Wolverine to DnD conversion

[Fizzban]

I saw a thread on the Wizards of the Coast site, and they were discussing converting super heroes to DnD pc. Well after deciding that Superman had an ECL of +30. and that Batman had 20 levels in monk and another 20 levels spread across a hand full of classes they got around to Wolverine. Well there was a lot of arguing, but it got me wondering a few things.

1. How would you make Wolverine? (I have some ideas with the feral template.)

2. How would one get adamantium covered bones and claws, and once you had them what would the pluses and minuses be? (I was thinking some immunity to crits., and some bad armor check penalties)

3. What class would you give him? (I would start with Fighter, Barbarian, and something to do with Samurai maybe not a class but some of his fighter feats to reflect his time in Japan, and maybe assassin.)

Fizz

[Lilith]

Use a variant of the iron bones spell from Magic of Faerun.

[Heathansson]

I kinda think the D&D rules don't work too good for superhero creation.
And I think Superman would get wasted by a decent fireball. He has no immunity to magic. I saw him run and get Batman to handle one lousy servitor-style vampire who scratched him and made him bleed.

[Fizzban]

I've never been a fan of Superman. He never seemed to be that deep to me. In the thread I mentioned earlier, they said "Superman's cape gave him SR" ??? However, Wolverine almost seemed do-able to me in DnD term. The healing factor being way to powerful, but the rest I could see working. I made a pc just for fun of him with the feral template. I enjoyed it, but he came off alot like Sabertooth.

Fizz

[Thoth-Amon the Mindflayerian]

I'd give him many levels of monk with the feral wolverine template. I'd also say that he could still be critted, but would be immune to the possibility of decapitation. His Constitution score would, or course, be high enough to give him regeneration--and to explain his many hit points.

Thoth-Amon

[Celestial Healer]

Or you could design adamantium bone grafts as magic items (using the graft rules in the various books in which they are found).

Create a template or something that gives him good fast healing and DR. This is a close approximation, but makes him a little more mortal (and helps keep the CR down).

[Fizzban]

I liked the iron bone spell, but it's used to make undead skeletons strong (which increases the natural armor). With that said, what effect would metal bones have with flesh on top of them? I was thinking maybe something like the fortification enhancment in armor. Thanks for the ideas. I've liked all of them so far. I'm going to see what my group thinks of them.

Thanks all keep them coming

Fizz

[Azrad]

Most heroes are quite doable in d20 (D&D 3.5) ... though i dont think they can be done easily with standard classes. Batman for example, more likely a martial rogue variant (as presented in Unearthed arcanna) heres what id suggest for wolverine.
The template half would give him an approx Level adjustment of 6 or a ECL of 7 (using a standard race as base).

Template
Regeneration (5) no weakness
DR 5/adamantine (skeleton)
retractable Claws (1d8/adamantine)
Scent
+2 Inherent bonus to listen checks
Immune (poison)
Immune (disease)
Pounce
Rend
Str +4, Dex +2, Int -4, Wis +2
Notes
Adamantine skeleton (subject to heat metal and other metal affecting spells and abilities) makes him immune to death by massive damage and severing effects, vorpal for instance, unless accompanied by the adamantine damage type.
Wolverine displays great strength and prowess while fighting. He has demonstrated less than accute inteligence but is very well versed in survival techniques. His regeneration suffers no weaknesses because i simply havnt seen any, in X2 he was being decintegrated and still regenerated. It is unknown if his regeneration can restore lost limbs or allow him to reatach them but his skeleton makes it difficult to test this aspect. His skeletons rigidity makes him hard to hurt, giving him a damage reduction of 5/adamantine and immunity to death by massive damage. As far as hitpoints go, with regeneration he doesnt need that many to keep going, (1 bullit to the head knocked him unconcious for example in X2) Fortification implies a full armor or a protective force (Witchblade would probably get that) wolverine has no such things though the rigidity of his bones would impart a damage resistance to hits and displays as much in X1 in several fight scenes where hits that were dealt and landed resounded with a clank, leaving him relatively unaffected.

I dunno what classes he would have without further researching him but some of the following abilities and feats (and thier prerequisites) seem relevent.

Track
Skill Focus (survival)
Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Improved Critical (Claws)
Great Cleave
Improved Sunder
Combat Reflexes
Improved Combat Expertise
Defensive Throw
Prone Attack

Jump
Survival

[FavoredEnemy]

It's been a long ass time but i believe in the original Age of Apocalypse story arch, it was mentioned that he could have regrown his missing hand that Cyclops blasted off, but he capped it.

[Josh M.]

Don't forget Sphinx Claws from Magic of Incarnum. Basically Wolverine's claws at will.

[kevin_video]

Josh M. wrote:

Don't forget Sphinx Claws from Magic of Incarnum. Basically Wolverine's claws at will.

Exactly this.

Best way to do it that I've found was this --
Books - Magic of Incarnum (totemist, totem rager), Magic Item Compendium (ring), Core Rulebook (barbarian), and Savage Species (feral template).

Feral (gives fast healing) human barbarian/totemist with sphinx claws/totem rager with the ring of adamantine.

I played it, and enjoyed the heck out of it.