OK, here is my character. So sorry it took so long, I've had a few tests to study for. From now on, I should be able to post consistently.
I noticed that you have one full caster (being a Gestalt Sorcerer/Wizard), and while I have not seen specific details on your character, FreeXenon, I can assume that he is a Gestalt Ranger/Cleric, thus supplying a full divine caster, albeit with not as much focus on magic as the Sorcerer/Wizard. However, nobody is blessed with a d10 Hit Die as of yet. As such, I will provide that. The character I propose is a Gestalt Bard/Hexblade, with the following variants...
VARIANTS
Variant Bard Class: Harbinger (Dragon #337, page 93, but I found it at
http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.5Index-Classes-Base.pdf)
Variant Hexblade Feature: Dark Companion (Player's Handbook 2 page 47, or look at the link provided above)
Basically, the Dark Companion replaces the Hexblade's Familiar and instead causes a -2 penalty on saves and AC to adjacent enemies. Can't be hurt, but can be dispelled, with a spell level of 1/4 your Hexblade level. The Harbinger is a pretty drastic change, completely redefining the Bard, but I think that it really fits. In short, it turns the Bard from a party buffer to a debuffer of the party's enemies.
And one final note, concerning my choice of weapon... have you ever heard of the infamous Executioner's Mace? It was given stats in Dungeon #135, and was the weapon of choice for Kyuss in the Age Of Worms campaign. It attracted a lot of controversy because most found it too powerful to be a martial weapon (it completely outshone the Greataxe, it was just a bit more expensive), but not powerful enough to be worth an Exotic feat. Here are the stats...
[sblock]Name: Executioner's Mace
Type: Two-Handed Martial Weapon
Damage: 2d6
Critical: 20/x3
Damage Type: B & P OR B & S
Price: 75 gp
Weight: 12 lbs.
Hardness/HP: 5/10
Image:
http://paizo.com/image/product/catalog/TSR/TSR82135_500.jpeg (the big guy is holding one)[/sblock]
See why? Being able to choose between B & P or B & S really gave it a lot more versatility than the Greatsword and the Greataxe. But it's such a cool weapon! Since this is a fairly high-powered campaign (Gestalt and rather high stats tipped me off), would you allow this? If the appearance is a little too weird for you, my character's version is considerably different. I'll put the description below. Oh, and yes, I am getting an oversized version (Monkey Grip). 24-pounds of bladed, spiked mace. About as frightening a weapon as you'll ever come across. Needless to say, I'll handle any Intimidation that needs doing.
And I know that my amount of starting gold and equipment are a little... non-standard, but it isn't over the mark by too much, and I believe that I am considerably worse off than the other characters, in monetary terms. The only item that jumps the price limit a bit is the oversized executioner's mace – not even masterwork. I don't think that that's asking for something completely out of the question, but it's your call.
But enough of this banter. My character, should you choose to accept him.
[sblock]Felix Stauf
Stats
Human Gestalt Bard (Harbinger) 1/Hexblade 1
Medium Humanoid (Human)
Hit Dice: 1d10+2 (12 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+2 Dex, +3 studded leather), touch 12, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+4
Attack: Large executioner's mace +2 melee (3d6+4/x3) or kukri +4 melee (1d4+3/18-20) or light crossbow +3 ranged (1d8/19-20)
Full Attack: Large executioner's mace +2 melee (3d6+4/x3) or kukri +4 melee (1d4+3/18-20) or light crossbow +3 ranged (1d8/19-20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Bardic music 1/day (countersong, fascinate, instill fear -1), Hexblade's curse 1/day
Special Qualities: Bardic knowledge, ignore arcane failure from light armor
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 18
Skill Ranks: Bluff 4, Concentrate 4, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (arcana) 4, Perform (sing) 4, Speak Language 4, Spellcraft 4, Use Magic Device 4
Feats: Monkey Grip, Power Attack
Alignment: Neutral
Equipment: Traveler's outfit, studded leather armor, large executioner's mace, kukri, light crossbow, 10 crossbow bolts, spell component pouch, backpack, waterskin, bedroll, sack, flint & steel, whetstone, 3 torches, one day's trail rations
Coins: 10 gold coins, 8 silver coins, 7 copper coins
Weight Carried: 70 lbs.
