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So a number of classes have options that lend themselves to gradual or wildly shifting fantastic visuals as they gain experience. For example, most sorcerer bloodlines and the dragon disciples in particular. But martial classes have similar options as well, such as the various totem power chains. And even entirely mundane characters still have interesting visual cues to play with coming from some of their options.
While some players may prefer or more static and consistent visual for their character and others may prefer something wholly dynamic depending on what equipment they find, some plan out how their character's appearance will change from level to level. For example, tracing the slow transformation a dragon disciple undergoes, possibly ending in something less, equally, or more exotic than the example featured in the NPC Codex. And another may just have definite changes in clothing to reflect stages of growth and directions they hope to take their character.
What visual plans have you used or are planning to use for PCs or NPCs, or would simply like to see done? How do they develop as they go along?
Scars: when they are critted, i roll for bodyparts. No bonus/penalty on CHA, but still some characters flaunt them, some hide them :)
One of my halfling players is transforming into a gnome, because of his behaviour/interaction
Will take him a year (outgame time) to figure this one out.
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I also like scars from grievous wounds, though I don't roll for a bodypart since the GM for the game I'm a player in is pretty good at describing where you get hit and what kind of mark it makes at the time. I usually try to keep meaningful wounds.
For example my character (a Monk) has deep scarring on his back from where he was beat down by a group of Spriggans while shoving a healing potion down the throat of the unconscious Rogue (Dodged 4 of the buggers due to high AC and the use of my one Snake Style dodge but the last one crit me. =/). Said Rogue tried to return the favor too when I got knocked out but in the process provoked from all of the darn things and his 16 AC did little to protect him as he was knocked into the -40-ish area. This is to go along with the slash wounds criss-crossing all over his chest from when he was nearly killed by a Red Mantis Assassin in his backstory (there was a hit out on his family and he lived in Ilizmagorti).
I also like having distinguishing marks of other kinds as well, but currently the only other ones are story driven (a tattoo on his forearm of a Red Mantis as his totem animal in Serpent's Skull).
Though he will look different next session when he comes back from his solitary meditation/training (and character rebuild) when he drops the alcoholism and shows off his new, more muscular form after he's purged of the demon drink and such.
One of my halfling players is transforming into a gnome, because of his behaviour/interaction
Will take him a year (outgame time) to figure this one out.
Wait how does that even work
One of the players in my savage tide AP is a cleric of We Jas. He was given the option by me to spend feats on a Runebrand, which mechanically worked similar to Eberron Dragonmarks but granted from his goddess and with spell powers thematically linked to her. It started as a brand on his forearm, and he kept the sleeve rolled up constantly. When it grew to cover his arm like a tattoo sleeve he cut off the sleeve on that limb completely. The current one extends up over the shoulder in front and back so he has switched to a 'toga' style top so that everyone can see it. The outfit changes were decisions on his end simply because he is proud to be marked by his diety.
Had a Sorceress/Dragonheart Mage(red) in shackled city. She made heavy use of the 3.x draconic heritage feat chains, so her appearance shifted slowly as she took more, like dragon disciples. She also preferred the force spells that gave you the ghostly tail, and teh ones that manifested into the wings and tail sweeps. Had a very unique feel to play in a blaster role using uncommon spell choices compared to others in my past. Senses feat i changes her eyes to golden/slitted. Dragonskin made her skin a deep bronze, like heavy suntan that still gleamed faintly in the light as if damp. Her hair got longer and a brighter/deeper red with each as well. Started short above the neck and was waist length by the trip to Occipitus. Was a distant (several steps removed) bloodtie to the dragon in the end of the AP.
Those are a few, i'll see what else springs to mind later.
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I'm a fan of the Dynamic here, with my characters changing as gear, moods and rp dictate. The last time I was on player side for any length was a as a Red Dragon Bloodline Sorcerer who had he well dressed trait, he had expensive cloths for everyday of the week and absolutely useless jewelry just to accessorize.
As far as Draconic Sorcerers and Dragon Disciples go, I picture them developing scales of the appropriate color as they level. Possibly a snout too, characterized by the Bite ability.
