One Shots - Discussions

[tglassy]

I'm trying to think up a few interesting characters right now. I have a Dragon Sorcerer that is meant to be a grappler, but I'm thinking it only worked because when I initially played him, we rolled for stats, and he wound up ungodly. 17, 17, 16, 16, 11, 10. Before racial stats. Not sure if he'd be as viable with anything less. He needs a high strength to grapple, a high dex for his AC (he goes shirtless to show off his silver scales), a high Con to keep his concentration and health up, and a high charisma because Sorcerer. I could, I suppose, chuck charisma and Constitution, and just go for grappling and dex for AC, but I'm not sure how that would help. He doesn't have much that relies on Charisma, though. By using Enlarge/Reduce, he would grapple whatever and let his friends wail on it. It was very effective.

Another concept I've always played around with is a Barbarian who finds out he was adopted to his tribe as a baby when they found him amidst a destroyed caravan. Turns out he is the grandchild of one of the Archmages of Thay. So he leaves his people to find out who he is.

Human Barbarian, with Magic Initiate to reflect forgotten lessons he had as a toddler multiclass Wizard at level 2, then every level after he would have to decide whether to follow the family he grew up with, or the one he was born to.

Actually, I think I'll definitely go with that one. Which group would that be in? I'm thinking A?


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[EarlyBird]

Both sound like fun, let's see. You already have your D figured out Pouncing Ranger (haha) wonder if you should try wielding a punching dagger or Wolverine like claws?

If the Barbarian/MC Wizard was A, then you could have the Dragonborn Grappler could be the C slot. But then again the Grappler could go in the A slot since we are trying new things and try having him be a monk with magic initiate and give him to start the once a day Enlarge/Reduce and see how it plays. Before racial adj your CHA could be as low as 11.

And then you turn around the Barbarian/Wizard so say he is around 10 when found and has been taught since he was 4 how to cast spells. Without a spellbook he can't while he is growing up in the tribe. They try and teach him how to fight and hunt, and although he understands it he isn't quiet as good as the others, his mind always somewhere else. Once of age he must start on a rite of passage, and his adoptive father wanting to make sure he has a fighting chance in the real world gives him his original father's spellbook.

You can still look barbaric and even carry a great axe you just don't get your prof bonus when you swing it. There is no neg to not being prof with your weapons.

Just some food for thought.

 

[tglassy]

Switching he Sorcerer to Monk doesn't really work, because the whole point is that he is focused on activating his draconic heritage. His magic is actually his draconic power awakening, so he has things like Enlarge and Alter Self (claws!) and The spell Darkvision, to simulate draconic power welling within him.

I could have him have a low Charisma, and just take spells that don't rely on it, thus giving room for his strength and such.

Also, Enlarge is a second level spell. Wouldn't work for Magic Initiate. And monks just don't grapple well. They're more dex based. With a high strength and Enlarge, he can grapple Huge creatures and has advantage on the grapple checks.

As for the Barbarian Wizard, the point of him was to experiment and see if such a multiclass was viable, and also to create a good character for role play purposes. Since he has such a conflicted story, I'd like to find out if he goes more towards his adoptive people, or to his birthright. I wanted him to be strong, to make a stark contrast when he meets his grandparent, who is a thin, frail wizard.

I'm working on stating him now. He'll likely have to use Medium Armor, rather than rely on Unarmored Defense. Point but, high Str, decent Con and dex, enough int to multiclass. dump wis and cha, unfortunately.

Looks at him, I'll probably need to do a normal human rather than the variant, for the stat boosts. With the two extra points in the point buy, his wis and chat will be 10, and everything else can be decent. Perhaps at first, he doesn't know he's from a wizarding family, and has to find that out during his adventures, say around level 3 or 4. Then he can start takin levels in wizard.


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[tglassy]

That actually worked very well. He wound up with:

Str: 16
Dex: 14
Con: 16
Int: 13
Wis: 10
Cha: 10

Which is perfect. Need to decide if he wields a great sword or a sword and board for more AC. 15 AC in armored, which isn't hard to outdo with Medium Armor.

He'll be a standard Barbarian at first, trying to figure out who he is and where he's from. I'll just have to decide when to multiclass him, but that's later.


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[EarlyBird]

Oh yeah the raise all stats by one does add in a nice bonus.