Weight Capacities: Light – 0-76 lbs. Medium – 77-153 lbs. Heavy – 154-230 lbs.
Spells:
Level 0: detect magic, lullaby, read magic, resistance
Languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Undercommon
Equipment Details
Weapons:
Large Executioner's Mace: Felix named this weapon Anathema, in memory of the role it took in the killing of his mother. For Felix, it has come to symbolize his tragic luck and his wicked life. It once belonged to his father. This particular executioner's mace is designed to be as intimidating as possible. The overall appearance and design of the mace exaggerates the weapon's brutality with jagged blades, massive size, and an overall lack of elegance. The mace's head is shaped as a cylinder, with the head being noticeably thicker than the haft of the weapon. The base of the weapon quickly tapers into the haft. The entire head is covered in fairly flat pyramid-shaped studs, and on one side of the mace there is a long, saw-toothed axe head (the saw teeth curve downward, in order to preserve the cutting power of the blade). The axe blade does not extend outward particularly far, but it runs along the entire mace head, tapering off into a wicked-looking point a few inches past the base of the mace head. It resembles an elongated, jagged headsman's axe. Opposite the axe head on the mace, the studs are replaced by a row of five similarly saw-toothed spikes. The spikes resemble jagged daggers, extending outward about as far as the axe head, and are designed to rip and tear at flesh as they are pulled out. The weapon can be swung to use either side.
Armor:
Studded Leather Armor: Felix wears black studded leather armor with red-tinged, pyramid-shaped studs. The armor's studs were designed to appear bloodstained, with the original intent being intimidation. However, for Felix, they symbolize the blood of his mother, tainting every aspect of his life. The armor covers most of his body, including the tops of his hands and feet. It lacks any sort of covering for the head. The armor is flanged slightly at the shoulders, elbows, knees, and hands. The most notable feature of this armor is the addition of a wide neck covering; along with protecting the neck, it also cover's Felix's mouth, ending at the bottom of his nose. Around where his mouth should be, a red jagged line extends around the covering, resembling a crude, tooth-filled mouth. Felix requested that this be added to the armor, in the interest of being harder to identify in armor. The jagged red mouth also serves to remind Felix of the evil powers housed within his body, and that his every breath carries a curse, whether he intends it or not. Strangely, it hardly muffles Felix's voice at all, but it does cause an almost indistinguishable echo.
Appearance And Personal Info
Age: 18
Height: 5' 9".
Weight: 150 lbs.
Skin: Fair.
Hair: Rough black hair, about shoulder length. Never ties hair back, it's kept down to partially obscure his face; this decreases the chance of somebody remembering his face.
Eyes: Golden yellow. Under most circumstances, his eyes would be considered attractive, but they have a quality about them that seems a little more unnerving than pretty. However, he can force a smile and suppress this slightly sinister trait.
Clothing: Wears a simple black cloak with loose grey pants and a long-sleeved black shirt. The clothing is designed to be unremarkable, unlikely to make any impression in the minds of those who see him.
Personality: Felix is fairly introspective, but he will speak his mind when he feels compelled to do so. He tends to have a pessimistic outlook on his life, believing his to be a cursed existence. Occasionally, he displays a slightly fatalistic attitude, or lapses into self-pity and self-hatred. He believes his very existence to be a scar on the world, and is determined to redeem himself and prove his worth by any means necessary. Most people are a little put-off by his dark outlook on life, hopeless attitude, but he is very polite and can usually overcome these traits with his natural skills in language and speech.
Musical Style: Felix is an incredibly talented singer, with a smooth, soft voice that most find quite soothing. He learned how to sing from his mother and practiced throughout his life, even after the death of his mother. Nowadays, his lyrics tend to be extremely melancholy, but well done nonetheless. Although his music might not be cheerful, he can send entire crowds into a hushed silence with his moving lyrics of grief and despair. Some of his songs have the capability to shock and frighten his enemies, especially when enhanced with his innate magical talents.
