Oh, I see, I thought the hexblade was a weapon. I am reading through your link, there is a lot of stuff. I'm gonna be upset if this D&D group falls through and I spent all this time looking into warlocks.
I have a tendancy to enjoy melee and magic together. In Demon's/Dark Souls and Elder Scroll games I almost always end up as a sort of battlemage on my first playthroughs.
No problem, and I don't intend to give you the link and be all "Go away" it just has a bunch of useful information there all in one place.
The Hexblade is definitely a "less decision intensive" class. You won't have very many powers though on balance I think you're pretty close to raw power to a normal Warlock, maybe a bit better actually. Still, if you'd like lots of options it is probably not a great choice.
I'll need to check up on things but you can swap your "Eldritch Blast" ranged pew pew power for an "Eldritch Strike" power that uses a weapon and slides (moves in any direction) 1 square if you hit. In general this isn't a great swap but it isn't a horrible one so if it makes you happy it can be made to work. After the first few levels you really need a Pact blade though. I'd bring this up with your DM about how he's going to deal with treasure. If you get the impression he really likes random rolling or something I would count that as a mark against this plan.
A Khopesh could fit the bill. I want the flavor to be that the weapon was his father's farm implement (which is why I started with a scythe) that the paladin now uses as his holy armament. Plus, you know, a paladin of death wielding a scythe.
Bummer that it costs a feat to use...I of course would have wanted Raven Queen's Boon.
A Khopesh could fit the bill. I want the flavor to be that the weapon was his father's farm implement (which is why I started with a scythe) that the paladin now uses as his holy armament. Plus, you know, a paladin of death wielding a scythe.
Bummer that it costs a feat to use...I of course would have wanted Raven Queen's Boon.
That's a fun power and hey, still possible if human!
Just say it was a really big scythe (err..meant sickle) that you changed the sharpening when you went adventuring and then glare at anybody who gives you guff. Or you just remounted the scythe blade or something. Glare harder.
Oh, I see, I thought the hexblade was a weapon. I am reading through your link, there is a lot of stuff. I'm gonna be upset if this D&D group falls through and I spent all this time looking into warlocks.
I have a tendancy to enjoy melee and magic together. In Demon's/Dark Souls and Elder Scroll games I almost always end up as a sort of battlemage on my first playthroughs.
No problem, and I don't intend to give you the link and be all "Go away" it just has a bunch of useful information there all in one place.
The Hexblade is definitely a "less decision intensive" class. You won't have very many powers though on balance I think you're pretty close to raw power to a normal Warlock, maybe a bit better actually. Still, if you'd like lots of options it is probably not a great choice.
I'll need to check up on things but you can swap your "Eldritch Blast" ranged pew pew power for an "Eldritch Strike" power that uses a weapon and slides (moves in any direction) 1 square if you hit. In general this isn't a great swap but it isn't a horrible one so if it makes you happy it can be made to work. After the first few levels you really need a Pact blade though. I'd bring this up with your DM about how he's going to deal with treasure. If you get the impression he really likes random rolling or something I would count that as a mark against this plan.
@Stragint, if you aren't tied to being a striker specifically, you might find the Swordmage to your liking. Much of the maximum use depends on other party members and can be highly situational, though. But at it's optimal, it's a defender class that defends by punishing attackers with nifty teleportation techniques. It's kind of a high teleport, long/short range fighter that moves around quite a lot. Not much killing power, but that's not really a defender's shtick anyway.
Kalnaur on
I make art things! deviantART:Kalnaur ::: Origin: Kalnaur ::: UPlay: Kalnaur
Oh, I see, I thought the hexblade was a weapon. I am reading through your link, there is a lot of stuff. I'm gonna be upset if this D&D group falls through and I spent all this time looking into warlocks.
I have a tendancy to enjoy melee and magic together. In Demon's/Dark Souls and Elder Scroll games I almost always end up as a sort of battlemage on my first playthroughs.
No problem, and I don't intend to give you the link and be all "Go away" it just has a bunch of useful information there all in one place.
The Hexblade is definitely a "less decision intensive" class. You won't have very many powers though on balance I think you're pretty close to raw power to a normal Warlock, maybe a bit better actually. Still, if you'd like lots of options it is probably not a great choice.
I'll need to check up on things but you can swap your "Eldritch Blast" ranged pew pew power for an "Eldritch Strike" power that uses a weapon and slides (moves in any direction) 1 square if you hit. In general this isn't a great swap but it isn't a horrible one so if it makes you happy it can be made to work. After the first few levels you really need a Pact blade though. I'd bring this up with your DM about how he's going to deal with treasure. If you get the impression he really likes random rolling or something I would count that as a mark against this plan.
I'll ask my DM about it though he doesn't seem to keen on random rolling so far. He is using a set array for the ability scores.
@Kalnaur I'm not locked into it or anything, I just like the look of the Warlock. I'll see how my character develops, for now I don't mind too much.
PSN: Reaper_Stragint, Steam: DoublePitstoChesty
What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable? ~ Mario Novak
I never fear death or dyin', I only fear never trying.
So @DevoutlyApathetic, I was rereading the Paladin section in the PHB, and they recommend a two-handed weapon for the Avenging paladin. Is that build just worthless and not worth putting together?
