This character started with the base concept of wielding 2 weapons, one a Holy/Axiomatic the other an Unholy/Anarchic. Obviously his alignment would have to be true neutral. Other than that I'm not sure what I want to do with him.
I was thinking that he would be a demon/angel/devil/(whats the CG equivilant?) hunter, possibly a hatred stemming from a side effect of them warring. Maybe just hating outsiders in general.
What I'm looking for:
Alignemnt focus (how is he neutral)
A few different builds (so I can plug him into any campaign I'm running)
More backstory possibities.
Other goals a character like this can have.
Names, his name and the names of his weapons (I'm the worst at names)
I kind of want one of his builds to be an alternate paladin, which would have to completely done (as far as I know) from scratch. Sometimes I run gestalt campaigns and am looking forward to mythic (but should probably wait to flush that build completely).
Looking forward to some creative suggestions.
|
I just hope those holy and unholy weapons aren't powerful enough to be sentient, or else the poor hero's going to have TWO separate egos tugging at him all day long, like he's some kind of bungee cord.
I'm not fully sure, but I think only a True Neutral character could wield both holy and unholy weapons at the same time. I could be mistaken, though.
As for backstory, it could be that his family, hometown, or something else of great personal value was destroyed in the war between angels and devils, and that's why he hunts both. Because neither side could put aside their wrath long enough to show a care for nearby innocents. Goals? Perhaps he's after the generals of the two armies, to make them answer for their deeds. Of course, it could be a long road to get to them, through all of the others that were involved. There's a lot of storytelling potential here.
Yes he needs to be true neutral. The concept of this is somewhat hard to grasp. How does he justify being outright anti good without becoming evil? I guess that's my question when it comes to alignment.
He can also be crazy, the two weapons he's got? Looted from a battlefield. Both are low grade egos mostly interested in killing their chosen target more than anything else, so like Deadpool he's always got someone in his head telling him to kill about half of what he sees.
In this case he may just be a poor chump who picked the wrong place to loot but now found some new power ("I've got TWO magic swords, woooooo.")
Or he could be from some sect of druid that sees Outsiders as a threat to the natural order.
An Inquisitor of Gorzeh seeking to purge extraplanar influence from the Prime, allowing the world to take its natural course. Then when you fight a Demon or Archon
(Archons are the more common LG outsiders and Azata are the CG, I believe) Then as an inquisitor you use your Banes to give your Holy/Axiomatic blade a bonus to fight LG, and your Unholy/Anarchic some juice to hit Demons. Should stack with your enhancements too.
call him Paul! or doctor nick!
Just how re-occurring do you want this powerhouse to be? I hope he isn’t planned as a DMPC?
I have a few characters who show up in multiple games. Some times they will be bad guys, some times DMPC's for the night, or they may be quest givers.
The inquisitor sounds like a good option. I don't know much about gorzeh.
I could see him showing up as a druid at times, but he would not be your standard druid.
The sword idea could be fun, but for the character's concept he'd still need to be in control.
|
I like Waiph's idea of being an enforcer, but I'd be more inclined to make him an enforcer of balance rather than an enforcer of laissez-faire. He doesn't need to have any particular trauma to get the idea that his (or his deity's) view of the world is the most appropriate, and to decide to make sure every evil-doer and goodie two-shoes is either reformed or eliminated. That can escalate from dealing with mortals to dealing with outsiders, if you want it to.
By the way, here is a decent discussion on true neutrality that's relatively recent.
Yes he needs to be true neutral. The concept of this is somewhat hard to grasp. How does he justify being outright anti good without becoming evil? I guess that's my question when it comes to alignment.
If you want to bring it to an extremist view he can hate all factions who are not his own or have a very close attachment to balance. There are outsiders who's lives are entirely dedicated to the balance of all things, Aeons(N). They aren't quiet as crazy as the axiomites or inevitables(LN), and certainly not the Proteans(CN). You could have a story relating to them.
Similarly, Nature itself is dedicated to balance and can sway a little, but its attached to neutrality itself. At least if you go by druid logic.
For classes you could also look at the PF barbarian as is. Sink feats into fighting and grab superstitious. He'd become extremely durable, hard to land spells on, and could hit pretty hard. Attack for non lethal if you plan a scare.
Instead of a name give him a title. That can really scare players and it lets you be lazy and avoid giving him a mortal name. It dehumanizes him and makes a monster, something beyond them. Thats just an option though, I've seen it done both well and awfully.
