How would you build these characters?

[Garthanos]

I built Phillipe as a Warlord/Rogue (even used a halfling race to get the squeezing in to supernaturally small holes)

Phillipe Gaston the Mouse , level 6
Halfling, Rogue|Warlord
Warlord Leadership: Canny Leader (Hybrid)
Hybrid Warlord: Hybrid Warlord Fortitude

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 10, Dex 18, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 18.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 10, Dex 15, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 15.


AC: 17 Fort: 14 Reflex: 18 Will: 17
HP: 47 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 11

TRAINED SKILLS
Bluff +12, Athletics +12, Thievery +14, Stealth +12, Acrobatics +18

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +4, Diplomacy +7, Dungeoneering +4, Endurance +3, Heal +4, History +4, Insight +6, Intimidate +7, Nature +4, Perception +6, Religion +4, Streetwise +7

FEATS
Level 1: Lucky Skirmisher
Level 2: Underhanded Tactics
Level 4: Duelist's Panache
Level 6: Improved Inspiring Word

POWERS
Hybrid at-will 1: Direct the Strike
Hybrid at-will 1: Duelist's Flurry
Hybrid encounter 1: Powerful Warning
Hybrid daily 1: Lead by Example
Hybrid utility 2: Switcheroo
Hybrid encounter 3: Topple Over
Hybrid daily 5: Downward Spiral
Hybrid utility 6: Confusing Blather

Skin his attacks emphasizing luck and fatiguing his enemies he might slash at one and his enemies dodge causes them to hurt themselves... and similar things and not really trying to hurt anyone he is very close to a pacifist. Use underhanded tactics to keep things less vicious feeling.

 

[malcolm_n]

Philippe's pretty good. Going over the information I dug up, he seems to fit pretty well.
That said, I think it's pretty well established (with much thanks going to Garth here) that a noncombatant is a viable character that can be built in 4e. My concern now is that they don't all become too similar. there should still be distinctions between the characters.

The way I try to do it is take away the names of two similar characters, walk away and come back later. See if I can still tell who's who just by looking at the general build. If I'm not sure (or worse, wrong), then the concept is too similar. If that's the case, then the question becomes whether that's okay to have very similar characters as almost cookie cutter concepts. Can those characters be superimposed into each other's movies and make sense?

I know that there will be blurred lines, but in the end, the characters should have a difference between them almost like iron man vs. batman. two billionaire playboys out to save the world in different ways.

 

[Garthanos]

Philippe's pretty good. Going over the information I dug up, he seems to fit pretty well.
That said, I think it's pretty well established (with much thanks going to Garth here) that a noncombatant is a viable character that can be built in 4e. My concern now is that they don't all become too similar. there should still be distinctions between the characters.

Oh, I certainly have more than a few worries over it as well I am not so secretly hoping for more power selections that work with the non-combatant model/paradigm. The pair of warlord at-wills bother me the most.

But knowing Phillipe you wouldnt roleplay him or even skin his attacks the same as Frodo for example who is a rather similar build but more comfortable with using sting and tends to be more passive about his acts of inspiration.

And Mowgli the wolf boy while a similar build to the Lady (emphasizes wisdom aka perception and instinct ... instead of charisma and inspiration.). Neither would have the same skills selected either. So perhaps they are distinct enough.

For our boy Phillipe
Duelists Flurry... you threaten your enemy with your blade then run around in circles and exhaust them the two of you end up in different places than you were... a minion might end up keystone cop crashing into something dangerous like a camp fire or accidentally impaling and freaking out Phillipe.

If I gave that attack to Frodo he might stab the enemy with sting as he dived under/through the enemies legs taking a new position as they stagger in to a new position.(or is that too dangerous feeling?)

 

[Garthanos]

I want to build the characters of Xena .... especially Joxer the incompetant fighter ;p.

It is possible for characters to have identical builds with completely diverging flavoring Joxer might not be all that distinct if we look at just his hardware.

Even the pure warlord non-combatant.... lets look at some flavorings. One character is a screamer .. another might be a scrambler or whose attacks seem to be really bad crossbow shots only good enough to distract the enemy he might even be competant at range just freaks out and misses in close.... another... with a very similar power selection might be:
Mistresss Shivra, She snaps a pair of whips (she doesnt even know how to fight with) to communicate with her allies and distract her enemies (they give her a touch of range too) an ex slave mistress of drow descent who sincerely apologizes after most fights to her allies and claims she has never quite gotten used to fighting along side equals.

 

[Garthanos]

I know that there will be blurred lines, but in the end, the characters should have a difference between them almost like iron man vs. batman. two billionaire playboys out to save the world in different ways.

One thing to remember often times you wont have say the huntress and batman and moonknight in the same story (ignore his wealth and look at the prime powers) except when the story is about showing off some really subtle things...

 

[malcolm_n]

Very good and valid points. You've won me over on it. And best luck with Xena, I was never really a fan.

 

[Greg K]

Wow! Very cool! I like the write-up for Phillipe "the Mouse"

 

[Garthanos]

Wow! Very cool! I like the write-up for Phillipe "the Mouse"

Malcom and I have started a wiki for Creative Character Builds

I want to get more design notes and notes on how flavoring in to the descriptions... but its pretty fun now even so we need more contributors.

 

[Greg K]

Thread Necromancy. I just found Archer and the Sorceress (a.k.a Archer:Fugitive from the Empire), a failed pilot from the 1980's, on Youtube. It is broken down into 9 10 minute parts.

Anyone want to try and take up the challenge of statting up the characters: Toran, Estra, and Slant? I would be interested in seeing write-up that stay as close to the characters as portrayed in the film- no charop, min/max, or powergame builds to make them more effective than the characters are portrayed.

edit: here is a link to the first part

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlffbMFtKJs&feature=relmfu[/ame]