It's not a character I've played but a concept that I had thought about a few years back.
He's a gladiator/pitfighter type who's a slave and pretty much has trained for and fought his entire life. He's so successful and made his master very wealthy that he was granted his freedom.
Knowing only how to kill and maim, this character strikes out on his own looking to join a group as a mercenary/hired hand.
-Intelligence and social skills, needless to say, are severaly lacking.
-Skills would be very limited, just the very basics.
-No heavy armor, maybe not even medium armor, but definately shields.
-Lots of dirty fighting tricks, large CMB and CMD bonuses.
-No knowledge of magic or magic items at all, i.e. no spells or spell like abilities but can use magic weapons and such.
-Proficient with any weapon.
-Bonuses for fighting against large monsters, as that's what he's been fighting against alot in the pit. Easily identifies weaknesses in large creatures and knows how to exploit them.
-Land speed is increased much like the monk.
A big damage dealer, but not much else. Maybe a cross between a barbarian and a monk, like a shocktroop maybe.
Maybe it's been done before or too cliched, but there it is.
Often times, we get bogged down in numbers. Who gets what powers at what level and such. But that's not the characters we REALLY remember playing. The ones we love, even years later, were fun concepts.
In this spirit, I invite you to post the character concepts you had the most fun playing, or playing with.
Mine: Acid, the stoner elf illusionist. He was high ALL the time. Perma-fried does not even begin. He would sometimes confuse in his mind the difference between illusion and conjuration. The best part was that, as the party faced more challenges and things got more serious, the others started partaking in his unique "blends". He eventually even got a load of mind-altering magic pills from the fey, who likes his outlook and partying nature.
Most fun: Elven Wizard/Assassin (1st Edition)
She was Chaotic Evil in a good aligned party.No one knew I was in that party to screw things up.
She was a devout follower of Hades. What dies, stays dead. PERIOD !
She was a pretty decent assassin too, sending Hades lots of souls :P
Best part was that she helped reinstate an old wizard and also follower of Hades to come back as a lich.
When the party cleric raised her from the dead, out of her rightful place in the underworld at Hades side, she had only one way to redeem herself. Bring the cleric into the clutches of the lich ...
Man that was a good night ... everything worked as planned ... the cleric is now sitting somewhere, oblivious to his surroundings. Only wanting to please the lich ;)
One of the best nights of play. Not soon there after people started to get on to me ... and I stepped out of the party :P
Besides her, I also played a magic user that quickly became known as the He-Mighty-Magic-User. Carrying about 3 extra wooden staffs.
First level Magic Users in 1st edition are fragile as hell. And very soon out of effective spells. So he just started clobbering enemies over their head. Destroying his staffs in the process.
Best heroic acts:
- Open a prison door on his str check (after the paladin with 18/00 str failed).
- Threw rocks at orcs and was the last man standing after a violent fight.
- As a last ditch effort he charged into melee with his staff, downhill with about 3hp left ... failing his dex check ... falling and doing 1d4 damage ... 3 damage ... knocking myself out cold :P
- Eaten by Two Headed Trolls ... :(
-TDL
I came up with a fairly memorable background for a player of mine who bit on the idea of playing a kobold in a 3.0 game I ran. His (known) background was that he was a devil, cursed to roam the material world for 1,001 years as "lower" forms of life (goblins, kobolds, etc.). Every time he died he would be reincarnated as another form of lower life.
His curse came from his crossing of a higher up devil who had usurped the system to his own gain, at the expense of my player character. The wheels of revenge were constantly turning in the player's mind, and there were lots of great roleplaying moments.
What he came to find out later on was that he was actually a fallen angel prior to becoming a devil, and thus learned that he did have good in his being. He was able to redeem himself ultimately at the culmination of the campaign.
One of the most memorable backgrounds of all of the characters of that campaign (a 5 year campagin), and he lasted from start to finish.
I am currently playing a cargo-cult cleric of the Eye of Abendego. He is a shipwreck survivor who was helped through his early life by things that washed up on sure (in his mind, gifted to him by Abendego).
