Insight's "In the Shadow of Giants" [OOC]

[Shayuri]

Still dinking around with feat choices, but this is looking pretty close to what I want...

[sblock=Tatterdemalion - Gnome Bard]Tatterdemalion, level 10
Gnome, Bard
Bardic Virtue: Virtue of Cunning
Pact Initiate: Pact Initiate (fey pact)
Background: Gnome - Fomorian Captivity (Stealth class skill)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 12, Dex 11, Int 17, Wis 15, Cha 20.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 12, Dex 11, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 16.


AC: 22 Fort: 18 Reflex: 21 Will: 24
HP: 69 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 17

TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +15, Stealth +16, Perception +12, Bluff +16, Diplomacy +16, History +13

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +8, Dungeoneering +10, Endurance +9, Heal +10, Insight +10, Intimidate +13, Nature +10, Religion +11, Streetwise +13, Thievery +8, Athletics +7

FEATS
Bard: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Pact Initiate
Level 2: Arcane Familiar
Level 4: Shadow Skulk
Level 6: Improved Initiative
Level 8: Jack of All Trades
Level 10: Feyborn Charm

POWERS
Bard at-will 1: Vicious Mockery
Bard at-will 1: Jinx Shot
Bard encounter 1: Blunder
Bard daily 1: Verse of Triumph
Bard utility 2: Inspire Competence
Bard encounter 3: Rhyme of the Blood-Seeking Blade
Bard daily 5: Song of Discord
Bard utility 6: Glimpse the Future
Bard encounter 7: Deflect Attention
Bard daily 9: Symphony of Misfortune
Bard utility 10: Illusory Erasure

ITEMS
Ritual Book, Songbow of Lullabies Shortbow +2, Deathcut Leather Armor +2, Elven Cloak +2, Circlet of Mental Onslaught (paragon tier), Adventurer's Kit, Alchemical Reagents (Arcana) (200)
RITUALS
Traveler's Chant, Glib Limerick, Call of Friendship, Fey Passage, Song of Sustenance[/sblock]

Tatter was a captive of the Formorians, and still bears the psychological scars of that captivity. Though she managed to escape, she doesn't seem terribly happy about it...or anything else, for that matter.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Tok William, Half-Orc Fighter

[sblock=Tok William]
Tok William, level 10
Half-Orc Fighter
Fighter Talents: Tempest Technique
Background: Orc Birth (+2 Athletics)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 21, Con 15, Dex 15, Int 9, Wis 13, Cha 10.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 17, Con 13, Dex 13, Int 9, Wis 13, Cha 10.

AC: 27* Fort: 24 Reflex: 19 Will: 18
HP: 84 Surges: 12 Surge Value: 21

*+1 w/ 2 weaps; +2 vs. opp attacks

Init +10

TRAINED SKILLS
Athletics +17, Endurance +14, Intimidate +12, Perception + 13

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +4 Acrobatics +7, Bluff +5, Diplomacy +5, Heal +7, History +4, Insight +7, Nature +7, Religion +4, Stealth +7, Streetwise +5, Thievery +7

FEATS
Bonus: Two-Weapon Defense
Level 1: Weapon Expertise (Axe)
Level 2: Thirst for Battle
Level 4: Martial Freedom (+5 to saves vs. slow/immobilized)
Level 6: Berserker’s Fury
Level 8: Alertness
Level 10: Defensive Mobility

POWERS
Half-Orc Racial: Furious Assault
Fighter at-will 1: Dual Strike
Fighter at-will 1: Cleave
Fighter encounter 1: Funneling Fury
Fighter daily 1: Lasting Threat
Fighter utility 2: Pass Forward
Fighter encounter 3: Blinding Smash
Fighter daily 5: Pinning Smash
Fighter utility 6: Settling the Score
Fighter encounter 7: Twofold Torment
Fighter daily 9: Jackal Strike
Fighter utility 10: Shooter’s Nemesis

→ (enc) 5 temp HP when first bloodied
→ +2 speed when charging
→ (daily) +2/dam for encounter

ITEMS
Cloak of Distortion +2 (level 9), Lifedrinker Battleaxe +2 (level 10), Summoned Wyvernscale Armor +3 (level 11)

Handaxe +2 (1800), Catstep Boots (680), Gloves of Piercing (680), Bridle of Conjuration (840), Healing potion x5 (250), Everburning torch, with sheath. Adventurer’s kit.
[/sblock]

[sblock=History]When Tok William was born, both parents gave him names, because a name is who you are, and that's for life. His father was also called William and on the frontier, a good sturdy bride was necessary: Karta could mend the fences, and bale the hay, and slaughter the wild wolves when they came to close. It was therefore a terrible day when Tok's mother died -- a foolish plague that took Karta and would have taken wee Tok as well, had his father not had the good sense to take his son further beyond the frontier, into the Garrison Ridge, to where Karta had come from.

William left Tok there, with the Orc Shaman, and it was there that Tok was raised, in a community that would never share the love of William and Karta's home, but which could keep him safe from the plague that had killed him mother. Family's for life.

