[Iron Heroes] A Saga of Might - OOC (Re-recruiting)

[mfloyd3]

OK, I'm going to write up a character sheet and short history tonight. Quick question for you, Doc Simon. I'm looking at an arcanist who is an aristocrat from the decadent city-state of Zor to which you alluded above. There are several ways to go with this character. If I go heavily toward the social end (Enchantment as a primary school and Devious Manipulator for a feat) are there going to be opportunities to use it? Or would it be better to go with a more scholarly bent (some other primary school, and Healing Mastery for a feat)?

Not trying to force you to let a cat out of the bag. It's just that she's going to be a support character, so I wanted to make sure there would be stuff for her to do.

 

[mfloyd3]

Name: Xoria Aurelian
Class: Arcanist
Traits: Intelligent, High Born (titled)
Size: Medium
Gender: Female

Abilities: Level: 1        XP: ?
Str:  8 [-1] 
Dex: 14 [+2]     BAB: +0         HP: 9  (1d4+2+3)
Con: 16 [+3]     Grapple: -1     Dmg Red: 
Int: 18 [+4]     Speed: 30'                Spell  Res: -
Wis: 12 [+1]     Init: +2                  Spell  Save:
Cha: 14 [+2]     ACP:  -0                  Spell  Fail: 0%


           Base  Defense Shld   Dex  Size   Nat  Misc  Total
Armor:      10     0       0    2     -      -     -     12
Touch: 12
Flatfooted: 10  

SAVES:
                     Base   Abil Mod  Misc  Total
Fort:                +1       +3               +4
Ref:                 +1       +2               +3
Will:                +1       +1               +2


Weapon                  Attack    Damage      Critical
Unarmed                  -1        

Languages: Common, Ur (language of Ur Men), Ancient, First Speech, Imperial (language of local empire)

Abilities:
High Born:  +2 to Diplomacy when dealing with nobility
Aspect of Power:  Eldritch Bolt

Mana Pool:  12
Primary:  Illusion
Secondary:  Enchantment

Feats:
1:  Healing Mastery
1:  Venom Mastery

Skill Points: 48 pts       Max Ranks: 4/2
Skills                              Ranks  Mod    Misc   Total
Academia                             4
  Base knowledge specialty:  Arcana
  Additional specialties:            6
     Geography, History, Nature, Local (Zor), Nobility, Religion
Mysticism                            4
Social                               4
Theatrics                            4                              (+2 Diplomacy w/nobility)
  Base perform:  Sing
  Additional Specialties:  Dancing   1
Sense Motive                         4       +1           5
Spot                                 4       +1           5
Listen                               3       +1           4
Craft (Herbalism, trinkets)          4       +4           8
Craft (Alchemy, trinkets)            4       +4           8
Forgery                              1       +4           5
Ride                                 2       +1           3
Search                               2       +4           6
Swim                                 1       -1           0






Equipment: 

Item                        Cost (gold)                 Weight(lbs.)



                           Lgt   Med     Hvy     Lift   Push
Max Weight:                26    27-53   54-80   160    400

Age: 18
Height: 4'10" 
Weight: 100#
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Skin: Dusky

Appearance: Xoria is a petite, fine-boned woman with long black hair. Her eyes are a piercing brown, and her high cheekbones and clear skin mark her as an aristocrat. In her former life, she carried herself with an aristocratic bearing that only occasionally gave way to overt curiousity. She has carefully kept her hair in her face since taken captive by the Ur Men, and convincingly portrays a broken woman.

Background: The youngest child of Count Aurelian, Xoria was raised to survive in the cutthroat world of Zor's political life. She was trained in proper courtly etiquette, from choreographed manners to genteel and routine deception. She learned her lessons, though her heart truly belonged to scholarship. She followed in her mother's footsteps and studied the arcane arts.

It suited the House's needs to have an unmarried daughter to dangle before possible allies, and so Xoria remained unmarried to the unseemly age of 20. This hardly bothered her, as it left her free to pursue her studies without concern for the more worldy concerns her future marriage surely held.

The attack on her family was utterly unanticipated. Baron Corran could not be faulted for a lack of ambition as his band of elite assassins infiltrated the Aurelian mansion and wiped out the family and most of their servitors. Xoria was spared only because she was at the royal library, absorbed in one of her texts.

Baron Corran was aware of her whereabouts, and dispatched a group of his men-at-arms to kill her as she exited. But these were not his most loyal forces, and they saw an opportunity to turn a profit. They ambushed Xoria as she departed the library, but took her alive. She was discreetly sold to an Ur Man slaver, on condition that she immediately be taken from the city.