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KalnaurI See Rain . . .Centralia, WARegistered Userregular
Oh, I see, I thought the hexblade was a weapon. I am reading through your link, there is a lot of stuff. I'm gonna be upset if this D&D group falls through and I spent all this time looking into warlocks.
I have a tendancy to enjoy melee and magic together. In Demon's/Dark Souls and Elder Scroll games I almost always end up as a sort of battlemage on my first playthroughs.
No problem, and I don't intend to give you the link and be all "Go away" it just has a bunch of useful information there all in one place.
The Hexblade is definitely a "less decision intensive" class. You won't have very many powers though on balance I think you're pretty close to raw power to a normal Warlock, maybe a bit better actually. Still, if you'd like lots of options it is probably not a great choice.
I'll need to check up on things but you can swap your "Eldritch Blast" ranged pew pew power for an "Eldritch Strike" power that uses a weapon and slides (moves in any direction) 1 square if you hit. In general this isn't a great swap but it isn't a horrible one so if it makes you happy it can be made to work. After the first few levels you really need a Pact blade though. I'd bring this up with your DM about how he's going to deal with treasure. If you get the impression he really likes random rolling or something I would count that as a mark against this plan.
I'll ask my DM about it though he doesn't seem to keen on random rolling so far. He is using a set array for the ability scores.
@Kalnaur I'm not locked into it or anything, I just like the look of the Warlock. I'll see how my character develops, for now I don't mind too much.
I only thought of it insomuch as the "Battlemage" concept is mostly done in that class. Their "implements" to use their magic are light or heavy blades, Leather armor with an added magical bonus (higher if you wield 1 handed), and it's main attack deterent (which all defenders have one) is to mark an enemy and then if that dude hits someone that isn't you, you can either teleport to them and smack them for free, reduce the damage the target takes, or teleport the enemy close to you and have it confer combat advantage to anyone (a good choice if someone in the party is a rogue or can otherwise exploit CA). Later feats allow you to multi-mark,
Their powers commonly deal with forcing or allowing movement via teleportation, bursts and strikes of elemental nature, etc. Nothing really blastery, like fireballs and such though. All the magic is usually done with the blade.
I make art things! deviantART:Kalnaur ::: Origin: Kalnaur ::: UPlay: Kalnaur
So @DevoutlyApathetic, I was rereading the Paladin section in the PHB, and they recommend a two-handed weapon for the Avenging paladin. Is that build just worthless and not worth putting together?
Oh, that can be good the issue is that what it is doing is so heavily involved in winning the damage race that the Scythe is going to be a really big disadvantage to you. They want to use something like a Fullblade, which is a +3 hit 1d12 High Crit weapon. The average damage is going to be a point and a half less and that difference of +1 to hit is huge. The other Paladin build doesn't care as much about damage racing so using a less good weapon isn't as much of a concern.
Basically Avenging Paladins are going to be super duper focused on Strength and let the Charisma hang so they don't have mark enforcement (The Defender Thing) but they sorta make up for it by having much higher damage output (The Striker Thing) and backdoor into having fake marking because they're too damn dangerous to leave alone. If you cripple your damage output you no longer really have a "thing" which can lead to unhappiness all around.
Ultimately if it is really what you want to do the world won't explode. Fights will be tougher, you may not feel like you're "doing" as much as others but if you're (and to a certain extent they) are cool with it, then go for it.
Because the Raven Queen talk reminded me about it, a link to a Paladin of The Raven Queen I made for a PbP on here a year or so ago.
@DevoutlyApathetic Holy crap you're the best. I just texted my DM to ask how he would rule if I wanted to turn my father's scythe into a falchion in the Avenging build. I might take a GP hit, but it could get me started? I'll let you know what he says.
I'm gonna have to work with the DM on some reflavoring and possibly a house-rule of the theme (it grants a weapon, which he doesn't need since hexblades conjure a weapon from their implement).
He has no real memory of his real nature, but an affinity with fae magic. His dreams, of course, are of his previous life, and very vivid, so his hook is that he's in search for answers as to what it all means (unknowingly trying to discover his true nature).
Also re: Hexblades, note well you do not get Eldritch Blast, the standard Warlock spell. You instead get Eldritch Bolt, which on paper seems fine until you realize that it does not have any feat support, while Eldritch Blast has absolute shittons.
StragintDo Not GiftAlways DeclinesRegistered Userregular
So I think I finished making my Warlock, just need to think of a name, a second language, and flesh out an actual backstory which I'll probably work on as I go through the campaign. I'm really looking forward to this, hopefully everything goes well.
Thanks for all the help and advice. It helped me a lot in getting things going.
PSN: Reaper_Stragint, Steam: DoublePitstoChesty
What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable? ~ Mario Novak
I never fear death or dyin', I only fear never trying.
I'm gonna have to work with the DM on some reflavoring and possibly a house-rule of the theme (it grants a weapon, which he doesn't need since hexblades conjure a weapon from their implement).
He has no real memory of his real nature, but an affinity with fae magic. His dreams, of course, are of his previous life, and very vivid, so his hook is that he's in search for answers as to what it all means (unknowingly trying to discover his true nature).
Just to clarify: is the character still an infant during the campaign? Because I can't stop reading it that way.
I'm gonna have to work with the DM on some reflavoring and possibly a house-rule of the theme (it grants a weapon, which he doesn't need since hexblades conjure a weapon from their implement).
