can't be beat by anything.

They're practically the IDEAL Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object scenario. More interesting to me is... what's the Scotsman?

Which is exactly why the show was so awesome.

As for the Scotsman... Barbarian maybe?

[Prime32]

I would go with a swordsage/factotum for Jack. Swordsage for his fighting abilities, Factotum because he's good at improvisation. Don't forget the Leap of the Heavens feat so he can "jump good".

The sword is an artifact. Made of starmetal. If you want something similar try a starmetal holy avenger.

[chiasaur11]

Jack: Good enough to defeat anything.
Aku: Can't be beat by anything.

They're practically the IDEAL Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object scenario. More interesting to me is... what's the Scotsman?

A fan of Haggis.

[arguskos]

A fan of Haggis.

Damn straight he is. But is he No True or not? XD

[Prime32]

Thought on the sword:
A magic item which lets you cast a touch-range spell with the Purify Spell metamagic feat applied? If Aku tried to use it on Jack he would take no damage.

Bear in mind that Jack once killed an evil well by stabbing it.

[Beorn080]

The Scotsmen is definitely some form of barbarian. He has an utterly chaotic fighting style that fits in perfectly with a barbarian's rage. I would also say he has a high level 5/day wand of magic missile for a leg.

[Xenogears]

The Scotsmen is definitely some form of barbarian. He has an utterly chaotic fighting style that fits in perfectly with a barbarian's rage. I would also say he has a high level 5/day wand of magic missile for a leg.

Wand? WAND? WAND?! It's clearly a staff or rod.

[Drakevarg]

Thought on the sword:
A magic item which lets you cast a touch-range spell with the Purify Spell metamagic feat applied? If Aku tried to use it on Jack he would take no damage.

Bear in mind that Jack once killed an evil well by stabbing it.

Again, it's abilities and origin both point towards it being a Major Artifact powered by Plot.

[elonin]

Oh yea the Scotsman is definitely a barbarian. Jack has defeated Aku before but couldn't get the kill shot in.

[Harperfan7]

Jack, like all fictional badasses, is gestalt.

Definitely Samurai (oriental adventure), Monk, Warblade, & Weapon Master.

I just don't know how much of what.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

They're practically the IDEAL Unstoppable Force vs. Immovable Object scenario. More interesting to me is... what's the Scotsman?

Racial HD in Scotsman.

[Baron Malkar]

If you consider Jacks sword to be finesse-able the duelist from Urban arcana on a quick hero base seems to cover all the bases including deflecting bullets with his sword...Ahem. At least thats how I see it.