Darkness Under Cold Stones

[Land Outcast]

Sorry I missed your birthday been a mite busy these days. So happy birthday!

Thanks for the late wellwishing . If you would prefer the shapeshifting, tell me so that I give it a through look.

@Vodamn: Hum... so a barbarian... no problem with the ape totem... but you must understand a "CN" character suffers prejudice from me*...
but the time of evaluating characters hasn't arrived, so the answer to your proposal is: yes, ape totem barbarian is viable.

*CN, also known as "I do whatever"/Chaotic Stupid/Amoral

 

[Scotley]

While looking at it the first time it puzzled me the mention of twilight armor, for that same reason.

??? er... page 24...

Duskblade spell list
0 level- acid splash, disrupt undead, ray of frost, touch of fatigue.

Doh, I guess I owe the editors and applogy. I was looking at the spells on page 98. Just new spells.

 

[Tonks]

For your consideration a warmage that has come to the town on request of an uncle/aunt. Although his skills as a mage have always focused on the offensive, he is not a violent man at heart.

I can work on him further if you think the concept might fit in with the game you have in mind.

 

[Land Outcast]

Warmage... would a sorcerer (or battle sorcerer from UA) make it?

The concept works

 

[Tonks]

Warmage... would a sorcerer (or battle sorcerer from UA) make it?

The concept works

If you would prefer the sorcerer, I haven't read up on the battle sorcerer to be honest, I make it up that way. I just liked the concept of a magic user who has trained all his life to be a killing machine and sees his spells as both a blessing and a curse.

Edit: After reading the battle sorc write-up, I think it fits the bill just as well. He still has the light armored casting ability and even better BAB than the warmage.

Thank you for the better suggestion to the idea!

 

[Voadam]

@Vodamn: Hum... so a barbarian... no problem with the ape totem... but you must understand a "CN" character suffers prejudice from me*...
but the time of evaluating characters hasn't arrived, so the answer to your proposal is: yes, ape totem barbarian is viable.

*CN, also known as "I do whatever"/Chaotic Stupid/Amoral

Good thing I'm going for CN = a not so evil orc instead and not CN = do whatever random thing.

From the srd on CN "resents restrictions, and challenges traditions." Orc tradition is they hate everybody pathologically and serve BBEGs. My guy rejects that, likes his individual friends and saves his hate for those who are actually his foes.

Someone who is actually his friend asks him to do something he will help out wholeheartedly. Organizations or authority figures telling him what to do won't go over so well.

He won't do good deeds out of the goodness of his heart for strangers, but he also has no interest in random cruelty on the innocent.

So if a friend asks him to help out on a quest he will, whether that friend is a paladin or a blackguard does not matter to him. This orc will work with anybody who is his friend.

 

[Voadam]

For further consideration

As a further extension of the yeti totem idea would the arctic race modifications from UA be acceptable? either straight applied to orcs or the arctic orc specific ones? http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#arcticRaces

 

[Land Outcast]

No, I'd rather have a normal orc.
Altough, if you want, you could take a feat with the purpose of overcoming light sensitivity, call it Daywalker .

DAYWALKER [GENERAL]
You endure what others of your race can't: light.
Prerrequisites: Base Fortitude save +2, Light blindness or Light sensitivity
Benefit: If you have Light sensitivity, you ignore the penalties from it. Instead, if you have Light blindness, you lose it and gain Light sensitivity.

 

[Rhun]

Spirit Shaman?
No problem...
(I think it's a bit on the weak side, but that's you)

Mayhaps, but there is only one way to find out, and that's to play one! So, I present for consideration:


Balund Skullseer
Neutral Human Spirit Shaman 2
Experience: 1000 (?)