Since arriving at the salt mines, Xoria has taken pains not to draw attention to herself. Too weak to swing an axe or carry ore, she was tasked to carry the water bucket and tend to other odd jobs. She has concealed the fact that she speaks Ur, and has carefully accumulated as much information on her captors and fellow prisoners as she can. She has learned the names of individual guards, and as much as possible about their operations, including the storage of weapons and food and the watch shifts they take. She has tried to learn what she can about their friendships and rivalries. And she has taken careful note of her fellow prisoners, to find those who might be useful to her.

Because once, mere months ago, her role in an aristocratic family of Zor meant little to her. But that changed when she learned from other slaves arriving from Zor that her family had been annihilated. Now, her books and her alchemical laboratory seem frivolous toys. The Ur Men, for all her hate for them, are an obstacle that will be overcome. It is Baron Corran who occupies her thoughts, and she dreams of the day when she stands over his bloodied, broken corpse.

Countess Xoria Aurelian will return to Zor, and woe to any who stand in her way.

 

[Dr Simon]

Looking good so far, I like the fact that Olmar and Xoria are almost completely opposite in every way.

Mfloyd: Like the languages you've given her. As for your feat/arcana selection, I think your current choice will probably be more immediately useful, although I'm sure chances to use Devious Manipulator will crop up.

I haven't run the numbers on the characters yet, but they seem sound.

 

[Walking Dad]

Added some background and appearance. Think of a unkempt and bearded Conan

 

[Phaezen]

William "Dead Eye"

William "Dead Eye" 
Outlaw        
Archer 1        

Str    12    (+1)
Dex    18    (+4)
Con    14    (+2)
Int    14    (+2)
Wis    14    (+2)
Cha    10    (+0)

Init    +4    
Speed    30    
DR    -    
Defense    15    "(active 15, passive 10)"
Attack        

Base attack check    +5
Saves    "Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +3"
Hit points    10
Reserve points    10

Traits    "Dexterous, Forest Born (tree runner)"
Feats    "Point Blank Shot (Mastery 1), Precise Shot(Mastery 2)"

Special abilities    "Aim pool, Deadeye shot (1)"
Ability selections    Deadeye shot: Accurate shot

Skills    "Balance +8, Climb +9, Escape Artist +8, Gather Information +4, Hide +8, Jump +5, Listen +6, Move Silently +8, Search +6, Sense Motive +6, Spot +6, Swim +5, Tumble +8"

Token pools    Aim

William is a gaunt, scruffy looking man, originally well tanned as if he spent most of his time outdoors, the tan has slowly faded during his time in the mines. He has shown himself to be very quick with his hands.

William has not spoken about his past, or why he is in the mines, but rumour has it that he is a member of one of the bandit gangs plaguing merchant caravans as they pass through the vast forests to the east, although stories clash wildly over whether he belongs to one of the gangs out for self enrichment or one of those supporting refugees driven off their lands by the self styled Emperor of the Sun.

 

[mfloyd3]

Looking good so far, I like the fact that Olmar and Xoria are almost completely opposite in every way.

Well, every barbarian swordsman needs an arrogant, decadent sorceress. It's the peanut-butter-and-jelly of the fantasy genre.

Mfloyd: Like the languages you've given her. As for your feat/arcana selection, I think your current choice will probably be more immediately useful, although I'm sure chances to use Devious Manipulator will crop up.

OK, we'll stick with this. I added the background, and put in the Aspect of Power (had forgotten).

 

[Dr Simon]

Hmm, liking those backgrounds, folks. I've got a few snippets of information and hooks that I'm going to hand out to each character, and I think I know who's going to get what quite clearly.

 

[Shayuri]

Okay, I'm making a sort of martial artist (unarmed combat) character, and while I puzzle through the new skill and feat mechanics, I figured I'd ask the obvious...is there any way to improve unarmed damage? I saw the Improved Unarmed Attack feat, which appears to work exactly as it does in regular D&D, but I haven't seen any options to improve base unarmed damage from 1d3 yet.

Are there any?

 

[Dr Simon]

There are some Unarmed Combat mastery feat trees in the Player's Companion.

Edit: see below.

[sblock=Online shopping is a great and terrible thing]
UNARMED COMBAT [FINESSE, POWER]
You have trained to fight with punches, kicks, elbows, and
the like, so you can engage an armed opponent on equal
terms.

Base Mastery: 1
Benefit: You are considered armed even when you do not
have a weapon in hand. You do not provoke attacks of opportunity
from armed opponents when you attack them while
unarmed. However, you still get an attack of opportunity
against any opponent who makes an unarmed attack on you
unless they also have this feat.
You gain a +2 bonus to your unarmed damage rolls. Your
unarmed strikes can deal lethal or nonlethal damage, at your
option. Additionally, your unarmed strike becomes either a
Power weapon (if you took this feat as a Power feat) or a
Finesse weapon (if you took this feat as a Finesse feat). When
you wield a weapon with the unarmed descriptor, it gains the
same benefits as your unarmed strike.