He has no real memory of his real nature, but an affinity with fae magic. His dreams, of course, are of his previous life, and very vivid, so his hook is that he's in search for answers as to what it all means (unknowingly trying to discover his true nature).
Just to clarify: is the character still an infant during the campaign? Because I can't stop reading it that way.
I'm gonna have to work with the DM on some reflavoring and possibly a house-rule of the theme (it grants a weapon, which he doesn't need since hexblades conjure a weapon from their implement).
He has no real memory of his real nature, but an affinity with fae magic. His dreams, of course, are of his previous life, and very vivid, so his hook is that he's in search for answers as to what it all means (unknowingly trying to discover his true nature).
Just to clarify: is the character still an infant during the campaign? Because I can't stop reading it that way.
(please say yes)
sadly I am not that good of a roleplayer.
Method acting: start shitting your pants and spitting up on your fellow players.
I must admit, during my time running and playing in the public games at my hobby shop, that kids can be an absolute delight to have at the table.
For some reason I think girls are more fun than boys. Boys I think get brought because "well dad's a gamer so why wouldn't son be also?" where as daughters it seems only get brought because they're genuinely interested in gaming.
Yeah, both of my daughters are constantly asking me why we aren't playing more D&D. I think once they get back from their summer vacation, I might try and start them up on 5E, as much as I'm not a fan of loss of tactical stuff, I think it might suit them better.
The previous times we've played, my 10 year old has been hilarious in terms of trying to figure out all the different ways she can say "I sneak around behind him, and stab him in the back". Girl loves being a rogue.
I must admit, during my time running and playing in the public games at my hobby shop, that kids can be an absolute delight to have at the table.
For some reason I think girls are more fun than boys. Boys I think get brought because "well dad's a gamer so why wouldn't son be also?" where as daughters it seems only get brought because they're genuinely interested in gaming.
Yeah, both of my daughters are constantly asking me why we aren't playing more D&D. I think once they get back from their summer vacation, I might try and start them up on 5E, as much as I'm not a fan of loss of tactical stuff, I think it might suit them better.
The previous times we've played, my 10 year old has been hilarious in terms of trying to figure out all the different ways she can say "I sneak around behind him, and stab him in the back". Girl loves being a rogue.
My wife picked the rogue in 4th because, "rogues are cool".
I make art things! deviantART:Kalnaur ::: Origin: Kalnaur ::: UPlay: Kalnaur
That depends on how broken you want to make him? Make sure he worships Tempus, so he can get the channel divinity feat that gives him an auto crit once per encounter. Since he's using an axe, could also go the route of looking for gear that pumps up damage against prone or bloodied targets, as there are some axe related feats that mesh well with those, as well. Getting a twin strike crit on a prone enemy with all of that will outright kill most non-elite stuff at-level if built correctly. A great item is the Iron Armbands of Power or whatever they're called. +2 per tier to damage of melee attacks. Not to be confused with the other ones that only work on MBAs.
Edit - Granted, the truly broken twin strike avenger got fixed when they put errata out for limiting free actions, as you could literally put yourself into a loop of gaining attacks and refreshing your encounter powers until you killed whatever you were targeting. It had something like an 87% chance to just outright murder anything that was published at the time the build was found.
Yea, that's still pretty good for a single feat investment. I actually like it more this way. It's not broken to the point of being in danger of being banned, but it's still a really good feat to build off of and focus on crit related stuff.
So I am starting a new 4e campaign IRL after PAX, going to be Dark Sun. Players are agents of Nibenay, under the command of a templar-wife or perhaps a noble, still sorting out some plots.
They're starting paragon tier and the expectation is that they'll be doing some relatively important tasks. More unofficial and expendable stuff, most of the players are in service not by choice or at least they weren't left with much better choices. Going to focus on Nibenay reacting to Kalak's demise and how they're militarizing and engaging with the world now that things are shaken up. So that opens up just about anything for the players to be doing in service of Nibenay.
Brainstorming and open to some awesome suggestions for tasks. Looking forward to DMing again.
So I am starting a new 4e campaign IRL after PAX, going to be Dark Sun. Players are agents of Nibenay, under the command of a templar-wife or perhaps a noble, still sorting out some plots.
They're starting paragon tier and the expectation is that they'll be doing some relatively important tasks. More unofficial and expendable stuff, most of the players are in service not by choice or at least they weren't left with much better choices. Going to focus on Nibenay reacting to Kalak's demise and how they're militarizing and engaging with the world now that things are shaken up. So that opens up just about anything for the players to be doing in service of Nibenay.
Brainstorming and open to some awesome suggestions for tasks. Looking forward to DMing again.
Stargate SG-1, season 9, episode 4, "The Ties that Bind"
Basically it's a Gopher Plot. The heroes are tasked with accomplishing something, without violence and/or in a low-key manner. Their contact will do the thing, but only if they first bring him/her something or someone. So they go to get the thing, and it turns into a Russian Nesting Doll of favors. A needs the PCs to do B. B wants C. C can't do it without D, and so on.
I ran basically this exact plot at level 11 for my PCs, and it can easily be dragged over a level or more, possibly up to three levels if you're willing to do enough comedic baits-and-switches.
