TURTLEDOME!: Battle Bone (DM: KenHood, Judge: Lord S.)

[KenHood]

"Thank you."

"This is for two years of my life, you foul beasts!"

A jet of flame shoots from Swillwort's finger, turning the creatures to ash.

"Annie, please take the ashes and scatter them in running water."

"Right away, sir!"

While Annie rushes to the job, Swillwort picks up the wand in a third mage hand. The wand is decorated with spikes and skulls and all sorts of dreadful sigils. "Now, this is the Wand of Super-charged Mass Destruction. This is a basic model, because I fear the more potent versions may be a bit beyond your abilities. It functions as follows..."

[sblock=The Wand of Super-charged Mass Destruction]
Base Item: Implement (Wand)
Enhancement: +1 to attack and damage rolls.
Critical: +1d6 damage.
Power (At-Will, Arcane, Implement): As a minor action, the wielder imparts his life-energy into the wand to super-charge an attack. This costs a Healing Surge. The wielder can increase the area of effect of an attack by one square. The wielder must use the ‘super-charge’ before the end of his next turn. Otherwise, the wand discharges the energy in a harmless flash of light.
Drawback: Each use of the super-charge function requires more effort after the first. The next use costs two Healing Surges, then three, and so on. After a long rest, the super-charger ‘resets’.
Note: Any ally in physical contact with the wand can use a minor action to charge it.
Level: 2
Value: 520 gp
[/sblock]

After Obadiah completes his discussion of the wand's functions, he smiles, "Listen, you've done a great deal for me today, and I don't think that even gold and a wand can adequately repay you. I have a fervent desire to return to my former profession as an enchanter and scholar. If you need assistance with any arcane knoweldge or enchantments, let me know. I'd be happy to enchant items or cast rituals for your group if you're able to provide the raw materials."

[sblock=Achievement: Saving Swillwort]
Saving Swillwort
Your party has rescued Obadiah Swillwort, a powerful enchanter, from the psychic infection of Origami Rats and provided him with vengeance against his tormenters. He offers his services in gratitude.
Benefit: You may rely on Swillwort as a patron. He will assist in arcane research (+2 on Arcane, History, and monster-knowledge checks) and cast rituals or enchant items for you, provided you bring him raw materials (i.e. ritual components or gold).[/sblock]

Marco checks his dwarven-made pocket watch. "Oh, dear! Look at the time! If I don't get home quickly, my wife will have a fit."

 

[Reklaw]

"Thank you Obadiah, it was an honor to be able to help you! We will have to return after our adventures to see how your return is going. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you further in any way."

Drivan finishes speaking, extending a handshake to Swillwort.

[sblock=Wand]And I just emailed my staff proposal, lol Sorcerers have plenty of AOE's right, FitD?[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...

[sblock=Wands]You may have the wand superpower, Drivan, but you can still use the implement. You can even hold the staff in one hand to get the staff benefit, and the wand in the other for your attacks.[/sblock]

[sblock=Just want to make this clear...]You've hooked up with a guy that can enchant items, and you've received a large sum of money. Marco can put in a little more cash to help out the party. Level 1 items cost 360 gp, and it only takes one hour to enchant an item.[/sblock]

 

[Reklaw]

[sblock=IRL]...Pulls out all of his books looking for enchantments...[/sblock]

 

[weldon]

"Odd, is it not, how people often preface the rudest statements with 'And not to be rude or anything...'? I offer you money, and you blame me for the creation of a logistical problem? You've had many an unfortunate turn of phrase since we begun our discussion, and I blamed that upon your youth and exposure to a rather harrowing experience. However, I will not tolerate such disrespect in my home, regardless of the gratitude I feel for your rescue. Consider this a warning. If you continue to speak to me in such a manner and attempt to extort further services and rewards from me based upon your rescue, I shall ask you to leave my home. Is that understood? No one likes the hero who demands life, home, wealth, and liberty from the public as a reward for his heroism."

Sorry sir. Quite sorry. Wasn't trying to blame you for nothing, see. Mr Swillwort, sir. Just, well, I've never even dreamed about so much money... and well... just trying to make a joke out of it cause I don't know... well, that's it, I guess. Just don't know what to say sometimes. Wasn't trying to say it was your fault or nothin'. Just trying to think of something to say to fill up the silence, you know. And I'm thinking how much money this is, you being so generous with us and all, and then I start thinking about how you've been so nonchalant about it, Annie just carrying in a big box and setting it down like it happens every day. And then I'm thinking, what if this does happen every day here in the city? Do people carry all this around? Fill their pockets with gold and stroll through town? Pack a chest around on their back? Nobody in the village has more than a few coins, I'd say. Well, Potter has a few, I'd guess, with all that land and cattle, but everybody has their wealth in the ground, as it were. And then they trade for other stuff, not many coins, you see. So I was thinkin' all that, when I just kinda thought it out lou...

