Desriden's page

If you just want to avoid "crazy" levels of magics, have a game where only the partial casters (6th level spells at level 20) are allowed.

You still have magic enough to handle most modules but you won't have many of the spells that seem to give designers and DMs fits.

(okay I had another thought too - Liam Neeson why are you doing schlock like this when you've done brilliant work! He doesn't stoop so low as Jeremy Irons in taking on the D&D movie, but it's in the ballpark).

Liam Neeson's wife died in 2009 from a tragic accident. From 2010 to now, he's been involved in 14 projects, some small and some big. I imagine he's going to keep on working and accepting any project he can as a way of dealing with that loss.

For all we know, his process had evolved to the point where he used his wife as a sounding board for his more involved projects. Every person handles grief and loss in a different way. I would suggest that he is handling it by taking work that helps distract him.

There's really no need to mock a person for working, no matter what he or her reasons are. If you want to mock the quality of their work, then go right ahead. But let's not slam someone for actually getting off their butt and doing something.

The purpose of a fireball is not to do heavy damage to a single target. A wizard can do 5d6 (reflex save for half) when he first gets the spell. In your example, the fighter can do 4d6 plus strength.

So, the fighter can do more damage on average against a single target than a wizard using fireball. And that's how it should be. Fireball isn't meant to heavily damage a single target; a fireball is meant to damage a large group of enemies. A tribe of charging goblins should fear a fireball spell. One single person can save and take less than 10 points of damage from the spell. Magic missile would be better to use than that.

Compare Fireball to Scorching Ray when it comes to single target damage. Scorching Ray is a second level spell but it can do much more damage against a single target than a Fireball spell.

Compare the spells when cast by a fifth level wizard. He can do 5d6 (Reflex save for half) vs a group or 4d6 (no save) against one target. The attack roll is not likely to miss since it's ranged touch. Also, that means the spell damage can double on a crit.

It gets even more obvious at higher levels. A level 11 wizard can do 10d6 (reflex for half) with a fireball and the save DC is at least 2 behind his best spells without metamagic. Meanwhile, the Scorching Ray will do 12d6 damage to one target assuming you make three very easy attack rolls.

So, if your wizard is using a fireball to outdamage the fighter, he's not make the best use of his magic. A haste spell to give that fighter (and everyone else in the group) another attack at their full BAB is a much better use of magic.

In your example, the fighter is doing damage equal to or higher than the fireball spell. So, if the wizard helps him do that attack an extra time each round, it's a free Fireball each round. And that's not counting the attacks done by the other members of the party, and the defensive boosts offered by the Haste spell.

In short, you should avoid using Fireball against one target unless you have no other choice.

NE usually is portrayed as greedy in my games. If the character is a bit of a coward, others can control that. If they are an adventurer, then they'll turn when the odds look good to do so.

If you want to know more about future Paizo projects, take a look at this thread from Reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/sg3g3/we_make_pathfinderask_us_anythin g/

Your question would probably be answered here in this excerpt:

YES! We will do this eventually, likely some time in the next couple of years. I must confess that the third edition epic-level rules have almost no "champions" at Paizo. The math underlying the d20 system rules gets shaky enough at the standard high levels, so simply patching another 20 levels on top of that with a bunch of uber feats and some lame monsters doesn't really work for us. We've been experimenting with a totally different concept that allows for the sort of high-octane "mythic" adventuring that we think fans of epic content want, but with a completely different mechanical approach. We're still in the concepting stage for how exactly this will work at the moment, but it's definitely something we will be getting around to in the relatively near future.
As for the Test of the Starstone, that's meant to bridge the gap between "mortal" and "demigod," and at present we're not exactly sure what level that should be. A proper treatment of this dungeon would probably be appropriate for the 20+ set, which means we need to create the rules for those types of characters before we can do justice to this idea.
As the inventor of the Test of the Starstone, however, I can say that we WILL do this at some point. My current Pathfinder campaign, "Kings of Abslom" (which all the other Paizo people participating in today's AMA have played) is sort of a long-form prelude to the Test of the Starstone, so this is definitely something we're thinking about and planning toward.

DeathQuaker, I found this image on the new Doctor Who companions that you may or may not like.

Fairy tales in Doctor Who

I try not to think about "Dimensions in Time."

*shudders*

If you want to see at least four of the Doctors together again, check out "The Airzone Solution" from 1993. It included Colin Baker, Jon Pertwee, Peter Davison and Sylvester McCoy. Nicola Bryant (Peri) and Michael Wisher (Davros) also were part of the cast. IIRC, they asked Tom Baker to join in but he declined.

