John Wick


Conversions


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So, I've been busy getting back to my conversions. This one was something special, so I saved it for my 50th character guide.

Allow me to present... John Wick!


Nice build! I've been waiting for some time for another conversion of yours. And what a great choice of character too!

Unfortunately, the build feels somewhat bland compared to the original character. In fact, you left out one of the best feature of the character - his amazing unarmed combat skills! John Wick is a professionnel gunman, no doubt about that, but he definitely outclass most people in the movies in hand to hand combat. IMO, this should have been reflected better in your build.

Then again, I know it's hard to convert a character into Pathfinder. Take it as constructive criticism :)


John Wick would be three different Gestalt builds into one if you really want to play him up.

One Rogue, one monk, one multi-class picking up odds and ends or just straight fighter.


I'd personally only give him 6 levels of fighter, and even then I think it's stretching it only because of the snap shot feat. The feats I see are Snap Shot, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, maybe Rapid Shot, maybe Weapon Specialization, maybe Point Blank Master, Deadly Aim, Improved Unarmed Strike, and Combat Reflexes. Most of which are mentioned already in the OP.

I'd probably give him a con score of 10 with average hitpoints. Giving semi-realistic people more health than a Rhinoceros kinda irks me.


Would he not be a gunslinger? or am I missing something?

Silver Crusade

Maybe an Urban Ranger with Favored Enemy (Human)?


Sauce987654321 wrote:
I'd probably give him a con score of 10 with average hitpoints. Giving semi-realistic people more health than a Rhinoceros kinda irks me.

Wait... what? Did we see the same movies?

As far as I'm concerned, all you need is a bunch of levels in warrior, with a careful feat selection, plus copious quantities of DR/- and regeneration. The singlemost iconic trait of John Wick is the ability to take - and survive - fantastic amounts of bodily harm and keep on functioning. Sure he's a good shot, and a packs a mean punch, but everyone else is too. He's just the last man standing every time because "getting hurt" doesn't seem to be a thing for him.


Anguish wrote:
Sauce987654321 wrote:
I'd probably give him a con score of 10 with average hitpoints. Giving semi-realistic people more health than a Rhinoceros kinda irks me.

Wait... what? Did we see the same movies?

As far as I'm concerned, all you need is a bunch of levels in warrior, with a careful feat selection, plus copious quantities of DR/- and regeneration. The singlemost iconic trait of John Wick is the ability to take - and survive - fantastic amounts of bodily harm and keep on functioning. Sure he's a good shot, and a packs a mean punch, but everyone else is too. He's just the last man standing every time because "getting hurt" doesn't seem to be a thing for him.

Right. So if he got his head cut off, would he grow it back? If he gets gunned down by a group of people, do his wounds heal like the T-1000? If you say no to both, then he doesn't have regeneration or even fast healing.

DR, same case, would bullets bounce off his flesh harmlessly?

I gave him 10 con for a reason, so his health doesn't go out of wack. Even some huge sized creatures wouldn't have his health total if I gave him something like 18 con.

It's not much of a wonder how he would be able to survive a ton of damage with a decent health total. A pistol is doing 1d8, and an unarmed attack deals 1d3 + modifier. Not exactly high scaled weapon attacks in Pathfinder.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

There was already a John Wick conversion...

... Wait a sec.


Unassuming Local Guy wrote:
Would he not be a gunslinger? or am I missing something?

Yeah. Probably better off as one.


Mix of Gunslinger and Monk (maybe Brawler), probably... Possibly even using Gestalt rules. I'd put him at levels 6~8... Maybe 9~10, depending on how you want to reflect certain scenes.


Yeah a was thinking Brawler for the Martial Flex, giving him that seemingly good at everything feel.


DthKnell wrote:

Nice build! I've been waiting for some time for another conversion of yours. And what a great choice of character too!

Unfortunately, the build feels somewhat bland compared to the original character. In fact, you left out one of the best feature of the character - his amazing unarmed combat skills! John Wick is a professionnel gunman, no doubt about that, but he definitely outclass most people in the movies in hand to hand combat. IMO, this should have been reflected better in your build.

Then again, I know it's hard to convert a character into Pathfinder. Take it as constructive criticism :)

I'd actually argue that what we see John do is pretty much all player description when it comes to his unarmed combat.

It doesn't matter how you describe your fighting rolls, because they can look however you want. So as long as you can take a swing without provoking attacks of opportunity, you're pretty much good to go. Any extra damage would come from his sneak attack, allowing the one class feature to be used with fists, bullets, blades, or pencils.


Neal Litherland wrote:
DthKnell wrote:

Nice build! I've been waiting for some time for another conversion of yours. And what a great choice of character too!

Unfortunately, the build feels somewhat bland compared to the original character. In fact, you left out one of the best feature of the character - his amazing unarmed combat skills! John Wick is a professionnel gunman, no doubt about that, but he definitely outclass most people in the movies in hand to hand combat. IMO, this should have been reflected better in your build.

Then again, I know it's hard to convert a character into Pathfinder. Take it as constructive criticism :)

I'd actually argue that what we see John do is pretty much all player description when it comes to his unarmed combat.

It doesn't matter how you describe your fighting rolls, because they can look however you want. So as long as you can take a swing without provoking attacks of opportunity, you're pretty much good to go. Any extra damage would come from his sneak attack, allowing the one class feature to be used with fists, bullets, blades, or pencils.

True enough, unarmed combat moves (in fact any form of combat moves for that matter!) can be described any way a player want. I agree with you about extra damage - if there is any, it probably comes from sneak attack or another form of precision damage.

That being said, John Wick will often trip, grapple or disarm his opponents (sometimes all three). This is what I meant by amazing unarmed combat skill. In fact, a lot of videos on youtube have popped recently to describe the techniques being used in the movies and a lot of them are advanced judo techniques - so grapple, trip and chokes.

A couple of levels in snakebite/strangler brawler would give him sneak attack, a boosted sneak attack while strangling someone, practiced stranger so you don't care too much about being grappled and improved unarmed strike (taken as the bonus feat at lvl 2). Add some levels of Pistolero gunslinger to ace those close range pistol shots and the rest in Lore Warden Fighter - bonus feats, weapon training and scaling bonus to all combat maneuvers.

As I said, I really like your take on character conversion. This one just happened to feel a little less fleshed out than the others.


Fair points. I shall consider them if I end up working on a similar character, and want to differentiate them.


Nice. In a home game, I'm considering something that can get into a room & lay waste either at range or up close, John Wick-style. Which could also really sound like a ZAM (esp w/Point Blank Master at lvl 3 ) for a setting light on guns

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