Balund never fit in among city dwellers…his fondness for bones and skulls, and his odd habit of speaking to ghosts and spirits ostracized him from the society into which he had been born. When the local folk finally chased him out of the city, he took up wandering the land, and eventually fell in with nomadic tribesman who considered his ability to speak with spirits a rare gift. With the help of the tribal wisewoman, Balund developed his skills into more useful abilities. He also learned to hunt and fight among the tribesmen, becoming an excellent shot with a bow. After several years with the tribe, and having adopted many of their ways, the spirits whispered to Balund that is was time to seek the path of adventure. As the spirits whispered a path to him, he traveled across the lands, never remaining in any one place for too long.

Balund is of average height, and has a wiry, athletic build. He has strange patterns tattooed in woad upon his face, and rubs his dark hair with a white, lumpy powder (lime, which turns his hair white and causes it to spike up in fearsome looking tufts). Balund’s eyes are a clear, icy blue, and his gaze has been known to give honest folk a chill feeling. He dresses in a tribal fashion, wearing furs and leathers over his chainmail shirt, and wears jewelry fashioned out of odd bits of bones, brass beads and other worthless bits. He often mutters and whispers under his breath as if talking to someone, and sometimes has full conversations seemingly with the air. He has a habit of answering questions cryptically, and often refers to “the spirits” when he speaks. Most folk who observe Balund for any significant period of time usually come to the conclusion that the man is quite mad. He is often found drawing runes and symbols in dirt and dust, or casting bones and rocks to read the portents that the spirits speak to him.


Age: 20
Gender: Male
Height: 5’ 9”
Weight: 165 lb
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black (White)
Skin: Fair

STR: 12 [+1] 4 point
DEX: 14 [+2] 6 points
CON: 12 [+1] 4 points
INT: 10 [+0] 2 points
WIS: 16 [+3] 10 points
CHA: 14 [+2] 6 points

HP: 16 (14 + 2)
Armor Class: 17 (10 base + 2 dex + 4 armor + 1 shield)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20' (30’ base, medium load)
BAB: +1
Attack:
- +2 Handaxe (1d6+1, x3)
- +3 Javelin (1d6+1, x2, 30’) or +4 (1d6+2) within 30’
- +4 Short Bow (1d6+1, x3, 60’) or +5 (1d6+2) within 30’

FORT: +4 (3 base + 1 con)
REFL: +2 (0 base + 2 dex)
WILL: +6 (3 base + 3 wis)

Abilities:
- Human Bonus Feat
- Human Bonus Skill Points
- Spirit Guide - Snake (Alertness)
- Wild Empathy
- Spellcasting
- Chastise Spirts

Feats:
1st Level
- Point Blank Shot
- Precise Shot

Skills: (24)
Concentration +4 (3 ranks, +1 con)
Diplomacy +5 (3 ranks, +2 cha)
Heal +5 (2 ranks, +3 wis)
Knowledge (local) +2 (2 ranks)
Listen +9 (4 ranks, +3 wis, +2 alertness)
Spellcraft +2 (2 ranks)
Spot +9 (4 ranks, +3 wis, +2 alertness)
Survival +5 (2 ranks, +3 wis)
Swim +3 (2 ranks, =1 str)

Languages:
- Common

Spells Per Day:
Level 0 (DC13): 4 – retrieved: Cure Minor Wounds, Light, Detect Magic
Level 1 (DC14): 4 – retrieved: Cure Light Wounds, Produce Flame

Equipment:

Armor & Shield
- Chain shirt (100gp, 25lb)
- Buckler (15gp, 5lb)

Melee weapons
- Hand Axe (6gp,3lb)
- Dagger (2gp, 1lb)

Ranged weapons
- Shortbow, composite masterwork (450gp, 2lb)
- 40 arrows (2gp, 6lb)
- 2 javelins (2gp, 4lb)

Miscellaneous Magical or Psionic Items
- N/A

Potions
- 2 cure light wounds

Mundane equipment
- Traveler’s Outfit (1gp, -lb)
- Backpack (2gp, 2lb)
- Bedroll (1sp, 5lb)
- Flint & steel (1gp, -lb)
- Chalk, 3 pieces (3cp, -lb)
- 4 sacks (4sp, 2lb)
- 5 days trail rations (25sp, 5 lb)
- Waterskin (1gp, 4 lb)
- Everburning torch (90gp, 1lb)

Weight Carried: Medium load, 65lb
Remaining money: 126 gp, 9 sp, 7 cp

I'll still need to spend some of his remaining money, but other than that I think he is good to go.

