Rhogar

[The Keeper]

Rhogar, level 3
Dragonborn, Warlock
Character Theme: Templar
Warlock Pact: Sorcerer-King Pact
Eldritch Blast: Eldritch Blast Charisma
Dragonborn: Dragon Breath
Dragon Breath Key Ability: Dragon Breath Constitution
Dragon Breath Damage Type: Dragon Breath Fire

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 14, Con 14, Dex 10, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 20.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 12, Con 14, Dex 10, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 18.


AC: 15 Fort: 14 Reflex: 15 Will: 18
HP: 41 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 12

TRAINED SKILLS
Intimidate +13, Insight +6, Arcana +16, Bluff +11

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +1, Diplomacy +6, Dungeoneering +1, Endurance +3, Heal +1, History +5, Nature +1, Perception +1, Religion +3, Stealth +1, Streetwise +6, Thievery +1, Athletics +3

FEATS
Level 1: Toughness
Level 2: Templar's Tugging Fist

POWERS
At-Will 1: Eldritch Blast
At-Will 2: Hand of Blight
Wilder Talent: Psionic Spark
Encounter 1: Cruel Bounty
Character Theme Bonus Encounter: Templar's Fist
Racial Encounter: Dragon Breath (Fire)
Warlock daily 1: Armor of Agathys
Warlock utility 2: Ethereal Stride
Encounter 3: Fortune Binding

ITEMS
Leather Armor, Amulet of Protection +1, Rod Implement

EXPERIENCE
1625

[kore]

Is there any specific reason you chose a Cha-based warlock over a Con-based?

Also, it's cool you're going the templar route.

[The Keeper]

There is no specific reason I'm going Charisma based besides the fact that it'll be better for RP. I imagine my character having a high Charisma rather than a high Constitution. Not that I wouldn't love the high Con but between the two Cha wins.

Sorcerer-King Pact provides equal support for either Charisma or Constitution. The attack and damage rolls go off of either one and all the riders key off of your Intelligence. Choosing Charisma or Constitution as primary, Intelligence ans secondary, and whatever you didn't choose as primary for tertiary works just fine.

I'm glad I went the Templar route (so far). I still have to go through the RP ringer with Phil but I think it'll work out. Somebody had to be the Templar in the PC party first right? It's the proverbial elephant in the middle of the room.

[The Keeper]

Can't wait to turn level 6 and do Sand Shape + Armor of Agathys silliness. It wouldn't be striker output but it'd be RP fun.

Armor of Agathys:
Daily
Standard Action
Effect: You gain temporary hit points equal to 10 + your Intelligence modifier. Until the end of the encounter, an enemy that starts its turn adjacent to you takes 1d6 + Constitution modifier cold damage.

Sand Shape:
Daily
Minor Action
Effect: Until the end of your next turn, you are insubstantial and can pass through any opening large enough to accomodate a single grain of sand. You cannot attack, pick up anything, or manipulate objects.
Sustain Minor: The effect persists.

1. Do you think Armor of Agathys' damage counts as an attack as stipulated by Sand Shape's restrictions? I don't see how it could since I'm not making any attack rolls. I wouldn't TRULY be attacking anything.

2. Just a silly one...If it says I can pass through any opening large enough to accomodate a single grain of sand, does that mean I could enter someone through their nose and slowly kill them from the inside with Armor of Agathys' damage?

3. It's obvious Armor of Agathys' damage doesn't scale well for later levels (let's say Paragon tier) but right now at level 2 it's great to have as solid extra damage per round while still attacking with a Warlock at-will with curse damage. Assuming a hit with melee touch Hand of Blight, curse damage, and Armor of Agathys', I could do average 17dmg per round to someone which is awesome at level 2. Is it worth it, however, to trigger both dailies at level 6 and then not being able to attack but to be a roving sandstorm across the field (with Shadow Walk concealment) that does minor damage? How bad would only 1d6 + Constitution modifier damage be at level 6. Granted, I should have concealment from Shadow Walk, temporary hit points, as well as me being insubstantial from Sand Shape.

[kore]

Aug 30, 2010 6:51:35 GMT -8 The Keeper said:

1. Do you think Armor of Agathys' damage counts as an attack as stipulated by Sand Shape's restrictions? I don't see how it could since I'm not making any attack rolls. I wouldn't TRULY be attacking anything.

No, it's not an attack, you're good to go.

