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Message: <blockquote data-quote="jester47" data-source="post: 1220302" data-attributes="member: 2238">So you are playing a game, and the players take on someone they were not meant to fight.  The only stats this character has are class and level.  What to do?Enter the straw man.The straw man is a idea that I just had.  Its an average stand in for any class or humanoid.  Rather than trying to come up with a character on the fly, you use a law of averages.  The straw man has:14 for all statsd6 for hit pointsskill points based on 4bonus feats every 5th levelappropriate spell progression if applicablewhatever gear he needs to fit the description and do the jobwhile using him, you write down everything he does.  what skills he uses (assume max ranks) feats that you pull out of your posterior, spells, whatever.If the character survives, when the session is over you take those notes, noting which skills or feats he used.  Then you make the character, from scratch, except where you have already used the character. For example:you have a fighter who is supposed to offer the PCs help, however they decide to kill him.  So you know hes 3rd level.  And give him 18hp.  He is a fighter so you give him whatever weapon and armor you described him having.  He uses a dex based skill and the cleave feat.  So, all said and done he is able to run away and live.  So you go home.  You know that his Dex is 14, and the skill he used is maxed out.  You set hum up so he can have the cleave feat and then do all the rest of the stuff as normal.  Saves your rear from nasty player surprises, and if they kill him, you know it was a fair fight.  Aaron.</blockquote>

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