Darthslaverus's page

1) Titan Mauler (Barbarian): I'll echo the sentiment that this is a really awesome concept brought down by wonky mechanics. I'd love to wield oversized weapons, dual-wield great weapons, and maybe eve dual-wield oversized great weapons as a capstone!

2) Skirmisher (Ranger): I've always felt that spells were really tacked-on to the Ranger, and that the magic-using variants should be the archetypes instead. This was a nice compromise, and I'd love to see the idea of a "mundane" Ranger expanded upon.

3) Swarm Monger (Druid): It was a toss-up between this one and Goliath Druid, as they're both very unique takes on the Druid that switch-up mechanics nicely, but this one feels just a bit more fitting for a Core Druid, in my opinion. The swarm form is very flavourful.

4) Toxicant (Alchemist): I'm really sad this archetype doesn't get a lot of attention, as it's one of the few poison-based archetypes I feel is worthwhile. Having your very own reneweable poison that deals HP damage and can be customized to inflict a wide variety of conditions is really cool.

5) Sound Striker (Bard): I like the concept of a character who primarily uses sonic damage in battle, and this is one of the few ways to accomplish that. It'd be cool to see a more elaborate version of this archetype in 2e, with more sound-based abilities.

Honourable mentions include the aforementioned Goliath Druid and the Promethean Alchemist (homunculi are creepy and cool). I'll also second the implementation of more ooze-based character options, as they're one of my favourite monsters.

Getting back on topic, one of the many character I've created but haven't gotten around to playing yet is a devil-spawn Tiefling shamaness from Minata, who venerates her own personal pantheon of Earth-related deities (Stone is her main spirit), which includes:

Ayrzul, Elemental Lord of Earth (For his raw dominion over the element, as well as the secrets the earth holds)

Yamatsumi, Tian god of Mountains and Volcanoes (Representing both the destructive and renewing properties of earth)

Eldas, Empyreal Lord of Architecture and Masonry (Representing the earth's capacity to create, as well as its benefits to mortals)

and Irori (Something of an outlier due to not being especially affiliated with the element, but she subscribes to his message that every individual has their own unique path to enlightenment, and strives to emulate his strict discipline)

The character herself is LN, so with the exception of Ayrzul, she could probably identify with most of their followers. While she doesn't draw power from any of them, I would say she certainly derives inspiration from their respective teachings when trafficking with her spirits.

Now here's one of my favourite Empyreal Lords! Though I feel like he often gets a bad rap on these forums, I personally love Dammerich's portfolio and aesthetic. The idea of a celestial being taking up such a grim mantle to keep his comrades from bloodying their hands is a fascinating one, and I feel like a lot of people mistake him for some kind of bloodthirsty zealot- his obedience makes it clear that his followers never take executions lightly, and his write-up suggests they hunt those who unjustly punish the innocent.

Once again, I have a character concept that predates this thread, whom I refer to as "The Headsman of Isger": A hulking, Kyton-spawn Tiefling who always wears an executioner's hood emblazoned with the emblem of the Isgeri army. I envision him as a former soldier turned agent of justice in the wake of Isger's lawlessness, trying to overcome his innate fascination with pain and death with the meditative blows of greataxes. However, I'm thinking of making him Neutral Good, perhaps more prone to "frontier justice" than he'd like to be, which might lead to some interesting roleplay during his Celestial Obedience.

Class-wise, I originally was going to go Inquisitor, though I've become more and more enamoured of late with the idea of making him a Bones Oracle, raising the corpses of executed evildoers so that they might attain some measure of atonement before their final judgment (My usual GMs don't consider necromancy always evil).

I think this might be the first time I follow the actual spirit of these threads and create a character from scratch. :P

If I were to create a character for a Nergal-focused campaign, I think I would make a twisted warrior who takes soldiering to its darkest extreme, a man who carries out the salting of fields, the burning of homes, and the massacre of dissidents in a ritualistic fashion. The character would consider committing atrocities to be the highest calling of any solider, as it represents the setting aside of petty mortal morals, a personal sacrifice of one's own humanity to further Hell's uncompromising view of order. In keeping with Nergal's lawful aspect as an infernal duke, the character would likely encourage a chilling sense of professionalism in others, emphasizing the importance of following every command, no matter how vile. Although a strict disciplinarian, he might well come to view his companions as brothers and sisters-in-arms, and would try to assuage any guilt they might feel as a result of their actions, like an evil team dad.

