Beginning of March works for me. Still planning to play Samir (more or less as built currently. Fluff will likely change a bit.)
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Samir is easy on hooks. #1 I have a hard time believing (mostly just cuz we're L5). #2 fits like a glove -- he's a sellsword/bounty hunter who gets bored and distracted easily. #3 would catch his fancy -- the lure of easy money #4 is fine too -- it's totally the sort of job he'd take if he was between other schemes, and fits his skills and background as a bounty hunter
Thron, I think we'll be quite powerful without much work, so if you want a sub-optimal companion for flavor reasons I wouldn't hesitate...that said, yeah, poison tends to suck and constrictors can be a lot of fun. If you'll be disappointed by most everyone beating the snake venom's DC, go for a constrictor. For myself, Samir is solid enough to post. I'm sure I'll fiddle with his crunch a bit but I expect this is basically it (other than the gear). I've also put in the background I made for him in the first game he was going to be a part of. I think it'll actually fit in with the Razor Coast without too much effort...but as the group starts to take shape I'm happy to modify it too, to better mesh with the overall group. Please check him out and offer any feedback/suggestions.
I'll add a feat for Brawler's Cunning. Well, can't hurt to add but I doubt I'd ever take it: that makes it take 3 feats to get Improved Trip. That's just too expensive for me. Would you consider letting a Hero take a domain for the powers, but not getting the extra spells, and re-fluffing it? (In my case I'd take the Wolf Domain Or maybe even better, to have a feat that grants (one or more feats from the) Monk Bonus Feat ability, similar to how you allow a feat to grant one a Ranger's combat style feats? If you wanted to tie it to the same power level as the Ranger Combat Style, you could limit it to a bonus at 2nd, 6th, and 10th levels.
Yay Math!! I think your calculations are off though. I'm using DPR = h(d+s)+(t*c*h*d) where:
H1 is an L5 hero with an 18 DEX. Her DEF = 10+4+6=20
Note, any of these three could chose to use a shield or a 2H weapon. For now I’ll leave shields off of all of them. Here are three 5 BAB foes for them:
I'll ignore s since none of my example foes do precision damage. If M1 shoots all three, her DPR is:
In other words, naked H1 does exactly as well as heavily armored H3. Low dex & naked H2 takes .96 dam more / round than she would if she wore heavy armor...though for that slim benefit she pays 1500gp, carries 50lb, loses 10’ of move, and gets -6 ACP. Now what happens when M2 pulls out her +1 musket?
In other words, our armored friend takes more damage even than our low dex naked H2...and takes 1.44 dam / round more than H1. OK, but what about against someone with a sword, where H3 gets the full benefit of her DR 8?
...and so once again the armored one takes more damage than even the low-dex hero without armor...and it will only get more extreme with magic weapons, since they effectively do +2 damage vs armored foes for every +1 enhancement bonus they have (until they've reduced the DR to 0). I maintain my position: armor (in this rules system) is for losers! EDIT: Jelani (or others!) let me know if you have Qs about any of my calculations. I'm pretty sure they're correct but you never know. Also, Thron, I like #2 and #3. Both seem like fun builds you couldn't do in a different system, and that could fit nicely on the Razor Coast.
OK, here's my thought about Samir now: Feats:
...note, the cavalier order won't give any challenge bonus but it's worth it for the braggart ability alone, and will give him occasional extra attacks at 8th level too. EDIT: Dien, sounds like a fun build! Also, the awesome thing about the ranger style is that I'll get Whirwind Attack at 6th without needing the four bonus feats it normally takes...together with a 15' reach with my whip
Thinking I'll be converting this character (a martial whip specialist who's big on desires and light on ambition)... Though I'll have to see if the conversion works well. Jelani, one thought of the bat: my original build was able to choose one of several classes/archetypes that granted whip proficiency in my initial build. Does an option like that exist? (e.g. how a Vengeful Hunter trades away heavy armor and tower shields for whip prof)?
Now the Golden Jackal on the other hand would love that, at some point...