Aug 30, 2010 6:51:35 GMT -8 The Keeper said:

2. Just a silly one...If it says I can pass through any opening large enough to accomodate a single grain of sand, does that mean I could enter someone through their nose and slowly kill them from the inside with Armor of Agathys' damage?

Cool idea, you've created arcane sand sickness.

Though this is a question for which Phil's answer will trump all, I would say 'yes'. There are a couple of mitigating factors that would not make this too over the top, crazy powerful:

1. You're burning two dailies.
2. You're giving up your attacks each round. This is true regardless of your use of Sand Shape, but it sounds like you're planning to take yourself out of the fight proper for an extended period of time to pull off your trick.
3. You're giving up your striker feature.
4. You're burning two dailies.*

Aug 30, 2010 6:51:35 GMT -8 The Keeper said:

3. It's obvious Armor of Agathys' damage doesn't scale well for later levels (let's say Paragon tier) but right now at level 2 it's great to have as solid extra damage per round while still attacking with a Warlock at-will with curse damage. Assuming a hit with melee touch Hand of Blight, curse damage, and Armor of Agathys', I could do average 17dmg per round to someone which is awesome at level 2. Is it worth it, however, to trigger both dailies at level 6 and then not being able to attack but to be a roving sandstorm across the field (with Shadow Walk concealment) that does minor damage? How bad would only 1d6 + Constitution modifier damage be at level 6. Granted, I should have concealment from Shadow Walk, temporary hit points, as well as me being insubstantial from Sand Shape.

Well, this is where the real cost-benefit comes into play. The idea is very cool but is it worth it? I honestly think you have to jump through a lot of hoops to implement this concept with a less than equal return in the damage department. The real benefit is the added defenses/protection which, in the world of Athas, would be quite practical. Perhaps Phil will reward you're out-of-the-box thinking.

*Repeated for emphasis.

[The Keeper]

Thanks for the feed back.

First off, I neglected to mention I'm burning one daily and one utility. This would change things a bit, no?

Second, having played in the sandbox that is Athas for two sessions now, we've been beat to crap every encounter save for one. We constantly have PCs falling unconscious (sometimes 3 times per PC and during the 1st round) and we've had a PC DEATH each session. I was actually the death this past Saturday and rolled this Dray Warlock on the fly. That said, added defenses and protection is what I was going for. The party's damage output per round would drop drastically so I guess I'd have to use this combo sparingly and in the right situation. The most likely situation would be against a Solo creature or an encounter setup close to that.

Doing it against a Solo (and maybe only then) would probably be best huh?

[kore]

Aug 30, 2010 11:22:18 GMT -8 The Keeper said:

First off, I neglected to mention I'm burning one daily and one utility. This would change things a bit, no?

From my perspective, it doesn't matter if they're both attacks proper or utilities, the fact of the matter is that you will only be able to pull this combo off once a day and using the powers as stand-alones means you won't be able to perform your trick at all, assuming you listed Sand Form correctly as a daily (I couldn't verify).

Aug 30, 2010 11:22:18 GMT -8 The Keeper said:

Second, having played in the sandbox that is Athas for two sessions now, we've been beat to crap every encounter save for one. We constantly have PCs falling unconscious (sometimes 3 times per PC and during the 1st round) and we've had a PC DEATH each session. I was actually the death this past Saturday and rolled this Dray Warlock on the fly. That said, added defenses and protection is what I was going for. The party's damage output per round would drop drastically so I guess I'd have to use this combo sparingly and in the right situation. The most likely situation would be against a Solo creature or an encounter setup close to that.

Doing it against a Solo (and maybe only then) would probably be best huh?

That's where the cost-benefit has to be determined. That's why I think there is no issue with the combo, it seems pretty costly on its face.

[reiphil]

This would have to be a house rule and i would have to think about it.

You could not just enter someone on a whim. And even if you did, I haven't read the sand form power yet, would you get all of yourself into a person? Probably not. If you were then against most creatures it wouldn't matter if you had armor of agathys or not, you'd drown the person in sand.

But let's just say for sake of disbelief you became only a handful of sand or only a handful goes into the person.

THen you'd have to make an attack roll against the enemy for one thing, and then you'd be inflicting the person with a status affect. One that they will be able to save against.

Still gotta think up all the ruling.

[The Keeper]

Aug 30, 2010 16:49:42 GMT -8 reiphil said:

This would have to be a house rule and i would have to think about it.