Not all the Orcs saw it that way of course, and Tok depended on his speed and on the strength he had inherited from his mother to get by. He was not trained as a guard or a skirmisher, because his blood was not pure, but that couldn't stop Tok from learning what he could, when and where he could under Garrison Ridge.

Tok William is good with an axe, and he can move with grace even when he is surrounded by foes. And Tok William is loyal. He accepts that the people he has travelled with the past few years depend upon him, and that they know they can count on him. If he sometimes gets angry, they know that it's part of his upbringing, where rage is rewarded, and that for the most part he knows how to direct it well.

Tok wants a life for himself, perhaps on the frontier which has moved a little since he was born, wars being what they are. Maybe even on the coast. But for now, Tok has direction: with his companions, who are after all his family now, he is building his name in the world -- as a warrior, sure, but also as a dependable friend and ally. That's important to Tok William; because your name is for life.[/sblock][sblock=picture]

With a somewhat free interpretation of "axe"[/sblock]

 

[hafrogman]

Brant Sorrenson, Human Hybrid Fighter|Warlord

[sblock=Brant]====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Brant Sorrenson, level 10
Human, Warlord|Fighter
Hybrid Warlord: Hybrid Warlord Will
Hybrid Talent: Fighter Combat Talent
Fighter Combat Talent: Two-handed Weapon Talent
Background: Occupation - Military (+2 to Endurance)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 20, Con 14, Dex 9, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 11.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 14, Dex 9, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 11.


AC: 26 Fort: 24 Reflex: 20 Will: 21
HP: 72 Surges: 10 Surge Value: 19

TRAINED SKILLS
Endurance +15, History +12, Athletics +14, Heal +12

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +3, Arcana +7, Bluff +5, Diplomacy +5, Dungeoneering +7, Insight +7, Intimidate +5, Nature +7, Perception +7, Religion +7, Stealth +3, Streetwise +5, Thievery +3

FEATS
Human: Weapon Expertise (Axe)
Level 1: Weapon Focus (Axe)
Level 2: Hybrid Talent
Level 4: Martial Freedom
Level 6: Action Surge
Level 8: Restful Healing
Level 10: Power Attack

POWERS
Bonus At-Will Power: Reaping Strike
Hybrid Fighter at-will 1: Brash Strike
Hybrid Warlord at-will 1: Opening Shove
Hybrid encounter 1: Diabolic Stratagem
Hybrid daily 1: Villain's Menace
Hybrid utility 2: Invigorating Presence
Hybrid encounter 3: Crushing Blow
Hybrid daily 5: Stand the Fallen
Hybrid utility 6: Mighty Sprint
Hybrid encounter 7: Reckless Strike
Hybrid daily 9: White Raven Strike
Hybrid utility 10: Strength From Pain

ITEMS
Magic Braidmail Armor +3, Berserker Greataxe +2, Cloak of Survival +2, Belt of Vigor (heroic tier), Iron Armbands of Power (heroic tier), Helm of the Stubborn Mind (heroic tier), Potion of Healing (heroic tier), Distance Handaxe +1, Adventurer's Kit, Everburning Torch, Dagger
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======[/sblock][sblock=Background]Do you ever stop, take stock of your life, and realize that you have absolutely NO idea how you ended up here? I've been a farmer, a soldier, an officer and a drunk. And what do I do for a living? I wander around the countryside with the most motley assortment of adventurers you're ever likely to meet. The money's good, I suppose, but the hours are lousy, and any job that makes you rate your days by the number of things that have tried to kill you . . .

Farming's not much of a good time either, I suppose. But sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn't left. I suppose that's just idle speculation, I doubt I ever could have been happy there. Not without knowing what was out here first. So first chance I got, I was gone, enlisting in the army. See the world, meet interesting people and then kill them. Except that most of a soldier's life isn't even that interesting. Boredom is the worst part. Followed closely by latrine duty. Or maybe I have those backwards. Mostly you just keep your head down, your feet dry and let the officers take care of the rest. Until they promote you of course.

They didn't do that for a number of years, of course. There was a war on at that point. I suppose the fact that they wanted to make me a sergeant should have warned me how bad it was going. But there I was, they gave me my own squad of fresh-faced recruits, a nice red cloak and sent us on our way. They were good kids, my squad, but kids all the same. It's a pretty easy choice to take for some of us. You see the soldiers march by in their uniforms, and you see all the girls a flutter, and you take a look at your own life. Then you enlist. But I'd signed up for years of drudgery. These kids had landed themselves in a war. I got to know them pretty well over the next few months. "Brick" his father was a mason, and he was built like a wall himself. "Smiley" never smiled, not that we saw. "The Kid" was actually one of the older ones, but had the face of a baby. "Mouse" was our scout, small and quick. And I was just "Sarge". I would be the only one to make it out alive.

