Fifth member of Tino's Toughest

[GM OfAnything]

I added a fifth member of Tino's Toughest to keep the challenge of the team for a five player party. My addition was a samsaran staff magus (yes, I was excited to try out the Secrets of Magic rules).

What other character ideas do you have as potential additions to Tino's Toughest?

[UpliftedBearBramble]

I added a Tanuki Elder to their group. Someone that will help endear the character more to them in the long run and also surprise them during the initial bouts of the three day hex crawl when they are transformed into innocent looking statues.

I've seen people have even added adult Cloud Dragons as their own group, but putting one that grows into Tino's Team would also help bolster them a bit if you feel they need more raw power rather than just be the consistent underdogs that get dragged to the finals.

To make things even more interesting, I considered something from off Golaria and from another planet; but the PCs are having too much difficulty just clearing the temple at this rate and are already out of healing spells. I don't think they can stomach something extraterrestrial just yet.

[Curaigh]

I wanted to add a familiar or other mascot-ish character (skittermander?). Just to up the tail-wagging enthusiasm of the group!

[GM Kitsune Kune]

I'm adding another, but weaker, character, (CR7), with support and buff abilities. Essentially a NPC Warden with some spells added for the extra CR. A new, younger, member they found, and quickly bonded with, shortly before getting accepted. This makes them a bigger challenge than the base team, but not so much more of addition that it sucks too many resources away from the temple clearing.

Further, have a young member let's me play up the "hopeful youth" trope with them. etc.

[Calpal]

Oh, the thought of having a younger member got me thinking that it could be Tino's younger sibling or cousin or something like that. Give it more of a personal family feel.

AND

You could always have the younger sibling killed off by some nefarious force (The Lightkeepers) to make things a bit more personal and up the stakes!

[GM Kitsune Kune]

Calpal wrote:

You could always have the younger sibling killed off by some nefarious force (The Lightkeepers) to make things a bit more personal and up the stakes!

I may, or may not, have such planned for my younger member, and been why I went that way... <.<

[Calpal]

GM Kitsune Kune wrote:

Calpal wrote:

You could always have the younger sibling killed off by some nefarious force (The Lightkeepers) to make things a bit more personal and up the stakes!

I may, or may not, have such planned for my younger member, and been why I went that way... <.<

Vicious!

Another thought to make it even more personal would be to have the 5th member of Tino's Toughest be a younger sibling of someone on the Player's team! Then there would really be personal investment with Tino's Toughest.

[GM Kitsune Kune]

Calpal wrote:

Vicious!

Another thought to make it even more personal would be to have the 5th member of Tino's Toughest be a younger sibling of someone on the Player's team! Then there would really be personal investment with Tino's Toughest.

I considered that too... instead, I am going to incorporate multiple other events along the way to get the players invested in said character first. (for instance, at one point during the island events. The young character get separated from Tino's, and wind up finding the players. Asking them to help said character get back. Interacting, even helping the players, until they succeed just before nightfall.) Small, simple events like that, giving time to get to know the character first.