I just hope those holy and unholy weapons aren't powerful enough to be sentient, or else the poor hero's going to have TWO separate egos tugging at him all day long, like he's some kind of bungee cord.
If it's a double weapon with two intelligences then the wielder wouldn't even matter much. The Gnome Hooked Hammer of Neither Here Nor There would be an enemy in its own right - and mostly to itself.
I'm all about the ranger here. Maybe someone he loved was killed while caught between a battle of the extraplanars, and he decided to cleanse their envolve meant on the plane. You could have the weapons be bane weapons instead of alignment oriented. Holy and unholy evil/ good outsider bane weapons.
Hmmm, not sure what level you want so I went ahead and created a 12th level character. You can fill in the few remaining details and adjust to taste if you like it, I'm sure. I wasn't really counting the amount of wealth I was giving him.
Soren Wrendel
True Neutral Human Fighter 6 / Cavalier 6 [Order of the Shield]
HP 12D10 + 30 (96)
STR 18; DEX 18; CON 14; INT 13; WIS 10; CHA 13
Feats: Quick Draw, Two Weapon Fighting, Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword), improved critical (longsword), Combat Reflexes, Outflank [teamwork], Seize the Moment [teamwork], Coordinated Charge [teamwork], Leadership
Skills: Bluff 10, Climb 9, Diplomacy 14, Handle Animal 8, Heal 5, Intimidate 10, Knowledge [Local] 7, Linguistics 3, Ride 10, Sense Motive 7, Swim 9, Survival 4
Languages: common, celestial, abyssal, infernal
Skarbrand - Unholy Anarchic +1 Longsword
This sword has only ever passed from one owner to the next by murder. This was a part of the normal succession of rulership within the various (now nameless) cults it has served in the past. The name of the blade is etched in its hilt. Those who yet know its name seek its current holder, for taking it for their own will secure for themselves authority and respect.
Redeeming Light - Holy Axiomatic +1 Longsword
This blade was forged for the leader of a Paladin order when he set out to purge a nearby land of a vile cult. That Paladin did not return, and his order is still looking for the one who took the blade.
combat equipment:
Masterwork Composite Longbow (+5 strength), 10x arrows +1, 50x arrows, Breastplate +1, Heavy Shield +1, Ring of Protection +1, Amulet of Natural Armor +1, Cloak of Resistance +1
When he was a small child, Soren's home city was ruled by a blood cult that practised in sadistic human sacrifice. The people lived in constant fear not only of the cultists, and those who spoke up invariably became the next victim. Eventually the cultists grew bored of physical torment and moved on to an even more depraved plot; they would secretly mark their victim a week before his sacrifice, but if he ritually murdered one of his fellow townsfolk before that time then he could live. Neighbours ceased trusting each other, and desperation run rampant. Soren's own mother was one of these marked, and he was witness as his father aided in the kidnap and murder of a child from the far side of town.
Upon becoming a young man Soren was filled with anger against the ruling cult. When an army of knights lead by an order of Paladins arrived he was among the townspeople who cheered. But the cult was not defeated, merely driven into hiding. The Paladins began to scour the city, collecting anyone who they deemed "evil" and imprisoning them until it could be made certain they were not cultists. His own parents - their souls marked by taint of their crimes - were locked away by the paladins and when they confessed they were executed as having conspired with the cultists. Many of the citizens whispered that the Paladins were no better than the cultists.
An uprising formed, and Soren became one of the captains in the resistance, eager to cast off all the oppressors. As the Paladins were losing their grip on the situation, the cult re-emerged. A great battle took place on the street as Paladin, Cultist, and Insurgent sought to take control. At the heart of this battle, the leader of the cult was locked in combat with the leader of the paladins. Their swords seemed to scream as they fought.
Few had the strength of steel to draw anywhere near this duel, but Soren did. The two injured individuals turned their blades against him, but his heart was devoid of the conviction of a paladin or the depravity of the cultists. He defeated both in their weakened state. He took up their two blades as his own and lead the insurgency to victory.
When the bloodshed was over, the insurgency had won. The cultists were broken and their leadership slain, and the Paladins slain to the last. The remaining knights and cult members were leaderless and in retreat. Soren did not stay long afterwards. There were too many bad memories here and no one left to go home to, and he left with the two blades at his side, intent on seeking and destroying oppressors of both the darkness and the light.
I love that write up.