Basically it's a Gopher Plot. The heroes are tasked with accomplishing something, without violence and/or in a low-key manner. Their contact will do the thing, but only if they first bring him/her something or someone. So they go to get the thing, and it turns into a Russian Nesting Doll of favors. A needs the PCs to do B. B wants C. C can't do it without D, and so on.
But, White Supremacy Hour got taken off the air and it all worked out.
So I am starting a new 4e campaign IRL after PAX, going to be Dark Sun. Players are agents of Nibenay, under the command of a templar-wife or perhaps a noble, still sorting out some plots.
They're starting paragon tier and the expectation is that they'll be doing some relatively important tasks. More unofficial and expendable stuff, most of the players are in service not by choice or at least they weren't left with much better choices. Going to focus on Nibenay reacting to Kalak's demise and how they're militarizing and engaging with the world now that things are shaken up. So that opens up just about anything for the players to be doing in service of Nibenay.
Brainstorming and open to some awesome suggestions for tasks. Looking forward to DMing again.
Stargate SG-1, season 9, episode 4, "The Ties that Bind"
Basically it's a Gopher Plot. The heroes are tasked with accomplishing something, without violence and/or in a low-key manner. Their contact will do the thing, but only if they first bring him/her something or someone. So they go to get the thing, and it turns into a Russian Nesting Doll of favors. A needs the PCs to do B. B wants C. C can't do it without D, and so on.
I ran basically this exact plot at level 11 for my PCs, and it can easily be dragged over a level or more, possibly up to three levels if you're willing to do enough comedic baits-and-switches.
AD&D Tales of the Outer Planes, circa 1988, had a party of 1st level characters running an errand for Hecate, the Dark Queen of Magic, that involves running with the Wild Hunt, burgling Raven's hunting lodge, getting caught by Raven and compelled to get a magic sphere from Enki, & kidnapping a maiden goddess from Tlazolteotl & Xochipilli on a jungle world for Enki. The adventure says that you could run it up to sixth or seventh level pretty easily, since there's no chance that the adventurers would be able to actually fight any of the godlike beings involved in the nested requests.
I've never run it, but I always get a good chuckle out of it when I'm digging through my old D&D stuff.
So I am starting a new 4e campaign IRL after PAX, going to be Dark Sun. Players are agents of Nibenay, under the command of a templar-wife or perhaps a noble, still sorting out some plots.
They're starting paragon tier and the expectation is that they'll be doing some relatively important tasks. More unofficial and expendable stuff, most of the players are in service not by choice or at least they weren't left with much better choices. Going to focus on Nibenay reacting to Kalak's demise and how they're militarizing and engaging with the world now that things are shaken up. So that opens up just about anything for the players to be doing in service of Nibenay.
Brainstorming and open to some awesome suggestions for tasks. Looking forward to DMing again.
Stargate SG-1, season 9, episode 4, "The Ties that Bind"
Basically it's a Gopher Plot. The heroes are tasked with accomplishing something, without violence and/or in a low-key manner. Their contact will do the thing, but only if they first bring him/her something or someone. So they go to get the thing, and it turns into a Russian Nesting Doll of favors. A needs the PCs to do B. B wants C. C can't do it without D, and so on.
I ran basically this exact plot at level 11 for my PCs, and it can easily be dragged over a level or more, possibly up to three levels if you're willing to do enough comedic baits-and-switches.
AD&D Tales of the Outer Planes, circa 1988, had a party of 1st level characters running an errand for Hecate, the Dark Queen of Magic, that involves running with the Wild Hunt, burgling Raven's hunting lodge, getting caught by Raven and compelled to get a magic sphere from Enki, & kidnapping a maiden goddess from Tlazolteotl & Xochipilli on a jungle world for Enki. The adventure says that you could run it up to sixth or seventh level pretty easily, since there's no chance that the adventurers would be able to actually fight any of the godlike beings involved in the nested requests.
I've never run it, but I always get a good chuckle out of it when I'm digging through my old D&D stuff.
The only thing I don't like about that is that it basically gives the players no choice but to be gophers.
The way I wrote/ran it, they could resort to combat, if they got overwhelmingly tired of being led on, just it wasn't really advisable as it would raise more stink than they really wanted to deal with. Keeping things on the down-low, was a priority, but still an option they could toss aside if they wanted to.
I feel like that would be even more tempting in a Dark Sun game, which could make it even more interesting. I can just imagine a big ol' barbarian just ripping his hair out because he knows he could wallop that NPC into the ground, but he's also smart enough to know it's a horrible idea, socio-politically.
Makes it more interesting for the DM, as well, since you actually have to keep an eye on your party and make sure you keep them from getting too frustrated or bored.
Hey guys...I put together my character for my first ever D&D session. We're using 4e. Thought I'd give you guys a look, any thoughts off the top of your head?
Remiel Velasco
Human Paladin of the Raven Queen
Str: 18 Con: 12 Dex: 11
Int: 10 Cha: 13 Wis: 14
My one concern here is that you've got some whacky stuff going on with your defenses. Specifically, your Reflex is going to be horrible.
When I play Defenders, I tend to go 16/16/16 in each of the defense attributes if I can swing it. A shield would help with your Ref, but that would require putting down your daddy's sword, and we don't want that.
I would suggest shifting a couple of points out of Str and over to Dex. It'll jump your Reflex up to decent levels and get you access to some of the cooler Heavy Blade feats later on. If you're going to be focusing on your father's sword, you might as well be good at it, right?