You could not just enter someone on a whim. And even if you did, I haven't read the sand form power yet, would you get all of yourself into a person? Probably not. If you were then against most creatures it wouldn't matter if you had armor of agathys or not, you'd drown the person in sand.

But let's just say for sake of disbelief you became only a handful of sand or only a handful goes into the person.

THen you'd have to make an attack roll against the enemy for one thing, and then you'd be inflicting the person with a status affect. One that they will be able to save against.

Still gotta think up all the ruling.

I was thinking maybe it would only work on Large or bigger creatures as there would be room in side of them. That said, maybe the house ruling could be some modified version of a Swallow power? This way I wouldn't just become a handful of sand which I feel wouldn't make sense.

Thanks for the consideration.

[The Keeper]

Aug 30, 2010 13:36:54 GMT -8 kore said:

From my perspective, it doesn't matter if they're both attacks proper or utilities, the fact of the matter is that you will only be able to pull this combo off once a day and using the powers as stand-alones means you won't be able to perform your trick at all, assuming you listed Sand Form correctly as a daily (I couldn't verify).

Pulling it off once per day would add to its epicness in my opinion. I wouldn't want to be spamming the combo. I figure in the RP-sense it would take a lot of effort and energy to become a sandstorm and then possibly drown someone with myself. Once per day is enough from an RP standpoint. Still, I'll have to see as the levels go by the cost-benefit of this idea.

When it all comes down to it, I tend to pick powers/feats/equipment more suited to the RP I want to get across than actual min/maxing.

[kore]

Another thing: the powers work as is, you're description of entering the enemy's nose is the flavor behind the mechanics and would work regardless of the creature's size.

However, if you want to go above and beyond with some unique trick, that's where you could request a house ruling. What's interesting to me is representing the trick through the rules. Here's a few suggestions for implementing the trick:

- What benefit do you hope to acquire, besides good RP, from performing the trick? If there is none, this conversation is academic. However, if there is some defensive benefit to being out of sight, then there needs to be a cost.
- What is the cost beyond the basic combination of the mechanics? Perhaps drifting up the nostril, or other orifice, requires another action, similar to a grab (not necessarily a grab action, though).
- Is the trick limited by creature size? As Phil pointed out, is your mass just converted to sand or can your essence become a smaller portion?
- Cannot affect swarms.
- Affects one, and only one, creature; you lose the 'adjacent' portion of the AoA effect.
- Upon a successful action, you occupy the same square(s) as the target.
- If the target moves, you must move with it.
- Target grants combat advantage (painful irritation caused by the trick).
- Effect is save ends and/or the creature may attempt an escape-like action: it sneezes or otherwise expels you from the orifice you entered. This does not prevent you from taking another action to affect the creature again.
- You cannot be the target of any power (healing, attacks, etc.) unless you are the source of said power.

Again, these are suggestions for hashing this out. Use all, some, or none. It's just fun thinking about ways to implement an idea that originated from RP.

Edit: added another thought (bolded)

[kore]

- You may end the trick as a free action.
- While performing the trick, you may only target yourself with a power.
- Though Warlock's Curse requires an attack, you may apply it to damage caused by the trick. Other creatures under your WC can never take WC damage while you're performing the trick.

As I'm writing these I began to think of the power synergies from the Phantasy Star games. This would be a pretty cool mechanic if implemented correctly (balanced cost-benefits) for power combinations and other classes.

[frobones]

Aug 30, 2010 6:30:14 GMT -8 The Keeper said:

There is no specific reason I'm going Charisma based besides the fact that it'll be better for RP.

Translation...

I need CHA to have a high bluff to lie to Nantiki about my arcane source to prevent him from mauling my face off.

[The Keeper]

The narrow, dusty street was unusually empty for this early in the evening but the lone templar didn't mind the quiet as he hurried to his destination. It had been a long day and it was finally time to drink away his troubles. A warm wind whipped through the streets chasing the blazing sun dipping below the horizon. Night began to provide a welcome respite from the heat as the templar entered his favorite tavern, the Golden Inix. The inn's wooden doors creaked loudly as he pushed them open. The pleasant smell of roasted meat and fine Tyrian ale filled his nostrils bringing a smile to his face as he nodded to familiar faces and wound his way through patrons to his favorite table at the back of the room.

