I am making a character for application to a PbP.
The rules are more restrictive than most, but I’m ok with that.
17 point buy
CRB only except the following
1 trait from APG, 1 additional trait if you take a drawback (which I will because I like the drawback concept)
Can have a story feat from Ultimate Campaign if good enough history/background for it
Start in Darkmoon Vale in northern Andoran.
I have not run a straight martial character in forever, so I was thinking about a barbarian (probably the half-orc). My thinking is that barbarians already do significant damage especially while raging. Most of the time, the ones I’ve seen that get the ‘do more damage’ type of rage powers actually end up wasting a bunch of their extra damage. So I was thinking of 2 other concepts:
OR
Have you tried something like this? Did it work well? Was it fun/interesting? How would you build it?
It should work.
If you want to intimidate grab the feat intimidating prowess and don't dump cha
I could see a stat array of
str 18 (+2 racial)
dex 12
con 14
int 10
wis 10
cha 10
If you don't need cha then drop cha to 7 and boost dex to 14 (personally I think any GM giving a point buy below 20 is begging for dump stats)
At a glance:
Terrifying Howl or Unexpected Strike will probably be your level 8 power. The other level 8 abilities are weak in comparison.
For your level 2, 4 and 6 abilities:
Guarded Stance is meh
Intimidating Glare is great.
No Escape is great, but very, very situational.
Quick Reflexes is a poor man's combat reflexes; good synergy with Terrifying Howl.
Roused Anger protects you from the fake-out.
Superstition is a Core rage power.
Feat-wise, go with Cleave and/or Vital Strike.
I suggest a human and stats like
Str 16
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 8
Wis 14
Cha 9
Then power attack a reach weapon and combat reflexes at level 1. Get some armor spinkes and a sling to go along from the start.
Supestition at level 2.
Weapon focus at 3.
Scent at 4 (along with stat gain to str and keep those coming)
Improved initiative at 5
Strength surge, renewed vigor, guarded stance, and unexpected strike would all be on my list.
And Lunge, improved sunder or bull rush, dodge and nimble moves as well.
For trait i would take armor expert, Suspicious or birthmark.
If you go with Suspicious max out sense motive along with perception, intimidate and survival. If not pick some other skill or a littel bit of the other class skills.
Good luck.
Edit: fixed mistake
Edit again: you can also take wis 12 and loise the dump stats.
Ok, I’m looking at
Half-Orc (I don't like playing humans for some reason)
S: 18(16+2), D: 12, Co: 14, I: 12, W: 7, Ch: 12 or W: 12, Ch: 7
Traits: bastard (sense motive) OR dangerously curious (UMD) and highlander (stealth)
Drawback: paranoid
Story Feat: nemesis OR vengeance
Feats and rage powers:
1 power attack
2 superstition
3 improved bull rush
4 no escape OR scent, +1 str
5 iron will
6 intimidating glare
7 vital strike
8 terrifying howl, +1 str
9 greater iron will
10 unexpected strike
Not sure if I will do a Glaive or Greataxe.
How does that look?
We will be starting at level 1.
I do not know what level for the end.
Yes, intimidate check may be low (depending upon whether the wis or cha is set to 7) but terrifying howl does not use the intimidate skill. Just your level and strength.
Ok, I’m looking at
Half-Orc (I don't like playing humans for some reason)
S: 18(16+2), D: 12, Co: 14, I: 12, W: 7, Ch: 12 or W: 12, Ch: 7
Traits: bastard (sense motive) OR dangerously curious (UMD) and highlander (stealth)
Drawback: paranoid
Story Feat: nemesis OR vengeanceFeats and rage powers:
1 power attack
2 superstition
3 improved bull rush
4 no escape OR scent, +1 str
5 iron will
6 intimidating glare
7 vital strike
8 terrifying howl, +1 str
9 greater iron will
10 unexpected strikeNot sure if I will do a Glaive or Greataxe.
How does that look?
I think Wis is more important than int and i think you want at least dex 13 if you want to go with a reach weapon( because of combat reflexes).
The difference between 16 and 18 in str at level 1 is really only + 1 to hit most of the time if you plan on power attacking with a big weapon. Because almost everything will die from one hit. But the 5 build points can men a lot.Intimidationer glare in not very good if you go with cha 7. And strength surge is very important i think. I would take both Lunge and nimble step before vital strike.
Other than that it looks ok;)
Remember to tell us how it goes.
Edit : my ipad tryed to help me spell
...
I think Wis is more important than int and i think you want at least dex 13 if you want to go with a reach weapon( because of combat reflexes).
The difference between 16 and 18 in str at level 1 is really only + 1 to hit most of the time if you plan on power attacking with a big weapon. Because almost everything will die from one hit. But the 5 build points can men a lot.
Intimidationer glare in not very good if you go with cha 7. And strength surge is very important i think. I would take both Lunge and nimble step before vital strike.
Other than that it looks ok;)
Remember to tell us how it goes.
Edit : my ipad tryed to help me spell
I might lower charisma instead of wisdom. But that is why I took iron will and improved iron will. I agree that a dominated barbarian is a parties nightmare.