I'd be careful with Bolstering Strike. I understand what you're going for with choosing it but I think you're going to find the -3 penalty to hit it will have (by being based on Charisma) is not going to be worth the occasional temporary hit points.
If it's an option I would strongly suggest using the human bonus from Heroes of the Fallen Lands of "Heroic Effort" instead. Once an encounter +4 to an attack or save is incredibly good, especially since you get to decide after you know if the unmodified roll hit/saved or not.
Though checking all your choices are from the normal Player's Handbook so that may be out. I would probably still take Enfeebling Strike over Bolstering Strike but even then I would be very hesitant to take such a penalty to hit in a fight that matters.
tzeentchlingDoctor of RocksOaklandRegistered Userregular
Also, don't be afraid to pull the two points out of Int and stick them in Dex or Wis or something. Paladins don't need Intelligence for really any class features except Religion skill checks, and your Dex will give you the bonuses to combat skills you'd otherwise lack.
Also, don't be afraid to pull the two points out of Int and stick them in Dex or Wis or something. Paladins don't need Intelligence for really any class features except Religion skill checks, and your Dex will give you the bonuses to combat skills you'd otherwise lack.
To expand on this, remember that besides your attack stat, pairing up on defense attributes is redundant.
So unless you've got something you want to specifically do with them, you're way better with a 16 in either Cha or Wis instead of 13 in one and 14 in the other. Likewise, if you've got Dex you don't really need Int, mechanically anyway. And while it may seem like a bad idea for a guy who is going to be taking the hits, an 18 (or even 16) in Str means you can drop to 10 in Con without losing much at all because of your class' crazy HP and surges.
Optimal build for this guy is probably 16 Str/16 Dex/16 Wis, obviously subject to roleplaying concerns or anything else we're not seeing.
So I am starting a new 4e campaign IRL after PAX, going to be Dark Sun. Players are agents of Nibenay, under the command of a templar-wife or perhaps a noble, still sorting out some plots.
They're starting paragon tier and the expectation is that they'll be doing some relatively important tasks. More unofficial and expendable stuff, most of the players are in service not by choice or at least they weren't left with much better choices. Going to focus on Nibenay reacting to Kalak's demise and how they're militarizing and engaging with the world now that things are shaken up. So that opens up just about anything for the players to be doing in service of Nibenay.
Brainstorming and open to some awesome suggestions for tasks. Looking forward to DMing again.
Stargate SG-1, season 9, episode 4, "The Ties that Bind"
Basically it's a Gopher Plot. The heroes are tasked with accomplishing something, without violence and/or in a low-key manner. Their contact will do the thing, but only if they first bring him/her something or someone. So they go to get the thing, and it turns into a Russian Nesting Doll of favors. A needs the PCs to do B. B wants C. C can't do it without D, and so on.
I ran basically this exact plot at level 11 for my PCs, and it can easily be dragged over a level or more, possibly up to three levels if you're willing to do enough comedic baits-and-switches.
AD&D Tales of the Outer Planes, circa 1988, had a party of 1st level characters running an errand for Hecate, the Dark Queen of Magic, that involves running with the Wild Hunt, burgling Raven's hunting lodge, getting caught by Raven and compelled to get a magic sphere from Enki, & kidnapping a maiden goddess from Tlazolteotl & Xochipilli on a jungle world for Enki. The adventure says that you could run it up to sixth or seventh level pretty easily, since there's no chance that the adventurers would be able to actually fight any of the godlike beings involved in the nested requests.
I've never run it, but I always get a good chuckle out of it when I'm digging through my old D&D stuff.
The only thing I don't like about that is that it basically gives the players no choice but to be gophers.
The way I wrote/ran it, they could resort to combat, if they got overwhelmingly tired of being led on, just it wasn't really advisable as it would raise more stink than they really wanted to deal with. Keeping things on the down-low, was a priority, but still an option they could toss aside if they wanted to.
I feel like that would be even more tempting in a Dark Sun game, which could make it even more interesting. I can just imagine a big ol' barbarian just ripping his hair out because he knows he could wallop that NPC into the ground, but he's also smart enough to know it's a horrible idea, socio-politically.
Makes it more interesting for the DM, as well, since you actually have to keep an eye on your party and make sure you keep them from getting too frustrated or bored.
Oh, no argument there. A Simple Deed, Well Rewarded was designed as, basically, the first adventure in a proto-Planescape-style campaign, to give the players a grounding in the fantastical realm of planar adventures; there are a few fights to be had, and a few choices to make (you can choose not to plunder Raven's trove, for example, and that will make Raven better disposed towards you when you meet him), but it's really not meant as a heavy lifting adventure and could be pretty boring if the group doesn't like that sort of thing.
Dark Sun games are going to, by character and necessity, get down and dirty now and then.
Thanks for the suggestions, I probably won't go exactly with a run-around chain type story since I put them through something similar in an Eberron heroic campaign from level 1 to 5 or so. :rotate:
Chasing after one of the PC's dad and his party, and getting dragged into all sorts of over-their-head shit and continually escalating.
Worked out well, but not what I'm gonna go for this time I think. I'm honestly not super involved with the setting lore, so if anyone has good plot ideas for Nibenay shaking shit loose and some of the conflicts/troubles that may lead to I'm all for it. I think trying to lay down the setting thick at first may help with this group, I want them to feel Dark Sun.
