Need Help with creating my first character


Advice


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Hi everyone, so a few months ago, my friends came to me and ask if I would be interested in playing Pathfinder, said yes, we all sat at the table and roll our attributes and all, but we never got to fully finish our character. We had to delay the game for months now, but I think we may be able to start in the next month or so.

Anyways, long story short. I am hoping to create this character (the game will be set in a Japanese-style setting. My character is a Dhampir, the GM already agreed to it, no problem. I roll for the background and everything. Background I roll is that my Parent is nobility, and my mother is Dead. I ask if it the same if my character is convince she is but maybe she isn't, could be a plot twist for my character later on... The GM was ok with it. Anyways, my initial story was that my character was a samurai at the service of a Daimyō (his father), I should say was as he's no longer at his service, he is a Ronin now, and he joined a temple whose underground serve as a base of operation for witchhunters - Particularly Vampire Hunter, which my character joinsed.

Now what I was going for is a Batman meets jack the ripper, sort of hunter, I don't just hunt the the bloodsucking fiend but I prey upon them, leave behind a message, a calling card of sort like a serial killer, fill the Vampire Nobility, and those who serves them with dread. Anyways. I was having a bit of difficulty joining my concept of samurai, with his alter ego, I initially thought that since it was set in Japanese like setting and I wanted my character to be a master of the Katana, that it would make sense that my character b or have been a samurai.

Anyhow, reading about the all classes this afternoon, I came upon the Vigilante Class, I had seen one such character in some images and read a little about him (the Red Raven) thought he was really cool, but I was unaware that vigilante was an actual class. So I got to reading about it, and its Class Skills and Features, and then I saw the archetypes, and I got a little loss, so that is why I am here, to ask if some of you Gentlemen, or ladies would be so kind as to share some of your wisdom and knowledge about how to best get to creating the charcter I have in mind.

So my character (apparence wise) started with the Batman villain; Talon, he is an Assassin of the Court of Owl - A Secret Society that is the architect of almost anythign that happens everywhere. Anyways, so an assassin, and the theme of the Owl, I wanted to keep that. As a symbol of Natural predator of bats - I know its cliche and cheesy, but I like it. Anyways, His vigilante name would be the Grey Owl, he would look something like a cross between an assassin from Assassin's creed and a Samurai, or now I guess a Japanese style armor. At his side his trusted and fearless companion a Eurasian eagle-owl. For weapon, I was thinking since a common theme of samurai, and superstition was that a Sword can be made corrupted or evil or if made by or with evil intent be curse, I thought my character katana is a Demon sword, (was also inspired by the Anime - Owari no seraph). My GM agreed but for obvious reason, my character cannot start with such a powerful weapon, I am ok with that. He wears a mask to protect his Identity and also inspired by the demon mask the samurai are often depicted wearing. He wears a wooden mask that cover all his face like Vega from Street Fighter, the mask would look very much the same as the Court of OWl mask, except made from wood, texture I imagine it would look like the Mask from the Movie the Mask. He would also wear a cloak with a hood, and light or medium armor, not sure in what category samurai armor falls into.

In term of skills, I see him as a master stalker, following his prey unotice in the shadow, like batman would. who has absolutely no regards for the safety of other vampire, they will all die, but he understand that there are priority, and ins't delusional or blind thinking he can take all of them head on. So he preys upon the predator and the hunter becomes the hunted, when he sees a vampire approaching a human, he strike with deadly intent, *not sure if vampire disintegrate in Pathfinder upon death* hoping they don't so he can leave their bloody corpses for the authority and other vampire to find.

So by day, he is a rich brat, son of a Vampire Count, a little prince so to speak, socializing with human and vampire nobility, and by night he preys upon the latter, but also on those who would serve them.

So I was reading the archetype and I saw the Magical Child (I think it was called), it was written that Vigilante of that archetype begins play with an animal companion like a druid. I thought he might need to be that archetype, but then I read about the faceless and I think it also fits my character, and the Serial Killer archetype, I think would fit the glove nicely too, but it was also written that you cannot take archetype that overlap on what they alter and I think some of the alteration of these archetype overlap.

Also I though I would take the Stalker side of the Vigilante from level 1 specialization.

Sorry for the long wall of text. So what would you guys suggest I do ? Also if you guys a better Idea or different class in mind which may be closer to what I wam going for by all means... thank you in advance for helping :)


Your ideas look solid, but with one flaw: You're already determining part of the story, or trying to. But part of the fun of roleplay is having the characters thrust into an adventure, and it's not always one they were born to be in.

Whatever background story you create is just that: a background. It represents what the character already has done (which, starting at level 1, can't be all that much) and what they aspire to.

To be blunt: your character is no Batman (yet), and may never become one (though he may (and should) try). And he's no Jack the Ripper, at most he has the mentality to become one. You'll play a wannabe, but in the good sense of the word. Someone with the determination and a reason to strive for something.

Don't be too eager to craft a character who already has his life planned out; once the game starts you'll find things tend to go in a completely different direction. By all means: have dreams and aspirations. Have a past, and plans for a future. But things are about to take a turn for the worse...

Or better.
Or bizarre.
Or all of the above.

Have fun, and welcome to the hobby!


Thank you VRMH, yeah, I tend to do that sometimes, I have been passing the last ten...- 15 years, my god, on the other side of the table (been Storyteller /GM for Vampire the Masquerade) so use to creating NPC, obviously not the same.

Also in VTM your character has live well depending on the age of your character an entire life so to speak as a human, and for at least 25 years as a vampire. Which obviously for an Immortal is nothing but 25 years enough to put something together and become good at it, not saying that after 25 a newly turn vampire is now a powerful lord, ruling a city, but he could easily be at the top of a firm or anything else. And that is a starting character. I realise this is not VTM. Just that I have been doing that for so long is almost second nature.

My character when we roll his background core value, don't know how its called like preset and all, My character roll that he was 60 years old, so that would mean I have been around more than half a life time. I'd imagine that even without going as far as saying he is on par with batman, that he had time to become pretty good at it.

But I understand your point, and I agree with you. I'll try to refrain from doing that.

But I was more looking for help on the side of rules, did I understand correctly ? About the archetype, which one should I go for ? would I be better off chosing another starting class.

Edit: Or anyone else, any suggestion if any of you have experience playing that class, what I might want to do or avoid,anything I should know.

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