Samir sinks back onto his cot, searching in vain for relief from the stink and the heat. He swats flies away for several minutes before giving up as they start to light on his exposed legs and shoulder. Some time passes in silence as his mind zigzags from one topic to another: imagining the gold and glory that the Golden Jackal and the Wild Rose will claim in the Pale and Barbaric South-- then feeling annoyance at their confinement and the complications arising for no good reason in his Very Fine Plan-- and then to curiosity about this brother. "Tell me, Abal. This brother of yours, this Gun-bran-dr, what is he like? How long has it been since you saw him last?" and with a smile curling his lip, "And is he as easy on the eyes as you are, or as fiesty in the sack?"
Samir looks a bit vexed, thinking he'd made it clear. "OK. Hand me that parchment." In the margin he scrawls, J- Likely her brother. Unclear motivation. Please set up meeting for me with him, somewhere where Abal can listen out of sight and reveal herself or not. Thank you. Your friend, G.J. Samir then hands the note back to the tanner's daughter. "Please see this note back to our friend, Jabril. Thank you."
Growing more and more confused, Samir shrugs. "OK, fine, whatever. He's your brother, I won't hurt him. He doesn't get to hurt you either though." What on earth is up with her? "We have to see him...but don't let him see me...but he wouldn't ever hurt me...I hurt him...YOU can't hurt him..." I hope she doesn't turn out to be more trouble than she's worth. I didn't think it was going to go down quite like this as it is... He shakes his head and goes back to his cot, wiping his brow with a dirty rag.
Samir nods. Turning to the tanner girl, he says "Then let's ask Jabril to set up a meeting between this Gud-bran-DEER and the Golden Jackal. Somewhere where the Wild Rose can wait out of sight and reveal herself or not." Sending the girl on her way, Samir says. "And if you don't like the look of him, I doubt one man is anything your blades and my whip couldn't dispatch, working together." Getting a bit dreamy, Samir adds, "The Golden Jackal and the Wild Rose, fighting their way across the barbaric South, making their fortune in gold. Doesn't that have a nice ring to it? "We'll be on that ship in less than a week. Mark my word."
"Well, this brother of yours seems to have come a long way to find you. If he's not looking for revenge, then maybe he has a winfall in the gold mines to share with you." Samir chuckles, though he seems at least a little hopeful. "I suspect the easiest way to find out what he's looking for is to ask him. Shall I have Jabril set something up? I'm sure he could arrange something, and in a place where you could disappear again, if you don't like the way the conversation turns."
The Golden Jackal's eyes widen and a joke comes to his lips, before he sees her start to cry. Motioning indulgence from the tanner's daughter for another moment, Samir walks over to her and lifts up her downturned head with a finger on her cheek, wiping away a tear. "Has he hurt you? Why do you cry? We can leave him behind like the rest of Ahgradin, if you'd like...but if you want to see him, I'm sure Jabril can make it happen. Just say the word, my Rose."
Samir's eyes narrow. "The name means something to you clearly. Why? Anything I should know about this man?"
Samir furrows his brow for a moment, and then laughs. Motioning the tanner girl to wait for a reply, the Golden Jackal gives a lazy smile to Sonja and puts his hand on her shoulder. "Abal, you know a redheaded Southron named...goon-bran-DEER?" Samir struggles with the foreign name as best he can. "Seems to be asking questions about you on the docks. Another admirer of yours perhaps? Or you think this is one of Mit'rak's boys?" He hands her the note to read herself.
Samir sits with his back against the wall, shirtless, sweat dripping down his walnut brown chest. His long spindly arm snakes out to pick up the jug and he takes a long, slow drink of the stale water, setting it down with a thunk. Could Jabril have managed to find a stinkier sh!#hole for us to wait in than this? Easy Southern gold, that's all I ask for. That and a little easy Southern p*$$%. Turning his head toward the heavens, he silently laments: Great, Terrible, and oh-so-useless Akron the Thunderer, you couldn't just let it be easy this time, could you?!? When Sonja speaks his eyes light on her face. She has fight in her! He smiles to himself. Like Mosi did. And she can still be my introduction to piles of gold in exotic lands...and some pleasant distraction along the way. And who am I kidding, if I'd had to work that job another week I'd have killed someone anyway; the gods didn't make me for petty boring jobs. "Abal, my Wild Rose, I'm sure we'll be on our way South before too long. Lets--" His thought is interrupted when the tanner's daughter enters. He takes the note, nods a slow smile to her, and then unfolds it. What do we have here?