His name is Ca-Caw as he thought all the crows in the area were calling to him. As you have likely guessed he is a bit clueless and more than a bit crazy. He travels with a party who are members of the Pathfinder guild. We get from place to place by having them take me to other Pathfinder HQs to question me about the Soddenlands. I think of myself as a "scholar" of Abendego. Sort of built-in adventure hooks.
This may be the most fun I have had with a character concept. WARNING: not for power gamers or munchikins as it is all roleplay. (I have nothing against either, by the way, as I like both styles of play, but this dude is sweet!)
Goo
I've played a rogue who was afraid of the dark.
Normal, well adjusted characters with standard backgrounds often come off as unique, though. When everyone tries to be too special, nobody is.
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Krome was a dwarf outcast from his clan.
Krome's mother was the granddaughter of the clan's chief. She was betrothed to a powerful general who led a larger clan. The marriage would bring great strength to the clan. She was sent to the general in a small caravan. Along the way she fell in love with a common soldier and had relations with him, becoming pregnant. The general discovered the affair and returned her to her clan in disgrace.
The chief could not bear to banish his darling granddaughter and instead enslaved her. Her son, Krome, was born a slave, and the great-grandson of the chief. Upon his birth a Wisewoman prophesied that Krome would never die in combat, but would drown. His only fear is water.
Krome worked hard to rid himself of the taint of his mother's infidelity. While technically still a slave, he managed to enroll in warrior school, mastering the dwarven waraxe. He was elevated from slavery into the clan's warrior class.
Alas, Krome was doomed to repeat his mother's folly. He fell in love with the wife of his commander. She bore him a son, though soon the commander discovered the betrayal.
The commander demanded his wife, the bastard son and Krome be killed as law allowed. The chief decided to enslave the wife an child and banished them to another clan. As for Krome he was sentenced to death.
Rampaging Fire Giants overran the clan before the sentence could be carried out. Krome managed to get free and slay many Giants. During the battle the commander was killed (some claimed by Krome). In light of recent events the chief decided to banish Krome rather than execute him.
In the middle of the night, as Krome was leaving he was approached by his great-grandfather, the chief. He ordered that Krome explore the world and found his own clan. As a parting gift, the chief bestowed his own axe upon Krome.
After several small adventures Krome found himself in an impossible situation. He cursed the gods and spat in the eye of death and through force of will and his strong arm, waded through endless foes. Recovering from the trial he joked about a god's sex life, or lack there of.
Little did he know, that in fact that very god had set up the encounter as a test of his character. Befitting the tasteless joke, the god cursed Krome with blue skin.
Krome wanders the world still, seeking a suitable land to settle and always seeking his beloved and his son.
They say the man most call Leatherback was born in the swamp, on the back of an enormous gator. His mother was a powerful sorceress, who forged all manner o' pacts with unnatural creatures with rare and terrible items. It's said that she plucked out her own son's left eye and gave it to a taloned swamp-fiend, and that the child ever after had skin like armor, proof against the weapons of the fearful and superstitious.
Rumor has it that he has full measure of his mother's power; that he burned a man down with a flick of his hand. Maybe that's so, and maybe it ain't... but I know for a fact that the Cutpurse's Guild sent three men with crossbows for him once, and shot him full of quarrels. He laughed at them, plucked the bolts from his skin like they was thistles, and cut down all the would-be assassins in a trice... before taking a horrible vengeance upon those who sought to have him killed. This I know, for I was there, and saw it with me own eyes...
(Constructed in 3.5. Human fighter, with the Shaky flaw (-2 to ranged attacks, reflected by only having one eye). Four feats at first level, of which two were Fey Heritage and Fey Skin -- the latter of which granted, at 1st level, DR 2/cold iron. He eventually multiclassed into warlock, and with another Fey feat or two plus the warlock levels had DR 5/cold iron by 6th level or so.)
