D&D: The Paladin

The Paladin has been a favorite of mine since 2nd Edition. The Paladin is a divine warrior, a knight for the god he follows; where a cleric may be a god's voice, the paladin is the god's bulwark, there to protect his followers and shine a light on dark places. In 4th Edition, the Paladin is a Defender, like the Fighter, so it is his job to protect the rest of the party. Like the Fighter, there are a number of ways to do this, and so with this paladin, I chose a different route than the fighter - instead of weapon and shield, this paladin wields a two-handed weapon, to deal out damage and attract the attention of opponents. I present to you Donaar the dragonborn paladin!

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Donaar, level 1
Dragonborn, Paladin
Dragon Breath Key Ability: Dragon Breath Strength
Dragon Breath Damage Type: Dragon Breath Fire

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 18, Con 12, Dex 8, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 18.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 12, Dex 8, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 16.


AC: 18 Fort: 15 Reflex: 11 Will: 15
HP: 27 Surges: 11 Surge Value: 7

TRAINED SKILLS
Religion +5, Insight +6, Heal +6, Diplomacy +9

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics -3, Arcana, Bluff +4, Dungeoneering +1, Endurance -1, History +2, Intimidate +6, Nature +1, Perception +1, Stealth -3, Streetwise +4, Thievery -3, Athletics +2

FEATS
Level 1: Draconic Challenge

POWERS
Lay on Hands: Lay on Hands
Paladin at-will 1: Challenging Strike
Paladin at-will 1: Ardent Strike
Paladin encounter 1: Radiant Smite
Paladin daily 1: Majestic Halo

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Plate Armor, Maul
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As a paladin and defender, Donaar has an ability called the Divine Challenge; when he challenges an opponent, that opponent then must attack Donaar or take damage. Donaar's feat Draconic Challenge lets Donaar, when using his once-per-encounter breath weapon, to challenge every creature hit by it. Lay on Hands allows him to bestow a small amount of healing on an ally within reach, while Challenging Strike allows Donaar to challenge an additional opponent. Ardent Strike creates a temporary challenge, lasting only for a single turn, but often enough to get an enemy's attention. Radiant Smite does a decent amount of holy damage, and as his daily attack, Donaar has Majestic Halo, which not only hits quite hard but creates a halo of light around him, meaning that any creature that starts its turn adjacent to him for the remainder of the encounter is challenged until Donaar's next turn.

D&D: The Wizard

Rounding out the original four character classes, today we have the Wizard. As one might expect, the Wizard is a spellcaster, wearing light or no armor, but wielding powers that most normal folk only dream - or have nightmares - about. In 4E terms, the Wizard is a Controller; it is his job to make the battlefield easier to negotiate for his allies, harder to use for his enemies, and generally push, pull, or destroy anything in his way. While the Wizard doesn't have the array of spells he had in previous editions, he does have the ability to swap out certain powers on a daily basis because of his spellbook, giving him much-needed versatility on the battlefield.

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Vered, level 1
Deva, Wizard
Arcane Implement Mastery: Orb of Imposition

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 12, Dex 10, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 12.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 12, Dex 10, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 12.


AC: 14 Fort: 11 Reflex: 14 Will: 16
HP: 22 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 5

TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +9, History +11, Dungeoneering +9, Religion +11

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics, Bluff +1, Diplomacy +1, Endurance +1, Heal +4, Insight +4, Intimidate +1, Nature +4, Perception +4, Stealth, Streetwise +1, Thievery, Athletics -1

FEATS
Wizard: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Remembered Wizardry

POWERS
Wizard at-will 1: Magic Missile
Wizard at-will 1: Thunderwave
Wizard encounter 1: Conduit of Ice
Wizard daily 1: Sleep
Wizard daily 1 Spellbook: Freezing Cloud
Wizard daily 1 Spellbook: Flaming Sphere