Class-wise, I would definitely make this character a Cha-focused class. Cavalier, Flame/Battle Oracle, Skald, and Mesmerist all seem like good choices. I think I'd lean toward Skald, actually, just to help bring out the worst in others.

I can see the character being motivated by a disdain for conventional, chivalrous tactics- perhaps a decisive battle in the character's past was lost due to a commander's sentimentality or sense of honour.

I once had a Nurgal-worshipping character concept for a friend's proposed Darklands campaign, though it wound up never seeing the light of day (heh). The idea was an Ifrit Inquisitor with the Immolator archetype, who was something of a dark missionary. He considered the Drow heretics for not counting Nurgal among their many demonic patrons, and he hoped to forcibly convert them by burning their cities to ash with the Shining Scourge's light. Because the campaign was supposed to begin with the party being hired by the Elves of Kyonin, he also disguised himself as a priest of Sarenrae to keep his nefarious agenda hidden.

I thought it would be an interesting roleplaying challenge, having to carry out Nurgal's demonic obedience without knowing the exact time due to the adventure taking place underground (iirc, it involves self-flagellation under the sun at precisely noon).

Hello again! Ashava is one of my favourite Empyreal Lords, especially on the Chaotic end of the spectrum. Her portfolio is very interesting, and I've always had a soft spot for dancer characters. For some reason, I find Ashava far more appealing than some of the other CG deities with similar themes (namely Desna and the Black Butterfly, both of whom I kinda dislike).

Once again I bring two concepts to the table, though neither of these prospective Ashavans are very fleshed out in terms of actual character.

My first is a Gunslinger/Medium who practices a martial art akin to gun kata, dancing to the rhythm of their gunshots while hunting will o' wisps and other evil spirits. The Medium levels would reflect the character allowing themselves to be used as a vessel for lonely spirits, letting them guide him/her before in turn guiding them to the afterlife. I picture the character prowling through the woods of Ustalav, like some kind of dancing Van Helsing.

My second would be a Werewolf-kin Infiltrator Inquisitor, drawing inspiration from the fact that Ashava counts good-aligned and celestial lycanthropes among her ranks. The character would infiltrate communities of evil lycanthropes, especially cults of Jezelda, and attempt to reform as many individuals as possible, before bringing the group to justice.

I really enjoy these threads, since I love playing worshippers of the less prominent deities- I should actually post in them, starting now.

Anyways, I actually have two character concepts that venerate Belial in the works (I have dozens of unused characters XP). The first is a female Lashunta Sorcerer with the Impossible bloodline. An architect by trade, she seeks to combine logic and passion to create perfect beauty in both herself and her works, having heard that other races consider female Lashunta to be the most beautiful women in the universe. The Impossible bloodline reflects her ability to create, much like Phlegethon's forges (the free crafting feats), as well as her ability to arouse passion in even mindless creatures with a wave of the hand (the ability to affect constructs with mind-affecting effects, as well as the Disorienting Touch).

The second is a Human Unchained Monk, the scion of a monastic tradition similar to that of the Sisters of the Golden Erinyes. She trains relentlessly to achieve what she views as physical perfection- the ideal fusion of beauty and athleticism, able to inflict pain, pleasure, or both with her caress. However, in a twist, despite striving to an alluring temptress, she is ultimately a forbidden fruit: She's saving herself for none other than Belial himself.

Both are works in progress, the latter moreso than the former.

I would also really like to see something like this, with art and/or obediences for the Tien deities. Tsukiyo and Lao Shu Po are two of my favourite deities in the setting, and it would be awesome to see them expanded further.

Ooh, I like the sound of this. Consider me interested (as if my avatar wasn't enough of a clue!).

My, the discussion about this class has certainly progressed since I last posted! I'm firmly in the camp for keeping all 54 spirits; I love variety in builds.

