Ptolus: The Legend of Longcoat

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That's it. There's stuff in Stormwrack on the familiar list that would be Familiar Not Appearing In This Adventure if it can't survive on land/in the air for extended periods. Just a caveat on the free Stormwrack familiar thing.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Whizbang, in reading through the Ptolus Player's Guide, I was struck by an idea for a tiefling character. I'm uncertain which class he would take, but am leaning toward sorcerer at the moment. Before I got too far into my idea, however, I wanted to check with you regarding the availability (or lack thereof) of the tiefling race. The Ptolus guide suggests that everything (and nearly everything) is represented in the city but your character creation guide in this thread's OP doesn't go into detail regarding races. Is tiefling okay?

My idea is that this tiefling is in the employ of one of the city's more nefarious sydicates. He works, on the surface at least, as a hired curator for the tombs and crypts within the city's Necropolis in the northeastern corner of town. As a hire of the noble quarter, the tiefling's main job is to protect the noble family's crypts against robbery. The character is, in reality, an agent who serves as a messenger for [fill-in-the-blank] syndicate. The noble family who hired him may or may not, I imagine, have ties to the crime syndicate for whom the tiefling works. The tiefling, however, is tired of the constant petty demands of his bosses and also has a strong distaste for the crime world's inner politicking. He would like to break free from his syndicate and is waiting for the right chance to happen along.

This is my way of creating a tiefling character who is fun to play but is neutral or good-aligned in nature. I'm not looking to create and play a lone wolf character or a character who makes trouble for the party (though by mere association, of course, trouble may very well find them).

Thanks for the consideration and if you've a problem with any of that, I have no qualms about going in an entirely different direction.

 

[Erekose13]

Tieflings are also +1 LA, though the concept does sound interesting. Of note is the rather large population of demons and evil nasties in the Necropolis from which to create quasi-breeds. The Balacazar's have interest in anything they could get their hands on and I don't know if Kevris would tackle something like interferring with the noble crypts.

 

[Dave Turner]

Looking back over my background, the character concepts so far seem to be running away from the orphaned adventurer stereotype. We've all put our families in danger! Fathers seem to be in short supply too.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Erekose is right: I have to say no to a tiefling. If I were to allow a LA 1 race, it'd start with litorians.

Sorry!

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Yup, that's why I asked.

I read an interesting article in my local Sunday paper two weeks ago about a section of town in Manila that the locals there call "Norte." It's Manila's largest cemetary and, with something like over 300 acres, it's also host to a population of 50,000+ of the city's poor. What started out as a tradition in the 1800s of wealthy citizens hiring people to watch over the family crypts to protect the deads' valuables has evolved over 150 years into a veritable city within a city. That was the impetus for my tiefling idea who works in Ptolus's Necropolis. But the character can just as easily be a human or any other non-LA race. I'd got to thinking of tieflings because a.) I've never played one, b.) no one in any of my own campaigns has ever played one, and c.) I read in the Ptolus Player's Guide about the connections within Ptolus of demons/devils and the like.

I can easily reshape the character into one of the core races and might just do that.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Cairo has a similar phenomenon with its necropolis as well. Poverty makes for grim bedfellows.

I encourage you to run with a necropolis idea.

 

[Voadam]

Garn HO rogue work in progress

Garn
Half-Orc Rogue
Str 18
Dex 14
Con 14
Int 6
Wis 11
Cha 6

hp 8
AC 16 (armor +4, +2 dex) Touch 12, Flat footed 14

Grapple +4
Initiative+6
F +2, R +4, W +0

Feats Improved Initiative
Skills:
Climb 8
Hide +6
intimidate +2
listen +4
Move Silent +6
spot +4

Languages Common, Orcish

Race features

+2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma.

A half-orc’s starting Intelligence score is always at least 3. If this adjustment would lower the character’s score to 1 or 2, his score is nevertheless 3.

Medium: As Medium creatures, half-orcs have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Half-orc base land speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision: Half-orcs (and orcs) can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and half-orcs can function just fine with no light at all.
Orc Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-orc is considered an orc.
Automatic Languages: Common and Orc.

125 gp total
chain shirt 100 gp
Morning star 8 gp
backpack 2 gp
rope 50' 1 gp
5 javelins 5 gp
Dagger 2 gp
7 gp

Background:

Garn is not a nice fellow. Born to a tough life in a seedy section of the city he is known for fighting dirty in his barroom brawls. He knows a couple guys who don't ask many questions on stuff he wants to pawn off, whether it is jewelry that looks like it would fit on little old ladies or a delver's sunrod.

Garn is ugly, ugly, ugly with snarly teeth, a smashed nose, and a couple scars adding to what would already have been an unfortunate face. He also has a big tattoo on his right arm of a red heart with the word MOM in it. He is big though and many avoid provoking him.

Since he heard what happened to his mom while she was working the streets he's been on a bender. He wants to get his hands on the guy who did it.

 

[Erekose13]

Charisma is certainly the dump stat of the day. 4 characters and Cha 9 is our highest!

 

[Dave Turner]

Interesting build with the half-orc rogue. You can rely on the rogue's high skill point allowance to compensate for the Int penalty. Very clever.

As far as Cha being the red-headed stepchild, that does seem to be the trend. Maybe a sorcerer or bard will come out of the woodwork? I think that most have taken Whizbang's warning against social characters a bit too seriously. Maybe I'll whip up an alternate just to balance things out.