Recruiting: Rowaini Musketeers--One for All and All for One!

Here's my concept so far. I have a few rules questions to follow. Let me know if this works for the world. He'll be the dry staightman among the Musketeers. I decided it would be fun to play against type just a bit. Suggestions are welcome.

Balthazar Bruyere 14th Baronet of Champney

Male Rowaini Musketeer
Swashbuckler 2/Sage1

Str. 17 (+2 Race)
Dex. 15
Con. 12 (+2 Race)
Int. 13 (-2 Race)
Wis. 15
Cha. 17 (+4 Race)

Hp: 10+1d6+1d10+6Con
Age: 42
Appearance: Ruddy Auburn Hair worn short with an impressive waxed handlebar mustache, but clean shaven chin. Somewhat watery gray eyes. Tall and well build if a bit thin.

History/Background: Balthazar was born into a minor noble family with a fair sized, but poor lowland holding. The lands are mostly fen and bog covered in scrub. In addition to the poor land he was born with one other handicap, his sister Yvette. She was born with a large red-wine birthmark covering much of her face and neck. Like her brother she is thin and thus not as buxom as the accepted standard of Rowaini beauty demands. Between his bookish son and unattractive daughter Balthazar’s sire Nicolas drank himself into an early grave. When he was alive, Nicolas forced his son to take proper martial training, but he preferred other studies and pursued a host of academic study. Though he found his attention wandered from topic to topic and he never took letters in a specialty that might have afforded him a career. At home his sister aged into spinsterhood with nary a suitor in sight. His elderly mother and sister occupy the gloomy manse on the fen, while Balthazar sought his fortune in the Musketeers. He has thrown himself into the role and with age has become more disciplined. While he holds the noble title his mother and sister attend to most of the duties leaving Balthazar free to ‘play soldier.’

Personality/Appearance: Balthazar cuts a reasonably impressive figure in his Musketeer’s uniform, which he keeps spotless and carefully pressed if not particularly ornamented. He is tall and well built with the lean body of a fencer or dancer. His reddish-auburn hair is neatly clipped weekly and he maintains his waxed handlebar mustache with precision. His weapons are of fine quality and well maintained, but no unnecessary adornments.

Just before joining the Musketeer’s several years ago, Balthazar became enamored with a philosophy of moderation and precision. While not exactly acetic or even stoic the school of thought encourages moderation in all things and simple perfection. Unnecessary clutter or decoration is vanity to be avoided. He fights with an economy of motion and maintains a careful daily ritual of exercise and diet. He has a strong air of ‘been there, done that’ and tends to categorize the extremes of carousing, drinking or fighting of his fellow Musketeers as vanity. This does not keep him from drinking, whoring or fighting, but he does it in a way that suggests it is part of his regimen of self-development. He pursues women not for the thrill or pleasure, but because seduction is just another skill that must be maintained with practice. He tries to be an example for others and often offers unwelcome advice on the evils of excess. For all that there is a certain charm about him and he is an attractive fellow. He values loyalty highly and is a strong friend to a fault. One peculiarity of his philosophy is that Balthazar is his belief that carrying a weapon about ready for use is unnecessary vanity. He never draws steel until his is ready to swing. He considers walking about with a naked blade tantamount to walking about with naked manhood on display. He uses his powers of magic sparingly as befits his philosophy, but when he does use them he attempts to get the maximum benefit from them. He is more generous with his knowledge and his eagerness to share said knowledge sometimes annoys his fellows.
 

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What weapons and armor (if any) profiencies are available to Swashbucklers and Sages?

How exactly does the Precise Strike work? Does one have to take the Weapon Finesse feat or does it just work with weapons that you could finesse?

How do the Words of Lore work with Armor? In particular are they subject to spell failure?

Do Rowaini get human feat and skill bonuses?

Also, any chance of taking Balthazar's proscription against carry around weapons as a flaw for which he would take the quickdraw feat? I'd even be willing to take a -1 on initiative.
 

Scotley said:
What weapons and armor (if any) profiencies are available to Swashbucklers and Sages?

How exactly does the Precise Strike work? Does one have to take the Weapon Finesse feat or does it just work with weapons that you could finesse?

