LogicsFate
First Post
I'd like to show my interest, I'll write up a character story, and hopefully post tonight
Metropolis - The World in Waiting (Chapter Two)
- Thread starter Phoenix
- Start date
hafrogman
Adventurer
Phoenix said:Ooooo....ok then. I find it a struggle to see how that many books would benefit a Knowledge roll in any way, but with the productivity within Metropolis I can easily justify the lesser cost of books to allow it.
In shorter words: Is um good 'n' stuff.
It's entirely up to you if you want to allow it to give the bonus or not, I was just scrambling for more things to spend money on.
This concept sounds fun. Figured I'd throw something out and see how it flies, a monk type with added mafia flavor:
Ru Brike just wants to make his life better. His family squatted in a condemned tenement, picked through garbage for dinner, scampered away from the corrupt city guard they couldn't afford to pay "taxes" to. So when Ari Turbul saw the potential bruiser Ru could be and offered him a place in his gang, Ru jumped at the chance.
Protection money paid for a legal--if small--apartment for Ru's family. Daily trawls of the marketplace fed them all well. Ru especially thrived once he had some real nutrition, his broad shoulders filling out, muscle and mass and a growth spurt making him look a man when he was still just a boy. This was defintely better.
Ru took Ari's orders. His hearty laugh charmed those he was meant to protect, his powerful muscles hurt those who threatened him or his new allies. Ari greased the right palms, and everyone got what they wanted. Ari's gang became entrenched and established, and Ru was one of his favorite bruisers, usually reserved for when people really needed to ... learn a lesson. The last thing a person wanted to hear was that Ru was on his way.
That is, until Teram Gis showed up.
Everyone thought Gis was just another cowering merchant. A few well placed threats, maybe a broken table or two, and he'd fall in line and pay up like everyone else. However, The only thing that seemed to be breaking was Ari's messengers, sent back with one limb or another shattered and no protection payments.
Ari didn't take it well at all. He'd have no wiry little fishmonger making him look a fool. He sent Ru to tear the place apart and offer his special brand of incentive. Ru never relished doling out punishment, but he was good at it, and Ari was good to his family, so he went.
Gis was half Ru's size, scrawny and unimpressive to look at. He also blocked every blow Ru threw at him. Again and again, turning Ru's building rage aside without breaking a sweat. As he fought, Ru saw something in the man's eyes. Power, certainly, but something else. A clarity, a focus that channeled that power, that told Ru he would never best this man despite his own raw strength.
Ru couldn't explain why he stopped. He knew what kind of consequences there would be. Still, he had to. He halted his blows, took a step back, and bowed to his better.
Gis returned the bow, saying, "You are the first with the wisdom to yield. It is a gift your cohorts lack. One you will never hone in their company."
Ru cocked his head and smiled. "But you could teach me."
Gis returned the smile. "Wise again."
He and Gis struck a bargain. Gis would never yeild to Ari's demands, so Ru ran interference with Ari's men, "personally overseeing" collection (actually, he's making the protection payments for Gis out of his own pocket), steering them clear of his storefront. Gis, in turn, is teaching Ru the discipline he lacked, focusing his power and speed. The balance is precarious, but Ru sees it as part of his training: working the angles hones his mind as his other training hones his body.
And if it's sometimes a strain, it's once again better than what came before, so Ru shrugs and goes on.
-----------------------
jason
Ru Brike just wants to make his life better. His family squatted in a condemned tenement, picked through garbage for dinner, scampered away from the corrupt city guard they couldn't afford to pay "taxes" to. So when Ari Turbul saw the potential bruiser Ru could be and offered him a place in his gang, Ru jumped at the chance.
Protection money paid for a legal--if small--apartment for Ru's family. Daily trawls of the marketplace fed them all well. Ru especially thrived once he had some real nutrition, his broad shoulders filling out, muscle and mass and a growth spurt making him look a man when he was still just a boy. This was defintely better.
Ru took Ari's orders. His hearty laugh charmed those he was meant to protect, his powerful muscles hurt those who threatened him or his new allies. Ari greased the right palms, and everyone got what they wanted. Ari's gang became entrenched and established, and Ru was one of his favorite bruisers, usually reserved for when people really needed to ... learn a lesson. The last thing a person wanted to hear was that Ru was on his way.
That is, until Teram Gis showed up.
Everyone thought Gis was just another cowering merchant. A few well placed threats, maybe a broken table or two, and he'd fall in line and pay up like everyone else. However, The only thing that seemed to be breaking was Ari's messengers, sent back with one limb or another shattered and no protection payments.
Ari didn't take it well at all. He'd have no wiry little fishmonger making him look a fool. He sent Ru to tear the place apart and offer his special brand of incentive. Ru never relished doling out punishment, but he was good at it, and Ari was good to his family, so he went.