Family: Father, Sal, and mother, Carmina; both deceased.
Background And History
A child was born to Sal and Carmina Stauf in a town by the name of Riverhead. From his infancy onward, he knew the trials and tribulations of war. With the nearby cities occupied by the legions of the Dragon Lords, the little town was left completely defenseless. With daily patrols hauling off followers of the Elder Gods and the Dragon Lords alike, the town lapsed into chaos. Murder was commonplace, theft was a daily issue, and one could not even trust their closest friends. The child's name was Felix. Felix was born into anarchy.
As a child, Felix had no friends. The other children though that he was a jinx, a freak, someone to be avoided, or in some cases, hurt. Bad luck seemed to follow him wherever he went, like a continuous black cloud affecting him and others around him. Felix though that he was just unlucky – he had no idea that this bout of bad luck was the first sign of his special gift, and his special curse, of which he would learn the true severity of later on in his life. Nobody wished to associate with him, save his mother.
Carmina was a kind woman, with a lovely smile and a beautiful voice. She always sang to Felix whenever he cried, whenever he was hurt, whenever he was scared. He always calmed down whenever he heard her soothing melodies of hope, of better times on the horizon. She even taught Felix to sing for himself, in case she wasn't around to comfort him. Felix loved his mother with all of his heart – she was his mother, she was his best and only friend.
But his father, Sal, was a cruel man. He sold out his friends to whatever side seemed closer to victory, stole what he saw fit, and silenced any who challenged his methods. What truly made Felix hate his father, though, was that Sal hurt Carmina on several occasions. Whenever Sal caught Carmina apologizing to others for his actions or attempting to return something that he stole, Sal would hurt her very badly. Felix was just a child, he had no idea what was going on. All he saw was his mother's pain, and all he felt was anger and grief.
This continued on through Felix's childhood, despite him secretly urging his mother to leave town, to take him with her, and leave his father behind. But she couldn't go. It's not that she feared for her life, it was that she didn't want Felix to be left alone or come to harm. Both Sal and the town of Riverhead became more violent and cruel, more unpredictable and dangerous. But they adjusted, as they always had.
Felix became a young man, and his powers developed and grew. Felix began to realize that he had a special gift, something more than just a black cloud following him wherever he went. He found that he could control this force, if he truly focused. If he tried, he could direct his bad luck towards others, instead of it lashing out at him and everyone around him. Not only that, but he found that he could summon up other strange powers – he could move small objects with a flick of the wrist, he could change the temperature slightly, along with other minor things. But he recognized the potential of these powers – they grew every day. As much as he hated to, he kept this from his mother, fearing that she would be frightened by his power. He became obsessed with his new power, realizing it for what he truly believed it was – the one weapon he had against his father. He failed to realize the level of his power until it was too late. He didn't realize it until that fateful Autumn night, one week after his fourteenth birthday.
Felix was returning home from his daily wanderings, pocket lined with the few coins he had managed to earn during the day. He sighted his family's hut, and he sighed with relief, looking forward to a night's rest. It was then that he heard the scream. His mother's scream. He had heard that scream before, and it always made him go cold. But this time, something was different. Something was very wrong. Felix ran. He ran until he reached the door, only to find it locked. Not even thinking, he tried to kick down the door, but it didn't budge. In his panic, he called up some of his new power, and he kicked the door again. The door made a cracking sound and flew open, revealing a sight that threw Felix into a panic – his mother, face bleeding, on the floor before his father. He looked to his father, and saw a weapon in his hand – his father's mace. Felix lost control. All of his hatred, all of his loathing, all of his feelings for his father welled up inside him, and it's as if Felix merely watched his hand raise on its own accord, merely listened as his mouth uttered a word of a foreign tongue. It was then that he realized that he didn't have complete control anymore.