How do the Words of Lore work with Armor? In particular are they subject to spell failure?

Do Rowaini get human feat and skill bonuses?

Also, any chance of taking Balthazar's proscription against carry around weapons as a flaw for which he would take the quickdraw feat? I'd even be willing to take a -1 on initiative.
Hmm...how did he take a level in Sage? As I mentioned upstream in pallandrome's query, that class is generally only available to Byblans (some of the worlds have multiple races where one or more races have proprietary classes) or maybe Rowaini who are on their way to Ascending (Byblans expand their numbers by allowing others to Ascend into Byblans) and are extremely involved with the Byblans and not with Rowaini affairs.

Are the Swashbuckler proficiencies not in the class compendium? (not the post in the thread, but the .zip file). I think they get all martial weapons, plus light armour, but check the file.

Precise Strike only works while using Weapon Finesse.

Rowaini do not get the human feat and skill bonuses (but see below)

I don't generally allow flaws or traits, and not walking with a weapon out to gain the Quickdraw feat seems overpowered for a trait anyway (since the Quickdraw feat negates all possible penalties of not walking around with a weapon out that I can think of). Sometimes I have very specific allowable trade-offs for backgrounds that are somewhat like traits. As I mentioned upthread, many commoners have the human skill bonus and feat in place of the +4 racial bonus to Charisma, which is an allowable trade-off (someone who wanted to use this and still be semi-involved with the nobility could be a bastard).
 

Here's my concept so far. I have a few rules questions to follow. Let me know if this works for the world. He'll be the dry staightman among the Musketeers. I decided it would be fun to play against type just a bit. Suggestions are welcome.

A dry straight man can always be fun if paired with flamboyant partners. Answers to most of the questions above! Oh, and if you want to emphasise a dancer-like straight man, the as-yet-unwritten Blademaster class might be something to look at over (or in combination with) the Swashbuckler.
 

The version of the zip I got from the post says "As ???" under profiencies. Do you have a link to more current versions? Drat! I missed that bit about sages in the other post. Sounds like blademaster rather than bookworm may have to be my choice. I agree a straight trade of no drawn weapon for quickdraw is unbalanced and that's why I suggested the penalty of -1 on initiative, but it is no big deal. As you say quickdraw largely negates the penalty except for certain cases where he wouldn't be threatening or if he got swallowed whole. I plan to carry the quirk forward even without the bonus feat.

I'd love to see the blademaster and adjust the back story appropriately to take out the Sage.
 

Scotley said:
The version of the zip I got from the post says "As ???" under profiencies. Do you have a link to more current versions? Drat! I missed that bit about sages in the other post. Sounds like blademaster rather than bookworm may have to be my choice. I agree a straight trade of no drawn weapon for quickdraw is unbalanced and that's why I suggested the penalty of -1 on initiative, but it is no big deal. As you say quickdraw largely negates the penalty except for certain cases where he wouldn't be threatening or if he got swallowed whole. I plan to carry the quirk forward even without the bonus feat.

I'd love to see the blademaster and adjust the back story appropriately to take out the Sage.
Drat, that's the most recent version then :lol: Okay, Swashbucklers are proficient with all martial weapons and light armour, but not shields.

It seems like an interesting quirk, though probably in many cases (social settings, on the street, etc), the others will also have weapon sheathed to begin.
 

People waiting for Blademaster or Knight, my plan is to convince myself to finish extra work tonight by allowing myself free time to write one of the two classes if I finish a large enough quota. I'm waffling, so supporters of Knight or Blademaster can try to convince me which one I should write first (and of course, if I don't finish enough work, I may be able to write neither).
 


I'll quit posting and leave you to your work then. I'd like to encourage you to consider the blademaster first, please please please? Afterall you did shoot down my sage concept and my flaw. ;)
 

Scotley said:
I'll quit posting and leave you to your work then. I'd like to encourage you to consider the blademaster first, please please please? Afterall you did shoot down my sage concept and my flaw. ;)
I'm posting while stuff loads and runs--that's sometimes why my posts tend to be short and punctuated.
 

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