The low-budget film was written by Nicholas Briggs, who provides the voice of many of the monsters in the new series, including the Daleks and the Cybermen. He also directed many of the Big Finished Productions audio plays for Doctor Who.

As for the 50th anniversary, I'm sure it will be played up as a big deal. They already moved the series to make sure the 2012 Olympics didn't overshadow this season. I'm sure they are capable of reading a calendar and planning accordingly.

I imagine that Omega will return as the power behind the religious organization The Silence. Since he no longer has a body, he'll probably either take over someone else's body or assume their forms to trick people and allow for easy cameos.

I could see him making a new Timelord race out of people who agree to obey him since that's pretty close to his original story arc.

As for what I want, give me a good story with interesting characters that remembers the past while blazing a new path to the future.

Also, I'd like it not to be a veiled retread of a children's story, but that might be asking too much. I like how most of them have been done, but I don't know that it's needed for the 50th anniversary.

As everyone says, both are quite nice. I do think it depends on your game. I have a level 12 Diviner in a home game, and it has been very fun. The ability to often go first means my group enjoys Haste most of the time right from the start.

The Diviner's Fortune power is very good. When I don't need to throw around a spell, I stand in the back and give the Archer Ranger a +6 to hit. He then uses Deadly Aim. The combo is quite powerful and I use it often when the enemies are weaker or when I want to conserve spells.

As for the divination spells, they aren't that useful in combat. But I have used Tongues when we were ambushed and surrounded by intelligent monsters and then talked our way out of the situation. Detect Thoughts has often helped interrogate prisoners. Letting someone else ask the questions and then leaning over to announce when the prisoner is lying really speeds things up.

Telepathic bond makes our stealth attacks work perfectly. Scrying is always useful. Detect Secret Doors isn't all that wonderful, but Detect Undead has a few uses. All in all, I have had fun with it. That's the most important thing.

Werewolf and his pet rust monster.

This is getting long and it is late. I have no idea how people will feel about all this, so I'll just sum up. It's easy to kill the players. As DM, we control every NPC, every deity, every ally, every monster, every enemy. If we decide a character will die, we can make that happen.

It's harder to challenge the players and the characters. Sometimes, we can obsess on the fact that Bob's AC is so high that we start to throw things with higher attacks more and more. We're annoyed at some trick the rogue uses over and over again. It seems difficult to make sure the PCs aren't coasting, so we just keep throwing things at them.

That's why the game isn't about killing them, it's about CHALLENGING them. OK, Bob can't be hit. So why should we punish Bob for being good at what he does? Let him shine for now, because things will change soon enough. Higher level monsters will hit him eventually, or else he will turtle so much they will ignore him. In the meantime, his family can be hit. So can his friends.

John, the guy who plays Bob, really hates it when people hide behind rules and laws to get away with things. So give him an opponent who is just as untouchable thanks to the law as Bob is thanks to his armor. Engage the player and the character and everyone at the table will have more fun. Or at least they do in my experience.

Now, beyond death, there are many ways the PCs can fail. Not all challenges have to be built on the idea that everyone in some complex must die (except for the hostages and DM NPCs).

Obviously, the game includes traps, haunts, puzzles and the like. Missions can include multiple steps, such as ransacking an evil temple, carrying that evidence to the rightful ruler, persuading him to take action against the group, finding out who in his court has hidden the truth, etc.

There should be chances to talk and reason along with fight, sneak and trick the enemy. And just because the other NPCs aren't evil, or the enemy, doesn't mean they should just do whatever the PCs say. It should take time or evidence to sway the authorities, unless con artists flourish in that country. Also, consider how towns and civilized areas feel about openly carrying armor, weapons and magic. That alone might make PCs less trustworthy.

In an example above, the PCs were attacking a city and wearing it down through sheer numbers. Every time one of them died, a new PC would spawn and attack the city that night. So, the only challenge for the PCs in that situation was how long it would take since they effectively had infinite lives.

There are many ways to deal with such a situation. A timetable is classic - if the PCs don't achieve their objective within so many days or hours, they lose. Either the town has been razed, the people killed, the McGuffin stolen, etc.

There's also capture. The wizard, rather than killing the PC, captures them for interrogation to find out where the others rebels are hiding. This lowers the PC manpower by one (can't respawn if you aren't dead!) and gives a backdoor timer on how long their base of operations is safe. Now, the PCs have a reason to go rescue the other PC, or change their base, or decide to fight in a different way, etc.

