This is just my brainstorming for a posssible PC for the game IIsi50Mhz is planning to run on AOL chat. (See his thread here.) I thought I'd post it and see what suggestions y'all might offer for improvement or which way to go in deciding between cleric, wizard, and druid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lanya (pronounced LAHN-yuh)
History:
Ulmo's children reared and pranced, as the crack of thunder was met by the squalling of a young child. The mother's screams had stopped, but the child, at least, still lived. Many glances passed among the villagers, for a dull roar had filled the night, and still the baby screamed.
In the morning, men from the nearby villages came to look west, to give thanks to Ulmo for sparing them from the great wave. Upon the beach, they found nothing but stick and debris, and a tiny child, nestled against the halter of one of the dripping, exhausted horses who had swum to shore. The villagers hair stood on end as they approached her, for she was marked, chosen of Ulmo. The great wave had spared them, much as it had her, and no man would question the will of Ulmo.
They named her Lanya, "fortune", and took her into their homes. She was no man's daughter, save Ulmo, yet all cared for her. No man wished to risk her wrath, yet all carried the burden of her discipline.
When she became old enough to understand, the villagers shared their stories with her. They told her of the generosity of Ulmo, and how he saved their people from the great cataclysm. They told her of the bounty of the sea, and the safety of the island. They told her of the great beasts, and of the windy season, and of rolling waves and of Ulmo's children. They knew that when she was ready, one of the witch-women would come for her.
She did. On the very day that Lanya could swim the rough surf, Mainah came for her. She had travelled miles for Lanya, for the portents spoke of one who would have great power, and the rumors clustered among the villages.
Minah was a harsh mistress. Many were the times Lanya lay upon the sharp rocks and wished she could let the currents drag her under. But what Mainah and Ulmo had made, even the sharp rocks could not tear apart. By the time Minah left her, Lanya was truly strong. Her words would carry weight, even among the rugged village people.
She set to work, and the village people learned that they must listen when she spoke. Those who had mocked her and shunned her as children feared for their families, yet Lanya could not bring herself to hate them.
She knew they feared her; that was simply the way of things. Yet those who questioned her suffered the gravest misfortunes... just as Mainah had taught her.
Lanya has been feared all her life. This is the way of things.
Yet, when strangers come to her island, they treat her differently. They treat her almost as an equal. For the first time, a man meets her eyes without looking away. She knows that she she should teach them respect for the way of Ulmo,... but they are foreigners. Perhaps they can be forgiven? They have not given her disrespect, for they come seeking her aid. Ulmo would wish her to aid them... after all, if they crossed the ocean, he must have sent them. Perhaps he wants her to teach them the ways of Ulmo. She was never so confused when she was around her own people. She has caught herself smiling around them... but she will be more careful in the future.
Personality:
When she says jump, Lanya is used to people saying "How high?". She is confused around the newcomers, and is trying to balance her habitually critical demeanor with a desire not to drive them away. Deeply superstitious, the newcomers' lack of respect for traditions frightens her. She is a little cynical, especially about her personal life and the ability of others to genuinely like her. She may sometimes come across as the conservative grandmother figure.
Appearance:
Lanya is well past her prime, and the effect of the sea salt and sun on her skin has given her an even more aged, weathered look. She wears a simple shirt with a strap over one shoulder, a knee-length skirt, and carries worn leather satchel. She is amost always more than a little damp, but rarely bedraggled. Her hair is a mix of dark brown and bleached white.
Story:
I'd like to have Lanya learn more about Ulmo, and the fact that the way the sea witches govern (through fear) is not necessarily his doing, or even something he approves of. Perhaps she might learn that Ulmo is a savior / protective god, and that it is other forces in the world that are responsible for the bad things that happen on the sea. I would like to see her learning from the outsiders and vice versa, and hopefully take some of that knowledge back to her people. Depending on the maturity level of the game & other players, I might also explore her falling in love.
Stats:
I have no clue. Not only do I not know how we are generating attributes, but I am very torn as far as how to build the character. (I made the classical mistake of letting the character idea outpace the mechanics.)
The characters in this campaign will start at 5th level. What I'm finding is that I want the skill list of a druid, but don't like the spell selection and find most of the special abilities (i.e. wild shape, trackless step) don't fit my concept for the character. As a result I'm also considering going with Cleric or Wizard.
Skills (descending importance):
Swim
Profession: Sailor
Intimidate
Wilderness Lore
Intuit Direction
Ride
Animal Handling
Spells:
I tend to find the druid spells a bit weak, plus the loss of domain spells or school specialization really hurts. If I can spare the feat, I may use Energy Substitution to make many of the druid's flame spells into electrical effects. I'm going for a character who is mainly a high-DC caster type as opposed to a physical fighter, as I have not done so yet in 3rd edition.