Wasn't really planning on combat reflexes but it is an item for consideration.
I really was thinking about dropping the strength 2 points, but hadn't made up my mind yet.
Intimidating glare is just there as a prerequisite for terrifying howl which is much nicer.
Strength surge is really only valuable if I want to be great at combat maneuvers a single time each day. It seems like I will either not use it at all or want to use it a lot more than that.
Lunge is very nice. I might take that rather than vital strike. Especially if I end up not using a reach weapon.
I have rarely been in a situation where I thought nimble moves would be helpful. There have been a couple of times I wanted to take a 5' step in difficult terrain, but not enough that I wanted to spend a feat on it.
...
Intimidating glare is just there as a prerequisite for terrifying howl which is much nicer.Strength surge is really only valuable if I want to be great at combat maneuvers a single time each day. It seems like I will either not use it at all or want to use it a lot more than that.
Lunge is very nice. I might take that rather than vital strike. Especially if I end up not using a reach weapon.
I have rarely been in a situation where I thought nimble moves would be helpful. There have been a couple of times I wanted to take a 5' step in difficult terrain, but not enough that I wanted to spend a feat on it.
Terrifying howl is only good if you have a way to make them shaken. Strength surge is not once pr Day but once pr Rage and can also be used defensively.
Nimble step i guess depending on if the GM plaster the combat map with difficult terrain. If he does it is very very good with a reach weapon.
Hmm... Good catch. I misread terrifying howl. That kinda bites. Don't think I will take those 2 then.
Half-Orc (I don't like playing humans for some reason)
S: 18(16+2), D: 12, Co: 14, I: 12, W: 7, Ch: 12 or W: 12, Ch: 7
Traits: bastard (sense motive) OR dangerously curious (UMD) and highlander (stealth)
Drawback: paranoid
Story Feat: nemesis OR vengeance
Feats and rage powers:
1 power attack
2 superstition
3 improved bull rush
4 no escape, +1 str
5 iron will
6 scent
7 vital strike OR lunge
8 unexpected strike, +1 str
9 greater iron will
10 strength surge OR roused anger
Hmm... Good catch. I misread terrifying howl. That kinda bites. Don't think I will take those 2 then.
Half-Orc (I don't like playing humans for some reason)
S: 18(16+2), D: 12, Co: 14, I: 12, W: 7, Ch: 12 or W: 12, Ch: 7
Traits: bastard (sense motive) OR dangerously curious (UMD) and highlander (stealth)
Drawback: paranoid
Story Feat: nemesis OR vengeanceFeats and rage powers:
1 power attack
2 superstition
3 improved bull rush
4 no escape, +1 str
5 iron will
6 scent
7 vital strike OR lunge
8 unexpected strike, +1 str
9 greater iron will
10 strength surge OR roused anger
I have no new Wisdom to throw at you. Now it just needs a name and a story.
I suppose Terrifying Howl is not aweful. But it certainly needs the build to really concentrate on it.
Three feats that were not on my initial choices (they aren't horrible though).
Two rage powers.
Keep a skill maxed.
And the first 2 rounds of combat not doing damage.
Not sure that is worth it, but I will think about it.
Well, it now sounds like this may only go to 6th level. So I think I'm looking at this.
Half-Orc (I don't like playing humans for some reason)
S: 18(16+2), D: 12, Co: 14, I: 12, W: 12, Ch: 7
Traits: suspicious (sense motive) and highlander (stealth)
Drawback: paranoid
Story Feat: vengeance OR nemesis
Feats and rage powers:
1 power attack
2 superstition
3 improved bull rush
4 no escape, +1 str
5 iron will
6 scent
Not that I didn't appreciate everyone's advice. But once I started working on his backstory and personality. I realized I realy wanted for him to have been thrown out of the church and have a cleric level to start with.
Male Half-Elf Cleric 1 of Desna
CG Medium humanoid (elf, human)
Init +6; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6
--------------------
Defense
--------------------
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16 (+4 armor, +2 shield, +2 Dex)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +4; +2 vs. enchantments
Immune magic sleep; Resist elven immunities
--------------------
Offense
--------------------
Speed 30 ft.