For martials, I'd picture the gear to be noticeably more advanced. The level 1 fighter is moderately badass with the breastplate and a good old bastard sword. The level 15 fighter looks a bit more kickass with the heavy fullplate, decked out with armor spikes and magical enhancements etched into it, while wielding a flaming, electrified sword of carnage.
I actually have a level 2 ninja with no major gear, just two wakizashi and some normal armor. Nothing particularly fancy at a glance. Later on, I expect him to look a bit more badass, decked out in shadowed armor with magical blades and so on.
Not sure if this goes a bit off topic into customizing more than evolving, but one idea I have for a summoner concept that I really want to try out involves two separate eidolons, with one of them being evil and the other being good. And, to note, not to be accomplished with the broodmaster archetype, but simply changing evolutions at each level up and roleplaying appropriately in the meantime (the Summoner can only call one at a time, and doesn't actually have full control over which one he gets. Hence why it would alternate at level up, for some randomization, and to keep within the rules).
Anyway, the visual idea for this (besides the eidolons themselves looking different, of course) is that while the good one is summoned, one of the Summoner's arms is covered in blue runes, and when the evil one is summoned, his other arm is covered in red runes instead. The eidolons then have the corresponding color of runes patterned over them as well. They're both snakes (a couatl and an aghasura, respectively) also, so a pattern running over them seems like a suitable form for the mark to take.
Ideally, once the Summoner is more in control of his power (read: high level), he can summon a fused form of them, in which case both sets of runes are apparent on his arms, and run together across the back.
Just as an idea for the visual of the concept. Again, I admit it's a little off of the original topic, but shows part of the character's progression.
I also enjoy fluffing the look of magic a fair amount. I made a Tiefling Magus with the vestigial wings trait for a PbP Arena here (he might get used in other games too though. He seems cool).
He's far from the appropriate level for flight, but once he has access to the spell, I'm thinking of fluffing it as a glowing outline of larger wings - of a size that would actually be suitable for flight - overlaid/superimposed on top of the stunted ones.
But yeah. I like the visual customization that can be done to showcase a character's progression and such. It's pretty cool.
Good scars can represent so much of a character's experiences.
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Current Shoanti half-orc barbarian has been sticking with a certain thematic look for himself concerning his amror though he does upgrade it. Basically when a new piece of armor comes along, he modifies it so that it winds up looking like piecemal armor that doesn't quite cover his body completely, giving him some freedom to move. That way he can keep up with the armor arms race while holding onto some of the "bare-chested barbarian" look.
The other half of that character's look was an evolving one, based on the Spirit Totem chain of rage powers that were homebrewed to deal holy damage rather than negative energy.
Lesser Spirit Totem: A small feathered serpent/couatl made of spectral flame would burst into life from the barbarian's matching tattoo, its appearance stylized in a combination of Shoanti/orc art styles. It would fly around him constantly, biting and tearing through evil creatures adjacent to him while raging.
Spirit Totem: The feathered serpent was joined by a mass of whirling spirits, all celestials and totems tied into his various tattoos. When raging, he had a practical cloud of these spirits whirling around him.
Greater Spirit Totem: The couatl grew larger, wilder looking, and a bit more solid in appearance, now capable of flying off and attacking enemies at a distance. The other spirits grew more defined in appearance and numerous, and were now a raging whirlwind around the barbarian, harming any evil creatures standing within reach. Whenever this is going on, the barbarian's eyes grow faintly luminescent and sharp "wings" made of lines of light would float behind his shoulders.
I have a Fighter(TWW):Barbarian:Ranger 3-Way Gestalt that hails from a region of the Homebrew's World based heavily on the british isles. He is fluffed to where when he rages or his favoured enemies are nearby he gets covered in Woad(Wold? I can never remember that spelling) Markings and he wears only We are using 3.5's Class Defense Bonus and Armour as DR Optional Rules so he was Piecemeal Armour and never has the exact same armour configuration 2 days in a row. That and he is fluffed up to be an escape "Roman" Gladiatorial Slave.
He currently either Dual Wields Gladius or switches up to a Weapon and Shield Combo. For Ranged Combat he chucks Shortspears using Quickdraw and a Blink Back Belt.
