Ok, last time we played the party fought Ilthane, drawing the winged monster into Krakens Tooth (Diamond Lake) and smiting her slimy ass. BUT... two PC's died!
Fortunatly one of them was returned to life, the other stayed dead as a door-nail and since then (over the last few days) the player has asked/begged to play a Warforged character.
I told him they dont really exist in Faerun, I told him that even if he does play a 'gnomish clockwork knight of Latan' he shouldnt expect many (or any) Warforged, ahem... I mean 'Clockwork Knight components to fall into his metal paws during this campaign, and he will have to deal with npc's freaking out around him and a general attitude of weirdness towards his new PC all the time etc...
The player dosent care, he loves the idea of playing a unique tin man/living construct and I have decided to let him, as long as he understands and can deal with the rpg'ing drawbacks he may suffer; obviously I'm not going to have all npc's freak around him, some might really love him but mainly people in Faerun are going to act 'differently' around a man-sized-walking-talking-dolly than they would around your average standard race PC. Can you imagine the way your average Diamond Laker will respond to him/it?
So it falls down to me to introduce the Warforged into Diamond Lake just a few hours after the battle against Ilthane. The sun is setting, the town is in smoking ruins, many buildings are smashed up or flattened, many men, women and children lie dead in the street. Its gonna be funerals galore and rebuilding for a good long while now, currently the party is checking up on their friends and relatives, salvaging what they can from their homes/lives and then they will be getting ready to return to the Whispering Cairn.
The player wants his warforged character to arrive in a crate, on the back of some cart, delivered accidently (or not) to the wizard PC that we have in our group, perhaps in peices and then once the wizard puts the construct together the construct PC will 'come to life' and befriend the mage. Where the construct comes from, what his background is and why he was sent to Diamond Lake is all up to me...
The player has written a brief description and personality for the construct (We're not allowed to say 'warforged') he wants the construct to be 'like edward scissorhands mixed with Kurt Russels character from Soldier' learning to be a person but born to be a warrior (not hair-dresser).
Now this player has lost two characters in this adventure path already, I think the guy probaly is feeling a little miffed and burnt-out after writing two lengthy backstories already and has decided to use the warforged character as a not too subtle hint to me that 'new characters might as well arrive in crates in this campaign' and 'warning: background not included'.
Very funny, I feel for him but what can I do? At least he's still happily playing and can laugh about it 'Third time lucky' and all that.
So I would like your thoughts on the using of a living construct PC in Faerun, what should I do with this delicious opportunity to give the player something really fun, exciting and kinda rewarding for a guy who's lost two PC's already?
I want to create something flavourful and special for the player yet still staying true to the gritty/doomy feel of the AoW's and realmsy enough to be believable in the Forgotten Realms? I feel I really have to make this character 'third time lucky' for the player!?
Thanks in advance.
First, a note on my Greyhawk campaign. A friend said he would play "only if he could be a kender." I told him there are no kender in Greyhawk, but he was relentless. So I let him, telling him that there are no other kender in Greyhawk, and his "kender-like abilities" will in no way be tolerated other than simple theivery. To which he was slightly insulted, as a kender would be, but I emphasized it again. And again.
Second, I have a player who just introduced his third character as well, in The Champion's Belt. He currently asked for a re-hash of the plot since he's missed "much of it while making new characters during the game."
So, I imagine the construct rules on healing may become a liability to the player, as well as the lack of any artificers to help him out. Eventhough you've said that there'll be no construct items in the AP, maybe you could surprise him here and there where it might be possible to find rare items (Manzorian's tower, maybe?) so that he doesn't feel left out on the magic item give aways.
If I were introducing a living construct character into the Age of Worms campaign in the Gathering of Winds adventure, I would have him found in the tomb, maybe in stasis. Maybe he would be an offshoot of the Wind Warriors in the tomb, made of ceramic and designed with a wind motif. He could have vague memories of the war with the Queen of Chaos and be tied to the adventure that way.
If your player is set on having him dropped off in a cart (which is a funny idea), play it to the hilt. Have him stuffed in packing peanuts or their Forgotten Realms equivalent, making the box huge so that the other characters are disappointed to find that he's only medium sized. Maybe his parts are all in those plastic frames that old model pieces came in and the other characters have to pull them out and put him together, and there's a big "magic scroll" that folds out to read as instructions, but they're all written in gnomish or Auran or Japanese so they have to go by the diagrams. You could explain his appearance as being sent in my Manzorian or whomever is taking his place in your campaign, tipping his hand a little early. Maybe he's from another plane that was ravaged by Kyuss and he's the last of his race in existence, if you wanted to add something suitably dark to the character.
...You could explain his appearance as being sent in my Manzorian or whomever is taking his place in your campaign, tipping his hand a little early...
In Greyhawk, Tenser (aka Manzorian) is known to use golems in his Fortress of Unknown Depths. Perhaps a warforged PC could actually be a creation of this epic-level wizard.