ITEMS
Spellbook, Adventurer's Kit, Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing), Orb Implement, Quarterstaff, Fine Clothing
RITUALS
Arcane Mark, Comprehend Language, Make Whole
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

Vered has the feat Remembered Wizardry, which expands the number of additional spells in his spellbook; this means he doesn't get more uses of his Daily spells, but can swap them out on a daily basis according to need. Magic Missile is an old favorite; it does a small amount of damage, but has good range and is hard to miss with. Thunderwave creates a wave of sonic force that pushes those caught in it away, in a direction of the caster's choosing - handy for battlefield control. Conduit of Ice targets a single creature, but makes that creature the center of an area effect that makes it unpleasant to be around, isolating it from its fellows. Sleep hits an area, and causes creatures caught within it to become first Slowed, and then if they fail a saving throw, to become unconscious. Freezing Cloud creates an area of freezing clouds on the battlefield, and any creature that enters it or is stuck within it is subject to cold damage, while Flaming Sphere creates a ball of fire that can be moved around the battlefield and burns any creature it runs into.

D&D: The Rogue

As you may have guessed, I am going through all the classic D&D classes first before moving on to any other favorites. Today is the day of the Rogue, the perennial favorite of scoundrels and sneaks everywhere. The job of the Rogue used to be to scout ahead, check for traps, maybe lay a few traps of their own, and occasionally stab some things in the back before trying to make off with as much of the treasure as he or she could carry. In 4th Edition, that has changed a bit; the Rogue is now a Striker, and the purpose of a Striker is to be highly mobile and deal out plenty of damage, though Strikers need help from other classes because they can be pretty fragile in a stand-up fight. A Rogue is at her best when striking from the shadows, or before her opponent knows she is there, and sticking around to fight it out toe-to-toe is a sucker's game for her. So, wihtout further ado, Zarra the drow rogue!

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Zarra, level 1
Drow, Rogue
Rogue Tactics: Artful Dodger
Rogue: Rogue Weapon Talent
Darkfire: Darkfire Charisma

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 12, Con 10, Dex 18, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 18.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 12, Con 10, Dex 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 16.


AC: 16 Fort: 11 Reflex: 16 Will: 14
HP: 22 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5

TRAINED SKILLS
Stealth +11, Thievery +9, Bluff +9, Intimidate +11, Acrobatics +9, Streetwise +9

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Arcana, Diplomacy +4, Dungeoneering, Endurance, Heal, History, Insight, Nature, Perception, Religion, Athletics +1

FEATS
Level 1: Backstabber

POWERS
Rogue at-will 1: Riposte Strike
Rogue at-will 1: Duelist's Flurry
Rogue encounter 1: Opening Move
Rogue daily 1: Twilight Menace

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Leather Armor, Short sword, Dagger, Thieves' Tools, Hand Crossbow
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

Drow are good t being sneaky, so I felt that drow would be a good race for a Rogue (well, that and I was told to use drow). The Backstabber feat, obviously, makes Zarra a bit better at backstabbing (or 'sneak-attacking', as the kids call it). Riposte Strike sets a target up for an immediate counterattack should they attack you, while Duelist's Flurry does little damage, but guarantees the use of sneak attack damage. Opening Move is actually nice to use as an opening move, because it hurts a target, and gives Zarra a nice 1-round addition to her defenses. Finally, Twilight Menace is the big finale; Zarra strikes, and if she hits, she is treated as being in concealment until her opponent can make a saving throw against it - and from concealment, she always gets sneak attack damage. I threw a hand crossbow in just for kicks, because drow used to like them.