Gis was half Ru's size, scrawny and unimpressive to look at. He also blocked every blow Ru threw at him. Again and again, turning Ru's building rage aside without breaking a sweat. As he fought, Ru saw something in the man's eyes. Power, certainly, but something else. A clarity, a focus that channeled that power, that told Ru he would never best this man despite his own raw strength.
Ru couldn't explain why he stopped. He knew what kind of consequences there would be. Still, he had to. He halted his blows, took a step back, and bowed to his better.
Gis returned the bow, saying, "You are the first with the wisdom to yield. It is a gift your cohorts lack. One you will never hone in their company."
Ru cocked his head and smiled. "But you could teach me."
Gis returned the smile. "Wise again."
He and Gis struck a bargain. Gis would never yeild to Ari's demands, so Ru ran interference with Ari's men, "personally overseeing" collection (actually, he's making the protection payments for Gis out of his own pocket), steering them clear of his storefront. Gis, in turn, is teaching Ru the discipline he lacked, focusing his power and speed. The balance is precarious, but Ru sees it as part of his training: working the angles hones his mind as his other training hones his body.
And if it's sometimes a strain, it's once again better than what came before, so Ru shrugs and goes on.
-----------------------
jason
I took "see more" to mean "stat up the character." Hope that's all right. A few notes:
* I figure Ru was on the road to be some kind of brawler, and had gained enough experience in Ari's employ to warrant a level of it before meeting Gis. "Street thug" seemed more like a type of barbarian than a fighter proper. Gis' comments about "never focusing" made sense here, too, as Ru had to change alignment to become a monk, giving up rage for discipline.
* Hit point rolls here. I went with full hit points at first level, so they have no roll. Let me know if that's wrong and I'll roll that level.
* +1 added to Wisdom for being 4th level
* If you're doing skill point math, I had him start with 4 ranks each in Climb, Intimidate, Jump, Survival, and Ride.
* I'd like to interpret Survival a little differently given the environment. Mostly, "in the wild" would apply to the rough city streets instead. Growing up like he did, Ru knows how to find food without paying for it (what's safe to trash pick from, where to look for unattended sewer gardens, that sort of thing), how to avoid wandering gangs and corrupt guards (on the streets, these would be your "natural hazards," yes?), and so on. To the same extent, I'd apply this to the Track feat, so Ru's knowledge of how to navigate and hide in the city helps him find people trying to do the same. All of which, of course, would be pending approval.
* Ru's the primary source of income for his family. I figure he leaves about half his take with his family "just in case." If I did my math right (feel free to check it, as math hates me in general), Ru has 487gp, 7cp left after equipment. He's got 200gp for himself, leaving the rest wherever his family stores their emergency funds.
Details below:
[sblock]
Appearance: Perhaps to distance himself from his childhood in squallor, Ru's grooming is notably exact. His hair is cropped close and even. He's fostered a close-trimmed goatee, as well. Despite the tailoring difficulty his size and width of shoulder provide, he's made sure his clothes all fit him well, a fact that tends to show off the wealth of muscle he sports.
Background: As previous post[/sblock]
Let me know if I need to change anything.
jason
* I figure Ru was on the road to be some kind of brawler, and had gained enough experience in Ari's employ to warrant a level of it before meeting Gis. "Street thug" seemed more like a type of barbarian than a fighter proper. Gis' comments about "never focusing" made sense here, too, as Ru had to change alignment to become a monk, giving up rage for discipline.
* Hit point rolls here. I went with full hit points at first level, so they have no roll. Let me know if that's wrong and I'll roll that level.
* +1 added to Wisdom for being 4th level
* If you're doing skill point math, I had him start with 4 ranks each in Climb, Intimidate, Jump, Survival, and Ride.
* I'd like to interpret Survival a little differently given the environment. Mostly, "in the wild" would apply to the rough city streets instead. Growing up like he did, Ru knows how to find food without paying for it (what's safe to trash pick from, where to look for unattended sewer gardens, that sort of thing), how to avoid wandering gangs and corrupt guards (on the streets, these would be your "natural hazards," yes?), and so on. To the same extent, I'd apply this to the Track feat, so Ru's knowledge of how to navigate and hide in the city helps him find people trying to do the same. All of which, of course, would be pending approval.
* Ru's the primary source of income for his family. I figure he leaves about half his take with his family "just in case." If I did my math right (feel free to check it, as math hates me in general), Ru has 487gp, 7cp left after equipment. He's got 200gp for himself, leaving the rest wherever his family stores their emergency funds.
Details below:
[sblock]
Code:
[B]Name:[/B] Ru Brike
[B]Class:[/B] Barbarian 1 / Monk 3
[B]Race:[/B] Human
[B]Size:[/B] Medium
[B]Gender:[/B] Male
[B]Alignment:[/B] Lawful Neutral
[B]Deity:[/B] ?