Thanks for the tips. I'll do some tweaking and see what I can come up with. Remy's background is pretty tragic.
His mother died during childbirth, leaving Remiel the youngest of three on a small farm. His father embraced Remiel and never once held him responsible for his mother's passing. Instead, he raised his family with a fair and just hand, putting them to work in the fields and teaching them the value of a hard days labor. When Remy was 10 a sickness swept through the countryside, killing a majority of the adults in the village and leaving many children orphaned; Remiel and his two older siblings included.
The orphans were taken in by a temple of Pelor, and the children brought up and trained by the monks and caretakers there. Remiel took an immediate shine to the monastic lifestyle. He spent his days meditating, learning the martial discipline demanded by the brothers, and helping the townsfolk rebuild the agrarian base in the wake of the plague. He spent a decade in the Temple, planting, growing and harvesting from Spring to Autumn. Winters were spent training and learning.
Then, it happened. A powerful necromancer descended into the valley. His legions swarmed the unprepared populace and the land was set to ruin. A hasty militia fought back, but their numbers were too small. The necromancer continued along his path of destruction, leaving ruin and wreckage in his wake. The Temple of Pelor a crushed and crumbled relic. Through the ash staggered Remiel, dragging with him the only friend his wicked life had not taken away: his father's scythe.
That day, as he set out, Remiel found new purpose. He said goodbye to Pelor, and embraced the Goddess of Death. That day he became the Hand of Fate, the Avenger of the Raven Queen, Weapon of Her Dark Majesty...and he would introduce as many deserved souls to Her as he possibly could.
So, quick question...sorry for the double posting.
We're using standard array or modified array for character development...so I haven't sussed out how to get to 16/16/16 at the start. The closest is this:
16 Str
11 Con
16 Dex
8 Int
14 Wis (12 base + 2 human bonus)
11 Cha
Do you think that'd be a better starting point than where I currently am. Also, we are playing strictly out of the PHB for now. We're all new players with a first timer DM...so trying to keep fairly straightforward.
So, quick question...sorry for the double posting.
We're using standard array or modified array for character development...so I haven't sussed out how to get to 16/16/16 at the start. The closest is this:
16 Str
11 Con
16 Dex
8 Int
14 Wis (12 base + 2 human bonus)
11 Cha
Do you think that'd be a better starting point than where I currently am. Also, we are playing strictly out of the PHB for now. We're all new players with a first timer DM...so trying to keep fairly straightforward.
Thanks!
No clue how you'd get a 16/16/16 unless he meant after Racial bonus. In which case you'd need to be something other than Human so you can get the double bonus (i.e. find a race with +2 Str +2 Dex, 16 Wis and then 14 Str/Dex). With Human, best you can get is 16/16/15.
But, maybe I am just bad... I can't see starting any character without at least an 18 in your primary (16+2). Then again, I've never played a Defender.
Posts
No problem, and I don't intend to give you the link and be all "Go away" it just has a bunch of useful information there all in one place.
The Hexblade is definitely a "less decision intensive" class. You won't have very many powers though on balance I think you're pretty close to raw power to a normal Warlock, maybe a bit better actually. Still, if you'd like lots of options it is probably not a great choice.
I'll need to check up on things but you can swap your "Eldritch Blast" ranged pew pew power for an "Eldritch Strike" power that uses a weapon and slides (moves in any direction) 1 square if you hit. In general this isn't a great swap but it isn't a horrible one so if it makes you happy it can be made to work. After the first few levels you really need a Pact blade though. I'd bring this up with your DM about how he's going to deal with treasure. If you get the impression he really likes random rolling or something I would count that as a mark against this plan.
Bummer that it costs a feat to use...I of course would have wanted Raven Queen's Boon.
That's a fun power and hey, still possible if human!
Just say it was a really big scythe (err..meant sickle) that you changed the sharpening when you went adventuring and then glare at anybody who gives you guff. Or you just remounted the scythe blade or something. Glare harder.
@Stragint, if you aren't tied to being a striker specifically, you might find the Swordmage to your liking. Much of the maximum use depends on other party members and can be highly situational, though. But at it's optimal, it's a defender class that defends by punishing attackers with nifty teleportation techniques. It's kind of a high teleport, long/short range fighter that moves around quite a lot. Not much killing power, but that's not really a defender's shtick anyway.
He's always been human in my mind! Perfect.
I'm really excited all of a sudden.
I'll ask my DM about it though he doesn't seem to keen on random rolling so far. He is using a set array for the ability scores.
@Kalnaur I'm not locked into it or anything, I just like the look of the Warlock. I'll see how my character develops, for now I don't mind too much.
What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable? ~ Mario Novak
I never fear death or dyin', I only fear never trying.
I only thought of it insomuch as the "Battlemage" concept is mostly done in that class. Their "implements" to use their magic are light or heavy blades, Leather armor with an added magical bonus (higher if you wield 1 handed), and it's main attack deterent (which all defenders have one) is to mark an enemy and then if that dude hits someone that isn't you, you can either teleport to them and smack them for free, reduce the damage the target takes, or teleport the enemy close to you and have it confer combat advantage to anyone (a good choice if someone in the party is a rogue or can otherwise exploit CA). Later feats allow you to multi-mark,
Their powers commonly deal with forcing or allowing movement via teleportation, bursts and strikes of elemental nature, etc. Nothing really blastery, like fireballs and such though. All the magic is usually done with the blade.