D&D: The Cleric

The cleric is one of the original classes of D&D, along with the Fighter, Wizard, and Rogue. Originally, the Cleric's main job was to be the party healer, to keep everyone else alive when they were getting beaten and bloodied. The Cleric would call upon his or her god for divine power, and allies would regain their lost health. In later years, the Cleric would gain access to more spells, and become a power unto itself; in the last edition of D&D, a properly planned Cleric could outpower virtually every other class without even trying. Now, the Cleric's role is that of a Leader; the Leader inspires and helps out his or her comrades, sometimes with divine power, sometimes with song, and that help can come in the form of healing or also in the form of bonuses to attack, defense, or damage. I decided to go with a more classic form of Cleric, so this one is mostly a healer.

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Malharath, level 1
Kalashtar, Cleric
Kalashtar: Religion Bonus

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 12, Con 12, Dex 12, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 16.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 12, Con 12, Dex 12, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 14.


AC: 16 Fort: 11 Reflex: 11 Will: 16
HP: 24 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 6

TRAINED SKILLS
Religion +7, Diplomacy +8, Heal +9, Insight +11

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics, Arcana, Bluff +3, Dungeoneering +4, Endurance, History, Intimidate +3, Nature +4, Perception +4, Stealth, Streetwise +3, Thievery, Athletics

FEATS
Cleric: Ritual Caster
Level 1: Clarity of Spirit

POWERS
Channel Divinity: Healer's Mercy
Cleric at-will 1: Priest's Shield
Cleric at-will 1: Lance of Faith
Cleric encounter 1: Shield Bearer
Cleric daily 1: Beacon of Hope

ITEMS
Ritual Book, Chainmail, Mace, Adventurer's Kit, Holy Symbol
RITUALS
Gentle Repose, Create Holy Water
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

Malharath is a kalashtar, a race unique to the Eberron seting; they can use a minor form of telepathy to communicate with party members if necessary. Healer's Mercy allows all party members within a certain area to gain access to healing, whereas Priest's Shield gives a bonus to defense to the cleric and an ajacent ally if Malharath hits a target with his mace. Lance of Faith shoots an enemy with divine energy, and lets Malharath aid an ally in attacking that same foe. Shield Bearer attacks an enemy at range, and for a short period of time summons a ghostly shield bearer by that same enemy to help guard any of Malharath's allies that attack it. Beacon of Hope is an area effect; it Weakens all enemies caught in the area, while at the same time granting more hit points to any allies.

D&D: The Fighter

Since nobody expressed a preference, I thought I would start off with an oldie but a goodie, the oft-maligned Fighter. In previous editions of D&D, Fighters often tended to get the short end of the stick, because at higher levels, a wizard or cleric could not only do everything a fighter could do with spells, but also much much more. 4th Edition changed things, though; by giving each class a set of unique abilities, and a role in which to use them, it tuned down the power of the wizards and clerics, and gave classes like the fighter room to shine. The Fighter is a Defender, a role that is essentially supposed to mean that the class defends the other characters in the party, taking hits for them and distracting monsters, whether through wielding a sword and shield and challenging creatures or taking the fight to them with a 2-handed weapon - or even grappling them into submission with bare hands. With no further delay, I give you Eberk, dwarven fighter!

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Eberk, level 1
Dwarf, Fighter
Fighter: Combat Superiority
Fighter Talents: One-handed Weapon Talent

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 16, Dex 12, Int 9, Wis 16, Cha 10.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 14, Dex 12, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 10.


AC: 19 Fort: 15 Reflex: 13 Will: 13
HP: 31 Surges: 12 Surge Value: 7

TRAINED SKILLS
Intimidate +5, Endurance +8, Athletics +6

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics -1, Arcana -1, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +5, Heal +3, History -1, Insight +3, Nature +3, Perception +3, Religion -1, Stealth -1, Streetwise, Thievery -1

FEATS
Level 1: Defensive Challenge

POWERS
Fighter at-will 1: Tide of Iron
Fighter at-will 1: Cleave
Fighter encounter 1: Bell Ringer
Fighter daily 1: Knee Breaker

ITEMS
Scale Armor, Battleaxe, Heavy Shield, Adventurer's Kit
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