Prestige Class:
Haven't taken one in any of my recent games, so I'm thinking I may go this route. If a wizard, perhaps Elemental Savant: Air? Sea Witch from R&R seems like OK ideas, but a bit under-powered to me. (Has to re-start spell progression from level 1.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lanya (pronounced LAHN-yuh)
History:
Ulmo's children reared and pranced, as the crack of thunder was met by the squalling of a young child. The mother's screams had stopped, but the child, at least, still lived. Many glances passed among the villagers, for a dull roar had filled the night, and still the baby screamed.
In the morning, men from the nearby villages came to look west, to give thanks to Ulmo for sparing them from the great wave. Upon the beach, they found nothing but stick and debris, and a tiny child, nestled against the halter of one of the dripping, exhausted horses who had swum to shore. The villagers hair stood on end as they approached her, for she was marked, chosen of Ulmo. The great wave had spared them, much as it had her, and no man would question the will of Ulmo.
They named her Lanya, "fortune", and took her into their homes. She was no man's daughter, save Ulmo, yet all cared for her. No man wished to risk her wrath, yet all carried the burden of her discipline.
When she became old enough to understand, the villagers shared their stories with her. They told her of the generosity of Ulmo, and how he saved their people from the great cataclysm. They told her of the bounty of the sea, and the safety of the island. They told her of the great beasts, and of the windy season, and of rolling waves and of Ulmo's children. They knew that when she was ready, one of the witch-women would come for her.
She did. On the very day that Lanya could swim the rough surf, Mainah came for her. She had travelled miles for Lanya, for the portents spoke of one who would have great power, and the rumors clustered among the villages.
Minah was a harsh mistress. Many were the times Lanya lay upon the sharp rocks and wished she could let the currents drag her under. But what Mainah and Ulmo had made, even the sharp rocks could not tear apart. By the time Minah left her, Lanya was truly strong. Her words would carry weight, even among the rugged village people.
She set to work, and the village people learned that they must listen when she spoke. Those who had mocked her and shunned her as children feared for their families, yet Lanya could not bring herself to hate them.
She knew they feared her; that was simply the way of things. Yet those who questioned her suffered the gravest misfortunes... just as Mainah had taught her.
Lanya has been feared all her life. This is the way of things.
Yet, when strangers come to her island, they treat her differently. They treat her almost as an equal. For the first time, a man meets her eyes without looking away. She knows that she she should teach them respect for the way of Ulmo,... but they are foreigners. Perhaps they can be forgiven? They have not given her disrespect, for they come seeking her aid. Ulmo would wish her to aid them... after all, if they crossed the ocean, he must have sent them. Perhaps he wants her to teach them the ways of Ulmo. She was never so confused when she was around her own people. She has caught herself smiling around them... but she will be more careful in the future.
Personality:
When she says jump, Lanya is used to people saying "How high?". She is confused around the newcomers, and is trying to balance her habitually critical demeanor with a desire not to drive them away. Deeply superstitious, the newcomers' lack of respect for traditions frightens her. She is a little cynical, especially about her personal life and the ability of others to genuinely like her. She may sometimes come across as the conservative grandmother figure.
Appearance:
Lanya is well past her prime, and the effect of the sea salt and sun on her skin has given her an even more aged, weathered look. She wears a simple shirt with a strap over one shoulder, a knee-length skirt, and carries worn leather satchel. She is amost always more than a little damp, but rarely bedraggled. Her hair is a mix of dark brown and bleached white.
Story:
I'd like to have Lanya learn more about Ulmo, and the fact that the way the sea witches govern (through fear) is not necessarily his doing, or even something he approves of. Perhaps she might learn that Ulmo is a savior / protective god, and that it is other forces in the world that are responsible for the bad things that happen on the sea. I would like to see her learning from the outsiders and vice versa, and hopefully take some of that knowledge back to her people. Depending on the maturity level of the game & other players, I might also explore her falling in love.
Stats:
I have no clue. Not only do I not know how we are generating attributes, but I am very torn as far as how to build the character. (I made the classical mistake of letting the character idea outpace the mechanics.)
The characters in this campaign will start at 5th level. What I'm finding is that I want the skill list of a druid, but don't like the spell selection and find most of the special abilities (i.e. wild shape, trackless step) don't fit my concept for the character. As a result I'm also considering going with Cleric or Wizard.
Skills (descending importance):
Swim
Profession: Sailor
Intimidate
Wilderness Lore
Intuit Direction
Ride
Animal Handling
Spells:
I tend to find the druid spells a bit weak, plus the loss of domain spells or school specialization really hurts. If I can spare the feat, I may use Energy Substitution to make many of the druid's flame spells into electrical effects. I'm going for a character who is mainly a high-DC caster type as opposed to a physical fighter, as I have not done so yet in 3rd edition.
Prestige Class:
Haven't taken one in any of my recent games, so I'm thinking I may go this route. If a wizard, perhaps Elemental Savant: Air? Sea Witch from R&R seems like OK ideas, but a bit under-powered to me. (Has to re-start spell progression from level 1.)