Enlarge is second lvl in 5e I did not know that. It has been 1st lvl for so long, I had no ideal. It sounds like you are trying with the Dragonborn what I wish to do with my Dwarf Sorcerer. Keep abilities close to the parent. Having ogre mage blood he will have charm person, sleep, darkness, invisibility, and cone of cold. Although where your character may relish in his dragon parentage and power, the dwarf will try and hide for his, pretending to be something he is not most of the time.

 

[JustinCase]

So, let me see if I understand correctly. The point is for everyone who is interested in small PbP games to come up with a portfolio of 4 characters, ready to use in one-shot campaigns? As in, these characters could grow (and level-up) in various games, moving on to others with their experience?

Because that is a great idea!

 

[KahlessNestor]

So one of my concepts might need to be run by you as Overlord DM LOL

Since we're playing in the Forgotten Realms, there is Gond, Lantan, and smokepowder. My character idea is to make a Lantan musketeer Gond-worshipper.

So there are 3 ways I can see to do it. Both probably require a bit of DM allowance:

1. I have built her for Adventure League doing her the AL legal way: Battlemaster, Crossbow Expert, using stats for a heavy crossbow and hand crossbow, but just renaming them heavy musket and pistols (and shot instead of bolts). All the stats are the same: damage, pricing, loading, and interaction with crossbow expert feat all remain the same as the base game. Basically we're just calling them differently. This is a totally RAW legal way to do it. It's basically just refluffing.

2. Allow the use of Renaissance firearms from DMG. Still Battlemaster, Crossbow Expert, but damage is higher at the expense of greater cost and shorter range.

3. Super duper nice DM option: Allow the use of Matt Mercer's Gunslinger fighter archetype from the DMs Guild. Not official WOTC material, but is officially published by Green Ronin in the new Tal'dorei Campaign Guide, and has seen over 400 hours of playtesting and refinement (more than most WOTC material, I would bet! LOL And certainly more than most UA material). It is basically an attempt to convert the Pathfinder gunslinger to 5e.

I know the UA Artificer has a gunsmith option, and I haven't really looked at it, but Artificers are magic, and I'm looking at a fighter. Plus, frankly, Mercer's Gunslinger is probably way better designed. He's a very conservative designer, and UAs are often...deliberately broken. In games I run, I usually don't allow UA, but I am often entirely open to allowing Mercer's creations, particularly gunslinger, since it has seen so much actual play.

 

[KahlessNestor]

So, let me see if I understand correctly. The point is for everyone who is interested in small PbP games to come up with a portfolio of 4 characters, ready to use in one-shot campaigns? As in, these characters could grow (and level-up) in various games, moving on to others with their experience?

Because that is a great idea!

Yes, that's exactly the idea. Much like Adventure League or Pathfinder Society (and now Starfinder Society!)

 

[EarlyBird]

So, let me see if I understand correctly. The point is for everyone who is interested in small PbP games to come up with a portfolio of 4 characters, ready to use in one-shot campaigns? As in, these characters could grow (and level-up) in various games, moving on to others with their experience?

Because that is a great idea!

Glad you approve, and Welcome to the fun.

 

[EarlyBird]

So in answer to your question it raises a few for discussion as well.

To start though I am never opposed to re-fluffing anything in my games if your "crossbow expert" is really a gun slinging cowboy than go for it. Using your imagination to come up with crazy character concepts is half the fun. But remember that I may not run the only games (probably just the majority, which will be sad as they will probably be one at a time), so if someone else doesn't allow you to take a character into his game know that a DM has total say over his own game, they need to have fun too.

The question about allowing options like firearms brings up other questions about other options. Things like Disarm, Mark, Shove Aside, Lingering injuries, Massive Dmg, creating items or new spells. Or introducing new items/spells if you are running an old module/Dungeon adventure.

All those may need answered before play starts for each game or we as a community an come up with what we like don't like. Maybe try a few in a couple games and then see if they make/break the fun. Then make an "in stone" decision.

But for the first Option to discuss - I am not opposed to allowing firearms in the world (Renaissance only). I would rather do this than add in a whole new class of any sort until they are official.

Is anyone opposed to adding firearms into are little world?

Lot more involved than I thought this would be. So everyone bear with me as we get things worked out and settled into place.