As some description may be needed, I'll give a bit: Eberk uses a shield and axe in fine Dwarven tradition. Tide of Iron allows Eberk to push monsters around at his whim with his shield, while Cleave allows him to strike both the creature in front of him and an adjacent creature. Bell Ringer, which can be used once per combat, allows Eberk to Daze an opponent on a successful hit, and since he is using an axe he does extra damage; he gets the extra damage for Knee Breaker as well, though Knee Breaker Slows or Immobilizes the target if Eberk hits. Eberk may be short, but he's vicious. The feat Defensive Challenge allows Eberk to give a defensive bonus to any ally standing next to him, as well, making him good to have around for both offense and defense.

Character Creation

It's been a while since my last post to this blog, but I've had a rather odd idea. I thought it might help to work the atrophying gaming muscles in my head if I busted out a few characters, but I think I'll be a little more ambitious than that: I'll create a character, hopefully one a day, for every RPG in my closet. It may be more than one, if it is requested, and for D&D I think I'll do something special. I'm not sure if each 3rd Edition D&D setting should count separately, so I will list them separately. First, though, I think I will post a list of games I have nearby:

D&D 4th Edition
Reign
Star Wars: Saga Edition
Exalted
Army of Darkness
Angel
Buffy
Witchcraft
Armageddon
Star Trek
Weapons of the Gods
All Flesh Must Be Eaten
Trinity
Aberrant
Houses of the Blooded
Big Eyes, Small Mouth
Deadlands Reloaded
Unknown Armies
Shadowrun 4th Edition
Scion
Godlike
Savage Worlds
Earthdawn 3rd Edition
Delta Green
Ars Magica
Stormbringer
Alternity
Grimm
Spycraft 2.0
New World of Darkness
Werewolf: the Forsaken
Changeling: the Lost
Hunter: the Vigil
Geist: the Sin-Eaters
Promethean: the Created
Mage: the Awakening
Pendragon
Heroquest
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 3rd Edition
Lord of the Rings Role-Playing Game
The Burning Wheel
Fireborn
Hellas: Worlds of Sun and Stone

d20 Settings:
Midnight
Dawnforge
Fading Suns
Dragonstar
World of Warcraft
Iron Kingdoms
Scarred Lands
Arcana Evolved

If anyone has any requests as to which I start with, I'll take 'em. Otherwise, I'll start with D&D 4th Edition, and I'll be making a character of each class first.

Gaming with Friends

As you may have noticed, my interests in gaming span quite a few different systems, genres, and games in general. My biggest problems with this are two: first, when I see a new, interesting-looking game, I often become very fixated on the new game, or game book, sometimes to the point of losing any interest in previous games or ideas I was working on.

The second problem I have is that while my close friends are generally the people I feel most comfortable gaming with, they are also not very close to me physically. Here is St. Louis, I've had trouble making connections, at least in a gaming sense, so my nearest friends are 500 miles away. Lately, though, that seems like it may be looking up; I have some friends who recently got access to high-speed internet and a new computer. So there are some things that I will hopefully be able to try out.

First, with high-speed internet, I'm thinking gaming with some programs, like Skype, may be much more possible. The combination of VOIP and the internal chat mean that certain kinds of gaming will be easy, though I haven't tried it out; I don't know if any kind of easy image transfer is possible with Skype, though, and games that are more tactically oriented, such as D&D 4E, can't really get things across with the Skype chat.

I'm also looking into Google Wave, which looks like it may be promising as a means of online gaming. It seems to combine chatting, message boards, and mail all in one area, which would be a great help, though still misses out on things that require tactical movement.

As a more immediate concern, however, I'm thinking that I may start a message board for access to people I know to exchange some ideas about gaming. I'm not really sure how it will work, but when I figure it out, I'll be sending out invites so that people can show up, talk about gaming ideas and such, and hopefully give me a more active area to discuss gaming than what I currently have. I'll still have my blog here, for when I feel like yammering, though.