Channeling my inner dwarf (D&D)
Tonight's game was a delve. One of my housemates has taken the occasional night to run something out of Dungeon Delve so she can get a feel for DMIng and get comfortable with it. For the rest of us, it's a chance to try out characters that we don't have time to fit into a full campaign; my other housemate gets to play his monk, while I've tried out a battlerager fighter, a starlock, a wild magic sorcerer, a darklock (spurred on by various threads talking about how weak warlocks are compared to other strikers- based on my findings, baloney), and an ardent paladin with the release of Divine Power. So, not a lot of character fidelity for me, but as we went from 3rd level to 6th, I decided to keep the darklock and the paladin. However, I read another thread about how certain races are optimal (and apparently the only proper choices) for certain classes. Deciding to buck conventional wisdom again, I changed my paladin from human to dwarf- I shifted some stats around, changed some feats, but kept my powers the same.
Mechanically, I loved the character. I swapped out the human's full blade for a craghammer and shield, increasing my survival chances and losing little on the damage. I figured Second Wind as a minor might save my butt since I didn't have Lay on Hands, but it never came up. I did not suspect that the most fun with this character would come not from the numbers but from the personality.
These delve nights are very RP light for us. Three encounters back to back is not a situation that requires fully developed background and intense character study. But, I like having a little bit of characterization. So, while initiatives were being called out, I considered what sort of person Harbek was. Harbek the black, I decided, a name I'd used in an Open Design project. I knew he was a paladin of Kord. From backgrounds I'd selected, he'd learned that religion with a people not his own. And I knew I didn't want to just pull out a Scottish accent, as that's one of my main peeves with how dwarves are portrayed.
And then it all came together. Harbek the black, dwarf pirate and paladin! In one breath, I'd call on Kord for aid and add in any pirate-speak I could think of. When an enemy missed, I'd taunt him as a landlubber, saying he'd need to get his sea legs. Holy strike became Scuttle Strike, since I was hoping to sink my foe (by putting a hole in him). For three encounters, I charged forward, letting nothing dampen my spirits or silence Harbek. And the rest of the table loved it.
Harbek will be returning in future delves, and a version of him will be my character when we decide to tackle Revenge of the Giants. He might end up a little more subdued in the future, as he's a little rough on my throat. But, oh Kord, he's fun.
Mechanically, I loved the character. I swapped out the human's full blade for a craghammer and shield, increasing my survival chances and losing little on the damage. I figured Second Wind as a minor might save my butt since I didn't have Lay on Hands, but it never came up. I did not suspect that the most fun with this character would come not from the numbers but from the personality.
These delve nights are very RP light for us. Three encounters back to back is not a situation that requires fully developed background and intense character study. But, I like having a little bit of characterization. So, while initiatives were being called out, I considered what sort of person Harbek was. Harbek the black, I decided, a name I'd used in an Open Design project. I knew he was a paladin of Kord. From backgrounds I'd selected, he'd learned that religion with a people not his own. And I knew I didn't want to just pull out a Scottish accent, as that's one of my main peeves with how dwarves are portrayed.
And then it all came together. Harbek the black, dwarf pirate and paladin! In one breath, I'd call on Kord for aid and add in any pirate-speak I could think of. When an enemy missed, I'd taunt him as a landlubber, saying he'd need to get his sea legs. Holy strike became Scuttle Strike, since I was hoping to sink my foe (by putting a hole in him). For three encounters, I charged forward, letting nothing dampen my spirits or silence Harbek. And the rest of the table loved it.
Harbek will be returning in future delves, and a version of him will be my character when we decide to tackle Revenge of the Giants. He might end up a little more subdued in the future, as he's a little rough on my throat. But, oh Kord, he's fun.