Chronicle 009: What Makes a Character Finale

FINALIZING OUR CHARACTER

Yes! We're here! It is time to wrap up our conversation on "What Makes a Character". I want to apologize that this process took so long, but, as I stated before, there's more to a character than just a set of stats on a piece of paper. If you're anything like me when it comes to gaming, each character is a machination of who I am -- to an extent. I try to find something about me that will keep me connected to the character. 

So where are we? (If you haven't been following along so far, this is the Cliff Notes version):

Vigo, 1st Level, Human, Fighter

Vigo's name came from the villain in Ghostbusters 2.

We took Human because the race receives a bonus Feat and Skill Points at 1st level.

Fighters are generally the easiest the play for first time gamers.

Strength 16 (+3); Dexterity 12 (+1); Constitution 14 (+2)

Intelligence 10 (+0); Wisdom 11 (+0); Charisma 13 (+1)

Our hero's stats derive from the Standard Array which can be found in most d20 games. Since we were wanting to make a melee fighter Strength (bonuses "to hit" and "to damage") and Constitution (bonuses "to Hit Points" and "Fortitude Save") were our Primary Abilities. Charisma was chosen as a third main ability as we wanted a character to lead with an iron fist.

 

Bluff (+3); Climb (+3); Craft (+3); Handle Animal (+4); Intimidate (+6); Jump (+3); Listen (+2); Ride (+4): Spot (+2) and Swim (+3)

The Fighter starts with very few skill choices: Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Ride & Swim. With his generally good bonuses  from his Ability Scores, we distributed Vigo's skill points evenly to show that he balances his time between being a farmhand and a "leader" in his village. With some choice Feats, we also picked up some needed bonuses to three new skills: Bluff, Listen and Spot, which can be supported by his background. 

Weapon Focus, Persuasive and Alertness

Weapon Focus was chosen to show Vigo's brutality on the battlefield. Persuasive and Alertness were chosen to support his background has a farmhand and "leader".

 

So now we just need some Gear, and then we'll be done!

 

We'll start with Armor choice and then move onto Weapons. Weapons are listed first in the book, but Armor is pricey object, and may require the most out of our meager budget.We have 150 gold to spend on equipment. This is the average amount, so we'll take it! 

 

What's great for the fighter is they have access to ALL armor and shields, so we're given lots of choices. We could spend a good bit of our gold here, by taking a Chain Shirt at 100 gp. This is a good piece of armor, giving us a +4 to our Armor Class (what opponents need to roll to hit). But that would limit what weapons we could choose. So instead we could choose Scale Mail. It provides the same defensive bonus (+4) at half the cost (50 gold), but invokes a penalty to our movement (-10 ft). But I don't see Vigo having access to anything that well made, although he could have taken the armor off a dead man I suppose, and had it mended. Studded Leather or Hide, both give a +3 to AC, are good options too as they are cheaper in price. However, Vigo wants to look immaculate in battle, and Scale Mail, though cumbersome, will provide the "look" he's wanting.

 

Knowing that battle can be dangerous we know that Armor is critical, and with only a +1 to Dexterity, and a +4 from the Scale Mail we can see that we need further protection. So buying a shield would be a valuable purchase. The Heavy Wooden Shield would round out our AC well, with a +2 bonus, bringing our grand total to +7, for a total of 17. Not too shabby for a first level fighter. And the extra protection only cost us 7 gold. That leaves us with 93 gold left to use on weapons and additional gear.

Fighters need to have an array of weapons to combat any type of foe. So this means at least having a ranged weapon and a melee weapon. As we've determined, Vigo is a melee fighter, so his choice of a ranged weapon can, be cheap (easily discarded) and possibly double as a back-up melee weapon. His main weapon, could be a two-handed weapon or one-handed weapon. We have chosen to carry a shield, so a one-handed weapon would be a good first weapon. However, we could carry an additional weapon if necessary.

The Longsword and Battleaxe are the typical choices for most fighters, though some may choose the Warhammer or Flail as well. But Vigo is going a slightly different route, He's going to take the Trident. It does the same amount of damage as the previously mentioned weapons, but it's the only one in the group that can also be thrown. Also, since Vigo is a farmhand, when not defending the village versus invaders, the Trident (aka Pitch fork) could have been the first weapon Vigo grabbed when he was younger. Refining it, Vigo turned the awkward Pitchfork into a Trident and started throwing at short ranged targets. But he knew a good weapon when he saw it, and his axe made a great weapon in the heat of battle. And so he keeps a battleaxe on his hip at all times. The cost of these weapons takes 25 gold out of our pocket.

Every adventurer needs gear. Items that will help them survive in the wilds when hunting down an orc tribe. Or when seeking the mighty red dragon that stole the princess from the lord's keep. Heroes need gear to get them through the daily grind of travel. And Vigo knows a little about traveling and always keeps the following items ready to go: Backpack, Bedroll, Block and Tackle, Winter Blanket, Fish Hook, 5 days of Rations, 2 Torches, Waterskin, Whetstone, Pitons, 50 ft of Hempen Rope, Grappling Hook, Hammer, and Flint and Steel. In total 16 gold. Leaving us with 52 gold. 

 

Needing an extra set of hands on the farm to heard the animals, Vigo bought a guard dog (25 gold) to help him in his daily tasks. The dog also proved useful in battle when things got really rough. And with just 27 gold left Vigo purchased a set of Artisan tools to aid him in his craft.

So here's Vigo in his final glory:

Vigo, 1st Level, Human, Fighter

  

Ability Scores

Strength 16 (+3); Dexterity 12 (+1); Constitution 14 (+2)

Intelligence 10 (+0); Wisdom 11 (+0); Charisma 13 (+1)

 

Skills

Bluff (+3); Climb (+3); Craft (+3); Handle Animal (+4); Intimidate (+6); Jump (+3); Listen (+2); Ride (+4): Spot (+2) and Swim (+3)

  

Feats

Weapon Focus: Trident, Persuasive and Alertness

 

Base Attack Bonus

Melee: +4(+5) = +3 Str, +1 Class, (+1 for the Trident focus)

(Battleaxe [1d8+3 dmg, Crit x3],  or Trident [1d8+3 dmg, Crit x2])

Range: +2 = +1 Dex, +1 Class 

(Trident [1d8+3, Crit x2, Range 10 ft.])

Armor Class

AC 17 = Base 10, +4 Scale Mail, +2 Shield, +1 Dex

Saving Throws

Fortitude: +4 = +2 Con, +2 Class

Reflex = +1 = +1 Dex, +0 Class

Will +0 = +0 Wis, +0 Class

 

And that's it. In a nutshell we have completed our character.  Vigo is now complete. His background as a farmhand and self-proclaimed village leader helped us shape the skills and feats we took. And his name's reference provides us with a possible personality, which is reflected in his skills.

I hope you enjoyed this lengthy journey through What Makes a Character. If you have any questions, or need help with your next character idea, please feel free to ask me for assistance.

Until next time . . .

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