Discussion of Scotley's upcoming 4e Swashbuckler Game

[renau1g]

Working on my twin-weapon fighting (rapier & parrying dagger, I'm thinking) human fighter from (Franzia), Lucien Devereux, right now actually. Obviously he will need much, much, MUCH peer review once I've got the basics worked out, as 4E is completely new ground for me.

Rhun - do you have Martial Power? There's a type of Fighter in there that makes good use of having two-weapons.

TEMPEST FIGHTER

Rather than a shield or a big weapon, you have specialized in fighting using a weapon in each hand. You see it as the best of both worlds—given the right training, you can deliver good damage and make up for the lack of a shield with deft parrying. Strength remains any soldier’s bread and butter, and good battlefield awareness—Wisdom—is a must. You also rely on speed, maneuverability, and agility—Dexterity—to get your dirty work done. Constitution is a tertiary ability for you, granting useful staying power against foes not so easily fooled by your fancy footwork and feints. The Tempest Technique class feature is designed to complement this build.

Tempest Technique
When you wield two melee weapons, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with weapons that have the offhand property. You gain Two-Weapon Defense as a bonus feat, even if you don’t meet the prerequisites.
When wearing light armor or chainmail, you gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls with melee and close weapon attacks when you are wielding two weapons. This bonus increases to +2 with weapons that have the off-hand property.

 

[Leif]

Scotley, how does my character concept (post #30) sound? Acceptable, or have I put in background info that conflicts with your ideas?

 

[Scotley]

Wow, Scotley, you're getting interest from all corners of ENWorld for this game! Do you still have room for me?

For a character, I was thinking of a "Barbarian Indian" type who was born in the recently discovered "America," but was brought back to "France" as a very small boy (about 12/13?) by a sea captain as an oddity to be widely displayed and poked and prodded by various folks. Then said waif was seen by a Duchess and her heart went out to the poor lad, so she adopted him and had him trained/schooled by the best Masters in the land, and given very much religious instruction in the 'accepted' faith. Ultimately, the young lad became a Paladin, but he still looks very unusual, having been copiously tattooed by his people and subjected to the body modifications of his tribe. I'm thinking his entire body is tattooed with geometric patterns and star charts, he earlobes have been greatly pierced with objects of ever-increasing size during his early childhood, so he has great flapping "rings" of flesh hanging from his ears. He also has a row of "earrings" around his navel (navel rings?) (but he keeps that covered most of the time), and he also has a "bone in his nose." (Not a real bone, but a ring of brass much like a bull.)

So he looks like a total freak, but he is unswervingly loyal to his benefactor the Duchess, and he is as faithful to his new religion as anyone in "France." Now, the Duchess is on the outs with the mainstream of nobility in "France" because she resisted the amorous intentions of the Prince, and he ruined her socially once he got over the rejection. She may have even been exiled to "Scotland" or wherever, but my barbaric Paladin was undergoing his tutelage at that time and had to stay behind in "France" with the Duchess's cousin, Grand Duke Siegfried von Koln, who was (as it happens) the boy's Paladin Instructor. Now Siegfried, once my character was fully trained and set out on the proper path of Paladinhood, fell victim to temptations of the flesh possibly brought about by arcane mind control, and he wound up as an Anti-Paladin. [Built-in future BBEG!] His fall from Paladinhood finished off the Duchess's family's fall from grace and they are all wanted/hunted/shot on sight, and their vast holdings have mostly been confiscated by the throne. My Paladin-to-be-named-later does, arguably, still have a valid, legal claim to at least a portion of the Duchess's family holdings, since he was legally adopted by the Duchess before her downfall.

That's all I got for now. Sound acceptable?

Sorry, had too many posts to answer today and failed to comment on this one. I certainly noticed it. More than acceptable! and I appreciate the offering up of a future BBEG. I hadn't given too much thought to the New World as yet, so by all means design away.

 

[Scotley]

Rhun - do you have Martial Power? There's a type of Fighter in there that makes good use of having two-weapons.

TEMPEST FIGHTER

Rather than a shield or a big weapon, you have specialized in fighting using a weapon in each hand. You see it as the best of both worlds—given the right training, you can deliver good damage and make up for the lack of a shield with deft parrying. Strength remains any soldier’s bread and butter, and good battlefield awareness—Wisdom—is a must. You also rely on speed, maneuverability, and agility—Dexterity—to get your dirty work done. Constitution is a tertiary ability for you, granting useful staying power against foes not so easily fooled by your fancy footwork and feints. The Tempest Technique class feature is designed to complement this build.

Tempest Technique
When you wield two melee weapons, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with weapons that have the offhand property. You gain Two-Weapon Defense as a bonus feat, even if you don’t meet the prerequisites.
When wearing light armor or chainmail, you gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls with melee and close weapon attacks when you are wielding two weapons. This bonus increases to +2 with weapons that have the off-hand property.

Drat, was gonna suggest this but the Hasty Canadian beat me to it.

 

[renau1g]

I took improved Initiative at my last level up

 

[Insight]

COLIN MACKINNON
Dwarf Valor Bard 4

[sblock=Backstory]
Colin had been plucking away at his bandore for more than 10 minutes when he realized that his master, the grand and illustrious Ian McAppin, had been standing there, watching, saying nothing.