Jack
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It all depends on when your player wants his warfor-I'm sorry, clockwork knight discovered.
I like the finding him in a tomb idea which would make probably the most sense since it's easiest to explain he was made by a now non existant ancient empire and he can get in the game fairly quickly. He has to be lawful though if he qould be a construct of the wind dukes.
other ideas:
If you have a gnome in your party, make him or her have a weird dream. The dream should involve them helping Gond build something, though what that is they are not sure, during this time they have a casual conversation with the gnomish god and he explains that he noticed that they lost a companian recently and he figured it would be a good chance to try something he had been wanting to build. When they awake they relize that they had been building in there sleep and the first thing they see is the oddest clockwork knight they had ever seen. Try as they might they cannot remember what they did during they're divine inspired slumber. This could have humor if the player could play his construct kinda like a one of those helpful robots, cheerful, freindly, blissfully oblivious.
I also like the idea of it being a construct of Manzorian but I figure that would take too long.
if you want some insperation check out the following sorce ideas:
Chrono Trigger (character ROBO)
Alot of the Asimov books.
Full Metal Alchemist.
If you have a gnome in your party, make him or her have a weird dream. The dream should involve them helping Gond build something, though what that is they are not sure, during this time they have a casual conversation with the gnomish god and he explains that he noticed that they lost a companian recently and he figured it would be a good chance to try something he had been wanting to build.
Great idea, but you crossed over into one of my pet peeves. Gond is NOT a gnome god. Since the Time of Troubles, a few gnomes have started worshiping him, but most gnomes worship gods from the gnomish pantheon. I'd pick an appropriate Gnome god or have a human worshiper of Gond have the dream.
Another thought, if no PC fits the bill. Have one of the traditional Lantanna merchants (human, note!!) show up with a large crate. He could insist on meeting the PCs and then tell them that his god (Gond) instructed him to sell them his latest, greatest creation. This could make for some light-hearted role-playing.
In truth though, I like the "found in the tomb" idea.
I also like the "he escaped from Lantan and now works as a freak" in the Diamond Lake Emporium.
--Eric
Hey there, lots of brilliant ideas! But what to go for? Semi-comedy or ancient deadly coolness?
The escaped Latanese Pinochio working as a freak sounds like it has some potential (and a little sinister too).
I spoke to the player at work today and he wont let the 'discovered in a box/crate idea' go, it seems to be the scene that jumped into his head and refuses to go away.
He mentioned being inspired by the anime 'Battle Angel Alita' today and I think he would like me to hint at the living Construct as having 'OOoooooold roots' at first being something dusty, quirky and naive that turns out rather awsome/romanticised/epic in scale eventually.
I personally really like the tomb idea, my friend would definatly like it if his living construct looked simular to the Wind dukes, he wants the constructs body to look fragile and thin, easily broken; so the ceramic idea would be good for this.
I will have to ask him if he's found a peice of art or a miniature to represent his new PC, the 'look' of his new character will help me decide on which story to go for. He said he wants to have a face like the guy in the 'Gladiator' movie who wears the helm with an actual 'face'.
I will then just have to find a way to create an introduction and tie everything together so it works.
Happy-D&D-blessings and copious amounts of thankyou! :)
Hey there, lots of brilliant ideas! But what to go for? Semi-comedy or ancient deadly coolness?
How about doing both comedy and deadliness; the new character arrives in his box, sent by someone anonymous. Maybe attach a note signed by 'an admirer' of the ugliest preferably character (or weakest, in the wizard's case). Get the characters used to the tin knight being the goof of the group, but in secret he's an assassin. Without knowing it, he was made by one of the pc's enemies; if your player wants his tinman to have ancient memories and all, the NPC found him and simply sent him to the PCs. Then at some inopportune moment, the tinman's 'programming' activates and he attacks the party. Or maybe the character is mechanically insane due to corroded circuits because of his great age.
How about doing both comedy and deadliness; the new character arrives in his box, sent by someone anonymous. Maybe attach a note signed by 'an admirer' of the ugliest preferably character (or weakest, in the wizard's case). Get the characters used to the tin knight being the goof of the group, but in secret he's an assassin. Without knowing it, he was made by one of the pc's enemies; if your player wants his tinman to have ancient memories and all, the NPC found him and simply sent him to the PCs. Then at some inopportune moment, the tinman's 'programming' activates and he attacks the party. Or maybe the character is mechanically insane due to corroded circuits because of his great age.
Arrgh! Great ideas overload! :)
Thats another super-tempting tit-bit in the creation soup, could even tie into an old Wind Dukes plot or prophecy!
Thanks lots!
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Great idea, but you crossed over into one of my pet peeves. Gond is NOT a gnome god. Since the Time of Troubles, a few gnomes have started worshiping him, but most gnomes worship gods from the gnomish pantheon.
--Eric
Ahh, my bad. I've only read about the lattanease gnomes so that's where I got the idea. But honsetly, who could be crazy enough to make something like that besides a latan gnome?