Option three: Overwhelming odds. The PCs, as brave and powerful as they are, cannot hope to defeat all the enemy forces within the city. So now they have to set priorities. Do they save people, try to assassinate the leader, attempt to sway some of the factions over to their side? This allows roleplaying and combat and can give you some interesting insight into your players' characters. Will the chaotic good character advocate poisoning the water or food supply? Will the cleric uses his knowledge of the healing arts to help spread disease in the enemy ranks?

This is how you really start to have fun in the game. When the PCs know they can, dice willing, kill everything you throw at them, their only response will be to kill. But if it looks impossible, then you'll see them start to plan.

The idea of ambushing the dragon is a good example. Dragons are known to be arrogant; they took advantage of its weakness and made sure to challenge it in a place where it couldn't use its strengths (flight and spells). That's good tactics and good roleplaying. That's the sort of things we should enjoy as players and DMs.

When the PC's fail to complete an objective- whether due to just failing and retreating, or do to a multi-dead PC problem where one guy runs back to recruit more..

*have the Enemy advance their plans*.

Bad Guy isn't sitting there reading the newspaper while the PC's go back and return a week later for a redo.

Was he attacking a city? he sacked it. Was he robbing something? He got it.
Kidnapping someone? he has them. Murdering someone? They are dead.

This enforces that the PC's actions (even failing is an action, really) have consequences. It also puts a bone in their craw about that bad guy.
"Lord Kraw the Red Dragon Rider got away this time but we'll avenge Sandpoint and the Princess!"

Advance the plot, advance the story. Even a BBEG sitting in his throne room isn't going to just sit the scratching his big toe waiting for the PC's to come back. Guards will be reinforced, doors will be locked, Big Bad will be watching and waiting.

thats my .02 anyway

-S

This. This. THIS.

Death in a video game or an RPG can be many things. Annoying. Painful. Frustrating. Boring. Routine. Unremarkable. Glorious.

If your battle-hardened fighter, who has survived many adventures, happens to die from a random critical hit from an ogre at the start of a session just because the DM rolled high on initiative and attack, then the death is meaningless.

Sure, it might make a decent story at some future point. But for now, you have a player who gets to just sit there for hours while everyone else rolls dice and struggles with basic math. Even a video game makes you endure the "game over" screen for just a few moments before you try again.

Not in our hobby. Here, it will be hours before there's a reasonable point in the story to introduce a new character. Or else it will take a fight or two before the PCs even have a chance to cast raise dead, assuming they can. And if you died that early, they might as well pack their bags and go home since so many resources have been expended.

You also could have "Grunt No. 3" suddenly answer the call to heroism. But if you push realism enough to kill lots of players, it doesn't make much sense that someone who was only good for carrying things suddenly knows how to use exotic armor, weapons and spells.

Many "save or die" spells were changed so players who failed could at least roll again on their turn, just so people don't disengage from the game. A single die roll can stop the entire flow of the game, for good or ill.

It always seemed odd to me that many of the people I know who don't bat an eye at the idea of killing a character don't have the world react to failure, as well. Dungeons remain dungeons, static as ever, and some monsters just seem content to wait in their room for slaughter. I'm not saying anyone here does this. I'm saying that many people I play with seem ... surprised ... that the NPCs remember who treated them poorly, that the enemies learn who always trips people with the weapon built to trip people, that some antagonists can be reasoned with or even befriended.

In short, many people I've played with treated the world like a video game because the world was run like a video game. If you don't want players to act that way, don't treat the world like that. If you want death to be permanent, than the other PCs probably would fall back so they can have a funeral. Mourn. Tell the next of kin. Bring in reinforcements (which the new character would probably be a part of) since the obviously couldn't handle it.

If you do things that way, then the player will get a chance to role-play with the rest of the party during these events. That makes sure no one is just surfing the Web on their smartphone, bored, because their companions decided to best way to honor the character's memory was to kill as many things as possible while various critters chewed on the corpse.

I can pop in with a replacement character if needed. This will serve as my dot to keep an eye out.

*Reads thread*

What is wrong with these people? Sexual assault in a game without warning is one of the worst things you can do, especially if you have no idea about what has happened in the lives of the players and their loved ones.

Dotting for possible interest.

I have no interest in this new system. Only responding here since it appeared only those who DO have interest were the ones bothering to take the time to respond. :-P

Thank you. It's difficult to get any idea of what people are thinking if they avoid the thread. Of course, I realize there is no way in which the results of this can be scientific.