At that moment, Vaunea grabs Finnian by the hair hanging down his back and drags him outside, carrying the poster in her other hand.

[sblock=Character Rebuild?]I'd like to make Finnian a little stronger mechanically and one way is to focus on ranged or melee. I like the melee option with this bastard sword and maybe a short sword, but I also like the archer with the raptor companion deal. Being able to set Hunter's Quarry on an enemy in the back row is pretty sweet with a ranged attack. I'm kinda attached to the raptor rather than switching to bear or wolf, which would be better for a melee build. Either way, my stats are probably too balanced for 4E and should either go 18 Dex or 18 Str.

I went for a suboptimal build anyways by choosing half-elf, but it fit the story I wanted for Finnian. As I've been RPing in this adventure, I've realized his charisma should be a bit lower anyways

KenHood: would you allow an overhaul before the Legion of Bone fight if I propose it by Friday?

Everyone: any suggestions on making Finnian suck less? Should I start a thread in L4W or in the 4e Rules forum?[/sblock]

 

[Reklaw]

[sblock=Weldon]Maybe... Str 12, Con 12, Dex 18, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8. That gives you Con 14 and Cha of 10 with your racial bonus. Could lower int or wis and add it to str?[/sblock]

"Would anyone be interested in taking our kind benefactor up on his offer? I believe we might be able to scrape together the gold for the components..." Drivan says this as he sticks the wand into the belt of his robe... Nodding his thanks to Obadiah.

 

[Atanatotatos]

[sblock=money]I'd say it's simple. Drivan and Finnian got the wand and the sword. The rest of us divide the 1000 gp.[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

[sblock=Character Rebuild]

Either way, my stats are probably too balanced for 4E and should either go 18 Dex or 18 Str.

Yep. One thing you need to understand: In 4E, an ability score less than 16 is sub-optimal.

With a 25 point build, you can get this general array: 16, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8.

If you want an 18 in an ability, you can create a hyper-specialized ability array with 25 points: 18, 16, 10, 10, 8.

A half-elf gets a +2 bonus to Constitution and Charisma.

If you went with a generally strong character, I'd say apply the following attributes to Finnian...
Str 12
Dex 16
Con 16 (14 + 2 for race)
Int 10
Wis 16 -- strengthens mental defenses and increases Perception
Cha 10 (8 + 2 for race)

Or you could adjust it so that he's equally good at melee and ranged...
Str 16
Dex 16
Con 12 (10 + 2 for race)
Int 10
Wis 14 -- strengthens mental defenses and adds damage to Two-Fanged Strike
Cha 10 (8 + 2 for race)

If you want a specialist character, I'd suggest this application of scores...
Str 10
Dex 18
Con 12 (10 + 2 for race)
Int 10
Wis 16
Cha 10 (8 + 2 for race)

I would have suggested focusing on beast attacks. However, in looking over the powers, I've noted that several of the beast powers use the beast's Strength bonus for damage. Erlai only has a +1. So, with a power that is intended to represent you gaining some advantage for increasing your partner's attack, such as Predator Strike, Erlai outputs the same damage as his basic ranged attack.

If Erlai's role is flanker, not attacker, then I'd suggest the archery route. You could select the following powers...
Careful Strike (improves your chance of hitting by +2)
Nimble Strike
Twin Fanged Strike -- total damage output is higher than a 2W attack
Hunt's End (3W damage) or Hunter's Bear Trap (2W damage + ongoing)

For your half-elf bonus power, choose something that works off your strongest attributes. You might pick a power that lets you shift as part of your attack, so that you can avoid combat, or maybe one of the fighter powers that lets you push a target.

As I've been RPing in this adventure, I've realized his charisma should be a bit lower anyways

YEP! Holeeee honkin' monkey-butts!

KenHood: would you allow an overhaul before the Legion of Bone fight if I propose it by Friday?

I support the overhaul. You can do like the other fellas, and have it as a side-effect of the reality bending in Swillwort's head.

Everyone: any suggestions on making Finnian suck less? Should I start a thread in L4W or in the 4e Rules forum?

The proposal thread should be in the Living 4th Edition section.
[/sblock]

 

[Atanatotatos]

[sblock=character rebuild]ok, I agree pretty much with everything ken has said except one very important thing: NEVER take (or, god forbid, use) Careful Strike. It's just bad. Well, it might have its uses against minions, but even in that case, you'll have something better. Just ignore it. It's a design error.[/sblock]

 

[KenHood]

[sblock=Ata]Oh! I see what you mean. It doesn't apply bonuses to damage. That's a stupid power.[/sblock]