Normal: Without this feat, you are considered unarmed
when attacking with an unarmed strike, and you can deal only
nonlethal damage with such an attack.
Special: Note that the benefits for expanded masteries 2, 5,
and 8 are identical. They are listed as separate mastery abilities
because you can’t take the same ability more than once.
However, their effects stack with each other, with the base
mastery of this feat, and with damage bonuses from Weapon
Focus (unarmed strike).

Expanded Mastery: 2. You learn more advanced unarmed
combat techniques that allow you to inflict more damage with
your unarmed strikes. You gain a +2 bonus on your unarmed
strike damage rolls.
You also gain this damage bonus when fighting with
weapons that have the unarmed descriptor.

Expanded Mastery: 3. You learn advanced unarmed holds
and grapples and are an expert wrestler. You do not provoke
an attack of opportunity when you make a touch attack to
start a grapple. You also gain a +4 bonus on all grapple
checks, regardless of whether you started the grapple.

Expanded Mastery: 4. Your training in unarmed combat
techniques gives you excellent poise and coordination, and
gives you an advantage when opponents try to knock you off
balance. You gain a +4 bonus to all Strength or Dexterity
checks made to resist any bull rush, overrun, or trip attack
against you.

Expanded Mastery: 5. You learn more advanced unarmed
combat techniques that allow you to inflict more damage with
your unarmed strikes. You gain a +2 bonus on your unarmed
strike damage rolls.
You also gain this damage bonus when fighting with
weapons that have the unarmed descriptor.

Expanded Mastery: 6. You can make extremely rapid
unarmed strikes. When you use the full attack action with
unarmed strikes, you may choose to make one extra attack at
your highest attack bonus. However, if you choose to make
this extra attack, then each attack you make that round (the
extra one and the normal ones) suffers a –2 penalty to the
attack roll. The extra attack and penalties stack with those
from Two-Weapon Fighting.

Expanded Mastery: 7. Your training in unarmed combat
gives you a significant edge when fighting an opponent who
does not understand unarmed fighting techniques. If you are
fighting an opponent who has no natural weapons and whose
unarmed strikes provoke attacks of opportunity, you gain a +1
bonus to Defense and to all attack and damage rolls for your
own unarmed strikes. You gain this bonus regardless of
whether or not your opponent is fighting unarmed or with a
weapon.

Expanded Mastery: 8. You learn more advanced unarmed
combat techniques that allow you to inflict more damage with
your unarmed strikes. You gain a +2 bonus on your unarmed
strike damage rolls.
You also gain this damage bonus when fighting with
weapons that have the unarmed descriptor.

Expanded Mastery: 9. You have learned to make a debilitating
nerve strike with your unarmed attacks. Whenever you
make an unarmed attack, you can choose to attempt such a
strike. If you are making more than one attack in a round, you
can choose whether or not to make a nerve strike with each
attack. When you attempt a nerve strike, you suffer a –4
penalty to your attack roll, but if the attack inflicts damage,
your target must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half the
damage dealt after DR) or become nauseated until the end of
its next turn. If you make multiple nerve strikes on a single
creature in a given round, it must make a separate saving
throw against each nerve strike.
A creature immune to sneak attacks or critical hits is not
vulnerable to nerve strikes. You cannot use a nerve strike
while striking a creature with concealment or while hitting
the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.

Expanded Mastery: 10. You can make blindingly fast
unarmed strikes. When you use the full attack action with
unarmed strikes, you may decide to make two extra attacks at
your highest attack bonus. However, if you choose to make
these extra attacks, then each attack you make that round
(the two extra ones and the normal ones) suffers a –6 penalty
to the attack roll.
You cannot use this ability and Unarmed Combat’s expanded
mastery 6 ability to gain three extra unarmed strikes per
round. You either gain one extra attack (and a –2 penalty) or
two extra attacks (and a –6 penalty).
[/sblock]

 

[Shayuri]

Brilliant! Thank you!

Now...I am juggling two concepts. Help me choose, everyone.

Concept one is a primitive, almost feral person with lots of wilderness skills. Concept two is a more exotic, 'seasoned traveler' character; a visitor from distant shores with more social skills.

Which would benefit this group more, d'ya think?

*rereads existing characters*

Crap! Walking Dad is already doing martial arts! Why did no one tell me!

I thought he was doing an axe-swinger!

Alrighty...back to the drawing board. Damnit. I was so close.