[B]Str:[/B] 14 +2 (6p.) [B]Level:[/B] 4 [B]XP:[/B] 6,000
[B]Dex:[/B] 10 +0 (2p.) [B]BAB:[/B] +3 [B]HP:[/B] 33
[B]Con:[/B] 14 +2 (6p.) [B]Grapple:[/B] +5 [B]Dmg Red:[/B] -
[B]Int:[/B] 10 +0 (2p.) [B]Speed:[/B] 50' [B]Spell Res:[/B] -
[B]Wis:[/B] 15 +2 (6p.) [B]Init:[/B] +0 [B]Spell Save:[/B] -
[B]Cha:[/B] 14 +2 (6p.) [B]ACP:[/B] -0 [B]Spell Fail:[/B] -
[B]Base Armor Shld Dex Size Nat Misc Total[/B]
[B]Armor:[/B] 10 +1 +0 +0 +0 +0 +2 13
[B]Touch:[/B] 12 [B]Flatfooted:[/B] 13
[B]Base Mod Misc Total[/B]
[B]Fort:[/B] 5 +2 +7
[B]Ref:[/B] 3 +0 +3
[B]Will:[/B] 3 +2 +5
Conditional Saves:
* +2 bonus vs. enchantment spells and effects
* +4 bonus on Endurance conditions
[B]Weapon Attack Damage Critical[/B]
Unarmed...................+5.....1d6+2.........x2
Unarmed (flurry)........+3/+3....1d6+2.........x2
Quarterstaff..............+6.....1d6+3.........x2
Quarterstaff (flurry)...+4/+4....1d6+3.........x2
Kama......................+6.....1d6+2.........x2
Kama (flurry)...........+4/+4....1d6+2.........x2
[B]Languages:[/B] Common
[B]Abilities:[/B]
--Barbarian--
* Fast Movement (+10 base racial)
* Simple and Martial weapon proficiency
* Light/Medium armor proficiency
* Shield proficiency
--Monk--
* Flurry of Blows +0/+0
* Wisdom bonus added to AC
* Flurry with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham)
* Evasion (reflex save for 1/2 = no damage)
* Fast Movement (+10)
* Still Mind (+2 vs. enchantment spells and effects)
[B]Feats:[/B] Endurance, Persuasive (bonus human), Improved Unarmed Strike (Monk), Stunning Fist 3x/day (1st level Monk), Deflect Arrows (2nd level Monk), Track (3rd level)
[B]Skill Points:[/B] 35 [B]Max Ranks:[/B] 7/3.5
[B]Skills Ranks Mod Misc Total[/B]
Climb......................5....+2..........+7 (+9 with kit)
Intimidate.................5....+2....+2*...+9
Jump.......................6....+2..........+8
Survival...................5....+2..........+7
Ride.......................4....+0..........+4
Bluff (cc).................3....+2....+2*...+7
Sense Motive...............4....+2..........+6
* +2 bonus from Persuasive feat
[B]Equipment: Cost Weight[/B]
Bracers of Armor +1...1,000gp....1lb
MW Quarterstaff.........600gp....4lb
MW Kama.................302gp....2lb
Belt pouch................1gp....1/2lb
Signal whistle............8sp....--
Traveler's outfit.........--.....--
Handy Haversack........2,000gp...5lb
--in haversack (weight total reduced to 5lb)--
Potion CLW (x3).........150gp....--
Caltrops..................1gp....2lb
Scroll case...............1gp....1/2lb
Chain (10 ft.)...........30gp....2lb
Flask.....................3cp....1.5lb
Flint and Steel...........1gp....--
Ink (1oz. vial)...........8gp....--
Inkpen....................1sp....--
MW Manacles..............50gp....2lb
Manacle Lock (amazing)..150gp....1lb
Parchment x5..............1gp....--
Sealing wax...............1gp....1lb
Waterskin.................1gp....4lb
Smokestick x2............40gp....1lb
Sunrod x5................10gp....5lb
Thunderstone.............30gp....1lb
Tindertwig x5.............5gp....--2200
Climber's kit.............80gp...5lb
Universal Solvent.........50gp...--
[B]Total Weight:[/B]12.5lbs [B]Money:[/B] 200gp (25 in belt pouch, remaining in haversack)
[B]Lgt Med Hvy Lift Push[/B]
[B]Max Weight:[/B] 58 116 175 350 875
[B]Age:[/B] 20
[B]Height:[/B] 6'2"
[B]Weight:[/B] 230lb
[B]Eyes:[/B] Brown
[B]Hair:[/B] Black
[B]Skin:[/B] TanBackground: As previous post[/sblock]
Let me know if I need to change anything.
jason
Last edited:
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