Oh, that can be good the issue is that what it is doing is so heavily involved in winning the damage race that the Scythe is going to be a really big disadvantage to you. They want to use something like a Fullblade, which is a +3 hit 1d12 High Crit weapon. The average damage is going to be a point and a half less and that difference of +1 to hit is huge. The other Paladin build doesn't care as much about damage racing so using a less good weapon isn't as much of a concern.
Basically Avenging Paladins are going to be super duper focused on Strength and let the Charisma hang so they don't have mark enforcement (The Defender Thing) but they sorta make up for it by having much higher damage output (The Striker Thing) and backdoor into having fake marking because they're too damn dangerous to leave alone. If you cripple your damage output you no longer really have a "thing" which can lead to unhappiness all around.
Ultimately if it is really what you want to do the world won't explode. Fights will be tougher, you may not feel like you're "doing" as much as others but if you're (and to a certain extent they) are cool with it, then go for it.
Because the Raven Queen talk reminded me about it, a link to a Paladin of The Raven Queen I made for a PbP on here a year or so ago.
The idea is that he's a True Fae soul, that was banished to the world in the body of an infant half-elf.
Half-elf Hexblade, multiclass Skald, Unseelie Agent theme.
I'm gonna have to work with the DM on some reflavoring and possibly a house-rule of the theme (it grants a weapon, which he doesn't need since hexblades conjure a weapon from their implement).
He has no real memory of his real nature, but an affinity with fae magic. His dreams, of course, are of his previous life, and very vivid, so his hook is that he's in search for answers as to what it all means (unknowingly trying to discover his true nature).
Thanks for all the help and advice. It helped me a lot in getting things going.
What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable? ~ Mario Novak
I never fear death or dyin', I only fear never trying.
Just to clarify: is the character still an infant during the campaign? Because I can't stop reading it that way.
(please say yes)
sadly I am not that good of a roleplayer.
Method acting: start shitting your pants and spitting up on your fellow players.
Yeah, both of my daughters are constantly asking me why we aren't playing more D&D. I think once they get back from their summer vacation, I might try and start them up on 5E, as much as I'm not a fan of loss of tactical stuff, I think it might suit them better.
The previous times we've played, my 10 year old has been hilarious in terms of trying to figure out all the different ways she can say "I sneak around behind him, and stab him in the back". Girl loves being a rogue.
Edit: Geth always agrees with me when I say Rogues are the best. Clearly Geth is a Rogue.
My wife picked the rogue in 4th because, "rogues are cool".
I've given him the Ardent Champion, Reaving Axe, Great Hunger Weapon stuff. What else should we look out for?
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Edit - Granted, the truly broken twin strike avenger got fixed when they put errata out for limiting free actions, as you could literally put yourself into a loop of gaining attacks and refreshing your encounter powers until you killed whatever you were targeting. It had something like an 87% chance to just outright murder anything that was published at the time the build was found.
R*SC: BladeCruiser
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When you use that feat, you get to roll your crit dice even if you don't crit.
Which means if you do crit, all those dice are maximized, and you roll your crit dice again.
And yes, I absolutely played a human paladin of Tempus in LFR and he was fucking awesome.
R*SC: BladeCruiser
Check out my GTAV-PC custom race tracks inspired by real life racing circuits!
They're starting paragon tier and the expectation is that they'll be doing some relatively important tasks. More unofficial and expendable stuff, most of the players are in service not by choice or at least they weren't left with much better choices. Going to focus on Nibenay reacting to Kalak's demise and how they're militarizing and engaging with the world now that things are shaken up. So that opens up just about anything for the players to be doing in service of Nibenay.
Brainstorming and open to some awesome suggestions for tasks. Looking forward to DMing again.
Stargate SG-1, season 9, episode 4, "The Ties that Bind"
I ran basically this exact plot at level 11 for my PCs, and it can easily be dragged over a level or more, possibly up to three levels if you're willing to do enough comedic baits-and-switches.
But, White Supremacy Hour got taken off the air and it all worked out.
AD&D Tales of the Outer Planes, circa 1988, had a party of 1st level characters running an errand for Hecate, the Dark Queen of Magic, that involves running with the Wild Hunt, burgling Raven's hunting lodge, getting caught by Raven and compelled to get a magic sphere from Enki, & kidnapping a maiden goddess from Tlazolteotl & Xochipilli on a jungle world for Enki. The adventure says that you could run it up to sixth or seventh level pretty easily, since there's no chance that the adventurers would be able to actually fight any of the godlike beings involved in the nested requests.
I've never run it, but I always get a good chuckle out of it when I'm digging through my old D&D stuff.
The only thing I don't like about that is that it basically gives the players no choice but to be gophers.
The way I wrote/ran it, they could resort to combat, if they got overwhelmingly tired of being led on, just it wasn't really advisable as it would raise more stink than they really wanted to deal with. Keeping things on the down-low, was a priority, but still an option they could toss aside if they wanted to.
I feel like that would be even more tempting in a Dark Sun game, which could make it even more interesting. I can just imagine a big ol' barbarian just ripping his hair out because he knows he could wallop that NPC into the ground, but he's also smart enough to know it's a horrible idea, socio-politically.