Despite using the Medium XP while everyone else uses Fast XP he still seems to stay 1 Level above everyone else. Though that might be do to the way we handle XP...
You mean woad. It's a blue dye. A wold is (originally) a forest (old English "weald").
I'd be worried about a character who rages and gets covered in trees. :p
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Great topic, Mikaze!
My fighter PC for my current Council of Thieves game (run on these very boards by the fantastic GmMug) began the game with a light hammer, a pouch of nails (as caltrops), masterwork tools and a leather apron. I wanted to take him from a slow progression from simple craftsman to hero. At the moment he's donning a nice shiny breastplate and a plundered tower shield with the Cheliax coat of arms, so he's come a long way in two levels. In fact I don't know where to go with it next, appearance wise. Our own version of the Children of Westcrown are known as the "Torchbearers", so maybe some kind of continual flame for my armour or something equally showy.
My current longest running campaign, a homebrew one that's been running for the whole five years I've been playing, has been a sporadic one, and we've played numerous characters over numerous adventurers as we cut from place to place, from PC to PC. Our characters have gone through some serious arcs in this time, and given that myself and my GM are both avid artists with something of a competitive streak, we tend to develop a characters "look" between us.
One of my characters, actually another PCs graduated ghoul cohort, is currently accompanying another, this time ex-player's, retired PC as her bodyguard. The ghoul is a bitter honor bound samurai, but is currently deep in the desert on a hunt for the exiled emperor of the eastern kingdoms and the Imperial Seal. He's wrapped in thick shawls and wrappings that hide his features, has a camel as his cavalier mount and wields a dead man's falchion, but I plan on decking him out in full samurai armour, (my ultimate combat copy tells me it's called o-yoroi), a white stallion and a huge banner bearing his lady's sigil once he makes his triumphant homecoming and we try to quell civil war in the east.
...whew!
Good scars can represent so much of a character's experiences.
Another of my characters, a bandit with an almost Rincewindian bad-luck streak, has a scar that can probably top anyone in this thread. His belly is split open and his guts spilling out. As you can guess, he died somewhat horrifically. We continued his story with several unforgiving sessions set in the Abyss, as he was hunted by Mephistopholes (he may have accidentally sold his soul at one point in his backstory.) The fate of the damned is to forever bear the wounds of their earthly life, and an unlucky encounter with a redcap ensured my bandit was now a gutless coward in more sense than one.
The surviving PCs from the start of the campaign have been through much the same treatment. One, Nikola Tesla (a lightning mage, who'd've thunk it?) is gradually becoming more and more an elemental as he becomes the conduit for the storm that will bring on the apocalypse. He's gone from a beleaguered student and storm chaser to an elemental force of destruction (with an unfortunate tendancy for destructing the party's front line).
The other half of that character's look was an evolving one, based on the Spirit Totem chain of rage powers...*neat stuff*
That sounds extremely cool.
You mean woad. It's a blue dye. A wold is (originally) a forest (old English "weald").
I'd be worried about a character who rages and gets covered in trees. :p
Thanks I should have remembered that since I am building a Summoner that summons a Construct-like Eidolon who looks like one of the Construct Warbeasts from Privateer Press's Hordes Wargame. Especially given I am Scotch-Irish...
And isn't there a tree focused Druid Archetype?
My first Pathfinder character was a half-elf mystic theurge of Ulfen descent.
He began trying to hide his caster and elf-ness (being a minor jarl's bookish bastard child tends to get you bullied a good bit). Near the end of the campaign, the hair was pulled back to expose the ears and wore the Ulfen equivalent of the pointy hat and robe with a moon and stars on it.
One of my recent NPCs is a Fighter/Ranger(Guide, Skirmisher). He started of wearing a Piecemeal Suit of armour and wielding a Magically Treated Obsidian Bastard Sword and using a Composite Longbow with Stone Arrows to now he fights Unarmoured foregoing any Armour as DR and simply dodging his foes attacks. He has upgraded to Magical Weapons.
So he switched from being Legolas style of Armoured to be unarmoured like Aragorn.