I am currently playing a Pathfinder character named Kroughser, he is a 5th level half-orc barbarian, in my 9 years of playing dnd I consider him my best and most unique character, he is pretty standard for the most part but I have had the best roles with him ever, I bluffed a ogre werewolf into drinking a special poison that deals 100 points of damage and killed him, I also crited on a bbeg and slew him as well and finally I crited on a hound archon that was summoned against us , I was the first to swing at him so I just kind of ended combat, I also bull rushed this king out of a 5 story window and landed on him so he took the brunt of the damage.
The last character I played was a Wizard who was devoted to the lawful good god of the forge. Being a conjurer, he focused on conjuration (summoning) & (creation) spells to further the agenda of his god. He eventually pursued the Rainbow Servant prestige class, modified from the Couatle origin to his own god, and at level 20 became high bishop of the church of Corian. Word.
Another character I played on a play-by-post game was a rogue. He was a surgeon & anatomy expert who devoted himself to healing the sick (via the heal skill & use magic device), and was quite dedicated to the goddess of healing. He only fought with either a modified scalpel (dagger) or a sap to subdue enemies he found redeemable. In combat he drew on his anatomy training and always knew where hit to do the most damage.
Being unique doesn't necessarily make you useful. That's part of the concept I have for a character whose goal is to become the ultimate warrior.
The root of it started back when I was learning 3.5. I saw that the Fighter was proficient in every weapon, save the exotics. I had this great idea for a warrior who tries to find the meaning to his existence in every sword stroke, and finally becomes a monk after many hard years of questioning himself. The basic concept evolved into him having a huge retinue of enemies, from the friendly rival turned revenging assassin, to a weakening wizard who wants to use the nearly perfected forms inside of him as a component in an immortality spell.
With PF, it actually works really well. Fighters get a huge number of bonuses with a wide variety of weapons, and monks still get the exotic weapons I loved playing with. Plus, with even more feats, it's a match made in heaven. The character was supposed to be a LN Human whose family served nobility as bodyguards, but I never got him off paper/out of my head. I DM too much, it seems.
Long story short, the guy can fight with any weapon and is focused on making himself a perfect weapon. Really simple but I like the concept.
Sonachan, a comely female human dancer, who had been for several years held captive by an efreeti who kept her chained to a wall in his palace in the City of Brass, becomes posssessed by the spirit of a legendary chain-fighter that is trapped inside the magical adamantine spiked chain that binds her wrists whenever she is in danger. The chain is long enough that it doesn't hamper her in any way, and can be used as a weapon (spiked chain). Fun character to play! She is a frightened young girl until the shizzle hits the fizzle, then as she is about to faint, the hardened chain-fighter takes over . . .
I still want to play a burly, bearded, rowdy dwarf barbarian and not tell the party that she's female until it comes up (i.e, someone uses a masculine form of address in-character and she angrily corrects them). It's kind of silly but it amuses me.
It should be said, though, that "fun" isn't always the same as "unique". :)
One of my favorite ideas is to play a Lawful Good ex-paladin with lots of skeletons in his closet (think wild west type with a wide brimmed hat and a thousand-yard stare) who finally gets his atonement in-game, so that the other players see him go from rugged bounty hunter to knight-in-shining-armor. It's an old idea, but also a cool one.
Morphail Allegron, Head of the Pantheonic Party, Mayor of New Jerusalem, City of Millions. Tales will be told of him as the last govenor of the great, now fallen, city for thousands of years.
Born into the wealthy Allegron family who controlled the churches, his father was in position to inherit control of the family until his unexpected death. Seeking the truth behind his father's death, Morphail uncovered a plot by his uncle, next in line, to usurp the families power and aid the Ignostic party.
After having his uncle convicted of murder of the current head of household, he assumed leadership of both the Allegron family and the Pantheonic party. From there, he fought for freedom of religeous beliefs, as the elected mayor tried to kill all the Gods. Seeking to avoid bloodshed, Morphail pressed for peace and open dialogue, but the mayor would have none. Rallying the Pantheon, when the mayor's forces finally attacked, they were swiftly defeated in a battle that raged through the city for 3 days and nights. Blood poored into the streets, and the city went mad.