Nice Avatar Desriden

You too. :)

Just a few simple questions:
Have you signed up for the D&D playtest of the new edition?
Do you actually plan to participate?
Have you been part of a pen-and-paper RPG playtest before?

My answers:
Yes, I've signed up.
Yes, I will take part in the playtest.
No, I've done alphas and betas for videogames, but never actually got into a RPG playtest before.

Please, keep things civil in this thread.

I do; fighter is a great way to play a character where the class doesn't force a certain type of character.

Yes, obviously, you can play any type of character with any class. But you'll spend much more time explaining some combinations where I've never seen anyone question a background for a fighter unless it just copy/pasted from some other media.

I think what I like about fighter mechanically is that I know exactly what I'm going to get. You don't have to worry about something that is used in limited situations. I know that can be overcome, but sometimes dependable is better when it comes to sheer numbers.

I'll roll and see what I get.

4d6 ⇒ (3, 4, 2, 2) = 11
4d6 ⇒ (2, 2, 3, 1) = 8
4d6 ⇒ (2, 1, 6, 3) = 12
4d6 ⇒ (3, 2, 1, 1) = 7
4d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 2, 5) = 15
4d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 2, 2) = 12

I think this is important to remember: Some modules tell the GM to follow certain tactics that are not optimal. This usually is done, IMO, because the writer isn't there to adjust for the all gnome bard party that cannot beat DR 5.

Good point about the darkvision. OK, I'm set then.

Yeah, I'm wondering if I should switch my Dwarf Tank build to a half-giant or Duergar to fit in with all the psionics here. Would that be something worth doing, assuming there is such a thing as a non-evil Duergar?

Quick from the doctor's office: Should I make a cleric since we have little in the way of healing so far? Maybe a follower of Desna who wants to travel through the traps to see what's on the other side.

I've hammered out the basics of my character, but I'll wait on posting the final sheet until I know how hit points will be handled.

I'll avoid a pally tank build, don't worry.

I'm thinking anti-magic for this game. Either a paladin or barbarian.

I'm interested, so let's see about some stats.

2d6 + 6 ⇒ (6, 4) + 6 = 16
2d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 6) + 6 = 15
2d6 + 6 ⇒ (6, 1) + 6 = 13
2d6 + 6 ⇒ (5, 1) + 6 = 12
2d6 + 6 ⇒ (3, 4) + 6 = 13
2d6 + 6 ⇒ (6, 4) + 6 = 16

Here's a stout dwarven tank to hold the front line. I'll write up a backstory later for him. Any details I should know for that, or should I just keep it generic?

Also, should I buy things like tents, sleeping rolls and such? I have the spare cash but I wasn't sure how much detail you wanted on items like that.

EDIT: Well, I have the same AC as the Eidolon, so I feel pretty good about that. I'm a pet dwarf, just feed me alcohol and I'll follow you anywhere. :)

Dotting for interest. I'm thinking a front-line tank so the eidolon doesn't feel so lonely. I'll post something later tonight.

I'll be honest. When I first saw this thread, that barbarian build was my first idea. The second was a dwarf two- weapon fighter using a shield. But they are a 15-point race, probably because the negative stat is in charisma.

I'm also going to back out. Most of the concepts I've come up with couldn't or wouldn't work with the other characters being made. Good luck, all, and enjoy the game.

Dotting for later when I come home from work. I'm considering an archer of some sort, either ranger or fighter. Will ranged attacks still provoke AoO from our foes?

Everyone seems to be covering this well, so I'll just add one thing. It seems odd to me to see Ride listed as the same type of skill as Profession. Most PCs will have horses at some point and most DMs (and modules) will attack the PCs while traveling eventually. Even one rank can be the difference in starting combat on the ground or on your horse.

Also, there are first level spells to summon mounts and higher level spells that give players access to flying mounts. I've seen many players who never spend a point on a profession skills. I haven't seen many who don't at least spend point one point in Ride.

Also, there seems to be an assumption that PCs start out as working class people in the thread. I find that odd since there's no reason you can't start out from a wealthy family. There's even a trait for it (though it is suboptimal).

Throwing some dice up here while I think about this and see what comes out of the thread.

I saw this at work and only just now had a chance to post.

I'd like to second this motion. Not everyone can access the site from work since there are site blockers and such. But getting out your phone or other mobile device during a break is fine pretty much everywhere.