 

[Voadam]

Orc Barbarian work in progress

Thoma Griffith
Male humanoid (Orc)
CN barbarian ape totem
Str 20
Dex 14
Con 16
Int 10
Wis 10
Cha 6

AC 16 (+2 Dex, +4) Touch 12, flatfooted 14
Hp 27
F +6, R +2, W +0

Init +2
BAB +2
Grapple +7
MV 30' climb 15'

Attack
Falchion +8(+10) 2d4+7(+10) 18-20 slashing or
Spiked Gauntlet +7(+9) 1d4+5(+7) piercing cold iron or
throwing axe +4 1d6+5 RI 10 ft. slashing

Feats: Extra Rage

Skills:
Climb +18
Intimidate +5
Survival +5
Swim +10

Languages: Orc, Common

Equipment - 900 gp total
Masterwork falchion 425 gp
Masterwork Chain shirt 250 gp
Cold Iron Spiked Gauntlet 10 gp
Throwing axe x5 40 gp
Cure light wounds potion x3 150 gp
Backpack, food, sundry wilderness gear ~ 15 gp
10 gp

Background
Glog was an independent minded orc warrior who did not like the direction of the tribe's cruel headman Bloodmar. He often took his throwing axes and went hunting just to get away from things. One day on one of his extended treks through the snow capped mountains he saw the signs of a smoke fire coming from one of the caves. When he investigated he found large runes traced in the snow, fetishes festooning the cave entrance, and a lone spike haired human sitting inside the cave staring into a fire. "The spirits said you'd come." He spoke in the tongue of mortal men. This intrigued Glog who came in amidst the heavy smells of burnt herbs. Glog chose not to attack but listened to what the man had to say.

"The spirits wait for you, as does your totem. I am Balund, I will be your guide should you choose to walk into the land of spirits. If you do your life will be forever altered. You will meet the spirit half of your soul and you will be born anew in the eyes of the spirits and of men. Or you can strike me down and walk out of this cave the same as you are now. If you choose to walk in the spirit world sit here and consume these herbs. I will send you there and call you back." The man then turned back to the fire muttering to himself as Glog stood over him.

Glog sat and picked up the dried mushroom caps before him. He stared at them a moment then tossed them into his tusked maw and began to chew as the shaman's mutters turned into a chant. The room became filled with heavier and heavier smoke until all was a misty gray. Soon he heard the cries of hunting birds, howling wolves, and bleating mountain goats. There was a shuffling noise within the mist and heavy breathing that grew louder and louder, from something big. Out of the mist a great white furred ape form rushed into view and charged Glog. Glog's soul responded and he charged the beast meeting its rush head long. The two grappled, both raging and storming, their blood pounding through their veins. Swarms of great beast forms flew around them, boars, dragonnes, massive owls, all calling out as they sailed over and around the pair. The grapplers' forms blurred and they crushed each other in enveloping bear hugs until they absorbed each other, becoming one.

The chanting of the shaman then was heard again calling, calling him back.

Glog opened his eyes and the shaman spoke, staring off to the Second World where the last of the spirits still gathered. "Awake to the mortal walking world. You are not the orc you were. You now are blessed by the spirits and share the gifts of your totem." Glog felt the insubstantial touch of a griffin wing as the last of the spirits circling him left. "The spirits name you Thoma Griffith." And it felt right.

Thoma now was possessed of the greater strength, rage, and fearsome aspect of his totem. He could climb the sheerest ice cliff with ease. Thoma left the tribe forever that day to journey with Balund.