The mayor was public executed, and elections were held. The ballots were counted, and Morphail was the unquestioned winner. Naming his ally, the Golden Elf Lady Tal Rae Say, as the leader of the Bluearms, the peace keepers of the city, Morphail secured a position of power: a position he did not want, but was obligated to the People of Jerusalem to hold and restore Peace.
Meanwhile, the blood that ran in this, the 4th Holy war, joined that which had been festering for thousands of years. The emmerging conciousness of the city, a God in its own right, absorbed all the hate and malice. As mayor, Morphail fought this new being that sought nothing but to destroy. Many died that day, including his great friend Balthazad, Champion of Death, but the being was destroyed.
Offering recovery and to discuss the future of the city, the Paladin Tal Rae Say summoned her carriage to ride back to they mayoral estate with their body guards. No one but the bodyguard knows what truely happened in the carriage that day, but 3 bodies lined its floor. In their memory, her bodyguard Mathalis salvaged what he could of the great city of Jerusalem, but it slowly fell into decay. Now, just the towering spire Tal Rae Say summoned from annother plane still stands, surrounded by the ruins of those long dead. It is said the Vamperic Werewolf Waylund rules the city now, with the animated statue of Balthizad, Champion of Death, whose spirt now inhabits his armor.
Thus is the tragedy of Morphail Allegron
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Hmm, how about experiments going horribly wrong.
Shay'nya my 2e tiefling blade. She was neutral evil, not because of me wanting to play an evil character, but me wanting to play an evil character who could be redeemed, since I figured her travelling with a good party she'd learn the virtues of charity and sacrifice and I could play a very zealous do-gooder.
Failed because instead of the party redeaming her, they quickly fell down to her level.
Concepts that are still waiting to find paper.
Daniel Paultros, Taldan noble who works as a commited second line fighter in the party as a bard. Uses an oversized stein, filled with potent potables, and actually fights with a whip behind the fighter, tripping the foes and inspiring confidence. "Careful there, he almost made me spill my beer! Hit him harder! *wince* oh, sorry 'bout that but I'm sure the cleric can heal that ear..."
Talyn, Dhampir(Liber Mortis) swashbuckler (from the Tome of Secrets) comes across as bipolar, very joking and prone to pranks witicisms and living life, but deadly and not talkative at all in combat. Think of the look on the Doctor's face when he says 'No second chances, I'm that kind of man' in the Christmas special.
Lira, Halfling (or gnome) priestess of Sheylin. Meddler and matchmaker. Noted attribute, her glaive has rings on the back of the blade (like the Green Destiny blade) The image came to me from picturing her in a loud bar, not readily seen as more than her glaive bobbing among the humans, and the sound of the rings clinking.
I once played a dwarf barbarian called Galorom no beard. his barbarian tribe had been destroyed by a human tribe who's tradition was not to kill the non combatants but to take them in and make them part of their own clan... so at times there were be non humans in the clan. he always resented his differences even though the tribe treated him well. when he was older he fled the tribe to strike out on his own. he deep down felt that this betrayed the kindness the humans had shown him, and vowed that he would shave his beard until the day when he would return to the tribe and make a mends. of course he was slain in battle protecting his companions against a stone golum. which was actuall a pretty heroic death as his sacrifice allowed the rest of the party to survive as the cleric able to finish off the golum and revive the rest of the party... all but the poor dwarf.
Worlds Strongest Elf - The Ahnold-like wood elf with max strength. He carried a Goliath greathammer as a weapon and kept his beer in a barrel and adventuring supplies in a chest that were in the cart that he strapped on like a backpack.
My weirdest character was probably Hephaenestous U'Morael, an abjurer I played in Living Greyhawk. His "familiar" was a sock puppet named Pfollieneszgamar, who he insisted was a separate entity from himself. Eventually I multiclassed into cleric and mystic theurge, with the explanation that the sock puppet was actually the priest out of the duo. My favourite part was the look on the other players' faces when they saw I was actually wearing a sock puppet.