It's probably expensive, especially if there's no one on staff who is trained in making such items, but it might be worth paying someone to make it.

That's pretty much how any publication industry works. Either artists/photographers/writers etc. either have a contract that breaks down how royalties and such work, or they are paid one time for each item (say a photographer, a written review, etc.). When you are paid per piece, the usually agreement is that the buyer then "owns" the property and can resell or distribute the material.

The original author usually retains the right to use the materials as part of a portfolio to show off their work, but not to make additional money. This is a very general summation, since contracts and work arrangements can vary wildly.

Please tell me where you live so I never ever move there.

I live in the United States. The events I mentioned took place in different states, so I cannot list one place to avoid. Sorry about that.

Mainly, I just wanted to make the point that game tables usually play around PG 13 as a default (in my experience) and those that play different ratings often mention such things before they come into play. I know I've seen some PBP GMs say they plan to run "R" rated Rise of the Runelords games just so players have some idea of what will come up during play.

Perhaps this example will make a bit more sense to others. I was playing a module in Pathfinder Society that involved sneaking into a manor house. One of the encounters was a pack of guard dogs. The same PCs who had attacked town guards, shapeshifters and spiders with no problem suddenly ground to a halt. Why? Because no one at the table wanted to hurt the dogs. Some were animal lovers and others just didn't like the idea of killing a creature that was just defending its home.

We used intimidate, Speak with Animals and Diplomacy checks to get them to back down and everyone was happy.

Maybe I have a stronger stomach, but I have noticed a number of players on the boards prefer a pg-13 game, which seems odd to me. With witches eating children and ogres raping villagers, it seems a hard thing to pull off. The Dark Ages were brutal, and though a fantasy, there are a lot of elements of that time period within the game. I don't know, YMMV.

Part of it has to do with the fact that many people play this game to be heroic. In many comics, the hero might make a threat or intimidate someone into talking. The BBEG usually has magic to make things go faster in that regard.

My current group uses questioning and detect thoughts to quickly gain information. There is one PC who tends to fall into bad cop mode, but it has all been talk such as pointing out we have limited time and saying hurry things up. Bad people tend to assume the worst about others intentions and we use that to our advantage.

There is another side to this, though. The players at the table might have gone through something similar in the past, so they don't view such things as entertainment. I've gamed with people who have been sexually assaulted before, so threats of that nature would not be welcome in any game. I also have relatives who have been sexually assaulted. A businessman I knew as a teenager was tortured and killed by thieves who wanted access to the small business safe.

I've talked to other gamers about this and many of them know victims of horrible crime either personally or indirectly. It can be something as simple as the kidnapping and murder of the college class president to make something like this very real to players.

Also, most people I know don't role play in a Dark Ages setting. Usually things are more advanced, especially since the default is that all PCs and NPCs read and write at least one language, possibly more.

Now, the rest of it sounds like a good old-fashioned bar brawl that's common in action movies and RPGs. No weapons were used, you paid for any damages and you didn't take advantage of anyone.

Depending on the region, you might have broken a local law regarding actions toward law enforcement officers.

Sorry to quote myself, but I reread your original post. I had assumed these final guards were also drunk at the bar, but I don't actually see that anywhere in the post. If they were there just to keep order, ensure the peace and safety of the establishment and in general make sure fights don't break out, then a paladin would not normally attack them. As I said before, I just assumed this was some drunken melee, i.e., the standard fantasy barroom brawl.

If you also beat up the people whose job it was to keep the peace and make sure riots don't break out, then that's not typical paladin behavior at all. That alone probably wouldn't usually make someone fall, but it would be a first step on that path. It also would bring dishonor to the character's organization and to herself. Most paladins avoid situations that cause such things.

All that said, there are plenty of people who would start to doubt or not trust a paladin that responded to crudeness with violence. The main reason is because people assume that a paladin is diplomatic and fights "EVIL" like demons and undead. A paladin is a physical symbol of their god on the mortal plane.

What's this post from bigkilla ... (goes off to read thread).

*blinks*

Um, wow. There's no way any DM I know would let you play that character as a LG paladin. Maybe one of the variants, but not LG. If you and your DM are cool with it, then it doesn't really matter what the rest of us say. But it sounds like the idea of pushing boundaries with your paladin no longer really appeals to you like it once did.

Blue Star said it pretty well: Things that prick your conscience do so because you are questioning yourself. The real measure of a character is what happens next.