Melee heavy shield bash -1 (1d4+3/×2) and
. . dagger +3 (1d4+3/19-20/×2) and
. . morningstar +3 (1d8+3/×2)
Ranged sling +2 (1d4+3/×2)
Special Attacks agile feet, channel energy, touch of chaos
Spell-Like Abilities
. . 4/day—touch of chaos
Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +2):
1st (2/day)—longstrider, hide from undead (DC 12), protection from evil
0 (at will)—stabilize, detect magic, light
--------------------
Statistics
--------------------
Str 17, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 7
Base Atk +0; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Perception)
Story Feat vengeance
Traits indomitable faith, magical knack
Drawback paranoid
Skills Knowledge (local) +2, Knowledge (religion) +5, Perception +6, Sense Motive +5, Spellcraft +5; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
Languages Common, Elven, Goblin
SQ aura, domains (chaos, travel), elf blood, spontaneous casting
Combat Gear Acid; Other Gear Hide armor, Heavy wooden shield, Dagger, Morningstar, Sling, Backpack (8 @ 13.5 lbs), Bedroll, Belt pouch (6 @ 3.32 lbs), Fishhook, Flint and steel, Holy symbol, wooden (Desna), Signal whistle, Soap, Spell component pouch, Trail rations (3), Waterskin, Whetstone, 1 PP, 4 GP, 4 SP, 7 CP
--------------------
TRACKED RESOURCES
--------------------
Acid - 0/1
Agile Feet (4/day) (Su) - 0/4
Cleric Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (1/day) (DC 8) (Su) - 0/1
Dagger - 0/1
Touch of Chaos (4/day) (Sp) - 0/4
Trail rations - 0/3
--------------------
Special Abilities
--------------------
Agile Feet (4/day) (Su) For 1r, you ignore difficult terrain.
Aura (Ex) The Cleric has an aura corresponding to his deity's alignment.
Cleric Channel Positive Energy 1d6 (1/day) (DC 8) (Su) Positive energy heals the living and harms the undead; negative has the reverse effect.
Cleric Domain (Chaos) Granted Powers: Your touch infuses life and weapons with chaos, and you revel in all things anarchic.
Cleric Domain (Travel) Granted Powers: You are an explorer and find enlightenment in the simple joy of travel, be it by foot or conveyance or magic. Increase your base speed by 10 feet.
Elf Blood You are counted as both elven and human for any effect relating to race.
Elven Immunities +2 save bonus vs Enchantments.
Elven Immunities - Sleep You are immune to magic sleep effects.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in low light, distinguishing color and detail.
Magical Knack (Cleric) +2 CL for a specific class, to a max of your HD.
Spontaneous Casting The Cleric can convert stored spells into Cure or Inflict spells.
Touch of Chaos (4/day) (Sp) With a melee touch attack, target takes the lower of 2d20 for each d20 roll for 1 round.
"But I'll be honest, I'm really not much of a healer and didn't know about the problem before I got here. I'm really trying to find my brother Robelar. Well really my half brother." He mutters to himself"Even though I get the taunts, he's the real bastard."
Incredulously, "Missing my family!" With a sneer he hisses, "Well I guess you could say that. Missing the opportunity to end him! I've missed him several times you see. But he managed to flee town before I caught him."
"What happpened? I'll tell you what happened. See there where 2 half brothers in the little town of Liberthane in the River Kingdoms. One the widow had out of wedlock late in her life. Obviously, he would inherit nothing. The only thing to do with him was give him to the church. Oddly enough, the child wasn't too bitter about that. As he got older he actually understood that was the best she could manage for him. And the church was a peaceful place where people mostly left him alone and just forgot about him. The taunting children wouldn't follow him into the church so it was a relief of sorts."
"But see, there was still the first legitimate son. Even though he would inherit his father's business and everything else, he still couldn't get past that is mother had born a half-breed. He did everything he could to make their lives miserable."
"Then one day, he just couldn't take it anymore. Some unknown 'friends' had gavin him some drugs. When he found that the mother was visiting her second son in the church the he had the drugs added to their lunch. When both were delirious he snuck in to kill them both and make it look like a drunken brawl gone bad. After the proper son slashed his own mother's throat, he tried to do the same with his half brother."
"But the other wasn't quite as helpless he was a big young man and the drugs had not affected him as much and he's strong as a bear. They struggled over the blade. The noise of their crashing around brought others. And the legitimate son fled in fear."
"The greedy priest of the small church saw an opportunity. Since no one wanted to see the bastard inherit and there was the 'question' of drugs. It was decided that the second son was at least partially to blame. After all what can be expected of an uncivilized half-breed like that. He was thrown out of the church. In sorrow, the church took possesion of all that the family had."
"I really don't care about that though. I knew nothing about the carravan business and had never really been meant to sit in a corrupt little church moldering away the years."
"Fate has it in for me and a body can't trust no one but himself. If the priest thought I was uncivilized before, he should see me now. But Robelar will not get away with what he did. In some of his notes he mentioned the 'friends in Darkmoon' who had given him the drugs. Plus he fled town in this general direction. So I came to the area for a pleasant old family reunion. I mean to meet out punishment to my dear brother for our mother's cruel murder."
Feats and rage powers:
2 superstition
3 power attack
4 no escape, +1 str
5 improved bull rush
Not that I didn't appreciate everyone's advice. But once I started working on his backstory and personality. I realized I realy wanted for him to have been thrown out of the church and have a cleric level to start with.
** spoiler omitted **...
This is great. Love the story.
If i May come with one suggestion. It is to dip a level as something pehaps unbreakeable figther or what ever because at the built is now you will get rage power and feat at Odd levels and nothing new at even levels. And that May be boring:)
Thanks.
CRB only, so no archtypes. I don't think just 1 level of vanilla fighter gives enough to dip another class.
Besides, I really don't mind more stuff every other level.