Mr. R

My last PC. An assassin, a trained killer. And she is looking for redemption! Ann-Nura is that classic trope of what she was taught to believe was wrong. She can be a dangerous combatant, especially if she gets the drop on an opponent. But even in a straight up fight, she is very competent. Add the skills from a well trained rogue and we get a fairly well rounded character. Also I had fun tying her into other PCs I made, (who are a lot les powerful) and make her something of a mentor type!

He's not heavy, he's my...... ahh BLEEP! He's Heavy! So a thinking man's warrior. He has connections, a rank and some decent skills to get him through. Add some nasty HtH skills and you have a fairly complete package.

So the next three PCs will experienced versions of non mage types, just to see what I can make. So please look at them well to tell me what you think. So first up is a Martial Artist type. I tried NOT to go overboard, but I was inspired a bit by Tamora Pierce "Song of the Lionesse" and the secondary character "the Dragon"

Super strong guy, why are you not in construction? Fly guy with LS and TK, why are you not helping place satelittes in orbit and getting debris down? Underwater swim guy, can you go down and check on all those oil wells and make sure they are all up to code? M. Millionaire, why are you using your money to fund a violent fantasy lifestyle? We could go on! Even better: Healer kidnaped to be personal slave to billionaire. The reason we don't do that is because this is a wish fulfillment medium. Real world,... well we can imagine RW (take Marvel Mutants and dial it to 11) So if someone made a healer type (and I did have one in my old game. Healing, FF and NND EB) this type of conversation would be of the ARE we talking about possible Plot Points OR is this just some passive aggressive griping?

Killer Shrike has an archtype called the Courser. He likes to run. Images like the message runners of the Inca come to mind! Well I don't have a large empire, but a city can have its own geography. And so we have Skif! Also I wanted a PC who was not a blood thirsty attack monster. Skif is real good at getting out of trouble. I also tied him to my Martial Artist and my Priestess. He can go in a lot of directions. Better fighter, or more rogue type skills. Maybe some Archery?

He's a thinking man savage! How do you make a Tarzan type or Native Warrior type without getting to stereotypical? Well I do have a desert environment (Bola Desert) that is made by a past magical storm, that is inhabited by a very hardy people. Combo of desert warrior and Apache warrior. He has a very limited skill set, but has a lot of room for improvement!

So a light armour warrior type who is NOT a woodsland tracker/ former hunter/ farmer on the border! I tried to go against trope here. I wanted an archer, but NOT from the country. Also not a ranger/bounty hunter type. It was a bit getting her backstory to fit, and I am sure there are skills I missed, but the core is a cool PC!

KS has a rogue build called the Savant. I just had to try to make a PC out of it. A lot of room for improvement. More SPD and Dex, and a few combat skills. As far as other skills go, he has a good selection, and I am sure there is a story that goes with each skill. I for one would probably have fun with this guy!

This is an experiment in a cleric type. I had postulated a VPP that could be used for any power as long as it fits under the perview of the Goddess of the Night Sky. This can get expensive and I went with a Non combat type cleric. Selune knows she's not a fighter, so she concentrates on those support abilities to make the quest easier and more survivable. This would be a blast to play. I can see a lot of role play opportunities with her. But she certainly needs so better equipment and some very basic weapon training.

Not that it is totally common, but an unarmed Martial Arts type is a cool archtype. I think that a more passive type MA would be hard to play. Lower damage and a reliance on NOT getting hit could make this a very hard build to progress. BUT... I can see a pay off. Get enough Combat Luck, a lot of Combat Levels and maybe even a few Wire Fu abilities ( Auto Fire HA or HA with 2x KB) and soon she's an island of calm in an ocean of opponents. Skill wise I went with the cloistered monk type. Knows little out of her upbringing.

A list I made up. Please tell me what you think!

So first up a Heavy Warrior type. You know heavy armour, a lot of weapons and hopefully some useful skills He is a bit stereotypical in basics, so it is his skills and extras that define him. So I went with an educated warrior type. Extra language, interaction skill, tactic and deduction (yeah it seems weird, but it allows him to figure things out with a minimum of info). Also there is a lot of room for improvement. Just of the top Deadly Blow (+1d6), better Dex and Con, more skills (at least four more) and COMBAT SKILL LEVELS ( another +1 DCV, and the +2 DCV upgraded to all combat, and some for favoured weapons). All told 10+9+6+12+5+6+4=52. Ten he can branch out!

Next up the non magicians. No fancy spells or incantations. They deal in steel.

Sorry for the long wait. School stuff took over (Marking, marking, marking) So Storin a more experienced runemaster. He does look like a warrior who can make his own weapons, but a heavy warrior has access to skills and abilities he doesn't! For all that he is a capable combatant and magic wielder. He should be played that way, a caster who can fight!

Rolemaster had Laen Atlantis has Orichalcum Guild Wars 2 has Deldrimore Steel and Amalgamated Gems My point is that these different sources had some sort of magical material. Now why am I asking about them? Well in most (not all) Fantasy Hero settings, magic items are Independent (What the GM givith, the GM can taketh away) But if you craft your own item, well you pay for it out of your hard earned Character Points. Which can hurt if the item ever gets lost or destroyed. So do you ever have those magical materials which if used in the creation of a magic item will supply "X" points to the real cost? For example in the Bola Desert is an ancient city. Exploring the city is difficult as it is surrounded by a living storm that circles around the city and tries to kill any who get in and loot it (curiously if you take nothing from the city it will allow you to leave in peace) One side effect of the Living Strom is Lightning Sand. This form where the lighting has repeatedly struck. If you can dig out a sample of the lightning sand (basically glass) it will provide up to 5 points towards the creation of a magic item. So any examples?