Still, I stand by giving the class full BAB, since I'm not sure an increased number of trances would fix the problem of the lack of stuff to do at early levels. I love the Soulknife, and I think it would be cool to see a "psychic martial" character among the new classes. If nothing else, it might make a cool archetype, perhaps? :)

Definitely Norgorber. Nothing like a shadowy revolution to change the course of history, and it's about time the Asmodeans learned that the law is only as strong as those who enforce it.

Besides, criminals are going to pouring out of the woodwork in the midst of a rebellion, and I bet those goody-two-shoes revolutionaries won't be able to handle them! Who better to entice them to the cause than an apostle of the King of Thieves?

Thematically, I think the Mesmerist is really cool class, but mechanically it still feels a little clunky. It definitely takes a while to come into its own, being weak in the early levels when it can only toss out one trick at a time. I wouldn't mind them being able to implant maybe a couple more at these early levels, since Tricks appear to be their bread and butter and you have to predict for the conditions that will trigger them.

Additionally, I wouldn't mind some Tricks being more offensive in nature (especially since others have already expressed a desire for more CC build options) and allowing you to implant them in an enemy, which I think fits the concept fine (implanting subconscious debuffs in your foes seems pretty hypnotist-like). Heck, Vanish Arrow seems like a good example of that; I think it would make more sense to implant it on an enemy rather than a specific ally.

That said, I think the Tricks themselves look nice, being decently powerful. The Mesmerist just needs a bit more general applicability, I feel.

This is shaping up to be my favourite class of the playtest (loving all the customization options), but I do think it could use some fine-tuning, particularly in the early levels. At level 1, your Spirit bonus is very small, you have no spells, and can only Trance once per day. Not sure if any of the spirit powers are good enough to make up for that.

I can see how a high level Medium could be a force to be reckoned with when they have multiple spirits going, but for now I think they could use some beefing up, which a full BAB and/or d10 hit die could help fix, particularly since the class seems to encourage being a beatstick (only 4 levels of casting, can get bonuses to multiple physical stats).

I'd be okay with them keeping their poorer proficiencies to compensate, though. Since the Medium seems to be like the Swiss Army knife of classes, I can understand not wanting to overtune it too much.

In addition to what others have said with regards to roleplaying a non-evil devotee of Urgathoa, I'd suggest having your character interpret her gluttony aspect as more of a social thing.

For example, you could organize lavish feasts and parties, encourage the consumption of fine food and wine (maybe even prepare some yourself, if you have skill points to spare), play matchmaker for possible romantic couples (Urgathoa is noted as being an advocate of marriage, despite her hedonism), and in general treat life and unlife as one big celebration.

Urgathoa is definitely one of my favourite deities, too, and I think there's plenty of wiggle room to create a plausibly non-evil worshipper.

Thanks for the replies, everyone (Especially Shaun, getting input from an actual writer is awesome)! I think I'll go with Findeladlara; she seems fitting for a Snowcaster who still has yet to fully overcome her wariness of outsiders.

I actually have read A Memory of Darkness and The Hungry Storm, but I somehow missed People of the North. I'll be sure to try and pick it up at some point. Thanks again!

I'm looking for some inspiration for an upcoming character of mine, a Snowcaster elf, and I couldn't help but wonder what sort of deities they might worship (I really enjoy making religious characters). The only information I could find on the subject was that there is an untrue rumour that Snow Elves are demon-worshipping cannibals...

Would they still worship the standard Elven pantheon? What about other gods? I was considering Pharasma, given the threat of the White Legion in the Crown of the World, but the insular nature of the Snowcaster tribes makes me question what "outsider" gods they would be likely to accept.

I'll also throw in my vote for a "Blood of the Coven" book about Changelings, including new Changeling variants (Blood, Winter, etc.).

Wouldn't mind seeing books about the Proteans and Inevitables either, especially if we could get Law/Chaos Planetouched PC races out of it.

I'd be interested to know what Norgorber's boons are, but I suppose that, since he is the god of secrets, such information will not be easily revealed... :P