Samir is totally curious what this Gudbrandr character is like. Inquiring slayers want to know!
What's the chain of events Gundbrandr would need to track down Sonja?
What next? Perhaps Jabril (who's monitoring rumors about the escape/theft) discovers that -- in addition to Mit'rak's soldiers looking for them, there seems to be a religious Northerner looking for them as well. Jabril could then arrange for a reunion.
Sonja, what're you doing hanging out with me? That dude's a freaking Prince!!
FYI, link to draft of this in docs. Should allow commenting on the doc (though you might need to request permissions on it first).
Step 1: Write 5 background and concept elements that you feel are important to your image of the character. These can be a concept overview, a list of important life events, a physical description, a personality profile...whatever you need to get an image in your mind. 5 is just a minimum...more elements are encouraged! 1) Samir is bursting with desires and slight on ambitions. He’s quick to chase pleasures (strong wine, rich food, fast money, wild dance, and sex with both women and men), and just as quick to get bored and distracted, and to leave things behind. Occasionally a long-term ambition will spark his fancy but so far he’s always gotten distracted a short time later. 2) Childhood: Samir was the youngest of five sons in a shopkeeping family in XXX. They hit hard times when he was 8 years old and sold him as a slave to one of their spice suppliers, to cover a debt. That brought him onto a trade caravan where he played every role from heavy labor and cleaning to handling the animals to (as he got older) guarding the caravan. In order to buy his freedom, he volunteered for two back-to-back dangerous year long expeditions across the wastes of the Northern continent to capture young griffons and/or eggs (prized as prestige steeds of the wealthy). He spent most of his 17th and 18th years on the griffon expeditions, during which he continued to sharpen his skills at tracking, hunting, and subdual with a whip. 3) Adulthood: Samir has spent his adult years drifting between pleasures and needs. After buying his freedom he found work as a bounty hunter, capturing escaped slaves and other criminals. He spent a short time competing himself in the gladiatorial arenas where his skill and finesse with a whip earned him the nickname The Golden Jackal. After nine months in the arenas, enjoying the glory and rewards of his string of victories, he saw another gladiator he admired trip and be slain by a lesser opponent and he quit the ring that day. He spent some time living off his earnings, working as a sellsword, and stealing when opportunities presented themselves. 4) Six months ago, he was approached by Mit'rak to come back to the arenas as taskmaster for the slave pens. (Some gladiators are slaves, either owned by the Sultan or 3rd parties. Others -- a few, like Samir was briefly -- are free agents, risking their life for the profits that normally go to the victorious slaves’ owner.) He was just starting to get an itch for the road when a young spitfire caught his eye: she was wild, a rising star in the rings with surprising potential, and of course was very soothing on the eyes. While many of his pleasures were boys, she had a passionate determination that made him laugh and he enjoyed letting her seduce him. On a lark (and thinking it his own plan, though he was aware of her desires) he decided to abandon this latest job and take her with him. Since then, they’ve lived and adventured together as sellswords and thieves...so far avoiding the consequences of his theft of her and abandonment of his duties. (Note, exactly how near/far he’s gone since absconding with Sarah is interesting, logistically. It needs to be near enough to be a relevant problem...but probably far enough across Ahgradin that he feels a bit of safety. I’m assuming the city is large enough (and his reputation yet small enough) for him to get away with this...for now.) 5) Samir is just over six feet tall with long, spindly limbs, broad features, dark copper skin, amber eyes with thick lashes, and a lazy smile curving the edge of his broad lips. His hair is thick, straight, and black, and he wears whatever cash he has at the time as golden jewelry and precious stones. Step 2: List at least two goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another should be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game. 1) Samir aspires to nothing greater than drifting from pleasure to pleasure -- peppered with brief, exciting sources of gold and glory...most of which are opportunities to hunt and fight for cash, or simply ripe opportunities for a lucrative theft. That said maybe there was an ancient ruin he heard stories about when hunting griffons in the Northern desert, that he’s itching to try to find and explore some day. 2a) I want to see him get himself into trouble and then fight his way out of it, earning a reputation for himself as a warrior. 2b) I also might like to see him find an ambition greater than pleasure and thrills that he won’t get distracted from a few days later. Not sure it’ll happen though. Step 3: List at least two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet. This will help me in creating plots that center around your character. I will also be creating a third secret which you as a player will not be aware of, so expect some surprises! 1) Samir has had only one real love so far in his life: Mosi (a wildeyed boy a few years older than Samir with skin like burnished wood and peach fuzz on his cheeks) was one of the half dozen indentured hunters on his two year expedition to capture young griffons. Late in their second year of hunting young griffons Mosi was slain by a mother griffon who tracked the hunters down. Samir doesn't talk about it but much of his focus on pleasure is a fleeting salve for this loss. 2) Shadia (NPC 4:3, below) is a member of a bigger/more connected criminal family than she let on to Samir. Step 4: Describe at least three people that are tied to the character. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. If you like, you can include an enemy of yours here as well, so I have an instant NPC nemesis to throw at you. 0) [Copied from Sonja, since it clearly applies to me too] “Mit'rak, captain of the Sultan's guard, has made it a personal vendetta to retrieve the insolent escaped slave and bring her back to the Sultan for proper punishment for murdering the Sultan's son.”