PS: On the subject of the drunken boor touching the paladin, yes, most people shrug off such incidents in their day-to-day life. But that doesn't mean the action is legal. Simple battery in the USA (again, just grabbing a modern context that many of us can relate to or understand) basically occurs when someone "Makes intentional contact of an insulting or provoking nature with the person of another; or Cause intentional harm to another."

That basic language, or something like it, is on the books in most of the states. Just chasing someone in what could be considered a threatening manner (which can simply be being an larger male running after a physically smaller woman) is simple assault. We don't always file charges about such things because they can be difficult to prove in court, but don't do them in front of a police officer unless you want to take a trip downtown.

Granted, what I'm about to say refers to modern laws in America, so it probably has little to do with the laws of the fictional location of your game. That said, many DMs use a legal code that is somewhat similar to the ones most players know and just point out the differences.

One: Being drunk in public often is illegal, even in a bar. Some people have been arrested for this in the U.S. and lost their driver's license, even when the bar was part of the hotel they were staying in.

Two: The boor touched you without permission. This is battery in all of the U.S.A. The statement "come on" could be considered a threat, since it does imply an "or else." That would be an assault.

So, that's three possible crimes this guard committed before considering any allegations of sexual harassment (which could also be a civil law matter, depending on the situation and jurisdiction).

Your response was a punch to the face, which most places would consider justified force to protect yourself and your property. The skill of the blow is just awesome and has no bearing on legalities.

Now, since the guard you were talking to at first was drunk, I'm assuming he was off duty. An off-duty officer usually has less authority than an officer on duty. He did not attempt an arrest, according to your story. That means he was an average citizen who attacked you without legal justification. That's also battery, and you responded in your own defense.

Now, the rest of it sounds like a good old-fashioned bar brawl that's common in action movies and RPGs. No weapons were used, you paid for any damages and you didn't take advantage of anyone.

Depending on the region, you might have broken a local law regarding actions toward law enforcement officers. Regardless, you did not break the paladin code as written. As others have pointed out, being lawful does not mean obeying all laws in all places. Devils are lawful, after all.

Your DM might introduce some other situations like this in the future to see if your character might lean more toward Chaos than Law and Order. You mentioned nothing about trying to defuse the situation once more guards because involved. This just might be something your DM uses to justify shifting your reputation from a diplomat (the high Charisma paladin assumption) to more of a Righteous Warrior type (you put down violations of Order with blows not words).

This sounds like a good roleplaying moment, but not something you should fall over. I find that situations like this often make players examine why their characters do things which leads to more fun roleplay in the future.

I like the idea of playing something odd. I'll roll some stats just to see what comes up.

4d6 ⇒ (2, 6, 4, 4) = 16 14 (5 pts)
4d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 4, 3) = 13 12 (2 pts)
4d6 ⇒ (1, 4, 1, 4) = 10 9 (-1 pts)
4d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 4, 2) = 15 13 (3 pts)
4d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 3, 5) = 20 17 (13 pts)
4d6 ⇒ (6, 1, 1, 1) = 9 8 (-2 pts)

That's ... a 20-point buy exactly. Wow.

At the moment, I'm thinking a big cat (lion, tiger, etc.). I could also see a big rhino or dino, since this critter and the group's fighter-type will be the front line of the party.

I think I'll stick with cleric given the likely group makeup. We'll probably be able to deal out a fair amount of damage but not too many high defenses. I'll have good heals, spell utility and the pet will offer extra damage and help the front line.

I'll work on that tonight and try to get a full profile up. Do you want me to play the cleric or druid? Both worship the same god and have an animal companion, so there's little difference. I'll get to work once I get off work tonight.

There's no reason I couldn't switch my character from cleric to druid if it helps the game. We'll need to see if more people show up, but the extra skill points and options would probably be helpful to the group overall.

Alternate skills could work. We also could have a few scrolls, or a barbarian who just always goes first.

There's all the option to take a one-level dip or it could be added to the inquisitor class. I mean, that classes gets most everything eventually. :)

Royston Hawkes, cleric of Erastil, reporting for duty.

Sorry about the delay, but I didn't realize I had been recruited in the second wave. I can change my guy around a bit once we know who is playing to fill any gaps.

Hey,

I haven't fully built this guy because I didn't know the guidelines. I'll work on it today and post either late tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Any suggestions on how to handle his weapons? There aren't rules for phasers that I know of; I guess he could have fought off some Klingons and have a bat'leth, but that doesn't really sound like McCoy. Maybe spend a feat to use a hand crossbow?