"Oy, Rowan! Gimme a pitcher of brown ale and a slab of roasted meat," ordered the templar as he sat down. "Let's see if you can bring it out in a timely manner tonight." His booming, condescending voice thundered throughout the tavern bringing a sudden hush to the other patrons who eagerly looked to the shaken barkeep for his reaction.

"Comin' right up," stuttered the barkeep. Flustered, the half-elf stumbled through a set of double doors and into the kitchen. Rowan knew all too well what would happen if the templar felt he received his food and drink in an untimely manner. The last time that happened it had cost the Golden Inix two months profit to repair the damages. Rowan was still unable to find a replacement for his last waitress.

Waiting for his meal, the templar tapped his fingers on the table in a slow rhythm as he scanned the busy room looking for someone to antagonize in order to pass the time. It had been a while since he started a good bar fight and tonight would be a good night to let out some anger. The templar's eyes passed from one table to another and he soon became frustrated as all he saw were familiar faces chatting with one another. He knew none of them would allow themselves to be goaded into an argument, they had all gone through it with him before. He nearly let out an audible sigh of grief when all of a sudden he spied someone he had never seen before. The newcomer sat alone at the end of the bar staring into a tankard of cheap broy. An easy mark if there ever was one.

The templar stood up swiftly from his chair knocking it to the floor. The sharp, wooden thud was barely audible over the clamor in the common room. With a flourish of his cloak and a smug smirk, the templar closed in on his unwary prey at the bar with conviction and ill intent. The stranger didn't react in the slightest as the templar clamped his hands on the cloaked stranger's broad shoulders.

"Well, who do we have here, snickered the templar. "It seems someone's decided to sit in my seat tonight. Rowan! Get your mutt ass out here!" The half-elf emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of meat and an overflowing pitcher of ale to find his tavern deathly quiet. Every person in the room had stopped what they were doing to take in the scene. Some stole quick glances at the door to see if they could make their escape before the fallout.

Rowan set the serving tray and pitcher down and beseeched the templar, "Please, not tonight. Let me just bring you your food and drink to your regular table in the back. It's on the house tonight." Rowan's growing fear was evident as his voice had cracked throughout his plea.

The templar released his grip on the stranger, kicked over a vacant table and growled, "That isn't the point Rowan. I need to teach this newcomer a lesson. He needs to know that -- ." The templar abruptly stopped speaking out of bewilderment as the stranger cleared his throat, placed two gold pieces on the bar, stood up, excused himself, and walked to the doors leading outside. His face remained curiously concealed within the shadow of his cowl. His heavy, booted footfalls sounded as loud as thunder in the quiet common room. The tension was so palpable that even the air felt oppressive and difficult to breathe.

Patrons let out gasps of both relief and horror as the templar stormed out of the tavern to give chase to the stranger who had ignored and disrespected him. They knew they were no longer in danger, at least for tonight, but still pitied the fate of the defiant stranger. They knew they would never be seeing him in the Golden Inix again.

A sandstorm was growing in strength as the templar stepped out into the street. Heavy, sand-filled gusts buffeted him forcing him to shield his eyes from the grit. He was barely able to make out the silhouette of the cloaked stranger trudging along only a dozen yards away. The sand seemed to swirl around the stranger concealing him in a brown haze.

"Stop! You come back here if you know what's good for you!" bellowed the templar. No sooner had he finished his sentence did the cloaked stranger disappear in an explosion of whirling sand. The howling sandstorm immediately died down in the street leaving the templar scratching his head. Thoroughly confused, the templar turned around to head back to the Golden Inix and came face to face with the stranger, now uncowled. He turned out to be a fearsome tan dray with black arcane tattoos covering his face and running down his neck.

"Well...which is it?" growled the dray through clenched teeth. His eyes began to glow red as darkness coalesced around his formidable frame.

Stumbling back in surprise the templar was speechless. He attempted to turn and run just as the dray reached out with a mighty claw and grabbed him by the face. With what seemed little effort, the templar was hoisted into the air. His screams muffled in the dray's tattooed claw.

"Know this templar before you die: you are a nobody. I don't know your name nor do I care to hear it now. You are just another pawn I must kill in order to get to Kalak. Take solace in the fact I felt you were important enough to to spend my precious time on. Now you must die." The struggling templar's head burst in an explosion of sand leaving his body to fall to the hard-packed ground in a lifeless heap. Without a second look, the dray pulled his cowl back over his head and walked off in the dim moonlight.