Sal advanced on Felix, face contorted with rage, and then Felix's powers manifested. His father's legs suddenly buckled, and he fell to the floor. The mace left his hands and clattered to the floor in front of Felix, seeming to offer itself to him. Offering him a solution, offering him justice. Without thinking, Felix grabbed the mace with both hands, and as he felt the cool steel of the mace's head, he watched as his father rose to his feat, blind with fury, and charged him. Felix made his choice. Drawing from an unknown well of strength, he swung the weapon at his father's head. It all happened so fast. The mace's blunt face connected, and his father stopped, filled with disbelief at the blood gushing from his mangled face. Felix swung again. The mace made another dull thud as it connected with the other side of Sal's head, sending him sprawling. Sal scrambled on the ground, and somehow stood up. He stared at his son in disbelief. Felix began to swing again. He felt that power rise within him again, that same feeling that he had a few minutes before, when words sprang to his lips unbidden. He knew something terrible was about to happen, and he tried to stop. He tried, he truly did. The mace connected with his father's head again, and he watched as the blood-slicked mace shattered his father's skull, forever destroying that hateful, leering face that caused his mother so much pain. The mace slipped from Felix's grasp. It flew across the room. Frozen in place, frozen in time, Felix watched as the terrible powers inside of him finally showed themselves for what they truly were. The mace seemed to slowly drift across the room, towards his mother, the only person who had ever loved him. His mother's scream stopped, and Felix's began.
Felix ran. He ran, he didn't care anymore. He looked down, hardly noticing that he had picked up the mace in his panic and sorrow. He felt bad about running, but he had to do something. He ran through the city, dripping blood, ignoring the shocked faces around him. Felix snatched a length of rope from a stall, and ran for the river. He hastily tied a knot around the weapon in his hands, the weapon that ended all of the love and hate in his life. Still running, not thinking, in a frenzy of light and motion, he tied the rope to his neck. He ran to the bridge, high above the swift river. He threw himself from the edge, not yelling, not screaming, not feeling at all.
Days later, Felix woke up on a riverbank with a broken rope around his neck. He looked beside him, and saw his father's mace. At that point, he realized his punishment for his deeds, his birth, his very existence – he would live.
Years passed, and Felix wandered. He felt the pain from the magical forces of the world being torn apart, but he endured. He fought countless fights, but he endured. He earned money wherever he could, never staying in one place for long, never growing attached to anything. And he endured. He still carried the mace, which he named Anathema, as a reminder of his curse. He continued to sing, even if nobody listened. It was all he had to remember his mother by. He had to fight to survive sometimes, when others thought that they could take advantage of him. His powers grew, both in mind and body. He detested his powers, but he trained them nonetheless. In order to live, he had to fight. In order to fight, he had to grow stronger.
Felix carried a curse, a penance placed upon him by his very birth and his every deed – he was to live, and he was to redeem himself by any means possible. He would honor his mother's memory, he would make her proud, wherever she was. As soon as he found a cause worth fighting for, something his mother would be proud of, he would fight to the death for it. Felix knew that he could never atone for the evil dwelling within his soul, nor could he atone for the tragic happenings that fateful Autumn night. But he could try. Such was his fate.[/sblock]
He'll be a little strange to work with, needless to say.
Now, on roleplaying this character... FreeXenon, you're going to have to roll a lot of Sense Motive checks for the other party members (but even if they get it, they'll only know I'm lying – I won't necessarily tell them the truth, even if they succeed their check) and a lot of Bluff checks for Felix. Felix is not a pathological liar, but he will disguise the truth about his origins and family often. Don't expect the characters to find out his last name or history for a while, if ever – it's simply here for reference. I think it will be entertaining and interesting for the other members of the party to gradually find out details about Felix.
Just tell me when I should jump in. Should I introduce the character in the upcoming chamber, or is there a more opportune moment later on?
Well, I posted a good reference link at the Rogue's Gallery post. Enjoy, I've gotten a lot of use out of it! And no, it's not the only thing I'm using as reference. I have seen the non-core materials I used in the books themselves.