1) Jabril Il-Makah, a fence & bartender that Samir sometimes drinks with and who he turns to to sell stolen loot. They met shortly after he returned from his final griffon hunt in the Northern wastes. Samir managed to hide away an egg for himself and Hassad was the person he sold it to. Jabril enjoys Samir's company and likes the loot the young slayer brings him. 2) Fast Faisal, a fellow hunter from the griffon hunt (who also earned his freedom on it) -- the only other survivor from the second year hunt. Like Samir, Faisal has fallen into a life of opportunistic crime and odd mercenary jobs. They have a friendly rivalry and seem to semiregularly end up on the sam leads, sometimes competing, and others joining forces. Faisal is fiercely competitive and seems to compare himself to Samir constantly. 3) Shadia, another fence and source of jobs who Samir had a brief romance with. She had arranged a side job for Samir (supplying rage-inducing drugs to certain gladiators for key fights) while he was working at the gladiatorial arena. She was counting on him to slip some to a particular fighter (as he’d promised to do) the night he got side tracked with Sonja. His impulsive flight with Sonja f*&%ed the plan up, causing her to lose a good deal of money in the betting pools and some standing with her family. Samir expects her to be pissed...but also expects her to get over it and doesn't realize how much of a bridge he's burned yet. Step 5: Describe three memories, mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor. 1) memory: Spooning post-sex with Mosi under the stars in the Northen wastes, the night before Mosi was slain. Mosi, Fast Faisal, and Samir were the three surviving members of the team of six that had departed Ahgradin 11 months ago. They had captured two live younglings and three eggs, and thought they were in the clear as they headed back to Aghradin. The two teenage boys were taking turns making up stories about what their lives would be like together once they returned and bought their freedom. 2) ...OK, too tired to finish these last bits tonight...but wanted to get this to you so you can question/comment/make use of NPCs 3) ...TBD
...Except that by Northerner (in this world) you mean Southerner. BTW, I could totally see Samir referring to the-character-formerly-known-as-Sarah as Wild Rose or White Gazelle.
Thron, here are some women's names and some color words (since I thought a pale skinned redhead might be given a name that referenced those features). Of course you may just make something up (or pick purely based on sound) but if you want inspriation based on meaning, here are a few to get you going (with my best guess at pronunciation): Rima /ree-MAH/ -- white gazelle
By the way Sarah comes from Hebrew but is used in Arabic too (since both cultures draw lineage from Abraham/Ibrahim and his wife Sara), pronounced either sah-RAH or alternately sa-RAI (as near as I know). Thelgrave on the otherhand sounds very European.
Heya. Crunch is done (though if you allow Larger Than Life for me, I'll sub that for Dominator).
Here's a rough draft of my whip-using, tracking, intimidating slayer (crunch only). Name (and backstory) TBD. Jelani, for backstory, can you say more about what will (or won't) be a good fit for the campaign. E.g. an ex-slave on a mission to end slavery might be an awesome character for some campaigns..but not fit well in others. Started to think about what he can be blackmailed about though... |