My weirdest character was probably Hephaenestous U'Morael, an abjurer I played in Living Greyhawk. His "familiar" was a sock puppet named Pfollieneszgamar, who he insisted was a separate entity from himself. Eventually I multiclassed into cleric and mystic theurge, with the explanation that the sock puppet was actually the priest out of the duo. My favourite part was the look on the other players' faces when they saw I was actually wearing a sock puppet.
We just started a new campaign with a summoner who has a snake eidolon. Our GM drew eyes on one of his socks and gave it to him, and he talked to himself the entire game.
I once played a Succubus who as part of her origin had been changed from evil to good via a Miracle spell and Pelor taking notice to intervene. That was an interesting campaign.
We just started a new campaign with a summoner who has a snake eidolon. Our GM drew eyes on one of his socks and gave it to him, and he talked to himself the entire game.Ooh, ooh, like DocOc from Spiderman2?? Can his Eidolon convince his character to change his alignment?
I'm not sure they have the same alignment :) As the GM, Loopy sometimes inserts words into the Eidolon's mouth.
In 3.5 I had Ghontix the Half-Arctic-Elf Arcane Hierophant. He had actually been dead for a couple millenia, and was a powerful Ranger/Barbarian in his former life.
He was entrusted with the responsibility of providing food for his clan (all arctic elves, save himself) at a young age. The seasons were harsh, Ghontix was inexperienced, and he could not hunt as well as was needed. One by one every person he had ever known, friends and family members included. He was the only clan member to resist starvation, as he was the only clan member without a -2 to Con.
He took his revenge on the arctic environment.
He began murdering any living thing he laid eyes on in the arctic; animals, dragons, even sentient humanoids. Not for food in any case. He killed because he could not stand to look at them. He found that, ironically, his previous inability to kill when needed was not a problem any longer. His hate for everything in the tundra gave him the strength he needed. His name (which means 'ogre' in Draconic) was given to him by the white dragon mother who eventually forced him out of the arctic after he killed her hatchlings.
He fled the arctic to go to the large swamp his absentee (human) father had come from. When he got there he was ill prepared to survive in this new, equally harsh environment. His murderous bender continued here until he was felled by a single monkey bite on his leg. He slew the monkey quickly and without thought. The wound was small, but got badly infected in the damp and diseased swamp.
After days he collapsed next to a treant sapling, unable to walk on his leg. For a reason he couldn't explain, he resisted killing the sapling, and instead tended to it and spoke to it for the last week of his life. He told the sapling about the death of his clan, his hate for the world that killed them, and the guilt he feels for everything he has done in his life.
His 2000 years of death gave him time to think, and gave the treant time to grow. The treant grew strong in 200o years, eventually petitioning for his release from eternal punishment. (This treant was actually part of the plot of this campaign, and was a demigod.) The treant resurrected him as a champion, but cursed him with a weak body (8 str, 14 dex, 10 con) and any combat prowess from before was long faded now. From this point he took alternating levels in sorcerer and druid until he got Arcane Hierohpant. His familiars/animal companions were always monkeys or apes of some kind and he specialized in frost damage spells. He was a major goody-goody and eventually got some exalted feats too.
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Wayfinder, PaizoCon Founder
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Right now, I'm playing Howell B. Talbot III, a human Taldoran paladin of Abadar. The B. in his name.....stands for Backus. After Jim Backus, the actor who played Mr. Howell.
Yep, Mr. Howell from Gilligan's Island. Thurston Howell III. Who better to be a follower of Abadar?
I play him complete with accent. Drives the Paizo folks nuts. You can follow the exploits on the Shadow under Sandpoint thread in the campaign journals...it's been stickified.
"Honest" Finial, Purveyor of Quality Elixirs. Feeling a bit under the weather? He's got just the thing. Of course his products doesn't actually do a damn thing, but really it's all in the selling, and he could sell anything. Including his soul. Of course, that doesn't help much when an angry navy recruiter beats him up and tosses him onto the nearest boat.
(Warlock con-man who got shanghai'd into the Royal Navy.)