Makes it more interesting for the DM, as well, since you actually have to keep an eye on your party and make sure you keep them from getting too frustrated or bored.
Remiel Velasco
Human Paladin of the Raven Queen
Str: 18 Con: 12 Dex: 11
Int: 10 Cha: 13 Wis: 14
At-Will: Valiant Strike, Bolstering Strike, Holy Strike
Encounter: Radiant Smite
Daily: Paladin's Judgement
Feats: Raven Queen's Blessing, Action Surge
Equipment: Falchion (forged from his father's scythe), Plate Armor, Holy Symbol, Adventurer's Kit
My one concern here is that you've got some whacky stuff going on with your defenses. Specifically, your Reflex is going to be horrible.
When I play Defenders, I tend to go 16/16/16 in each of the defense attributes if I can swing it. A shield would help with your Ref, but that would require putting down your daddy's sword, and we don't want that.
I would suggest shifting a couple of points out of Str and over to Dex. It'll jump your Reflex up to decent levels and get you access to some of the cooler Heavy Blade feats later on. If you're going to be focusing on your father's sword, you might as well be good at it, right?
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
If it's an option I would strongly suggest using the human bonus from Heroes of the Fallen Lands of "Heroic Effort" instead. Once an encounter +4 to an attack or save is incredibly good, especially since you get to decide after you know if the unmodified roll hit/saved or not.
Though checking all your choices are from the normal Player's Handbook so that may be out. I would probably still take Enfeebling Strike over Bolstering Strike but even then I would be very hesitant to take such a penalty to hit in a fight that matters.
So unless you've got something you want to specifically do with them, you're way better with a 16 in either Cha or Wis instead of 13 in one and 14 in the other. Likewise, if you've got Dex you don't really need Int, mechanically anyway. And while it may seem like a bad idea for a guy who is going to be taking the hits, an 18 (or even 16) in Str means you can drop to 10 in Con without losing much at all because of your class' crazy HP and surges.
Optimal build for this guy is probably 16 Str/16 Dex/16 Wis, obviously subject to roleplaying concerns or anything else we're not seeing.
They tried to bury us. They didn't know that we were seeds. 2018 Midterms. Get your shit together.
Oh, no argument there. A Simple Deed, Well Rewarded was designed as, basically, the first adventure in a proto-Planescape-style campaign, to give the players a grounding in the fantastical realm of planar adventures; there are a few fights to be had, and a few choices to make (you can choose not to plunder Raven's trove, for example, and that will make Raven better disposed towards you when you meet him), but it's really not meant as a heavy lifting adventure and could be pretty boring if the group doesn't like that sort of thing.
Dark Sun games are going to, by character and necessity, get down and dirty now and then.
Chasing after one of the PC's dad and his party, and getting dragged into all sorts of over-their-head shit and continually escalating.
Worked out well, but not what I'm gonna go for this time I think. I'm honestly not super involved with the setting lore, so if anyone has good plot ideas for Nibenay shaking shit loose and some of the conflicts/troubles that may lead to I'm all for it.
His mother died during childbirth, leaving Remiel the youngest of three on a small farm. His father embraced Remiel and never once held him responsible for his mother's passing. Instead, he raised his family with a fair and just hand, putting them to work in the fields and teaching them the value of a hard days labor. When Remy was 10 a sickness swept through the countryside, killing a majority of the adults in the village and leaving many children orphaned; Remiel and his two older siblings included.
The orphans were taken in by a temple of Pelor, and the children brought up and trained by the monks and caretakers there. Remiel took an immediate shine to the monastic lifestyle. He spent his days meditating, learning the martial discipline demanded by the brothers, and helping the townsfolk rebuild the agrarian base in the wake of the plague. He spent a decade in the Temple, planting, growing and harvesting from Spring to Autumn. Winters were spent training and learning.
Then, it happened. A powerful necromancer descended into the valley. His legions swarmed the unprepared populace and the land was set to ruin. A hasty militia fought back, but their numbers were too small. The necromancer continued along his path of destruction, leaving ruin and wreckage in his wake. The Temple of Pelor a crushed and crumbled relic. Through the ash staggered Remiel, dragging with him the only friend his wicked life had not taken away: his father's scythe.
That day, as he set out, Remiel found new purpose. He said goodbye to Pelor, and embraced the Goddess of Death. That day he became the Hand of Fate, the Avenger of the Raven Queen, Weapon of Her Dark Majesty...and he would introduce as many deserved souls to Her as he possibly could.
We're using standard array or modified array for character development...so I haven't sussed out how to get to 16/16/16 at the start. The closest is this:
16 Str
11 Con
16 Dex
8 Int
14 Wis (12 base + 2 human bonus)
11 Cha
Do you think that'd be a better starting point than where I currently am. Also, we are playing strictly out of the PHB for now. We're all new players with a first timer DM...so trying to keep fairly straightforward.
Thanks!
so, so good
No clue how you'd get a 16/16/16 unless he meant after Racial bonus. In which case you'd need to be something other than Human so you can get the double bonus (i.e. find a race with +2 Str +2 Dex, 16 Wis and then 14 Str/Dex). With Human, best you can get is 16/16/15.
But, maybe I am just bad... I can't see starting any character without at least an 18 in your primary (16+2). Then again, I've never played a Defender.