In The Star Crown Empire one state called Danica had a very ... repressive .. attitude towards females. They were baubles to be used in the power politics of the men. But next door was the VERY egalitarian state of Tenryk which forbid slavery and made females equal to men. So in my re-imagining of the political map I used a set up they suggested that Danica attacked Tenryk to gain control of a city so it could control the trade along the river. So I went with the idea and had Danica loose. (seriously Tenryk could field more soldiers because they could delegate tasks to competent women, freeing more men). So Salina is a product of this social change in her country and I just went with it. I don't see her making any HTH weapons. She has a staff, I can see a ring, circlet, boots. This could be a cool versatile build!

Another Runemaster, with a more martial bent. The concept of an arcane archer is an old one, but a classic. And one that can make his own weapon. I can see eventually getting the skills of a light or medium warrior. Add a good selection of runes and he can become a very handy NPC!

One of the things I ABSOLUTELY HATED in a previous campaign is when I would ask if my warrior could do (insert action) and the mage would cry "but that's not realistic" then cast Armour of Ithan, Fly and take to the air to cast a Lightning Bolt at the flying demon above us. Yeah, RIGHT!

I am not asking for Super Heroic but at the Heroic level!

I am making some Runemaster Character Ala Killer Shrike and the package deal has 15 points to buy self made rune weapons. Easy enough as required limitations are things like Focus and Independent. Easy enough. I made an Armour Charm with IIF and Indep. But weapons have a Str Minimum. In his examples the weapons have no Str Min.... BUT.... is that the norm? Do magic weapons use Str Min (are normal weapons just with extras) OR Do magic weapons NOT use Str Min (part of the enchantment is that they are almost effortless to use) Which way do you go in your campaign? Have you tried both and found one wanting?

And some possible runes. Note this is a small list and can be easily expanded on! Rune of Fire Wave 8d6 EB Explosion, Trigger, 1charge never recovers, No Range, Physical Manifestation (Note trigger could be a command phrase) Rune of Icy Manacles 3d6 Entangle, Trigger, 1charge never recovers, No Range, Physical Manifestation (Trigger: touching the door it was placed on) Rune of Pain 2d6 Ego Attack, AE extended, Trigger, 1 continuing charge of one minute, never recovers, No Range, Physical Manifestation (Note trigger could be a command phrase) Rune Detect Poison Detect Poison Trigger must reset, 6 charges never recovers, Physical Manifestation (Note trigger could be a command phrase OR when liquid is poured into a cup) Rune Detect Magic Detect Magic AE Trigger must reset, 6 charges never recovers, Physical Manifestation (Note trigger could be a command phrase) Rune of Light Images Trigger, 6 continuing charges of one hour never recovers, No Range, Physical Manifestation (Note trigger could be a command phrase OR When people enter through a certain door) Rune of Arrow Deflection Force Wall 10 pd 0 ed, Transparent to ed, Trigger, 2 continuing charges of 5 minutes never recovers, No Range, Physical Manifestation (Note trigger could be a command phrase OR being attacked with a ranged attack like arrows or sling ) Rune of Warning Images Trigger, 6 continuing charges of one hour never recovers, No Range, Physical Manifestation + Detect people AE (Note trigger could be a command phrase) Rune of Healing 1d6 Heal, Trigger, 6 charges never recovers, No Range, Physical Manifestation (Note trigger could be a command phrase OR when wounded.) If you can think of any other please add them to the list!

So a new system from Killer Shrike for making Runes http://www.killershrike.com/FantasyHERO/HighFantasyHERO/MagicSystems/runecrafting.aspx So my first PC is non traditional in that SHE does not sculpt, but is a whitesmith (ie tin smith but can work all the lighter metals like silver) So her items are basically jewelry. And still there is a lot to improve! Note I left the Rune list blank. That is intentional as I will be posting some suggestions in a bit. Also those who point to how it is similar to the PFRPG Diabolist, I say that this Build is MUCH more powerful and diverse. As always the GM should have a list of starting Runes, but as time progresses, new ones will be added that need to be vetted. And when was the last time you had a diabolist use a Heal Rune?

I guess you can call him a man who has gone native, EXCEPT for the fact that there is no such thing as native in the setting. Thus ends my Totemic Shaman PCs. Next up, Runemasters!

The story of Trixie. From the Far Eastern Islands she came to trod the thrones of the Basin Kingdoms beneath her callused feet! So Trixie is my attempt at a more ... experienced Totem Shaman. I paired it with a Rogue Package he had ( examples forthcoming ) to make a mage / thief type. As it is, though she is very capable, there is still a lot of room for improvement!

I have noticed one thing about this Totemic Magic type, it that it is perfect to make those Warrior/Rogue - Mage types. Since the cost is so low and the powers broaden rather than grow in power, this allows the PC to have a solid number of abilities that are useful but not overpowering. My next PC will merge Totem Shaman with a Rogue archetype. And I made her fairly experienced (like 280 +) so that she had a nice number of skills and powers!