"Off you go, then," the master said. Master McAppin had a glint in his eye, the kind that one gets when keeping a secret. McAppin always said that keeping a secret was the key to personal power.

"Och, why does it hafta be me?" Colin asked, setting his magical bandore into a black, leather traveling case. Colin took great care with his things, unlike many of his dwarven brethren. "I dunna want to leave Alba. This is my home, ya know."

"Of course, it is, Colin. But things change. Time changes. If you truly love Alba, as you say, you'll understand why you must go."

Colin recalled how it felt to be 'volunteered' the last time something needed to be done. Master McAppin sent Colin and four others into the woods to track down some faerie witch. Colin was the only one to return completely sane. Master McAppin might dispute that last point. Still, the faerie witch was defeated and Colin was hailed as a local hero. Master McAppin told Colin that his deeds that day saved the town of Loch Harbin. Colin, for his part, had always been the reluctant hero. He had a drive to save others, to save his town, to save Alba. Now, he was being asked to come to his homeland's defense once again. But this time, on distant shores.

"Don't they have enough swordsmen in Franzia?" Colin asked, carefully placing his magical songblade in its leather and bone sheath. "I dunna know why they'd want a stumpy dwarf fer their army."

McAppin moved to Colin's side and leaned against the stout oaken table upon which Colin had spread out his traveling gear. "It's not really an army, Colin. A small troupe, if you will. You're meant to be an important part of it all."

"I suppose I'm their mascot or somethin'," Colin shot back. "Lousy, no good Franzians. They'll just laugh at me. 'Oh, look at that stumpy dwarf and his singing sword. Isn't he cute?' Och, I canna stand their kind. They know nothing of honor, defending their land, fightin' the oppressors. How 'bout we send a load a' freeloadin' elves their way and see if they feel like standin' up fer themselves?"

"Now, that's hardly fair. Franzia has... different problems than we do. It's not always easy for them to... they're not as stoic and steadfast as us dwarves. But you know they have good hearts. We have a long history of alliance with Franzia. You know your history, of course. You know that Franzia's invasion of the elven lands to the south drew the elves away from our homeland for quite some time. The elves have never made so much as a token incursion since then."

Colin rolled some torches and iron spikes into a burlap cloth and gently slid the package into his backpack. "I suppose that's true. It's a long trip. Longer than ever I've taken, you know. I get a little... uneasy aboard ships. Och, I can stomach the worst dun-colored whiskey this side of Ambervale, but the seasickness..."

Master McAppin smiled. "Then, it's good that I know something you don't."

Colin looked up from his packing. "Master?"

"Do you remember those standing stones outside Loch Moren? I took you there when we first started your tutelage. Well, it turns out that there's an identical set of stones located in Franzia. Same runes carved into them and everything."

"Are ye sayin...?"

"Yes, Colin. I know of a rite that will transport you between the two sets of stones. Instantaneous travel, as it were. Well, near instantaneous, anyway. You'll still have to ride from the stones to the capital city. I can arrange for a coach to meet you."

Colin more quickly packed his things. "Yes, I reckon it'll be fine, Master."

McAppin smiled as he watched his prize pupil pack for what will almost certainly be an eventful journey.[/sblock]

Character Builder monstrosity attached.

EDIT: PDF removed to put in RG thread

 

[Leif]

COLIN MACKINNON
Dwarf Valor Bard 4

I'll flesh out a backstory later.

Character Builder monstrosity attached.

That's um a pretty MONSTROUS monstrosity!

Oh, yeah, and GLAD YOU APPROVE, SCOTLEY!

 

[Leif]

I took improved Initiative at my last level up

I'd give you an XP for beating the DM to the punch, if only I could yet!

 

[Rhun]

Rhun - do you have Martial Power? There's a type of Fighter in there that makes good use of having two-weapons.

TEMPEST FIGHTER

Rather than a shield or a big weapon, you have specialized in fighting using a weapon in each hand. You see it as the best of both worlds—given the right training, you can deliver good damage and make up for the lack of a shield with deft parrying. Strength remains any soldier’s bread and butter, and good battlefield awareness—Wisdom—is a must. You also rely on speed, maneuverability, and agility—Dexterity—to get your dirty work done. Constitution is a tertiary ability for you, granting useful staying power against foes not so easily fooled by your fancy footwork and feints. The Tempest Technique class feature is designed to complement this build.

Tempest Technique
When you wield two melee weapons, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with weapons that have the offhand property. You gain Two-Weapon Defense as a bonus feat, even if you don’t meet the prerequisites.
When wearing light armor or chainmail, you gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls with melee and close weapon attacks when you are wielding two weapons. This bonus increases to +2 with weapons that have the off-hand property.

I've got the Character Builder, which has the Martial Power updates...so yes, Tempest Technique is what I think I picked. Working through things and trying to get an idea of how stuff works, though I think my basic build is done for the moment.

 

[Rhun]

Can you view this file? This is a rough run through of my PC in the character builder that I have.

Thoughts, comments and recommendations are most certainly welcome. Keep in mind that I'm still building a PC from a 3rd edition mentality, so I could be way off as far as "optimization" goes.