We were holed up on a hill that night with some other squads. We were supposed to be the reinforcements, cutting down into the enemy's flank after the main force engaged them in the morning. I guess we got spotted, because before our main force even arrived we were ambushed. They came from the south, using the trees for cover, making the hill top before we even spotted them. Their arrows took down a bunch of us in the first volley, I saw Mouse and Brick go down, and then they were right their in our faces. I gathered up The Kid and Smiley and tried to cut us a path clear, to make the trees and escape. We all took a few blows, but it was close. Then Smiley got cut down right beside me as we neared the edge. I pushed The Kid into the trees a few steps ahead of me and then everything went black.

Next thing I know I'm lying under some bushes at the bottom of the hill. My broken ribs told me that I'd taken the quick way down, and the arrow-inflicted dent in my helmet reminded me of the importance of head gear. I guess I'd escaped notice in the dark. I made my way to the top of the hill, to see it in the daylight. They'd left the bodies. Everyone was dead. I buried Brick, Smiley and Mouse along with the others on top of that hill. It wasn't until I finished and made my way down that I found The Kid's body. He'd made it down the hill, but not much further. That was it. They were all dead, and I was the one left to bury them. Something broke inside me that day.

I suppose I should have tried to find someone to report to. Honestly, I don't even know how the war turned out, maybe there was nobody left to report to. I left my uniform on that hill and then I walked. I walked until I found someplace new, far away from either side. Then I bought a bottle and crawled inside.

The next clear memory I have is waking up with a hangover, a number of miles from anywhere, with a bunch of people I didn't know too well. I'm pretty sure there had been some kind of discussion about danger and money, I probably thought I was signing up to be a caravan guard or something. But when the booze ran out, I was already a few days into my new life as an adventurer. I guess it was what I needed. I still don't know why I had to be the one to survive, but now I've got a new squad. We've shed blood for each other. I watch out for them, keep them up, keep them moving. Then I throw myself into battle for them. They tell me I'm a little too reckless. But I don't care. This time, I won't be the one left to bury anyone.[/sblock][sblock=What Brant Can Bring to the Group]Brant's strength lies in his versatility. He is a leader and a defender, and his fighter skills actually have quite a striker leaning to them. He will not be the best choice for the group's only leader, particularly for a group of six, due to his lessened healing capacity. And his somewhat reckless approach to combat wouldn't make him great as the groups only defender either. He works best as a 5th man, working beside another leader and defender. This allows him to shape his role to fit each encounter.

If there are many foes, he can act as a back up defender, hounding some enemies to take the heat of the other defender.
If the group is taking a lot of damage, he can aid the leader with his healing powers.
If the monsters are locked down and under control, he can cut loose and help bring them down quicker.[/sblock]

 

[Sparky]

Okay. I retract Tarn (Razorclaw Avenger). I'm was thinking of a grizzled veteran Warlord, but hafrogman's totally nailed that.

Thinking, thinking...

 

[hafrogman]

Okay. I retract Tarn (Razorclaw Avenger). I'm was thinking of a grizzled veteran Warlord, but hafrogman's totally nailed that.

Thinking, thinking...

Technically, mine's a hybrid (so they wouldn't be exactly the same), as I specifically tried not to step on anyone's toes (difficult when over a dozen people apply for a game). Of course, I wasn't watching out for character in potentia. I'll have to put more ranks in sense motive insight to avoid that in future. I could always withdraw Brant if, for example, a certain bard were going to be in a game. Or we could team up two veterans against a band of young whipersnappers. Twice the war stories for twice the eye-rolling excitement!

 

[Insight]

Technically, mine's a hybrid (so they wouldn't be exactly the same), as I specifically tried not to step on anyone's toes (difficult when over a dozen people apply for a game). Of course, I wasn't watching out for character in potentia. I'll have to put more ranks in sense motive insight to avoid that in future. I could always withdraw Brant if, for example, a certain bard were going to be in a game. Or we could team up two veterans against a band of young whipersnappers. Twice the war stories for twice the eye-rolling excitement!

I'd like to avoid any quid pro quo character approvals if possible.

Please submit up to two characters (and no more) and narrow it down to one by Friday. Don't concern yourself with what other people make, especially if said players have more than one horse in the race.

 

[hafrogman]

I'd like to avoid any quid pro quo character approvals if possible.

Just my attempt at humor. Pay it no mind.

 

[Insight]

Just my attempt at humor. Pay it no mind.

I'm not trying to be a jerk here. It just crossed my mind that since Sparky and I are both in the process of approving characters for new games... Heck, I'm in more of a potential quid pro quo than anyone else. I just want to be fair to everyone.

 

[Sparky]

...since Sparky and I are both in the process of approving characters for new games... Heck, I'm in more of a potential quid pro quo than anyone else. I just want to be fair to everyone.

Actually, this isn't true in my game since we're doing The Crucible. You, the other players and I will all have a hand in deciding who's gonna be in the game.

 

[Insight]

Actually, this isn't true in my game since we're doing The Crucible. You, the other players and I will all have a hand in deciding who's gonna be in the game.

That's true. Good luck in sorting all that out, by the way.